Problems with 1999 Chevrolet Malibu SUSPENSION

First incident. i have a 1999 chevy malibu and in december 2009 (i believe) the front passenger side tire came off due to lugnuts snapping off. i had to replace all the lugnuts the spring on the shock and bend the wheelwell. unfortunately the parts are not available from that incident but the car only had about 77,000 miles on it. second incident. the front driver side spring wore right in half and broke just before getting into the car. i had to replace the whole front strut and i do still have the parts. the car has about 80,000 miles on it. *tr

The subframe of my 1999 chevrolet malibu suffered corrosion to the point where it needed to be replaced. this is a very unusual failure of the suspension system. the area round one of the bolts holding the subframe broke off due to corrosion, causing the vehicle to not be able to be steered properly (could not turn right more than 10-15%). if this had happened while i was driving at any speed, it very well could have caused an accident (the component broke while i was attempting to parallel park). recently hyundai recalled a number of vehicles due to the same damage for those residing in the salt belt (i happen to own a hyundai involved in the recall). based on the damage my malibu suffered, i believe that the issue of subframe corrosion for those in the salt belt may go beyond the hyundai recall. *tr

Malibu 1999 with 68,000 miles came out to leave for work found pass side spring. *tr

After driving to work (25 miles) i backed into the parking space in the morning. at noon, i started the car to move forward and heard a heavy rubbing. the front left strut spring had broken at the its bottom ring and was rubbing on the tire. i was fortunate that i was not traveling 50 mph to work. car mileage 140,000. 1999 malibu. *tr

Front passenger side coil suspension spring broke without warning severly damaging tire. heard a loud bang sound and then saw a lot of smoke coming from front passenger side tire. bottom of front passenger side coil suspension spring broke and lodged into tire without warning. *tr

1999 chevrolet malibu sedan with about 70,000 miles on odometer. a similar problem to that described in your nhtsa action number pe03031. within a few hundred yards of starting up the car and leaving my home, there was a audible bang and the passenger side macpherson strut coil spring suddenly fractured and the broken spring end penetrated the front tire inside sidewall leading to a blowout. i did not travel over any kind of bump or pothole. fortunately i was traveling at a low speed and the loss of control did not cause an accident. it was winter conditions (salted roads) with an air temperature of around 20 deg.f. i feel that this was a design flaw structural failure in the suspension that should never have happened as it could have been extremely dangerous. i am having both front strut assemblies and a tire and rim replaced at considerable expense. *tr

Noticed left rear of '99 malibu lower than right while parked in a filling station on the evening of 9/24/08. while hoisted for an oil change on 10/01/08, the technician showed me the left rear coil spring was completely ruptured. (in august of 2005, the front left coil spring ruptured. i paid to replace it with a new one.) the right spring coils are original to this day. *tr

On august 24, 2008 my 1999 chevrolet malibu was driven less than a mile and the passenger side front coil spring broke. on august 25, 2008 i took the vehicle to bob sumerel tire co. for repair. the spring appeared to have broken at the top first ring. the spring was replaced. i have the remainder of the broken spring. the top part that broke off has been lost. i noticed there are at least two other reported instances of this that were previously investigated by the nhtsa but no recall was issued. this could have resulted in severe tire damage and accidental injury. *tr

I just filed a complaint, odi# 10234547, 2 days ago on the front strut spring breaking without notice and after replacement of the front struts, i took the car to a local repair shop for an alignment and nys inspection. i receive a call from the mechanic stating that he cannot do the alignment and inspection because both rear strut springs are broken. this car has less than 20k miles on it. this is obviously a defect in the steel used to manufacture these springs.....with many, many complaints filed.....yet no recall....it will continue to happen to these cars and the pontiac grand am, which is basically the same car. will tragedy have to strike a determined amount of families before the investigation into these strut springs is reopened? i hope not. *tr

Driving at 35 mph, the spring fractured on the front left strut of a 1999 chevy malibu with 19000 miles. the break caused a huge bang and the front of the car dropped. luckily the sharp part of the break did not puncture the tire, damage the brake line or break the tie-rod end. the spring did indeed contact the tire and wore the epoxy coating off, but again, did not puncture the tire. i had the two front struts replaced and saved the broken one and the receipt for verification in case there is a future recall. i have seen that this problem has many complaints and i can say that this is a defect in the steel that was used to make the spring....not a corrosion problem. the spring is covered with an epoxy coating and where it rubbed off, from contact with the tire, the steel looked shiny new. *tr

Coil springs breaking on 1999 chevrolet malibu. i was standing outside one morning last year when i heard a large bang. front coil spring broke and was rubbing up against the tire. replaced it with a used strut. last week found a broken spring in the rear while rotating tires. i went on-line and did a search and found that this has happened to many people and what is scary is that it has happened to some while driving, which immediately blows out the tire. contacted a friend of mine that is a gm service manager, he had just gone through this problem with his nephews 1998 car. he told me that gm had no recalls on this. this is my sons car and i don't want him to become a statistic, to resolve it this safety issue. *tr

