Problems with 2001 Chevrolet Malibu ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

I have had to replace my 2001 chevy malibu's manifold twice, and i have notice that i am not the only one. this is not normal wear and tear this is a manufacturer defect. *jb

(1) coolant leaking immediately after putting it into my vehicle. (2) my car has overheated three times on the freeway. it will not accelerate, starts violently vibrating, then smoke bellows out of my hood when i finally stop. i have been stranded on the freeway three times with my two-year-old in the car, as well as my unborn child. (3) i have taken my vehicle to a chevrolet repair man who found a technical service bulletin on the problem issued by chevrolet. he explained the intake manifold was manufactured crooked causing coolant to leak into my engine and dilute my oil which will eventually burn my motor and ruin it completely. when i contacted chevrolet, they were very unhelpful both times stating i had to pay a chevy dealership to diagnose the problem and that they might help me with a little cost assistance but not much. it is about $600 to fix this problem that is not normal maintenance or wear-and-tear. it is a manufacturing defect. i have had several people e-mail me about the same problem after posting a comment about it on a website. *nm

Leakage of oil and coolant due to the failure of a lower intake manifold gasket. caused a mixture of coolant and oil that required a complete flush of the coolant system, replacement of coolant, oil filter, and oil change. cost of the repair was over $900.00. *nm

5 mos after purchasing car, the transmission had to be replaced. a few months later the engine would shut off while driving on the road. the following parts have been replaced: ignition module, spark plugs, fan belt, water pump, knock sensor, camshaft position sensor, crankshaft sensor, ignition switch. *nm

Fax fm (oh) re the problem he and his wife had w/the head gaskets in their 2001 chevrolet malibu & 2001 chevrolet venture. *ts the head gasket was leaking coolant into the oil system. *jb

Fax from consumer (oh) re the problem he and his wife had with the head gaskets in their 2001 chevrolet malibu and 2001 chevrolet venture. *nm the head gasket was leaking coolant into the oil system. *jb

Dt: the contact stated the engine overheated due to leaking of coolant. the coolant had to be added weekly. she took the vehicle to a dealer, who determined this was a problem with the intake manifold gasket, which was replaced. *ak

Tl*- the contact stated that the front brakes on his 2001 chevrolet malibu (50000 failure mileage) had to be replaced every six months for the last two years. the contact also stated that antifreeze leaks into the oil. this will be the third time that the intake manifold gasket has had to be replaced. the vehicle has been taken to a mechanic six times concerning these issues. the brake and manifold problems still exists. the current mileage was 130,000.

We were told this is becoming a common problem that we lose the coolant intake on the engine of our 01 malibu resulting in a $1000 repair - this dealer has experienced multiple failures on this particular engine. *nm

I took my 2001 chevy malibu ls in to get the oil changed. the mechanic told me that a common problem for the gm engines of my year and others was the intake manifold gasket leaking coolant, and that if left un-fixed, the engine would eventually seize up. i was told that the material that the gaskets were made out of has since been changed, which would imply that they know it to be faulty. i contacted gm and took it into the dealer where they confirmed the problem. i don't know if this issue makes the car unsafe to drive, but i had heard that there was a recall in place for faulty alternators and figured this problem was about equal to that in potential danger. out of curiosity, i looked on the internet and there are plenty of websites with people that have the same issue. *jb

Dt when starting the vehicle in the morning one could hear a metal pinging sound coming from the motor. it will rattle for a mile or two and the noise will quietly lower itself. noticed this on july 1, 2005. this vehicle only had 40,000 miles on it. had it diagnosed at the dealership, and they confirmed that it had a piston slap in the motor. *ak

dt: contact states while driving the vehicle overheated, causing it to stall. the temperature gauge went up very little before the temperature gauge read completely hot. vehicle was taken to service dealer, who stated that intake manifold gasket failed, which caused the head gasket to fail, leading to the warping of the cylinder wall and head. the entire motor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was looking into this matter. *ak

