Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Have to replace brake pads/rotors every 5,000 miles. I've spent more money on the brakes on this car than gas. I've also gone through 5 sets of tires. Replaced wheel hub bearings, and still, after replacing items, the vibration, shaking, instability comes back. Also, problem with ABS. Light comes on and stays on. I've had it looked at 6 times and dealer can't find problem. Each time after seeing dealer, it goes out. But then comes back on again in a few days. Have problems braking. I've had to stop quickly, and the brake pedal goes to the floor, and car won't slow down. It's as if I'm trying to slow down on a sheet of ice, and I live in florida!!! Back taillights constantly melt around bulbs. I've had to replace the tail light assemblies in both. Is Chevrolet going to do anything about these problems?? I've read that a lot of other people are having these same problems. …
The rear tail lights on my Chevrolet Malibu are about to burn I can smell a bakalite smell when I open the trunk. I have been going to maroone Chevy in pembroke pines saw the service rep ( mandy ramos ) complainng to him since 2000 and he said that there was no recalls on the lights. Ifound out that general motors filed a confidentiality report and that way GM did not repair the lights. I disabled person and when I bought the car I knew that it had to last a long time. Now I am fearful of it catching on fire. It cost me $ 25,000.00 to buy and GM has the nerve to keep ontelling me for the past 5 years that there is nothing that can be done. It could have been done back in 2000 when they requested the confidentiality agreement being approved, they knew that they had this problem. The report is ea00010 I found this out today online. The cost of the pair of lights is $ 500.00. …
Tl contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact was informed by another motorist that her brake lights were not functioning. The contact replaced the brake lights herself. The failure occurred at least five times a year. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that a mechanism within the brake lights needed to be replaced; the vehicle was repaired but the failure continued. Additionally, the contact stated that she experienced difficulty starting the vehicle. When she turned the key in the ignition, it took approximately 15 minutes for the vehicle to start. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired for the problem. The contact also noticed that fuel would spill out of the tank when the vehicle was being fueled. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. …
Two repairs in one week, alternator had to be replaced,dash lights started coming on & guages going crazy! Car wouldn't start after being parked for 1 hr, then when jump started it, died again in few minutes, replaced alternator, battery, then next day ignition failed, key wouldn't turn in ignition, had to be towed to my mechanic (this was the third (3rd) time the ignition switch locked up like this and the key wouldn't turn & the car would not start & entire ignition assembly had to be replaced, 2x earlier it was under warranty...this time it cost me over $400.00 (the part alone cost $289.) I am so frustrated w/ this problem, as dealership repaired it the first 2 times & they didn't seem to understand it. This is the second battery I've had to purchase since I bought the car brand new in January 2000.
Tl*- the contact owns a 1999 cheverolet Malibu with failure mileage 110,000. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH she noticed that the hazard lights and signal lights worked on occasion or not at all. Also, the contact stated that sometimes they will stop working at any given time for a period of time. She contacted the manufacturer, and they did not do anything other than tell the contact that the above mentioned parts that were affected did not come from the same place as those parts of the 2000 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact mentioned NHTSA notification rq040005 as a reference. The current mileage was 117,000. Update 4/30/07
Tl contact owns a 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. Since 2000 the back up lights failed. The dealer replaced the internal bright lights in 2000 and 2002. The air conditioner also comes on and off without warning. The failure occurs every time the contact attempts to back up or use the air conditioner. After performing an electrical test, the dealer replaced the air conditioner control assembly and the ac control head on two occasions. The contact is aware of the safety recall for the fuel pressure regulator. The current mileage was 105000 and the approximate failure mileage was 92000.
The turn signals work only once in a while, more often they do not work. The vehicle was purchased in 12/2009, the problem began later in 12/2009. With our extended warranty we took it back to where we purchased it, after 8 hours, they said they think they found the problem and corrected it. Two weeks later, the same problem began again and is still a problem. It is illegal to drive without turn signals and extremely dangerous. We were not told of the part put onto the car, but we did see them take a part off of another car to put into ours.
Multiple tail lamp failures on my 1999 Chevrolet Malibu. I have replaced more tail lamps than I can remember. While replacing them the last time I noticed that the place where you plug in the lamp was starting to melt. I think this is a hazard. The lamps are not burned out when I have to replace them. They just don't make contact with the contacts after a while. I have to put new ones in to get them to work again. This last time I almost couldn't get one to work.
I just got my car in December of 2004.I went to get my state inspection and the mechanic told me that I needed to replace my brake lights because they were not working properly because water had gotten into the light.I go back a couple of days later after dumping the water out of my lights and my car passes the state inspection but my right brake light does not work because of a wire shortage.
Turn signals and hazard lights work when they want to, which began last year 07/07. I replaced fuses to see if this was the problem. It continues to happen. After almost being rear-ended with my infant son in a carseat the back seat as my turn signals flashed twice and failed I found out later there had been a recall on the hazard/turn switch on the 2000 models of Malibu and not the 99's.
NHTSA investigations
Turn signal failures
GM conducted a recall (NHTSA recall number 03V327) on model year (my) 2000-2001 alero, grand am and malibu vehicles to replace defective hazard switches that cause the turn signals and hazard lights to fail.the recall covered vehicles built from February 2000 through May 2001 (depending on model).odi opened this investigation based on 64 reports alleging turn signal failure on my 1999-2000 alero, grand am and malibu…
Stop lamp assembly overheat
There is no summary currently available
Headlight complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the lights of the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu, 8% of the model year's 789 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chevrolet Malibu headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 1 recall 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 1999 Chevrolet Malibu headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to lights problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.