Front right coil spring broke on my 1999 chevrolt malibu wondering if there may be a recall on said part? *tr

The right front coil spring on our 1999 chevy malibu broke while we were driving. the strut assembly dropped & punctured the new tire we had gotten less than a month before. the car was not drivable & had to be towed & repaired. i researched this problem online & found that there have been a lot of complaints about this same problem with 1999 chevrolet malibus, while chevrolet has no consequences for having defective parts. this is dangerous & someone could be killed by the defects. we still have the broken coil spring with the part number on it. we should be reimbursed for the cost of the repairs, the new tire that was ruined & the mental anguish of having come so close to a possibly fatal accident. does someone have to die before defective parts will be recalled & replaced at the manufacturer's expense? *tr

1999 chevrolet malibu front end coil spring failed. consumer states that the front end of the vehicle fell onto the tire due to the failed coil spring. she states that gm should have recalled this problem. *kb

Failure of front strut springs. no notification either time they broke / passenger's side front spring broke about 6 months ago. i did not think too much of it because dealer stated they have seen this happen before. 6-27-07 my driver's side strut spring broke. i was now told that this could have caused an accident by the way this had broke. i contacted another dealer per recall or any notification out there regarding this safety issue. i was told by dealer that they replaced them often enough that they even stocked them. i felt that in this year the production defect required intervention by you. i again had no indication until i heard a clung. which at that time i was not driving very fast. i work in a repair shop, and have never seen a spring break on any vehicle. the shop i work for deals with vehicle with lots of miles on them. my 99 malibu only has 85,000-90,000 miles on it and both my springs broke within 6 months of each other. thanks for taking the time to read my concern. please let me know if you have heard of anymore issues that may relate to my concern.*ak

Rear suspension - bolt holding lower control arm for rear tire. either unscrewed itself or broke. vehicle began to shake violently and was difficult to control. any other driver may have not been able to handle vehicle causing a serious accident with injuries or even death. *tr

Right front coil spring broke damaging strut and damaging tire. break was due to rust. vehicle was making a turn when break occurred causing wheel to be "stuck" in the turn position due to parts rubbing on tire. mechanic says many of gm products are and have experienced said problem. *jb

While driving 30 mph on christmas day, my right tire burst. after investigating i learned the right front suspension coil ring had fractured and punctured the tire. i had to have the entire front suspension replaced, as well as purchase a new tire. *nm

Rotor replacement x 3. suspension - front replaced. calipers x3. tire wear and leaks - replaced annually. radio - bad wiring. a/c in dash wiring replaced twice. rear light assembly replaced twice. leaking in rear light assembly and trunk. coolant leak - 8/06 at 74000 miles. mechanic believes it is the water pump. a/c sensor replaced. *nm

Front driver side coil springs failed causing vehicle control to be reduced. the spring failed after its first winding down from the top, it appears during compression the spring end contacts the winding below which probably induced a crack and ultimately propagated a stress failure. the part failed while backing out of a driveway with the steering wheel near full right turn. during the turn the spring failed. the passenger spring was also replaced and looked as failure was immanent based on a marks in nearly the same spot as the failed spring. the failed spring is currently in my possession.

I was driving on the highway to work in the morning on a clear and dry day. all of a sudden my vehicle jerked to the left and it was out of control. i managed to pull off to the side of the highway and my tire was ruptured. after getting the car towed, the dealer let me known now that the left front spring broke and punctured the tire. not only was this a very dangerous situation, but the repair is very costly, not to mention i had just gotten new tires a few thousand miles prior to the incident. i have heard this complaint before and now wonder if this could or should be a recall item??*jb

While pulling out of my car port, i heard a loud noise. all of a sudden the front passenger side of my car fell. i proceeded to go to a auto repair shop not too far from my home to have the problem checked. while in route, right around the corner from where i live, my tire blew out. there was a weird smell and smoke coming from the front right tire. i was able to pull into a parking lot to wait for aaa to tow my car to a repair facility. thank the lord, i wasn't on the freeway when this happened. the right passenger spring broke and caused the tire to blow out. had to replace the coil springs, a tie rod and struts. *nm

Passenger side front coil spring broke and punctured tire causing immediate flat tire. car was traveling at slow speed and driver did not lose control. *jb

Dt: the front driver side strut spring sheared off yesterday and was flushed against the tire. backing out of the driveway at about 8:45 pm heard a loud noise and the car locked u for a second. tried to pull it off the road, and could smell the tire burning. got it to a side road, and drove it a little while to see what was wrong. finally got it to the house garage and noticed the coil spring pressed against the tire.*ak

