"How reliable is the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"Based on 693 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu has a median complaint mileage of 82750 miles. The most common issue is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP."

1997 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Q: "What are common problems with the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP, accounting for a significant portion of the 693 total complaints filed."

Source: NHTSA — 693 complaints

693

Total Complaints

82,750mi

Median Mileage

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

57,850 25th Percentile

82,750 Median Mileage

107,462 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SUSPENSION:FRONT

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"STEERING IS VERY LOOSE. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK"

"SWITCH WHICH ACTIVATES HIGH BEAM LIGHTS DOES NOT WORK EFFECTIVELY. HAS TO HOLD IN POSITION TO HAVE HIGH BEAM LIGHTING. *AK"

"THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT LOCKING WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE ACCESSORY POSITION."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP 46 complaints

25th: 72,489 mi Median: 74,000 mi 75th: 125,358 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 31 complaints

25th: 90,000 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 128,465 mi

STEERING:RACK AND PINION 29 complaints

25th: 73,000 mi Median: 80,653 mi 75th: 106,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 48 CA: 46 TX: 45 OH: 38 NC: 32 IL: 32 NY: 28 MD: 27 MI: 26 IN: 26

Who Files Complaints?

47.5%

Original Owners

52.5%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Malibu — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	1480	70,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR	53
1999	1227	60,000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR	61
2000	1379	65,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	71
2001	1005	70,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	51
2002	754	68,607	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	28
2003	772	70,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	52
2004	1639	69,000	STEERING	78
2005	1385	89,000	STEERING	67
2006	1473	85,000	STEERING	59
2007	1252	100,000	STEERING	53
2008	1482	80,000	STEERING	54
2009	2354	100,000	STEERING	64
2010	2193	82,000	STEERING	72
2011	1512	79,632	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	71
2012	1470	87,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	93
2013	1367	70,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	50
2014	561	60,000	ENGINE	32
2015	389	50,000	ENGINE	30
2016	1424	50,000	ENGINE	37
2017	1157	51,000	ENGINE	25
2018	1166	44,700	ENGINE	34
2019	293	41,750	POWER TRAIN	9
2020	307	70,000	ENGINE	15
2021	99	21,000	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0
2022	116	42,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	6
2023	48	34,853	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28