Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1973 Malibu.
This reference page examines the 1973 Chevrolet Malibu through the available model-line complaint record, which covers 1997 through 2025. That data peaks in 2004 with 1,697 complaints and falls to its lowest point in 2025 with just 7, documenting a clear downward trend in reported issues over the tracked period. Because the 1973 model year predates this entire reporting window, those figures do not offer a direct reliability verdict on the 1973 vehicle itself; they instead supply model-line context that researchers should treat as background rather than as evidence of the 1973 car's durability.
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Malibu of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Classic Landau Coupe 5.0L V8 | 10.80 sec | 18.40 sec | 145 hp | RWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
Remedy:
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.