Right front coil spring broke while getting into the car. *nm

Both front coil springs have broke since owning this 1999 chev malibu. purchased the car new in 1999. left front spring failed within 36 months of purchase. the right front spring recently failed and penetrated the right front tire and ripping it open causing the tire to rupture.*jb

Dt: coil spring broke twice. the first time it broke on the front and now the front one broke again. *ak

I was driving my 1999 chevrolet malibu down my driveway when i heard a loud clunking noise. the front passenger side of the car went down almost to the ground. i turned car around to go back to my home and smoke started pouring from under the car. had to have it towed to the dealer where the spring and strut had to be replaced. they had broken and cut into the tire. extended warranty paid for the broken spring and strut but would not replace other side. just have to wait for it to break. i had to pay to replace the tires which had only 30,000 miles on them. the malibu has 72,000 miles on it. i bought it at 29,000 miles. have had to replace 4 fuel injectors, replace brakes, have had the blower control fixed twice, still does not operate on 1 or 2 setting, check engine light and anitlock brake light comes on and off for no reasons, replaced belt tensioner twice, serpentine belt twice, had oil leaks, has a loud tapping noise when first starting engine (was told that this is common in this car) (sounds like a valve problem to me. i am keeping this car only until the extended warranty is about to expire. it has been a lemon since day 1. this model of malibu should have been recalled. it is a danger for anyone to drive. thank god i was in my own driveway and not on the expressway with my grandaughter. no more chevrolets for me! *nm

(1) i was driving my 1999 chevrolet malibu about 35 mph on a town street. (2)without warning, i heard a loud bang from the left front wheel. the car instantly made a sharp left hand turn into the oncoming lane. there were no oncoming cars. i was able to quickly regain control of the can and get back into my lane. i pulled down a side and looked at the left front tire and it looked normal. under the hood looked normal. i proceded home. the left front wheel had a noticable clunk over the slightest bump in the road. i went home about one mile and took the left front wheel off. i noticed the coil spring around the strut had fractured. the base of the coil spring, (the pearch it was sitting on was bent) was close to the tire. i noticed a rub in the tire was caused by the fractured spring. the fracture was clean except some corrosion was evident at the start of the crack propagation. i have photos if you want. i will also ask for the fractured spring. (3) the car had both front end struts replaced and coil springs replaced. *ak

Dt: contact says that he owns a 1999 chevrolet malibu and the front coil spring on the passenger side broke, this past week the rear coil spring broke on the drivers side. the dealer told him that he could bring the vehicle in, and while driving to the shop the strut on the front passenger side broke and caused his tire to shred. the consumer did not have any warnings prior to the failure. the consumer was driving in the city. *ak *sb *nm

Car had been driven from ohio to florida for vacation. car was driven out of living complex when black smoke & burning rubber was noticed,drove back into complex & exited car when the tire on front passenger side blew.called aaa to have vehicle taken to an auto repair shop. *ak

The vehicle alarm went off. the consumer went to check the vehicle, upon trying to back the vehicle out of the garage, the vehicle leaned over to the right. the consumer had the vehicle towed and it was discovered the strut and the spring had broken on its own. *nm

Vehicle experienced front coil spring problems. consumer was backing out of the driveway and the suspension dropped. then, driver saw the tire smoking. the tire was damaged because the spring went right inside the inner sidewall. *ak

I heard a really loud bang and the front of the car dropped down while traveling at 25 mph near my home. after pulling into my driveway and removing the front tire, i found that the drivers side coil spring had broken and the coil was now rubbing on the tire. the tire was slightly damaged and the car is not drivable. i am planning to have the car towed to my repair shop. *jb

I was pulling out of a parking space and heard a loud clunk following with the vehicle dropping a few inches. after i got the vehicle towed i pulled off the left front wheel and noticed the spring broke off, and there was a fracture that occurred in the first active coil above the lower isolator. the coil spring did not damage the tire, but was lying on top of the tire prior to removal. nothing has been repaired yet, and yes the old parts are still and will be available.*ak

Owner of a 1999 chevrolet mailbu. front driver's side coil spring failed, resulting in having the car towed to a service facility. the failure occurred in our driveway. if it happened while driving it could have resulted in an accident. did some research on your website and found an investigation into this defect (ea03021).*ak

Consumer's wife was driving down the street and front coil spring broke. this caused the vehicle to break down in the middle of an intersection, which was very dangerous. vehicle was towed to a private mechanic.*ak

The consumer smelled fuel while driving. she then observed fuel dripping onto the ground while parked, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. it was determined that the fuel line was leaking at the fuel filter connector due to corrosion. the consumer feels the manufacturer should be 100% responsible for replacing the fuel line. the consumer has had other components fail on the vehicle. all four tires were replaced due to center tread wear. the front brake pads were replaced at 20000 miles and again at 41313. the driver's side sunvisor broke. both front wheel hub assemblies were replaced due to bearing failure at 41313 miles. both front brake rotors were replaced at 41313 miles. *jb *nm

