2001 Chevrolet Malibu SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

DANGEROUS BRAKE ROTOR WARPAGE EVERY 16,000 MILES LIKE CLOCK WORK. CAUSES WEAK BRAKES AND EXTREME WARE TO FRONT END MOVING PARTS. NEW TOP OF THE LINE ROTORS AND PADS WILL NOT CURE PROBLEM. IT IS AN ENGINEERING SCREW UP. THIS IS AN ONGOING ENGINEERING PROBLEM AND WHY GM IS GOING BROKE. *TR

IN THE PAST 3 YEARS WE HAVE HAD TWO SETS OF FRONT CALIPERS LOCKE DON THE 2001 CHEVY MALIBU. BOTH OF THESE HAVE CAUSED REPLACEMENTS OF BOTH THE CALIPERS AND THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. *AK

BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES IN LAST YEAR. THERE HAVE BEEN CONTINUAL FAILURES WITH THE ROTORS AND CALIPERS. WHEN BRAKING IT APPEARED THAT THE ABS SYSTEM THAT WAS DESIGNED TO ELIMINATE BRAKING LOCK UPS WAS ENGAGING WHEN IT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO. BRAKES WERE WEARING AT AN EXTREMELY HIGH RATE , WHICH WAS WARPING THE ROTORS WHICH HAVE BEEN INSTALLED BRAND NEW. PULSATING NOISE WAS COMMON ALONG WITH SCRAPING AND SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL. IN RESEARCHING IT APPEARED THAT THE MALIBU HAD AN EXTENSIVE HISTORY OF BRAKE FAILURES IN A SHORT TIME. SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS DUE TO BRAKE FAILURE. THESE CARS NEED TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED BEFORE ANY FURTHER INJURIES OR DEATH OCCUR. *AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE GETTING AN INSPECTION, THE REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS WERE LEAKING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO REPLACED THE REAR WHEEL CYLINDERS. THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED. UPDATED 11/03/06*JB

THIRD REPLACEMENT OF ROTORS AND BRAKES WITHIN 3 YEARS OF OWNING CAR. *JB

THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS WERE WARPED TO THE POINT WHERE THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS APPROXIMATELY 8K MILES APART. *NM

THE TAHOE BRAKE ROTORS WERE BADLY GROVED, AND THE VEHICLE BRAKES WERE LIKE NEW. DEALER SAID THE VEHICLE STOPPED OKAY, BUT WHEN I HAD THE ROTORS AND BRAKES REPLACED, THERE WAS A WORLD OF DIFFRENCE AS HOW THE VEHICLE STOPPED.I KEPT THE BRAKES AND ROTORS FOR PROOF. VEHICLE WOULD NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION.*AK

WHILE BRAKING VEHICLE EXPERIENCED EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALERSHIP REPAIRED THE PROBLEM 5 TIMES BEFORE, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK *NM

CONSUMER STATED WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. A LOUD GRINDING NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

MULTIPLE REPAIRS ON BRAKING SYSTEMS OF 2001 CHEVY MALIBUS. *JB

WE HAD BOUGHT A 2001 CHEVY MALIBU IN NOV 2002 . AND IT IS NOW APRIL OF 2004 . WE HAVE HAD THE CAR 16 MONTHS AND WE HAVE WENT THROUGH 5 WHOLE BRAKE JOBS . WE HAD RECENTLY HAD OUR BRAKES DONE IN FEB OF 2004 WITH 65,000 MILES AND IT COST US $557.00 AND WE HAD REPLACED THE PADS,SHOES ,ROTORS AND CALIPERS . BY THE TIME WE HAD 5,000 MILES ON THE BRAKES THEY WERE GONE SO WE HAD TO DO THE WHOLE PROCESS OVER AGAIN . ANOTHER $600.00 BRAKE JOB . WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE HUBS TWICE AND I FEEL WE HAVE BOUGHT A LEMON AND THE DEALER DOSE NOT WANT TO TALK TO ME . I FEEL THAT THERE ARE SOME MAJOR PROBLEM THAT NEED TO BE FIXED DEALING WITH THE BRAKES AND THE FRONT END ON THESE CARS . I FEEL THE SAFETY OF MY CHILDREN RIDING IN THIS CAR . I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE . I WOULD LIKE THE PROBLEM FIXED OR A REPLACEMENT CAR . WE CAN NOT PUT ANYMORE TIME/$$$IN THIS CAR WHEN THE BRAKES GO EVERY TWO MONTHS OR 5,000 MILES . PLEASE HELP. *JB

THE CAR HAS EXPERIENCED VIBRATIONS WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE FRONT ROTORS WERE TURNED AND PADS REPLACED BUT THIS DID NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE. *AK

