Seat complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
I was stopping at a red light about to make a right hand turn. Just as the car was stopping, the back outside edge of my driver seat made a loud pop and dropped about 4 inches. After I removed the seat later, the weld, attaching the electric seat adjuster to the cross bar in the back of the seat, is ripped loose of the cross bar. This seat contains an airbag in the side of it. Had this happened in an accident, I don't think the safety features would still have prevented serious injury. The seat is a dealer item and they want over $1000 do fix.
Passenger presence module failure r&r pps module w/sensor w/heated seats, (includes: calibration, r&I seat) program pps module is this a common failure for this make and model of vehicle? Is their a recall scheduled to be released to repair this component?
Issue one is the drivers seal welds brake on the rear and front from the floor mount base to the elevated control thus in the case of a crash the seat is compromised to separate completely from the floor mount due to these welds being broke. Second issue fuel pumps begin to leak at the seal of the pump at the fuel tank leaking heavy amounts of fuel from the tank and onto the exhaust. Third issue which I have seen multiple reports of recalls but the dealership denies there is an issue with the Maxx that only the base model is effected but while driving the power steering will fail and the car has no control and will violently jerk in one direction throwing the vehicle in to oncoming lanes or even into the ditch. …
Driver's seat is wobbling and feels like something is broken or detached beneath the right side of the seat. I've read many complaints about this in a Chevy Malibu/Maxx. Should be a recall. Mechanics on the phone assume it's a welding issue. The wobbling occurred over time. Shouldn't have to pay for a manufacturing defect.
While driving our 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx with a 6 position driver seat, I hit a pothole and the driver seat broke loose. This caused the seat to drop down, back and to the right. This resulted in a momentary loss of control causing me to pull the steering wheel to the right and ending up off the road and hitting a small tree. The contact to the tree caused damage to the trim around the headlight and the lens. Inspection found 2 welds on the seat frame had broken. The 1st weld is on the front cross bar and right frame rail. The 2nd weld had broken on the rear cross bar and the frame where the seatbelt receptacle is attached. We called the Chevy customer service line and we were told that Chevy had not had received complaints about broken welds on the seat frame but would be happy to record our concern. …
I have owned a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx for a couple years. Recently the drivers seat started wobbling and now sits uncomfortably crooked leaning to the right. I had my mechanic take the whole seat out to determine what the problem was and he said that the frame holding the seat to the floor had broken in 2 places. He said that there was no way to fix it safely for several reasons. He said that the materials for the frame were weak and inadequate. He said that it would be impossible to weld because there was no way to do it without possibly starting the seat on fire. He also brought up the facts that if a seat wasn't securely bolted to the floor and was loose that in a front end crash the seat would throw the driver forward into the windshield. The air bag "might" help slightly. …
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Malibu Maxx years have seat problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2004 (92), 2005 (39) and 2007 (7) model years. Seat complaints make up 21% of all complaints for the 2004.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Malibu Maxx seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for any Chevrolet Malibu Maxx model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Malibu Maxx seat problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 94,000 miles; 10% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front assembly › power adjust (1 mentions).
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.