I had to have the fuel injector cleaned about ayr after i got the car? now i am told i have to have it done again! also the engine is leaking andthe coolant system. i hear it might not happen again as gm made new parts for the engine so it shouldn't happen again. my mechanic feels the engine should have been recalled. he also told me that i should have brought the car to him when they diagnosed the car as needing the fuel injector cleaned the first time---it shouldn't have needed it and probably didn't. i feel i may be taken advantage of again by this dealership. i hope this car is recalled for the wrong or bad engine itting parts. i was one who replaced the hazards before it was ever recalled-i could have been killed the way they were acting half hazardly! i did and then this same dealership told me that i hadn't that the wrong part-the old part was put in the car and replaced it. this is deland chevrolt/cadillac in deland fl. they said they replaced it with the right part but i doubt they did.

Our 2001 malibu developed a coolant leak and in may of 05. the dealer replaced the upper intake gasket and said it was fixed. the engine would not maintain compression and kept stalling. i am disabled and i felt there was a safety issue. after 3 or 4 trips to the dealer without results i took the car to another mechanic who pointed out that it was the head gasket that was leaking. i am out a lot of money for a car that's not very old. after reading the other complaints from other malibu owners i am convinced there must be a defect with these gaskets. i have also had to have the air conditioner completely replaced as well. i don't know if one has any thing to do with the other but it was at the same time. now my heater won't turn off so it's over riding the air conditioner. because of all of these repairs i have over $1000 in rental car expenses. this is a matter of safety as far as i'm concerned. *nm

5/05 coolant leak- replace intake manifold gasket $1100.00 8/05 coolant leak(continued)- replace head gasket, completely replace the air conditioning unit-$1085.00 1/06 replace egr valve, solenoid, gaskets $435.00 i've been around cars all my life, my father was a mechanic. my point is that i know if you take care of a car it will last longer. i take very good care of this car and i know gaskets should not deteriorate the way these did. looking at the reports on mycarstats.com it appears to me that what ever material was used for the gaskets in this car must be defective. there are way too many complaints for this to be any thing else. maintaining my car is a priority for me as i am disabled. to have a mechanical breakdown is a major issue. this cars engine was unable to maintain compression because of the leaky gaskets. it kept stalling repeatedly, i feel putting my safety at risk. i have tried to work this out with the dealership but it's clear to me what their priority is and it's not me or my car. i believe there should be an investigation into this matter. i have been told that the gasket material they used in this model was different from other years. i believe this is a bigger problem than gm is ready to admit. *jb

Myself and many other 2001 chevy malibu owners have had to replace all the major engine gaskets in their cars. i am disabled an the car would stall everywhere putting my safety in jepordy. the engine can't maintain compression because of the leaks. gm refuses to even resond to my emails. i urge you to check into this matter. i even had to replace the air conditioner. it's not fair to the consumer to let gm get away with this. it has cost a lot of money not to mention the safety factor. please check the mycarstats.com to see all the other complaints.egr valve also had to be replaced. in the process of filing my complaint with the bbb and the doj the dealer inadvertly provided documentation that tha engine had been leaking before we purchased it. *nm

I had to repair a manifold intake gasket, leaking water. . i have talked to several auto repair shops and they said this is a common problem on these chevy malibus. the chevy co. should have to do a recall on this problem. unfair that the consumer has to pay the bill to have this fixed. please check into forcing a recall on this please. *nm

I have recently had to take my car to the mechanic to get fixed. it was leaking the engine coolant and the manifold gasket had to be replaced which cost over $800 to fix. now , the check engine light is on and that will be another expense that i will have to make on a 4 year old 26,000 mile car.

