1998 Chevrolet Malibu Suspension

CONSUMER HAS TWO SEPARATE ISSUES WHICH INVOLVED BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS BREAKING. THE FIRST TIME CONSUMER NOTICED A RUBBING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT WHEEL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING BROKE, AND RUBBED AGAINST THE TIRE. THE SECOND TIME WAS AFTER THE CONSUMER DROVE 50 MILES TO TAKE A FRIEND TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL. AFTER GETTING INTO THE VEHICLE TO RETURN HOME CONSUMER FELT TENSION ON THE RIGHT TIRE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED FOUND THAT RIGHT COIL SPRING BROKE. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL.*AK

WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY COIL SPRING BROKE AND WENT INSIDE OF THE FRONT LEFT TIRE OF CONSUMER'S VEHICLE. ALSO, REAR COIL SPRING BROKE, BUT DID NO DAMAGE TO TIRE. CALLED DEALER TO INQUIRY ABOUT THE TIRE AND DID NOT GET AN ANSWER.*AK

(1) FRONT PASSENGER SHOCK SPRING BROKE IN TWO PLACES, I BEGAN TO HEAR A SLIGHT GRINDING NOISE (2) SPRING BROKE PUNCTURING THE TIRE AND FORCING THE WEIGHT OF THE CAR ON THE FRAME AND TIRE RIM (3) CAR WAS TOWED TO A GM DEALER, THE SPRING WAS REPLACED. TOW TRUCK DRIVER ADVISED THAT THIS IS THE FOURTH INCIDENT FOR THIS DEFECT THAT HE HAS SEEN. *JB

IN LESS THAN THAN 8 MONTHS TWO SPRINGS HAS BROKEN. DEALER CLAIMS RUSTED COATING, THAT THEY HAVE NOT SEEN THIS ON ANY OTHER CAR. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WITH THIS PROBLEM? THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 35,000 MILES ON IT..*AK

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH FRONT DRIVER'S COIL SPRING BROKE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT BOTH FRONTAL COIL SPRINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

RIGHT FRONT SPRING BROKE, CAUSING TIRE DAMAGE AND LOSS OF CONTROL.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND PULLED OVER. THEN VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK THE PASSENGER SIDE SPRING BROKE AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE. *NM

I HAVE REPLACED MY ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM AT LEAST 4 TIMES. I WAS TOLD BY CHEVROLET THAT DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE BALL JOINTS, THE BRAKE ROTORS WOULD WEAR UNUSUALLY FAST. I AM CURRENTLY WAITING TO SEE IF WITH OVER $4,000 SPENT IN PARTS, SERVICE, AND LABOR, THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED. *LA

VEHICLE'S FRONT SPRINGS BROKE.*MR BOTH FRONT SPRING BROKE IN EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT. THE CONSUMER HAS THE BROKEN PARTS IN HER POSSESION. *NM

WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE OF VEHICLE AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VCOIL SPRING BROKE. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND NO WARNING THE FRONT SUSPENSION COLLAPSED. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

I HAVE A 1998 CHEVY MALIBU WITH 60,000 MILES. THE PROBLEM STARTED AT ABOUT 50,000 MILES. BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS STARTED TO RATTLE OVER CRACKS AND BUMPS AROUND JULY 2001. IT HAS STEADILY BECOME WORSE AND IS TO THE POINT I CAN HEAR A LOUD CLUNK EVEN OVER EXPANSION JOINTS OR WHEN IT SHIFTS GEARS DURING ACCELERATION. I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM, SOME WITH FEWER MILES. IN ALL CASES CHEVROLET REFUSES TO TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY AND SAYS WE HAVE TO REPLACE WITH NEWLY DESIGNED CONTROL ARMS AT OUR OWN COST. I AM GOING TO REPLACE THEM FOR FEAR THAT THE BOLTS ARE GOING TO BREAK FROM THE EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT ALLOWED BY THE INFERIOR BUSHINGS USED IN THE ORIGINAL PART, BUT I THINK GM'S DECISION TO NOT RECALL THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY HAZARD SHOULD BE QUESTIONED. THEY HAVE ADMITTED THERE WAS A DESIGN FLAW BY PRODUCING A REDISIGNED PART, WHY SHOULD THEY NOT RECALL IT?

RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRINT BROKE. A BROKEN END GOUGED THE INSIDE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE, MAKING A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.*AK

BUSHINGS ON BOTH LOWER FRONT CONTROL ARMS ON FRONT SUSPENSION WOR OUT AT 16K MILES, CAUSING THUMPING AND BANGING NOISE THAT GETS INCREASING WORST WITH MORE MILES PUT ON THE CAR--DEALER SAYS IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE THE CAR. *AK

FRONT AND REAR SUSPENSION MAKE LOUD SQUEAKY NOISES. THE NOISE IS CONSISTANT WHILE DRIVING OVER ROUGH AND BUMPY ROADS. DEALER CONFIRMS THAT SUSPENSION IS BAD. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK *SLC

FRONT END RATTLES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND DEALER INDICATED THAT STRUT MOUNTS WERE BAD. CALLED GMC TO CHECK ON RECALL. *AK

ANY SMALL BUMP OR ACCELERATION AT ABOUT 55MPH PRODUCES LOUD CLUNKING NOISES FROM FRONT. *AK

WHEN RIDING OVER BUMPS OR USING BRAKES, THERE WAS A VIBRATION NOISE PRESENT. THIS WAS DUE TO FAULTY WHEEL BEARINGS AND HUBS.*AK

FIRESTONE SAID ALLIGNMENT PROBLEM. IT WAS ALLIGNED AT 23,139 MILES. FIRST NOTICED IRRAGULAR WEAR ON BOTH REAR TIRES ON 9/29/2000 WHEN ROTATING TIRES. THE VEHICLE HAS ALSO BEEN TOWED ABOUT 24,000 MILES. *AK (DOT NUMBER: W2MWAAA168 TIRESIZE: P215/60R15)

WHEEL BEARING FAILED. NLM

FRONT END WAS DEFECTIVE. ALL OF PARTS HAD TO BE REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. *AK

CAR SOUNDED LIKE AN AIRPLANE PROPELLER AND SQUEALING AND SQUEAKING IN THE BACK END. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE, DEALER FOUND WHEEL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON RIGHT FRONT. *AK

BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS FAILED CAUSING NOISE IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION WHILE DRIVING SURFACES. NLM

THE CAR WAS DELIVERED WITH A NOISY BRAKE PEDAL, IMPROPER STEERING WHEEL, ALIGNEMTN, AND VERY POOR WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE NOISY PEDAL WITHOUT DISMANTLING THE ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM, WHICH I DECLINED. THE STEERING WHEEL AND FRONT WHEELS WERE ALIGNED, HOWEVER, THE REAR WHEELS WERE NOT ALIGNED. I ONY LEARNED OF THIS BECAUSE OF A TWITCHINESS WHEN DRIVING AND PREMATURE REAR TIRE FAILURE, EVEN THOUGH THE TIRES WERE ROTATED REGULARLY. THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN ALMOST CONSTANTLY WARPED, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FRONT CALIPER RETAINING PINS HAVE FLOWN COMPLETELY OUT WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT SEVENTY (70) MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE. IN THE FIRST INSTANCE, THE CAR WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY REPLACED THE PIN AND RE-TOURQED ALL OTHER PINS. ABOUT A MONTH LATER, ANOTHER PIN FLEW OUT, THIS TIME RESULTING IN AN UNDRIVABLE CAR, LEAVING MY WIFE AND INFANT CHILD STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT. THE CAR WAS TOWED IN, AND THE DEALER'S FIX WAS TO REPLACE ALL OF THE CALIPER PINS, IGNORING THE FACT THAT THERE IS CERTAINLY ANOTHER PROBLEM, SUCH AS COMPONENT DESIGN CAUSING THE PINS TO FLY OUT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER REVIEWING THE COMPLAINT LOG AT THE NHTSA WEB SITE AND THROUGH PERSONAL CONTACT WITH OTHER MALIBU OWNERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS, IT IS QUITE APPARENT THAT MY PROBLEMS ARE NOT ISOLATED EVENTS. PLEASE TAKE SOME ACTION ON BEHALF OF MALIBU OWNERS EVERYWHERE. THE PRIMARY ISSUE OF SERIOUS AND CONSTANT BRAKE PROBLEMS SHOULD CERTAINLY BE VIEWED AS A NATIONAL SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BBB AUTO LINE AND AM IN THE PROCESS OF ATTEMPTING TO RSOLVE MY PROBLEMS WITH GM.