Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while stopped at a red light, the vehicle occasionally accelerated independently. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 04V528000 (Vehicle speed control). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. On May 25, 2008, while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began accelerating faster than normal. The contact had to merge out of traffic. She could not feel the brakes working and sped through a stop sign. She drove into a parking lot to avoid crashing into other vehicles. The vehicle finally stopped when it crashed into an embankment. The front driver's side air bag failed to deploy. The vehicle was taken to the body shop to replace the driver's side door and headlamp. The manufacturer stated that an investigator would investigate the failure. They are currently stating that due to the body work that was performed on the vehicle, they will not investigate the acceleration failure, only the air bag failure. The contact has a back injury that was aggravated due to the crash. A police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were 24,000.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 10 MPH, she noticed that the vehicle became difficult to stop. The rpms increased excessively to 2000 when she depressed the brake pedal. Within a few minutes, as she drove the vehicle to the dealer, she noticed an odor in the brakes which was heat accumulated after she tried to stop the vehicle. She also inspected the vehicle and noticed that the floor mat was not under the accelerator pedal and was not the cause of the sudden acceleration. The dealer stated that the accelerator assembly system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired when the complaint was filed. When the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was not included in recall 04V528000 (vehicle speed control accelerator pedal) and offered no assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 101,000.
I was driving my car in town, I went to slow down my 2003 Malibu the car kept speeding up, the throttle would not disengage until I physically lifted up on the underside of the gas pedal. I immediately took it over to have it checked by a certified mechanic and they also experienced the same exact issues only when the car is moving. They put it on their service computer and I was told that no codes came up and the the only way they were able to get the automatic acceleration to stop was to disconnect the cruise control module. The mechanics shop disconnected the cruise control and it has not happened again since that was disconnected however, this was a extremely scary situation because braking doesn't help the car still continues to accelerate & peel out, putting the car in neutral doesn't help either the RPM just shoot up & keeps going forward.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving 5 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the accelerator pedal became stuck and caused the engine to rev very high. After turning the engine off and restarting the vehicle, the accelerator pedal remained stuck and caused the engine rpms to increase and rev very high. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V528000 (vehicle speed control). The contact indicated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 70,000.
While driving the car on local streets car self accelerated once I reached around 40mph. Was unable to stop safely at lights trying to get the car back home. When pressing the brake the vehicle would not stop. Thankful was only about 5 miles from home and traffic wasn't heavy. Putting in neutral did not seem to help. Once arriving home had to put the car in park which could have ruined the engine the way I had to do it to keep from hitting my garage. Very dangerous and could have easily resulted in an accident. Have not had fixed yet, as read so much on message boards about this issue and all over the board. No clear fix. Have not driven the car since as afraid to. Only 89,000 miles on car.
Computer problem 2003 Chevy impala 6 cyl front wheel drive automatic 130000 miles this recently started, the traction on light and the ABS yellow lights on dash stay on. Rarely do they go off, only a few times. The square indicator light says "service traction control" light comes on when I start the vehicle, stays on for 1-2 minutes then goes off. But the traction control light and the ABS light remains on. How can I reset this or what to not have a trip to the expensive auto repair shop. I have no problem with the ABS brakes to operate correctly, no delays or brake hesitation when I press the brake pedal in use. Help me out with a good solution. I will greatly appreciate your response.
So after having the car serviced for the sticking accelerator in September of 2015 the problem seemed to be fixed. 3 weeks ago the problem started happening again. On January 12th 2015 while travelling home the car was acting up again. The car was travelling 60 MPH without touching the throttle. I contacted Chevrolet the following morning and was advised to take it in to the dealer. Turns out the problem is not with the recalled part but some other reason for the accelerator sticking. So I was told with parts and labor it would be $510 I do not have the money to fix the repair so I was told their would be a $89 service fee which again I don't really have.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. In addition, after stopping the vehicle, it stalled. The vehicle was restarted. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred after the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V400000 (electrical system) and 04V528000 (vehicle speed control). The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder two was misfiring. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 214,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated numerous times. While driving 30 MPH, the accelerator pedal suddenly stuck to the floorboard and the speed increased to 65 MPH. The engine warning indicator also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who located a failure code at the throttle body. The throttle body was cleaned; however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V528000 (vehicle speed control). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 124, 'accelerator control systems.' in hot ambient conditions, the accelerator pedal arm May stick at the attachment to the bracket and not return to the engine idle position when the operator lifts his foot from the…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the accelerator pedal arm and replace the accelerator and brake pedal assembly with a new assembly, if necessary. The recall began on December 20, 2004.
Acceleration complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 85 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 15% of the model year's 569 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Malibu acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-528 (accelerator pedal, Nov 1, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Malibu acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries and 1 death to speed control & acceleration 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.