Had a leaking intake manifold gasket. was told it would cost about $1000 to fix. i called the phone # for chevy in my owners book. filed a complaint, and went to the dealer, gave them my case # chevy gave me. they called chevy, came back and told me it would cost me $350. they changed the intake manifold gasket, flushed the radiator, and changed my oil. chevy has a reimbursment assistance program for problems that aren't bad enough for recalls. they also reimbursed me $862.00 for my problem with the anti-theft , fully reimbursed. if you live in illinois, the best place to have your car serviced is george weber chevrolet in columbia, illinois. the people are great , the service is great. i live 50 miles away but after dealing with other chevy dealers in missouri giving crappy service, its worth the trip!

A slow radiator leak was observed over a period of 2 months. i took it to a mechanic who diagnosed a faulty intake manifold gasket. he had mentioned that it is a very common problem in the malibu, even though gm told me that it was not. the manifold gasket was replaced before any anti-freeze leaked into the engine.*jb

At 36,370 miles had to replace the intake manifold and gasket on 2001 chevrolet malibu. *bf the front rotors were replaced at 28,000 and the blower only worked on high speed. *jb

While driving coolant light came on. consumer drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who deermined that the head gasket was leaking coolant. the manufacturer offered no help.*ak *nm

I have had problems with my engine coolant having to be replaced constantly. i took it to crest chevrolet (san bernardino), they charged us to check the coolant problem, but did not find any. the problem persisted. on jan 2, 2005 while traveling on the freeway, the engine overheated and caused a piston to misfire. i now am stuck having to replace an engine on a 4 year old car with less than 85,000 miles on it. according to mco tires, a head gasket was leaking coolant and caused the engine to overheat. the estimated cost of repair is $2300. *nm

I need to know who i can speak with in regards to gm having a recall on the intake manifold gasket for 2000/2001 chevrolet malibu's. i have been told by the manager at advanced auto parts that several malibu owners come in to purchase coolant, as well as myself, as our gasket is leaking, which causes us to have to refill at least every other month or sooner. i have also checked online and there are several other people having the same problem, to the point that i felt a recall should be done. some individuals noted that they contacted their car dealer and the gasket was changed to a newer one that they are using in the newer cars. however, i contacted my dealership and was told that there's nothing they can do, as there are no recalls on the vehicle. i need someone to contact me asap regarding this problem. it's not fair to myself, the consumer, to have to pay out of pocket to get this manufacturer defect corrected. too many people are having this same problem for it not be recalled. please, please contact me at [xxx]. thank you for your immediate attention to my concern. *nm information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Vehicle stalled while driving. consumer tried was unable to restart vehicle, and had it towed to the dealer. mechanic could not be duplicate the problem. consumer informed mechanic this problem occurred more than once, and had not been resolved. *ak

Gasket leaks antifreeze. most of my firends and co-workers who own malibus have the same problem. the dealer estimated the repair at $1266.00 (michael chevrolet, summerville, sc - 843-875-8034). to me, it appears that most of the cars (2 years or older) have the problem. the part should last much longer. *ak

In november of 2004, car stalled while driving and would not restart. got it towed to repair shop. was told that fuel pump had gone out. paid $350 for repairs. replaced pump and car stalled again after driving about 150 miles on highway. luckily (wife and our 2 kids were with me and it was 15 degrees f outside) it restarted and was able to make it home another 100 miles away. took it to dealer (ogden chevrolet-630-986-8000) to get it checked. was told that it had a bad intake gasket and needed new water pump and drive belt-total cost approx $1100.00. got the water pump and belt replaced but not intake gasket. paid $500 for repairs. did research on the internet and found that this was a recurring problem. gm had more than 900 complaints about bad intake gaskets causing expensive repairs on their vehicles 2 weeks later, car would not start. towed it to repair shop. was told that 2 ignition coils were burnt and needed replaced. got this done with new plugs, wires and tune up and antifreeze. paid $520 for repairs. feb 2, car would not start again. got it towed to repair shop. car started ok and could not replicate problem. was told that the head gasket was blown and would need replaced. costs $700-$1000. *jb

