Daughter was driving the car in a downpour and the passenger side windshield wiper linkage broke causing the wipers to fly across the driver side of the car. They stopped working causing her to have to get off the road because she could not see.
1998 Chevrolet Malibu visibility problems
63 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 63
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Windshield wiper/washer19
- Windshield wiper/washer: linkages14
- Windshield wiper/washer: motor7
- Power window devices and controls6
- Defroster/defogger/HVAC system4
- Windshield3
- Rear window wiper/washer3
- Glass, side/rear2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Chevrolet Malibu visibility problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu visibility
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the "salt belt" states: alaska, colorado, connecticut, delaware, idaho, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, montana, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, north dakota, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, south dakota, utah, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and wyoming. If a buildup of snow or ice restricts the movement of the passenger side windshield wiper arm, the pivot housing can crack and the wipers will not operate.
- Risk
- Reduced visibility in inclement weather could lead to a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the passenger side windshield wiper pivot housing. Owner notification began august 14, 2001. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 01V068000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Windshield wiper failure
In march 2001, gm notified the federal safety agency that it is conducting a safety recall (the federal safety agency number 01v068) on certain model year (my) 1997-1998 chevrolet malibu and oldsmobile cutlass vehicles to replace defective windshield wiper pivot housings.gm reported the wiper failure was triggered by loads placed on the wipers when operated under conditions of moderate to heavy snowfall.gm conducted the recall in 28 states and the district of columbia (recall states) that receive moderate to heavy snowfall.the recall covered the subject vehicles built through january 1998.odi opened this rq in response to complaints from consumers that experienced wiper failure and were denied the recall remedy.gm is sending letters to owners not located in the recall states giving them a free remedy upon request if they anticipate driving the vehicle in areas that may have moderate to heavy snowfall.in addition, gm is notifying all owners who have changed their residence from a non-recall state to a recall state since the date of the original owner notification letter (march 2001).the actions taken by the manufacturer are sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that no safety-related defect exists.the agency reserves the right to take future action if warranted by the circumstances.see attached summary.
RQ04006
Windshield wiper
On february 22, 2000, the office of defects investigation (odi) initiated pe00-009 based on seven reports of windshield wiper failure in certain model year (my) 1997 & 1998 chevrolet malibu & oldsmobile cutlass vehicles.the investigation was upgraded to ea00-019 on july 12, 2000.during the course of the investigation, it was found that the failures were the result of fracture of the passenger-side windshield wiper pivot housing (subject component).such a fracture LED to an immediate and irrecoverable loss of windshield wiper function.gmreported that the material composition (50% glass-reinforced acetal) of the subject component was insufficient to withstand stresses imposed by certain frozen precipitiation accumulations.the subject component material was changed to the stronger 50% glass-reinforcednylon-6, effective january 98.obsolete service part were discarded.gm will replace the subject components in 129,427 subject vehicles found in 28 states (ak, co, ct, de, id, il, in, ia me, md, ma, mi, mn, mt, ne, nh, nj, ny, nd, oh, pa, ri, sd, ut, vt, wv, wi, wy), the district of columbia, and all canadian provinces.these states accounted for 91% of the consumer complaints identified above.odi will monitor this compaign for adequate effctiveness and, if necessary, take further action in the future.further expenditure of agency resources on this matter is unjustified at this time.the engineering analysis is closed.
EA00019
Windshield wiper
There is no summary currently available
PE00009
What 1998 Chevrolet Malibu owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the windshield wipers on the vehicle stopped working during a rain storm. The contact observed that the linkage on the motor for both windshield wipers were broken. The contact was unable to purchase the part from the dealer and is concerned that it will only be available at a salvage facility. The federal safety agency recall campaign 01v068000, visibility, windshield wiper/washer, linkages was directly related to in the "salt belt" states due to a buildup of snow, ice, and corrosion. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 160,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet malibu. The passenger-side pivot housing has cracked, and the windshield wipers will not operate. He contacted the dealer and manufacturer in reference to recall # 01v068000 (visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages). Upon contact he was advised that his vehicle identification number was excluded from the recall, so he was ineligible for a free remedy. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were 96000. Updated 1/14/10 *cn the consumer stated the problem was resolved. Updated 01/15/10.
