Problems with 2001 Chevrolet Malibu STRUCTURE

A church van was pulling out of a driveway and failed to yield the right of way. we t-boned them going 35mph. we hit them incredibly hard and yet the air bags did not deploy! four of their passengers were sent to the hospital in the ambulance and the two of us in the malibu went later. the car was totaled and the church van had significant damage as well. *tr

I was driving down the road at 30 mph and heard some popping in my left front tire. i then noticed that i could not turn my steering wheel to the right. it took all of my strength to get it to turn slightly and the more i tried to turn the wheel, the louder the popping sound got. i was no longer able to steer my car. thankfully i was able to drive into the parking lot of monro and they were able to take a look at the car and told me that my sub frame steering rack completely cracked and that the car was no longer drivable. he said i was very lucky to have not been in a serious accident considering this was so sudden. i had my car inspected a month ago and it passed with shiny stars. it was in fantastic shape and is now undriveable. *jb

My wife was driving through the college parking lot at approximately 15 mph. when she went to turn the car in a turn lane she had no control over the direction of the car. she ran over a curb with the car before coming to a stop. the local auto maintenance shop said the steering mechanism broke in the front causing loss of control. because of this she ran the curb and broke off the left front wheel. after reading the almost 600 complaints on here my problem seems to be a very... very common one. i called the local chevy dealer and chevy. they both told me sorry, but sorry. they couldn't do anything for me. "i" broke the car. they are ignoring huge safety issues with the 2001 malibu. my wife could have been on the interstate and this happened. she could have died, and i would have brought chevy down in court. basically, chevy needs to grow a pair and man up by fixing these real issues that are putting peoples lives in danger. chevy is a great example of what is wrong with america today..... corporate greed at any expense so people can make copious amounts of money without worrying about making a great product or keeping consumers safe. i will never... never buy another chevy. they do not stand behind their products at all. what a shame for an "american" company. oh wait, they are own by the u.s. government and fiat. aka not american anymore. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the dealer confirmed corrosion was under the sub frame in the front of the vehicle. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 109,740 and the current mileage was 109,800.

I had my car tow to a auto services center cause it would not start, the tech told me it was the starter but said there was another problem the sub frame very rusted and the engine could fall out anytime. they replace the front sub frame,outer tie rod end, sway bar link kit, the cost was $927.39 . is g m responsible and can i be reimburse for my cost. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn when the power steering failed. the driver lost control of vehicle and veered to the side of the road. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who advised her that the right side k-frame was fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were approximately 77,000. updated 09/21/11*lj the consumer stated when she hit a pothole, she lost the ability to steer the vehicle. the engine cradle, steering rack and inner and outer tie rods had to be replaced. updated 09/27/11

Car suddenly began steering hard to the right and made clunking noises when the steering wheel was turned. discovered that the left side mounting bolt of the steering rack ripped through the rusted out frame cradle, leaving the rack attached by only one bolt. this allows the rack to pivot upwards instead of properly steering the vehicle. the right hand mount is also very rusted and is nearing failure. car has not been repaired at this time, since the entire front frame will need to be replaced. *tr

Driver side door clicks loudly while opening/closing, is it a bad hinge? one other person has complained about this. does not feel like a lube problem. afraid bad hinge may break/move causing door to shift. turn indicator works intermittently-saw on your site that there is a recall for the hazard light switch causing this. *jb

** i don't have all the above info available at this time. bought 11/01- hit pothole 12/01, replaced two passenger wheels(bent) and complained of "thumping" noise. dealer 2x claimed not to hear noise. car would not start on numerous occassions starting 5/02. paid 111.00 for rental while dealer inspected. dealer found nothing. next week, failed to start again, 800# tech advice told me about "anti-theft" was acting up and gave me procedures to start car. "anti-theft" system has since quit working. auto in "very minor" fender bender" in 10/02, that week driver door hinge started "crackling", hanging up. insurance company body shop said "no relation" to minor accident. hinge has completely broken and not working at all since then. 7/03 driver power window "fell down" upon attempt to open as normal with power button. other problems have been/are: rear passenger speaker doesn't work, interior light doesn't always work, "" blinkers/emer. flashers"" have quit working properly about 4 to 6 months ago. (this is very dangerous since i live 'up' a blind driveway on a high speed road)?!! 1st week i had the car i noticed motor rattled pretty loudly upon start up. questioned dealer and was told this was "lifter bleed down" and dealer was waiting on gm for remedy, if available. i bought this car as used with new warranty in place, about 23,300 miles on 36/36000 new car warranty as well as bought a 1500.00 extended 5yr/100000 warr. any suggestions, very ticked off and don't know where to turn.

After researching the service bulletins section of this website, i have come to realize that i have complained/had serviced about 85% of the same problems that are listed on your database. i purchased this car new, from everett chevrolet, wa in 2000. since the purchase. date, i had chevy do the following: new brakes (all the way around - once, front rotors/pads - twice), all new pistons, transmission replaced, miss on #1 cylinder - replaced 1 failed spark plug, left rear door squeaks when open/shut - lubed (has happened 3 times now), front left noise from struts/brakes - not able to verify as of yet (possible strut problem/lube), fan in dashboard has a sound in the middle (just above the cd player/radio) like there is a piece of paper caught in the housing (confirmed after 4 complaints, faulty fan motor), passenger front seat squeaks when occupied (dealerships have not been able to duplicate./fix), rearview mirror rattles while driving at highway speeds (tightened, still does it in hot weather). bottom line, this is my first new car purchase and i am having serious doubts about keeping the car - as it only has 21,405 miles on it. with the 3/30 warranty. coming up in oct. 2003, i am very much afraid that i have purchased a lemon and not looking forward to spending anymore time/$$$ on this vehicle. any suggestions? *jb

Turn signal lights failed during normal operation. dealership examined vehicle and determined that hazard light switch was the cause of problem. *ak dealer replaced hazard warning switch. weatherstrip around both rear side windows deformed, as well as both door panels, dealer replaced weatherstrip and door panels, experiencing ticking and whinning noise from engine, dealer states this was normal. *tt

Vehicle stalls while driving, dealer can not remedy the problem, oil pan experienced a leak, service engine light and check engine light illuminated. *slc