THE FRONT BRAKE CALIPERS ON THIS VEHICLE FLEX WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS HAS RESULTED IN UNEVEN AND PREMATURE WEAR OF THE BRAKE PADS. THE PADS WERE REPLACED TWICE, ONCE AT 17,000 MILES AND ONCE AT 30,000. THE ROTORS WERE REMACHINED AT 17,000 MILES, REPLACED AT 30,000 MILES AND RESURFACED AT 33,000. THE FLEXING OF THE CALIPER CAUSES MISALIGNMET OF THE GUIDE PINS, CAUSING THE CALIPER TO HANG UP. AS A RESULT ONLY THE INNER BRAKE PAD IS STOPPING THE CAR. THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO WEAR ON THE OUTER PAD. THE INNER PADS SHOW SIGNS OF OVERHEATING, WHICH CAN CAUSE THE ROTORS TO WARP (PULSATING), AND BRAKE FADE IN A PANIC STOP. THE CONSTANT FLEXING COULD ALSO COMPRIMISE THE INTGERITY OF THE ALUMINUM CALIPERS OVER TIME. GM CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL. I HAVE CHECKED THE NHTSB WEB SITE AND FOUND 28% OF THE COMPLAINTS FILED FOR THIS VEHICLE WERE BRAKE RELATED AND ALMOST ALL COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO THIS CONDITION.

FRONT BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY, DEALER INSPECTED VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING, THE LEFT FRONT HUB CAP DETACHED FROM THE RIM. THE CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE SIX LUGS: NUTS WERE HOT. A TECHNICIAN TOLD CONSUMER THAT THE HEAT FROM THE FRONT BRAKES MELTED THE PLASTIC HUB CAP WHICH CAUSED THEM TO LOOSEN AND FALL OFF. *AK THE RIGHT FRONT BRAKE ALSO OVERHEATED AND CAUSED THE HUB CAP TO FALL OFF. *PH *NM

PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES ON 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU.*MR BRAKES WERE REPLACED TWICE ALONG WITH RESURFACING THE ROTORS AND REPLACING THE RIGHT FRONT CALIPER. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A METAL-TO-METAL SOUND AND THE BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR WHEN APPLIED. IN ADDITION, CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE REPLACED (7855 MILES) AFTER THE INITIAL REPLACEMENT. *PH *JB

THE BRAKE ROTORS WARPED WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SHIMMY WHILE APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. *AK CONSUMER HAD NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE DUE TO COST. THE CONSUMER'S FRIEND STATED THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH ALL CHEVROLET MALIBU'S. *PH *NLM

THE CALIPERS ON THE VEHICLE FLEXED, THE CASTING BENDED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WHICH CAUSED MISALIGNMENT OF THE GUIDE PINS. *JG *JB

FRONT AND REAR BRAKES WORE OUT PREMATURELY AT 12,000 MILES. DALER HAS REPLACED THEM THREE TIMES. *AK

THE FRONT AND REAR BRAKES HAD TO BE REPLACED FREQUENTLY.*JB

THE BRAKES PADS WERE REPLACED 4 TIMES, HOWEVER THEY CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCED UNEVEN WEAR. *JB ON FOUR OCCASIONS THE BRAKE ROTORS WERE MACHINED, AND ON TWO OCCASIONS THEY WERE CLEANED, LUBED, AND CALIPER SLID. SCC

WHILE TRAVELING 35 MPH OWNER APPLIED THE BRAKES AND VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE, ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE GRINDING NOISE. AFTER INSPECTION BY A DEALERSHIP OWNER WAS INFORMED THAT THE FRONT PADS WERE WORN 50%, AND THE FRONT ROTORS HAD WARPED. OWNER WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE EXTENT OF BRAKE FAILURE AT LOW MILEAGE.*AK

THE BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED FOR 2ND TIME , IT HAPPENED AT 40,000 MILES, AND NOW ALMOST A YEAR LATER AFTER THEY WERE TURNED THE BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED AGAIN! I HAVE LOOKED ON THE WEB SITES OF OTHER OWNERS, AND THE SAME COMPLAINT HAS BEEN THEIR! *AK

IT APPEARS THAT THE BRAKE CALIPER AND BRAKE SYSTEM HAVE SOME DEFECTS. I'VE HAD BRAKES REPLACES 3 TIMES SINCE FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR (2003). CHECKED THE FLUID LEVEL, HOSES AND LINES. BRAKES FAILED ONCE AT SLOW SPEED 30 MPH. HAVEN'T HAD A FAILURE SINCE, HOWEVER, THE SYSTEM IS EATING UP BRAKE PADS MOSTLY ON THE LEFT SIDE.*AK

PROBLEMS WITH 2001 CHEVROLET MALIBU'S BRAKE EQUIPMENT. *MR THE BRAKES WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BUT WERE REPLACED TWICE BY THE DEALERSHIP, ONCE AT 13500K MILES ALONG WITH RESURFACING OF THE ROTORS AND THE REPLACING THE R/F CALIPER, AND AGAIN AT 7855K MILES LATER. THE LAST INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN THE CONSUMER EXITED THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN A LOUD METAL TO METAL SOUND WAS HEARD. THE BRAKES WERE DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND IN ORDER TO STOP, THE CONSUMER HAD TO CONTINUALLY PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL. *SCC