Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was backing out of my garage when the front end of the car dropped down with a hard bang. It felt like the wheel fell off. There was a terrible noise when I tried to back out of the garage. I left the car in my driveway. The next day I called for a flat bed tow to take the car to the dealer. The dealer informed me that the front spring had broken in half and damage the strut. The dealer suggested that I have both springs and both struts replaced at a cost of $1391.64 which was paid to the dealer when the car was ready for pickup on June 24, 2005. On June 22, 2005 I filed a complaint with general motors. I contended that I could have been seriously injured or worse if this happened on a high speed highway which is where I was going at the time. Fortunately, this happened while backing out of my garage. I explained to general motors rep. …
The coil spring on the passenger side strut snapped into causing a large gouge in the tire deflating it immediately. Luckily, I had pulled off interstate I-77 and was in a large level parking space. My wife got in the car to pull up and pick me up. As the car went less than a foot forward a large bang was heard and journey began to get help. To avoid random details of 88 degree heat and hardship events, the result was a new tire, a new spare tire (donut), an overnight stay and expenses and a repair bill. The strut was replaced with a used one due to the fact that we were stranded away from home and had no time to wait for a new one to be ordered. …
Car was parked in driveway, I went into car to get something out of the glove compartment all of a sudden this loud bang! I walked around the car to try to find out what caused this, could not see anything out of the ordinary. I then sat in car and turned the steering wheel to one side, went out to check tires, both tires turned. Did the same for the other side, all okay. Got in car, backed out of driveway and then another loud bang. Backed the car up into the driveway. Had it flat bedded to the repair shop. As the other complaints are noted it was the spring - the repair man said thank god you weren't driving the car it could have caused a serious accident. Had to have spring, struts and strut mounts replaced. At that point I was so scared to drive this vehicle and possibly have the same thing happen to the other side, I asked them to replace both. …
While moving the car from the garage heard a loud bang from the left front suspension. I found that the spring had broken and was jambed against the tire. I had the car towed to the repair shop. I was informed that the spring had broken and we were lucky we were not traveling fast asuredly we would have lost control of the car and would have been forced into oncomoing traffic. The service manager told me that he has had a rash of spring failures with many GM model cars he atibutes it to poor quality material in the springs. He had to replace both springs and both shock struts. I happened to drop by the dealer where I purchased the car and he asked how it was working I informed him about what had happened, he was very surpised, and then told me he had a 2000 chev Malibu on the lot that had the same thing happen while standing. Of course he could not do anything for me. Out of warranty. …
The driver side front coil spring broke while I was backing up on my driveway. I took it to a trusted local mechanic who replaced both front suspension units which included the strut, coil spring and mounting plate. According to the mechanic, it's safer to replace both sides at the same time. I agreed with him, who knows if I did not replace the right side it could have broken while driving down the highway causing a serious accident. The results could be detrimental to the driver and others. My 1998 Chevrolet Malibu has less than 57,000 miles on it and the coil spring should not break in half in such low mileage. That said, I am thinking if there''s any defect in the design and/or build material of the coil spring. I spent $634 to fix it and it could have cost much more, including my life, loved ones and others. …
We drove our car to our camp which is 60 miles away. The next day we went to move our car when the front end on the passenger side went down with a hard and loud bang. At first, we thought it was the tire since it was flat, but when we looked under the car it looked like the spring had broken off and punctured the tire. We had to have it towed to our dealership. They told us that the spring was broken and the strut and the mount were also blown out. They replaced the right front strut, mount and the spring. They also replaced the left front spring to the vehicle to even it out. Both front tires also had to be replaced. The total cost was $1171.43 we could have been seriously injured, if this had happened on the highway. We had taken our two grandsons to camp with us. (ages 2 & 4) it is scary to think what could have happened to them, if we had been in a crash. …
I have a 1998 Chevy Malibu with 60,000 miles. The problem started at about 50,000 miles. Both front lower control arms started to rattle over cracks and bumps around July 2001. It has steadily become worse and is to the point I can hear a loud clunk even over expansion joints or when it shifts gears during acceleration. I have heard from several other owners who have experienced the same problem, some with fewer miles. In all cases Chevrolet refuses to take any responsibility and says we have to replace with newly designed control arms at our own cost. I am going to replace them for fear that the bolts are going to break from the excessive movement allowed by the inferior bushings used in the original part, but I think GM's decision to not recall this obvious safety hazard should be questioned. …
I was parking the car in my drive way and all of sudden a loud noise comes from underneath and the car steers by itself in the wrong direction where the other car was already parked. I managed to steer due to the slow speed the car was moving but I realized how bad this could have been while driving the car in traffic and at high speed rates. When I checked what happened, I noticed that the front end cradle that the steering rack mounts to, has rusted out and the whole rack and pinion became lose in one of the mounting points. I am very disappointed with the quality and workmanship they put in one of the most important parts of the car, where steering, suspension, in fact the whole power train seats on and it failed so easy. The manufacture was trying to save some dollars at the cost of peoples lives.
Defects in 1998 Chevrolet Malibu. I have spent over $1000 trying to repair the ABS system (including replacing the wiring harness for what GM call an "updated wiring harness," replacing left and right wheel barons, and replacing the ABS relay). The brakes consistently have trouble and pulse when trying to stop the vehicle. I am also experiencing considerable trouble with the computer system in the car. The anti theft light and air bag lights come on and stay on, creating codes in the computer, with no visible reasons for the codes. The gas pedal has also been repaired twice as it has a tendency to stick. The left rear strut mounts have also broken and have had to be repaired (quite costly). I am becoming increasingly concerned for safety while driving this car.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact drove the vehicle approximately 150 yards when a popping noise was heard. While driving 10 MPH the driver's side of the vehicle collapsed to the ground. The contact discovered that the front coil spring failed and cut the tire from the wheel. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the coil spring was replaced. The consumer stated that the cause of failure was due to a batch of coil springs that were improperly heat treated. There was a defect investigation for this failure , pe 03031. The contact still possessed the failed coil spring and tire. The current and failure mileages were 98,000. The consumer has provided pictures of the defect. Update 05/04/07 updated 06/20/07.
Suspension complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 108 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu, 11% of the model year's 976 complaints. The component named most often is front (29 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Chevrolet Malibu suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet Malibu suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.