Overview & Reviews
The midsize Malibu has been totally redesigned for 2004. It now rides on an entirely new vehicle platform and offers a more powerful V6 along with must-have safety features like side curtain airbags and adjustable pedals.
- Balanced ride and handling characteristics, plenty of passenger and cargo space, ample safety and convenience features, innovative remote start feature.
- Down on power compared to its competitors, lackluster interior, no manual transmission available.
User Reviews:
Showing 1 through 10 of 238.00-
i still love my car but.......... - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By Wont buy another - September 16 - 2:00 amElectrical system had a gremlin in it, idiot lights went off for no reason. Occasionally the radio turns on inside the car while you unlock the doors without engine running. Hood latch replaced, auto start wouldnt work, trunk latch replaced, inside trunk button stopped working, trunk lock stuck so you cant open the trunk any of the 3 ways. Service couldnt fix. On my 2nd key fob now and the door unlock doesnt work so thats 2 out of 4 buttons that are useless. Fob is junk drop it a few times and the battery clip inside breaks off. In tank gas gauge is broken. Fill the tank, dash gauge say empty, gas tank low, dash gauge says full. Stirring column replaced. Dealer says it needs it again. Horn shorted
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Last American Car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By Neveragain - March 23 - 11:28 amBought this car new. Gas cap pressure seal has broke twice. At 300 miles and at 36001 miles (dealer wouldnt cover second .1 mile over ) Stock tires went off at only 15000 miles Blows turn signal bulbs a lot (24 in 7 years) Rear caliper broke (left hand side) 20, 000 miles Left hand ball joint (cant replace just ball joint have to replace lower control arm) 40,000 miles Lots of bugs, turned on car with remote start radio came on, has never done it again. Remote start used to start at 100 yards, today it wont at 10 feet ..battery changed in remote .still 10 feet Remote broke three times (poorly made) Passenger seat heater ..comes on by its self Gas mileage used to be 32 highway,
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Powertrain Control Module Replacement - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By LDean - September 30 - 10:00 amDue to the Malibu starting intermittently, the PCM had to be replaced. After only three weeks of ownership I am no longer confident in my vehicle, (or the entire line). Unlike myself you may want to do your homework before purchasing a new Malibu. Judging from my problems (and other consumers, it appears that the Malibu has electrical problems.
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Good car but cheap parts - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By rita, orland park, i - August 10 - 7:42 amI have had my Chevy less than 4 years and I am unable to get my hatchback trunk open. It is very frustrating. My mechanic states that it is the motor in lock to open the hatchback. I am sure if I take it to the dealer, it will be about $300 to fix it. Luckily I have a nice reasonable mechanic, although he lives far so it is a bit of a hassle to get my car worked on. I was very pleased with my car until this point but now I am convinced that Chevy uses cheap parts and I will not buy a Chevy again. I bought a new Astro van before this car and all I did was put money into it. It cost me a small fortunate in repairs. Never again will I buy a GM car.
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Bought a Lemon - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By Lynn27 - July 21 - 9:04 amWeve had this car for 3 years and 3 months (37,000 miles) and have had it in for service 18 times. Though all were under warranty, it meant time off work to take the car in, sitting for a couple of hours in dealership, or finding someone willing to drive us back and forth. This is the most unreliable car weve ever had. Service included: steering column replaced, (lost power on highway and I couldnt steer), fluid leaks from axles, new routers, stablizer bar, front end problems (Chevy is working on this they said), trunk release broke, strut mounts replaced, seat broke, new muffler, hazard button fell into dashboard, gas cap recall and more.
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Value - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By ssful - July 30 - 1:30 pmIve been most pleased with my 2004 Malibu. It suits my needs, safely getting me to the grocery store, and not breaking the bank on providing transportation. I feel this is an excellent choice for a student driver, or small family, or elderly person who is not looking for all the bells and whistles, but reliable transportation with the safety of a midsize. I extensively shopped, and only the Malibu and Galant were priced within my range .I purchased a demo with low mileage fully equipped, with two years of remaining warranty and paid under $10k. My only complaint is the seat adjustment handle is of such inferior plastic, I fear that it will break off every time I have to readjust.
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Bad, bad Car - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By aresma - November 30 - 11:59 amWhere do I start? I bought the car back in Apr 04 and nothing more than problems. The engine was originally very quiet and now is worst every day sounding like an old VW. I have taken the car to the dealer at least 10 times due to problems with strange noises in the Steering wheel drive and the suspension, the problem has been fixed and the car working normally for a week.
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Power Steering Issues - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By SteeringProblem - November 14 - 10:00 amExcellent car except for one thing. The power steering system has some major problems. It intermittently fails at any time and the vehicle becomes very hard to steer leading to an unsafe condition. If you check the NHTSAs site you will find numerous descriptions of this exact problem. Buyer beware.
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My experience with the 2004 Malibu LS - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By Kimberly Rieger - June 21 - 2:00 amI have had so many problems with this car that it is not funny. I have had it for 7 months and it has been into the dealer 5 times totaling 25 days since the end of Jan. 2004. It is experiencing problems again. The last time I had it in at the beginning of June it had a fuel injector go out, this is pretty bad considering it only had 10000 miles on it.
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uncomfortable seats - 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
By Tony P - January 22 - 2:00 amdriver seat(material) digs into lower back at seam very hard to drive in city let alone highway. If I had to order car again I would check what other seats are available.Chev is trying to alter my seat if possible to make things right.Test driving car without a winter coat on is my recommendation