The wife started the car and it had some light frost on the windshield she let the car warm up for about 10 minutes when she came back out the frost had turned to water so she turned on the wipers and they just went nuts the right wiper went over top of the left one so she had to get out and physically push them down she then continued with her day when I came home from work she told me about it so I went out to see and found that the windshield wiper transmission arms were broken at one end on the right hand side so I then took them out to replace them and when I looked them up on the internet and found there was a recall on record, so I am going to contact the 1‑800‑222‑1020 and see just what I can have done.
Driving to work in heavy rain on a busy street and the windshield wiper on the right collided with the left and they just stopped working causing me to almost crash into the car infront of me. Had to pull over because there was no visibility and had to wait an hour until the rain stopped. The pivot housing as the dealer called it is cracked and the wipers will not operate because of the design.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 chevrolet malibu. While driving in a rainstorm, the contact activated the windshield wipers and they began to cross over each other. The contact pulled the vehicle over and noticed that the passenger side wiper blade was very loose. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 01v068000 (visibility:windshield wiper/washer:linkages). The vehicle has not been serviced by the dealer. The speed was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 113,000.
Use of the window and faulty design with plastic parts LED up to the failure. Window is no longer able to be used and has to stay in the closed position or it falls into the door. Too expensive to correct.
While driving during ice storms in january 2007 the windshield wipers quit working due to a broken pivot housing on the passenger's side. The same defect was covered in the federal safety agency recall campaign 01v068000. However, because I lived outside the salt belt,chevrolet will not cover the repair of this manufacturer's defect. I am fearful, but forced to, drive in rain storms without working windshield wipers. The manufacturer has been completely arrogant about helping in this situation for the last 5 months.
I purchased my 1998 malibu, it's had nothing but problems. Since I bought this car in november of 2001 with in less than a week of purchasing I had to take the car back to dealer and have them fix a problem because check engine light was on, I am unsure of the exact problem but I do know the car did not pass emissions and if I had to pay for it, it would have cost me over 500 dollars, I have replaced my front brakes on 3 occasions, I have fixed the leaking transmission 2x, I have replaced the tail light bulbs about 4x, I replaced the alternator and the lining is coming off the trunk. These are all problems I had in less then 2 years of owning the vehicle. Since march 2004 I have been unable to drive my vehicle. I have replaced the fuel pump, water pump, 2 of the injectors and there have been other small repairs here and there. Every time I fix something within less then a week of driving it there is something else wrong I am unable to repair it until I can save enough money to put more into it. I am currently replacing the injectors which I have already paid 600 dollars and have 4 more to go. I am worried that after I put this money into it I will still have more problems, I have been told that there is some electrical problem in the dash but they are unsure exactly what it is because the car will not run long enough to figure out. Nobody can tell me everything that is wrong with because I need to fix one problem before they can be sure of the next. This car was the worst purchase I have made. I was unable to register my vehicle last year due to all the problems. I have been on several web sites and about this car and everyone is having similar problems and putting out thousands of dollars in repairs.
1998 chevrolet malibu windshield wiper motor blew up.*mr the consumer request reimbursement for the replacement of the motor.
Questions about the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu visibility
Does the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu have visibility problems?
Owners have filed 63 complaints about the visibility of the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Chevrolet Malibu visibility problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Chevrolet Malibu visibility?
Yes, 1 recall: 01V068000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu have the most visibility problems?
The Chevrolet Malibu model years with the most visibility complaints are 1998 (63 complaints), 1997 (43 complaints) and 2013 (40 complaints).
Other 1998 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Brakes 376Engine 146Electrical 130Suspension 108Lights 83Steering 74Tires 57Transmission 50Airbags 40Fuel system 34Seat belts 24Acceleration 22Body 18Wheels 9Seats 6Driver assistance 2Locks 2
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