I notice that my coolant had to be refilled because the "low coolant" light was staying on in the dash. the repair shop told me they had to replace the intake manafold and i now have coolant in my engine and in my oil. this is a potential dangerous problem with the malibu. the engine could blow creating other problems. the same problem has been noted with many other malibu owners. *ak

Vehicle would not start. consumer had the intake gasket and intake sensor replaced. vehilcle was in the repair shop once again. consumer triedto contact the manufacturer. *ak

Failure- slight leak in coolant from intake seal, continuous running of fans, and check engine light stays on. correction- new thermostat, new sensor for the fans, and new seal for intake seal, $900 worth of service. *nm

Car has only around 21,000 miles and had to have intake manifold gasket replaced. *ak

The consumer stated exhaust fumes seeped into the passenger compartment. please provide additional information. *jb

Vehicle shut down in the middle of traffic. consumer took the vehicle to dealer for service, and was told that oil was low, and that made it shut off. a few weeks later, vehicle continued to cut off in traffic, and the consumer stated this was unsafe.*ak

During inspection dealership informed the consumer that water was leaking from the head gasket. the problem was repaired. *ak

2001 chevy malibu complained of head gasket and fuel pump problems. *bf the consumer had the upper intake and head gasket replaced. a month later the vehicle's fuel pump failed which caused the starter to burn up. *nm

I own a 2001 chevrolet malibu with less than 41000 miles. recently the intake manifold gasket failed, allowing coolant and engine oil to enter mix.*ak after doing some research, i have found that this has been an on going problem with this type of car. chevy expects it customers to fix this problem out of their own pocket and denies any responsiblities. again, if you investigate this matter you will find that this particular type of gm car is very prone to this failure. i believe that this is a safety issue due to the fact that once manifold gasket fails the engine may stop without warning, and then fail to start.

While driving 55-60 mph consumer noticed that engine hesitated. consumer had vehicle serviced, but the technician was not able to identify the cause of the problem. *ak *nm

While driving home from work in 90+ degree heat my car overheated to the point where i had to have it towed in and was told by the mechanics that my coolant had been leaking and causing the car to over heat there blowing the head gasket and causing me to have to pay $1200.00+ to have another engine put it. i have heard this is a commom with the 2001 chevrolet malibus. i don't know what the repair shop done with the old motor, but it was fried.

Filled gas tank, drove 100 yards, gauge drops to read empty. happens occasionally in the same manner. erratic. requires utilization of the trip meter to track fuel usage. on one occasion gauge read tank was about 1/8 full, car stopped running and was out of fuel. second issue: "theft security" light has begun to come on erratically. driving along, light will suddenly come on. after departure of car, and return, driver must then follow 10 min. procedure to alleviate the problem. third issue: without installation of high quality tires on this vehicle, the noise level and wear pattern is absurd. the cupping and wearing has occured on 2 different sets of good quality tires. upon installation of michelin high quality tires, the problem stopped.

We are paying on a 2001 malibu. the fuel sensor went out showing gasoline when there wasn't. the car stalled in rush hour traffic. the sensor was replaced but i had to pay for the fuel filter plus a deductible on my extended warranty. next the blinkers decided to only work occassionally same week the starter started dragging then the car started to run hot. took it to the dealer, replaced blinker switch (no mention made of the recall) replaced the starter and replaced the gasket that was leaking. when i had added coolant to get myself home the coolant that was n the car was green, the coolant i put in the car green..was supposed to be orange when i told the dealer there was green coolant in the car he said oh someones booboo unfortunately you have to pay for it...almost 300.00. yesterday, long memorial day weekend left work again rush hour, car begins to make a horrible noise i pull off notice the alternator belt is coming apart but the noise that i heard had nothing to do with the alternator belt sounds like metal on metal. $1400.00 worth of work done in april, 800.00 a few months before that and now this...the car is well maintained by my husband. now i read what i have to look forward to, the car was bought chevy certified from a chevy dealer. *la

