"How reliable is the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"Based on 1480 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR, accounting for a significant portion of the 1480 total complaints filed."

1998 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1480 complaints

1480

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

54,700 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

104,050 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR

133

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

132

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

TIRES

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS

SUSPENSION:FRONT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION LURCHES AT CRUISING SPEEDS AND ACCELERATES UP LONG HILLS ABOVE 50 MPH FOR A FEW SECONDS."

"AFTER FILLING GAS TANK ENGINE DIED 7-8 TIMES."

"CONSUMER PURCHASED VEHICLE ON 4-10-98 FROM ROGER DEAN CHEVROLET INC.---561-683-8100. SERVICE # IS 561-640-1835. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER ON 4-20-98 DUE TO NOISE COMING FROM REAR OF PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID IT WAS THE COOLING FAN. SINCE THEN THE NOISE HAS GOTTEN LOUDER, AND ..."

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:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR 133 complaints

25th: 41,500 mi Median: 50,000 mi 75th: 56,711 mi

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP 132 complaints

25th: 45,250 mi Median: 77,000 mi 75th: 94,500 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE 46 complaints

25th: 57,875 mi Median: 69,359 mi 75th: 84,050 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 150 NY: 124 PA: 100 TX: 99 MI: 80 FL: 75 OH: 68 IL: 59 WI: 50 MD: 46

Who Files Complaints?

50.1%

Original Owners

49.9%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Malibu — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	693	82,750	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP	34
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