Overview & Reviews

The Malibu gets little in the way of upgrades for 2003. There are two new colors to choose from -- Summit White and Medium Gray Metallic -- and a new seat fabric on LS models. ABS brakes are now optional on base models, but remain standard on the LS.

• Comfortable and roomy interior, low price, ample feature content.

• Poor expected resale value, not as refined as top-selling Japanese family sedans.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 121.00

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  First Car At 168,000 Miles... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Ethyn Dirmeyer - March 17 - 3:48 pm

  Well, got my first car about a month ago. The Chevy Malibu LS. Got it used for a heck of a deal. Love the power this thing has got, and the interior design is AMAZING! The Radio is alright, ended up replacing every single speaker (4x6 and 6x9) for Rocksfords. The original speakers arent bad though, the bass isnt half bad but not any wear NEAR what you can get. I love the inside of this car. 2 Cigarette Lighters, Easy to open door panels. All im getting from now until i die is a Malibu (:

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  03 malibu - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By erinjeanmck - April 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car in 06. I was the 2nd owner of this car. It had low miles on it & was in good condition. I had to replace all the tires on it at the time of purchase. I bought a car remote for it within the 1st yr. I get regular oil changes & last summer had to "fix" the car after it over heated--$600ish. The car remote decided to stop working this past winter. I also had to replace one of the tires this winter. I dont drive it excessively & have never taken it out of state. Farthest I have traveled away from home is 2 hrs 3 times. Its a good family car, but Im usually the only one traveling around in it. It does guzzle gas--16-20 mpg city. Good car if you have a family.

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  Oh, my. - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Oh, my. - September 8 - 11:01 am

  I got this from my mother who purchased it new. I prefer a different brand, but had to keep her from driving. Im having same problems as others. Ive had to have the AC button fixed several times. Youd think that Chevy would offer some kind of rebate or recall to those of us who have to have it fixed since this is a problem with most of the 03s, but they dont. Once is bad, twice is inexcusable. I also have trouble with the brakes when it rains. Glad to know others are having the same problems. I thought it was just me.

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  Has problems.... - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Patrick - April 4 - 8:28 pm

  I bought this car used with only 2,400 miles on it. The engine is up to the task, and the transmission does a good job of using the power at hand. My problems center around the cooling system. This is the second GM car that Ive had in which the coolant is just disappearing. The thermostat is also broken (locked open I think), and will have to be fixed. Dont know where the coolant is going, as there are no leaks. Probably a blown head gasket. Otherwise I like this car, but those are major repairs that the car will need. Air conditioning isnt working now, and hasnt for over two years. Now the fan control is screwed up too (only works on 4 and 5 settings, nothing lower).

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  Tires are really important - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By tires are important - March 22 - 11:09 pm

  Got the car for my son. I noticed HUGE road noise, especially interstate driving, and just figured that the car was a noisy cheap car. I was trying to sound proof it, but did some research on the tires, and saw that the tires that were on there EVERYONE complained about the road noise, so i switched them out, and the car rides like a dream..much, much quieter

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  2003 Malibu - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By M - November 6 - 2:54 pm

  Purchased in 8/2003, and I beat drive this car hard! I rarely give it an oil change or any of the recommended maintenance.....The car runs perfectly! I have never gotten stuck! Front rotors and brake pads need to be replaced fairly frequently. The air conditioning has not worked since 2004. I had a problem with water filling the trunk in 2007. The passenger side gets rust spots which I have noticed on many of the Malibus. But, I have never owned a vehicle for this many (6) years! It has been good to me, I have 107, 000 miles on it!

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  surprisingly good car - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By johnathanwills - April 1 - 6:42 pm

  I am biased to GM as I work for them but this car has been nothing but a pleasure. Ive 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 its parked in a lot overnight. One tip dont skimp on brake parts. Mine squeak constantly and have before when Ive used so-so parts.

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  Shame on Chevrolet - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By JVJR - December 27 - 6:53 pm

  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....

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  leased car - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By zvi - October 3 - 2:00 am

  on the whole it has been a good car. had problems with the brakes- replace pads and rotors at about the 25000 mile mark.

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  Stranded in Nova Scotia - 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
  By Malibu - July 9 - 6:43 am

  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. Its now in with a suspected fuel pump problem. The reason its 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