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 1999 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Right front coil spring broke damaging strut and damaging tire. Break was due to rust. Vehicle was making a turn when break occurred causing wheel to be "stuck" in the turn position due to parts rubbing on tire. Mechanic says many of GM products are and have experienced said problem.
At about 27000mi (3000mi. Service) I notified dealer of squeaking in front & rear suspension bushings. Dealer sprayed lube on rear (about $100)and notified me that they would have to lower complete front end to lube front, approx $200 more. Extended warranty didn't cover. At 30000 mi service dealer notified me I needed complete brake job. I inspected brakes while on lift. Mechanic said he made mistake! He said that he hadn't pulled wheels of yet. Said there was 80% left, repair invoice said 50% left. A little over a week later there was a puddle of trans fluid on garage floor & air conditioning smelled like urine when on, also switching itself from recirculation to fresh. Took car to dealer, they replaced switch, deductible $se on extended warranty, sprayed something in outside vent (mold they said?), and tightened trans cooling line, their fault! …
I was driving my 1999 Chevrolet Malibu down my driveway when I heard a loud clunking noise. The front passenger side of the car went down almost to the ground. I turned car around to go back to my home and smoke started pouring from under the car. Had to have it towed to the dealer where the spring and strut had to be replaced. They had broken and cut into the tire. Extended warranty paid for the broken spring and strut but would not replace other side. Just have to wait for it to break. I had to pay to replace the tires which had only 30,000 miles on them. The Malibu has 72,000 miles on it. I bought it at 29,000 miles. …
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. …
Failure of front strut springs. No notification either time they broke / passenger's side front spring broke about 6 months ago. I did not think too much of it because dealer stated they have seen this happen before. 6-27-07 my driver's side strut spring broke. I was now told that this could have caused an accident by the way this had broke. I contacted another dealer per recall or any notification out there regarding this safety issue. I was told by dealer that they replaced them often enough that they even stocked them. I felt that in this year the production defect required intervention by you. I again had no indication until I heard a clung. Which at that time I was not driving very fast. I work in a repair shop, and have never seen a spring break on any vehicle. The shop I work for deals with vehicle with lots of miles on them. …
(1) I was driving my 1999 Chevrolet Malibu about 35 MPH on a town street. (2)without warning, I heard a loud bang from the left front wheel. The car instantly made a sharp left hand turn into the oncoming lane. There were no oncoming cars. I was able to quickly regain control of the can and get back into my lane. I pulled down a side and looked at the left front tire and it looked normal. Under the hood looked normal. I proceded home. The left front wheel had a noticable clunk over the slightest bump in the road. I went home about one mile and took the left front wheel off. I noticed the coil spring around the strut had fractured. The base of the coil spring, (the pearch it was sitting on was bent) was close to the tire. I noticed a rub in the tire was caused by the fractured spring. The fracture was clean except some corrosion was evident at the start of the crack propagation. …
1999 Chevrolet Malibu sedan with about 70,000 miles on odometer. A similar problem to that described in your NHTSA action number pe03031. Within a few hundred yards of starting up the car and leaving my home, there was a audible bang and the passenger side macpherson strut coil spring suddenly fractured and the broken spring end penetrated the front tire inside sidewall leading to a blowout. I did not travel over any kind of bump or pothole. Fortunately I was traveling at a low speed and the loss of control did not cause an accident. It was winter conditions (salted roads) with an air temperature of around 20 deg.f. I feel that this was a design flaw structural failure in the suspension that should never have happened as it could have been extremely dangerous. I am having both front strut assemblies and a tire and rim replaced at considerable expense.
The right front coil spring on our 1999 Chevy Malibu broke while we were driving. The strut assembly dropped & punctured the new tire we had gotten less than a month before. The car was not drivable & had to be towed & repaired. I researched this problem online & found that there have been a lot of complaints about this same problem with 1999 Chevrolet malibus, while Chevrolet has no consequences for having defective parts. This is dangerous & someone could be killed by the defects. We still have the broken coil spring with the part number on it. We should be reimbursed for the cost of the repairs, the new tire that was ruined & the mental anguish of having come so close to a possibly fatal accident. Does someone have to die before defective parts will be recalled & replaced at the manufacturer's expense?
The subframe of my 1999 Chevrolet Malibu suffered corrosion to the point where it needed to be replaced. This is a very unusual failure of the suspension system. The area round one of the bolts holding the subframe broke off due to corrosion, causing the vehicle to not be able to be steered properly (could not turn right more than 10-15%). If this had happened while I was driving at any speed, it very well could have caused an accident (the component broke while I was attempting to parallel park). Recently Hyundai recalled a number of vehicles due to the same damage for those residing in the salt belt (I happen to own a Hyundai involved in the recall). Based on the damage my Malibu suffered, I believe that the issue of subframe corrosion for those in the salt belt May go beyond the Hyundai recall.
Driving at 35 MPH, the spring fractured on the front left strut of a 1999 Chevy Malibu with 19000 miles. The break caused a huge bang and the front of the car dropped. Luckily the sharp part of the break did not puncture the tire, damage the brake line or break the tie-rod end. The spring did indeed contact the tire and wore the epoxy coating off, but again, did not puncture the tire. I had the two front struts replaced and saved the broken one and the receipt for verification in case there is a future recall. I have seen that this problem has many complaints and I can say that this is a defect in the steel that was used to make the spring....not a corrosion problem. The spring is covered with an epoxy coating and where it rubbed off, from contact with the tire, the steel looked shiny new.
NHTSA investigations
Front suspension coil spring fracture
The subject vehicles are equipped with a coil spring-over-strut front suspension with the spring itself resting in compression between two polymer isolators.pe03-031 was opened to investigate reports of fracture of this spring.the fractures occur in the first active coil above the lower isolator and apparently originate in corrosion pits found beneath regions of damaged epoxy coating.consumer complaints and warranty…
Front suspension coil spring fracture
The failure rate of the subject vehicles is low relative to past odi investigations.the engineering analysis is therefore closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if…
Suspension complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 82 complaints about the suspension of the 1999 Chevrolet Malibu, 10% of the model year's 789 complaints. The component named most often is front › springs › coil springs (32 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Chevrolet Malibu suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension 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 suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 11% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to suspension 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.