Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (electronic stability control and traction control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Im having serious brake problems I almost had a major car accident because of my this problem. This car brakes by itself specially when I speed up to 50mph and above. And also the brake pedal wont disengage by itself when braking and the whole car stars shaking uncontrolable. And im afraid everyday more and more that I might kill myself driving this car because this is my only car I have and drive everywhere I need to go specially now that im expecting a baby boy I constantly need check ups in my clinic I go too. Most of my braking problems accured while im driving on the freeway but something I dont need to be on the freeway for alk this to happen.
Lady lost control of car and hit a truck and smashed passenger side front section and air bags deployed. She did not have the money to pay the tow company so she let them have the car. I found this information on car facts online. My son lives in mo and purchased the car and I purchased the car due to the low miles on the car and now having problems getting the air bags to function properly. I also caller deery brothers Chevrolet dealership and they checked my VIN and this car does have a recall on it.
When driving my steering wheel would become hard to turn as if I don't have any power steering fluid while driving the car... And the odometer will stop working and then go up and down my drive control lights will stop working and below where the odometer is the numbers will turn into saying error then my car will not crank please help me with this problem
While driving car steering wheel started to make a clicking sound both left and right then when I stoped car battery needed to be jumped started become hard to control car and it seemed as if car wanted to lose power I was on waterman and baseline. On the street when it began..07/15/2020 I had recall n140226 14116 with a Chevy manufacturer Malibu dealership
The dash has ABS, tch and security light comes shortly after car has been started with in scound comes a beeping sound were all three lights stay on until engine is cut off. The light bulbs has melted plastic cover on the front turn signal/park lamp drl. When speed is increasing on high way free way car tends to pull left on its own
While increasing speed, the battery light and engine light come on. The power steering stops working for a few seconds and the dash lights go out. The lights go of and the power steering starts working like normal. There is still electrical power to the rest of the car (radio works, brakes work, interior lights still work, etc.) I replaced the battery and had the charging system inspected, nothing wrong with it. Alternator is good, battery is good. No shop can explain why this happens, even the Chevrolet dealer. It doesn't matter the speed I am going, it always does this. Driving on the interstate I lost power to the steering and went into the ditch to avoid an accident. The dealer states there is nothing wrong with the car, and cannot diagnose the problem. I have came close to totaling my car several times. I had my kids in the car when it lost steering on the interstate. …
My airbag light stays illuminated even though I replaced the airbags. My break lights come on and off while driving without me pushing the breaks. My car for some reason won't come out of park at times. It's like it doesn't know that's it's in park. This has been happening ever since I bought the car used. I looked up recalls on my type of car and there are recalls that match the description I'm saying but when I put in my VIN number it says I have 0 with my car. I'm wondering if I do have recalls on it but none that have been reported yet. Even in park my cars break lights will be illuminated and I can not pull it out of park. Also fuses burn out in my car like a circuit problems. If I turn my car off and then on to see if it registers that it's in park at times my car will make a stalling sound like it's not getting gas or something to restart the car. …
While pulling out of a business parking lot with my mother in the vehicle, I turned the steering wheel to back out and it wouldn't turn at first. I cut the car off and restarted it once again, this tie the steering wheel turned for about half a turn and the just kept on turning with a knock every full rotation. The wheels were not moving at all.no matter how many times I restarted the car it never worked. So I was forced to block half of the parking lot until my car was flat-bedded back to my house. Previous to this incident I had experienced the wheel stiffen up at low speeds but it always went right away, I have seen countless people online posting stories about this happening to them, and I was just driving on the freeway minutes earlier and this could've happened then and been a tragedy, why has this not been recalled?????
Last year they had a recall for the (BCM) body control module. I've had this fixed numerous times, but when I tried to take it to the dealership, they informed me that my vehicle was not covered on the recall. I've been having this problem for years. The BCM shorts out the tail lights, causing them to remain on when the brake pedal is released. They will go off when I press on the brake to the floor. This also affects the cruise control. I know what the problem is, but they will not replace the unit.
"Takata recall" my 2004 Malibu does not have working cruise control , my wiring is barely working as in my locks won't work , my heat we only blows cold air on defrost my defrost barely clears my windows , my t\c light is the only light that stays on all the time and I barely have traction while driving if I'm trying to accelerate getting on the highway my wheel will lock or barely move and I have to let completely off the gas to free the wheel I get any alerts on my speedometer.
Traction Control complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, 2% of the model year's 1,147 complaints. The component named most often is automatic (asc) (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 130,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.