Front spring failure and front tire blowout.*ak

Ea 03021 - while traveling on 3/7/04 the drivers side front coil spring broke on my 1999 chevy malibu. this broken spring rubbed against the tire and caused it to pop. it also ruined the drivers front strut assembly.*ak

Since i've had the car, the brakes have been replaced twice, rotors replaced (also cleaned and other things-to the point they asked me to see if there was a recall on brakes and rotors). the right front passenger window will not work from the driver side to roll down but can still roll it up from there. the air conditioner button(resistor) needed replacing and then the vent button(resistor) needed replacing. also, had to replace tie rod end and wheel bearing . not to mention a water pump. we bought the car used from sawyer chevrolet with 38,000 miles on it. it now has 76,000. but within a year and a half of owning it, this is all the work we had to put into it. i've never had a car that needed all that repairing done before it reached 100,000 miles. plus we had to get new tires because they had firestone tires on them that were warping, etc. but sawyers refused to replace them and firestone did not get back to us in time before our vacation. so we put new tires on ourselves.

!999 chevy malibu ls, replaced left front wheel bearing. mileage on car 32,728

When depressing the brakes at any speed there was pulsation and severe vibrations throughout the steering column. also, there was extended stopping distance. dealer had vehicle three times, and replaced rotors/pads on both sides, and the left front coil spring.*ak

This 1999 chevrolet malibu was purchased in july 2001 in had a water leaking problem took 3 tries before they found it needed thermostat gasket didn't even have one in it they sold it to me .this way with a promise it had been fixed. within the first year i had the car they had to replace both front wheel bearings & strut bushings. then the alternator went out & it cause my battery to go bad overcharged it they replaced alternator but refused to re-emburse me for the battery. then ignition switch caused problem with anti-theft system would not start. had that replaced in march 2002. then anti-lock brake system went out had to have it replaced window switch very slow had to be cleaned another one not working at all now, not covered under warranty, at this time also had to have anti theft system fixed again light on all the time another bad ignition switch. also had blower motor & relay switch for heater to go out over the summer most of the interior lights have long ago burnt out & had to be replaced lock out for trunk lid also broke not covered on warranty. hub caps have lug nuts made in them that screw onto your lug bolts stripped out when took for repairs by dealer refused to replace them because they cost $500.00 for a new set. so i purchased the lug nut part & repalced it myself at a dealership for $10.00 set of 5. november of 2002 brakes & rotors were replaced in jan. 2003 brake pads replaced again in march 2003 pads replaced again in july 2003 pads replaced once again then in sept. 2003 master cylinder replaced in oct. 2003 master cylinder replaced again now it's nov 2003 & master cylinder being replaced again tomorrow.these cars have a real brake problem that needs to be fixed it's costing a fortune.*ak

At about 27000mi (3000mi. service) i notified dealer of squeaking in front & rear suspension bushings. dealer sprayed lube on rear (about $100)and notified me that they would have to lower complete front end to lube front, approx $200 more. extended warranty didn't cover. at 30000 mi service dealer notified me i needed complete brake job. i inspected brakes while on lift. mechanic said he made mistake! he said that he hadn't pulled wheels of yet. said there was 80% left, repair invoice said 50% left. a little over a week later there was a puddle of trans fluid on garage floor & air conditioning smelled like urine when on, also switching itself from recirculation to fresh. took car to dealer, they replaced switch, deductible $se on extended warranty, sprayed something in outside vent (mold they said?), and tightened trans cooling line, their fault! three days later cooling leak, dealer replaced water pump, deductible $'s on extended warranty. two weeks later the rear power window actuator (motor & cable assembly) quit! i might have used this window 12 times since i bought 99 malibu ls from champion chevrolet, reno,nv. new in 12/99! all things considered, i feels like they are sabotaging my vehicle to get back at me for discovering they lied about brake job! also after reading your complaint list, i realize that i am not alone thinking that brakes, steering vibration, and reliability in general is poor on this vehicle. *ph

While backing into a parking lot front suspension coil broke, and caused front tires to burn. *ak

Problems with brake equipment on chevrolet malibu. *mr the consumer has had to replace the vehicle's brakes, calipers and rotors many times. the vehicle's struts were also replaced. *nm the consumer was made aware of other consumers with the same make/model that have experienced the same problem. *sc

Defective intake manifold gasket and then the head gaskets blew on me requiring expensive repairs. *ak

While backing out of the driveway front coil spring snapped and ripped through the tire. dealer notified. *ak

While driving at a very low speed, the driver's side spring over the strut broke and caused the tire to blowout. *ak *scc *jb