Any known Malibu brake problems?

Question

I have a 2007 Malibu with about 14,000 miles on it. About 3 months after I got the car (brand new), the brakes started squealing. They are still squealing and I also noticed some "shimmying" when traveling at high speeds and trying to brake. I wouldn't think my brakes would already be going bad and I wondered if there were any known Malibu brake issues.

Answer 1

Your brakes aren't "bad" yet, meaning they'll still stop the car.  It sounds like your rotors are warped a little bit though.  The squealing sound you're hearing is probably related to brake dust.  There are sprays you can buy at auto parts stores to reduce/eliminate the squealing sound, but since the car's under warranty I'd let the dealer spray them for free instead.  

The rotors probably need to be "turned" (ground down flat again to eliminate the pulsation) but be prepared for them to warp again, probably in less miles after turning them than when they first warped.  Removing mass from the rotors when turning makes them warp more easily than before but it's cheaper to turn the rotors than to replace them when possible.  

GM is notorious for putting cheap rotors on their cars that warp after a short amount of time.  I've had 2 GM cars and on both the rotors warped within 10,000 mi of buying the cars.  Other cars I've owned from VW, Ford, Isuzu, and Honda haven't warped under the same driving conditions (me driving them all).  For both of my GM cars, I ended up buying more expensive aftermarket rotors once my OEM rotors were shot and I didn't have the warping problems any more.