Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I turned on my ac and the temp and fuel guage fuse blowed while having the air on still changing out fuses and the automatic car locks on it own when you closes the doors getting out or it will lock when some one gets out of the car all by itself without hitting the door lock on the keyless entry.
The hydraulic brake lines between the front and rear of the car corroded and quickly leaked fluid out so the brakes no longer functioned. The fluid leaked out when the car was parked after driving on the highway the night before. If this happened when I was driving the results could have been catestophic my mechanic stated that this is a common problem with chevys. I saved some of the brake lines he had to remove.
Purchased my 2002 chev Malibu new! Has 39000miles on it ,granted, car is 14yrs old but in mint condition . Its gone through 3 sets of rotors ,3 sets of front pads, 2 sets of calipers and one set of brake lines, both front hub & bearings twice!! .there` s a serious problem with the design of thier brake system design!!
When the weather is wet or snowy, and there is possible slick spots on the road, the ABS is engaged even when you are pulling up slowly to the stop sign, or slowing down to arrive home, or even coming out of the driveway... What happens, is when doing those things in weather as described above, if you attempt to put the breaks on it makes an awful grinding sound and pushed back on you so you cant break... This has happened to me numerous times just backing out of my driveway... I pulled up to a stop sign behind someone this is right on my residential street so I was not speeding at all, it was a rainy day but the rain was light, I have brand new tires on my car too. As I pulled up behind my neighbors car to the stop sign, I was barely pushing down my break peddle when it pushed back at me and made t his deep sound I couldn't stop and I almost hit my neighbor. …
Vehicle front end shakes/wobbles severely when under hard braking situations down hill. Loud low rumble noise and pedal vibrations are evident. Shaking and wobbling is present through vehicle steering wheel requiring more strength and directional corrections to steer and guide the vehicle properly. Down hill braking could be severely impeded in normal driving or while towing a trailer. Panic stops and light braking situations on level ground are normal straight and true. Brake fluid level check okay and is clean. ABS system operating normally. Parking brake operating normally. Vehicle brake system and ABS warning lights check okay. Vehicle has 4 new tires mounted and balanced on original factory rims. Tires are sized and inflated to vehicle manufacturers specifications. Cold tire pressure 29 psi in front and 26 psi in rear. …
No incidents, crashes or injury's while in my possession. The 2002 Chevy Malibu I bought used in 2004 only had 11,000 miles on it. It was a government used car. Several months after buying the car the blinkers stopped working and then began working again. They now work when they want to work. Now, almost a year later at 41,000 miles the horn blows a short beep anytime. The car May be running or not, there May not be anyone even in the car. This has been going on for about a month and a half and now there is a beeping tone inside that I have not identified. It doesn't do it constantly but I notice it when I start the car. It is a short "alert" beep, kind of like an alarm. It beeps once, pause, and then about three times pause and then once more. Just wondering if there were any recalls for this as the warranty is not in affect any longer. …
The car was taken in for routine maintenance. Upon inspection the GM mechanic showed me that the brake lines were completely rusted out. There are other parts of the under body that have a lot of corrosion. There is potential risk of failure which could lead to an accident. The car has under 100,000 miles on it, is garage kept and very well maintained. Upon further research, there have been many complaints and accidents relating to this specific issue on GM vehicles. Discussing the problem with GM customer service, it was told that it would the responsibility of the local dealer to workout a method of payment but GM was essentially not going to be of any help. The local dealer clearly has no incentive to to bare the cost of the repair. This is a engineering design flaw that should be taken care of by the OEM. …
My 2002 Chevy Malibu (3 yrs old, just our of factory warranty) with 33,000 miles had the front left brake seize up. I limped it to the dealer, half a mile away from my house. By the time I got there, the front left brakes were smoking. I was told that the caliper seized up because the pads were too worn. Also that the pads on the left were worn also. The Chevy dealer said I needed to have rotors turned on both wheels, calipers replaced on both wheels, and new pads & caliper bolts. Total cost $784 not covered by the extended warranty that I paid $1250 for when I bought the car. The wear indicators gave very little warning that the brakes were warn. I had the brakes inspected a year ago (9000 miles ago) and was told they were fine. I can understand turning the rotors. I expect to pay for pads. But replacing the calipers on both wheels? Did I just get taken for a ride by my Chevy dealer? …
As I was driving down the road, I signaled for a left turn. When I signaled the turn, there was a buzzing noise in the steering column and the engine turned off, resulting in a complete loss of power to steering and brakes. Luckily, I was going about 10 MPH and was able to stop the car, albeit in the middle of the street. I noticed the dashboard lights were on. The car restarted immediately and I drove it 1/2 block to a parking space. I subsequently took the car to fh dailey, the local Chevy dealer. They told me there was a problem with the BCM (body control module) that had caused the engine to shut off while the car was being driven. They are replacing the BCM. They did not seem particularly concerned about the problem and my impression is it is not unusual for them to encounter it. …
I was driving from the market and came to a stop sign but had no brakes. No sign of me not having any brakes before hand.. The emergency brake would not work also.there were no cars in the crossing and I went through and continued home. I got home which is about 1.5 miles away and was able to pull into the driveway going as slow as I could. I called my husband and he said there was fluid all over the ground on the driver side. I have the pictures of the lines. When he looked the brake and gas lines had rusted through. If I had driven over the mountain to get home from the doctors I would not be here today. I also was told if a car had hit me gas line like that it could have started a fire.you need to check gas and brake line before someone dies. The cost to fix this, and I still don't have my car back is $2550.00. I want something done . I should not have to pay for this. …
Brake complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the brakes of the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, 10% of the model year's 567 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (15 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Chevrolet Malibu brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 2 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 2002 Chevrolet Malibu brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 33,000 miles, and 36% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to brakes 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.