There was a rear collision that occured a week after purchasing the vehicle. the car was fixed with no frontal damge at all. the rear damage was minor. a week after receiving the vehicle the car would not start. the car was towed to the dealership and it was determined that the car needed a new ignition(600.00) that was not covered under the warranty.the dealership received the payment and the car was fixed.the dealership didnt have any sort of explanation to why the ignition was needed that soon after the purchase of the vehicle. eight months later the car wouldnt start.the car was then towed to the dealership.a fuel pump was install but other items weren't covered under waranty.the car was received after the dealership received the payment. four months later,( may 1,2004),the car decelerated in the middle of the highway.the driver was forced to steer to the side of the road, where the temperature gauge went to the maximum level and the car would not start. the next day the car was towed. *ak

I am a single mom of two, and am frustrated that all of my savings have gone into this money pit. i have replaced the intake manifold twice, and its going out again! i have replaced the water pump, heater core which are dying, and the theft system twice. i have had a fuel leak by my engine and had it enter inside my car and its doing it again, my abs brakes only work when they want, and these are just a few of my complaints! *tr

Dt: the contact had the egr valve, thermostat, water pump, intake gasket, and head gasket replaced. additionally, she had the block inspected for cracks. it has been 18 months since the replacement of the aforementioned defects, and the check engine light came on again ,and there was a decrease in the amount of gas mileage. the dealer reprogrammed the computer, and informed the contact that the vehicle was running properly. the manufacturer has only offered a discount on a new vehicle.*ak

Noticed smell of burning coolant and took vehicle in for service. gm dealer replaced intake manifold gasket. contacted chevrolet directly by phone, who did not acknowledge that problem was common, nor offer any type of compensation. total service cost 1050.19 (parts and labor). *nm

In march 2004 i was told by chevy dealer my intake manifold gasket has a severe leak and needed to be replaced at a cost of 800.00. i called gm as the car only has 50,170 miles on it-they informed me there is nothing they can do about it as the warranty is expired! if there is nothing wrong with the way the original gasket was made,then why has gm since re-designed the old gasket which is what has to be used to fix ? there are numerous other complaints about the same thing on the malibu's,and i need help to get this repair done. i am a single parent and can not afford this repair,nor afford to continue to make payments on a vehicle i am too afraid to drive. please help. *jb

Driving at hwy speed check coolant light came on added coolant took to local garage. the lower intake manifold needs to be replaced at a cost of approx. $900. it only has 44,000 miles and i have had all the required servicing done to this car.the garage tech said that they have had to replace this on several other malibu's. this must be a defective part as it should not have to replaced this soon. what can be done? *la

I have 43,000 miles on my 2001 chevrolet malibu and have been told my head gaskets are leaking. anti freeze is leaking external to the engine. i have had the car maintained and see no reason a head gasket should fail with only 43,000 miles, the mechanic said this is a very common problem with this engine. if the local mechnic's knows about the problem why hasn't chevrolet been made to take care of this defect at there cost instead of the consumer for a know defect.

While driving coolant light illuminated on the dashboard. consumer added coolant, and noticed coolant stains on the left side of engine. dealership performed a diagnostic test which indicated that the lower intake manifold gasket was bad.*ak

This concerns the quality of a 2001 malibu purchased new. this car has had a new engine, two ignition systems, two brake jobs, and now a major coolant leak that is to cost over $800.00 to repair. it has had two sets of tiresand the vehicle only has 40,000 miles on it. it has had turn signal problems, injector fuel problems, and emergency light switch problems. in other words the cost of operation is more than the car payment per month. the quality of this vehicle ranks as a lemon.

Since i had bought my 2001 malibu in october of 2003 i have had to add coolant intot he car about every other day. i finally got fed up with doin that and decided to have it pressure checked. once i did that i found out there was a leak in the intake manifold. the company that did the pressure test also told me that they have repaired this exact part in several other cars within the last two months. please tell me what can be done about this.*ak