1997 Chevrolet Malibu engine and engine cooling problems
60 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu — 14% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Intake manifold on my 1997 chevy malibu has started to go bad I know its the lower gasket I called chevy after seeing so many other people with the same problem I was told chevy would not replace it due to it being over ten years old well it seems like with was a problem waiting to happen as soon…”
filed Dec 8, 2010
“I have a 1997 chevy malibu (54,000) miles that seized up in traffic due to antifreeze in the oil. I have recently learned that the antifreeze (dexa-cool) use by gm has a long history of causing premature engine failures by eating away the gaskets, water pumps and other associated engine cooling…”
filed Apr 17, 2009
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other Malibu years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Malibu | 4 | 7% |
| 2022 Malibu | 9 | 10% |
| 2020 Malibu | 3 | 2% |
| 2019 Malibu | 1 | 1% |
| 2018 Malibu | 6 | 1% |
| 2017 Malibu | 5 | 1% |
| 2016 Malibu | 2 | 0% |
| 2015 Malibu | 1 | 0% |
| 2014 Malibu | 3 | 1% |
| 2013 Malibu | 11 | 1% |
| 2012 Malibu | 3 | 0% |
| 2011 Malibu | 12 | 1% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.