2003 Chevrolet Malibu Consumer Reviews

piece of....well you know

Written by: Carolinagirl on 07/12/2009

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

This was my first actual car and I was so excited...until. I got stranded in the middle of a road trip because of the fuel pump. Then the thermostat went, replaced rotors twice. Leaking coolant, had to replace gaskets and water pump. I haven't had the car two years. Locks went weird. Overall it's been disappointing to say the least. i'm in school and cant afford a new car any time soon >:[

Favorite Features

cup holder. big trunk.

Suggested Improvements

the entire cooling system.

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surprisingly good car

Written by: johnathanwills on 04/01/2009

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I am biased to GM as I work for them but this car has been nothing but a pleasure. I've replaced one wheel bearing since 2004. It has great fuel economy on the highway, not great in the city. The car is plain and nobody notices it which is nice when it's parked in a lot overnight. One tip don't skimp on brake parts. Mine squeak constantly and have before when I've used so-so parts.

Favorite Features

Mileage on highway, cruise control

Suggested Improvements

none, it's a simple plain car and that's what I wanted. If you want something snazzy or built for comfort this is not the car for you.

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Poor engineering in abundance

Written by: twomacho on 01/30/2009

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

Bought new - lots of price incentives - good initial reports, including CU. GM just doesn't get it. Poor brake / rotor design - expensive to fix. Flasher problems should have been a recall - hard to get at - poor design. Radio buttons show "wear" - mats slip - ash tray comes out doesn't go back in easily. Glove box opens - bottom falls out. Just the kind of garbage you never see in a Toyota or Honda who "sweat the details". GM deserves to go under - they have had years to get it right and disappoint.

Favorite Features

Price. Smooth, reliable transmission. Adequate V6 power. Pretty good paint / exterior finish.

Suggested Improvements

Too many things go wrong that shouldn't. ie - the dash has to be taken apart to replace a defective flasher. V6 Engine way too old - 3.1 liter should have 100 more horses.

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But American cars!

Written by: EVA CRANDALL on 01/14/2009

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I have a 2003 Chevy Malibu LS.I love my car!I have had to replace the catalytic converter & the fuel pump but I had over 100000 miles on it before I had any repairs. Now I live in Tennessee & I only paid $250 for the Converter & $400 for the fuel pump & w/ having a car payment I'm cool with that. Now My girlfriend had a 2003 Honda Civic & she thought he car was better than mine because it's a Honda but at 56000 miles on her civic the A/C unit went out & she did not get the extended warrenty & we went to 3 mechanic's & the cheapest to replace & fix the A/C was $1350. She never got the A/C fixed she Traded it and bought a 2006 Chevy Malibu. You are gonna have problems with any car you buy. I will always buy GM or Ford to support our domestic car manufacturers!

Favorite Features

It's a GM product.

Suggested Improvements

Tint is nice.

2 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Shame on Chevrolet

Written by: JVJR on 12/27/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I bought this car new in 2003. Being a Chevy guy I thought I could look over a couple of things. However at 60,000 and 5 brake changes and 1 rotor change enough is enough! ( I could mention more problems but will not embarrass Chevy futher ) There is a problem with the brakes on the 2003 Malibu. Everyone knows it and us new car purchasers should be given some compensation. My wife drives this car to a part time job plus takes my daughter tom Pre-K. It is lucky if she gets the car up to 45 mph. We live in a rural area with not alot of stop and go traffic. Come on Chevy before you go belly up and amit this problem or I am done with GM cars....

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

Brakes. Heating resistor, fuel gauge sender circuit, front control arms, steering column

1 out 4 people found this review helpful

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The reason we'll never buy GM again

Written by: Dissatisfied Owner on 10/05/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

This has got to be the worst car I've ever owned. The air conditioner won't stay in recirculation (coldest) mode. We've had it serviced six times in five years (after warranty expired $400 a pop). It works for a few months, then breaks again. Local Chevy dealer kept it for over a week last time to figure out what is going wrong. Still can't figure it out. Living in North Central Texas, cold a/c in summer (and sometimes spring and fall) isn't an option -- it's a necessity. Our next car will definitely not be a GM product -- from two people who bought exclusively GM for our entire driving lives.

Favorite Features

Option to have CD and cassette. Sunroof.

Suggested Improvements

An air conditioner that actually works.

0 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Stranded in Nova Scotia

Written by: Malibu on 07/09/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

In all honesty the 2003 Malibu has been fairly reliable, except for rotors. I made the mistake of getting the rotors machined back to smooth, all this did was to give the rotors a shorter life. Replace rotors if they are warped, do not machine. It's now in with a suspected fuel pump problem. The reason it's at the Canadian tire is I went to the local Chev dealer, and explained I had a loose connection on a wire leading to the fan motor, a simple repair, at $152. I was furious and got the bill reduced substantially. The air conditioning never worked satisfactorily from day one, it cooled but was never cold. The vehicle was just transport

Favorite Features

Nice design. Fold down flat back seats. Good power

Suggested Improvements

Beef up rotors on disc brakes. Fuel pumps need to get extended life. Give a one page exploded view of where filters, fuel pump, fuses etc, are located on the vehicle

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Good while it lasted

Written by: sarah on 06/20/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

In the begining it was a very good vehicle. I had to replace the alternator when the car had 58,000 miles on it. A few weeks after I made my last payment, at 75,000 miles, it seemed that everything went wrong. The fuel pump went and had to replace it, of course the car wouldn't run with out it. While that was being fixed I was told that I would have to replace the front wheel bearings very soon, the air conditioner went with a few days of being told that, the paint began to peel off the rear passenger doors, the car also started to leak oil and the door locks started acting up. I thought this car may become a service department regular so I decided it was time to replace it after only 5 yrs

Favorite Features

The color, comfort

Suggested Improvements

Try to make these vehicles so they last a lil longer or give longer warranties on them

3 out 4 people found this review helpful

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Great car

Written by: jmbc08 on 06/08/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

What can I say, its an all around great car. It fits my every need. The motor is great, nice horsepower and torque. You can put a beating on it and it wont die. Has no problem burning out too. Two complaints I always get are the seats are comfortable and it rides smooth. Very smooth and a lot of space inside for leg room. CD player is pretty good, so are the speakers. The trunk is excellent for putting a lot of things in it. Taken it on road trips and has no issues what so ever. Take care of this car and you'll put many miles on it. I recommend to anyone who has a family or carries three or more people.

Favorite Features

Great motor, lots of interior room, decent cd/speakers, big trunk, and great for trips.

Suggested Improvements

Better speakers

5 out 5 people found this review helpful

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Lemon all the way

Written by: Yvonne Lancaster PA on 03/16/2008

Vehicle

2003 Chevrolet Malibu 4dr Sedan (3.1L 6cyl 4A)

Review

I have had this car for 4yrs and it has had nothing but issues. I probably spent as much in repairs as I have on the sales price. Replaced catalytic converter,starter,fuel pump,several sensors, and now they say the gasket needs replaced, talk about a lemon, I will never, never buy another GM car which was all I believed in buying previous to this money gouging vehicle. Get with the program GM.

Favorite Features

Cup holder, what a joke for this to be the only nice feature. Repairs will rob you of your money and time.

Suggested Improvements

Too many to go into.

3 out 6 people found this review helpful

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