Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
There are many recalls for the year make and model of my vehicle. They just didn't recall my exact vin. The breaks are recalled, air bags were recalled and they were buying back the vehicles, the fuel delivery system was recalled, headlights were recalled, cruise control was recalled, steering column and yoke was recalled, and a few more. None were recalled for my vin number when it should have been. I took my car to the dealership today, Chevrolet did a few things under "warranty" instead of issuing a safety recall. (They issued 10 recalls on this year make and model) (one recall was the air bags, my vehicle is doing the same thing). The fuel delivery system and fuel pump was recalled but not on my vin number. I just really need help getting my car repaired. …
Electric Power Steering - 10/2020 Suddenly went out while driving. No warnings beforehand. This made sharp turns extremely difficult. It says that my car is not part of the recall, but is still as dangerous as the vehicles that were part of the recall. From the research that I have done, the motor seems to be in good working order. The sensor is what seems to be the issue. Cruise Control - 08/2023 Goes out randomly. I was on the freeway when it turned off by itself. If I was not paying attention, this could've caused an accident. No warning beforehand. Brake Switch - 06/2023 Seems to be something wrong with the switch. The brake light stays on after braking. Turn Signal Switch - 10/2020 Does not cancel after turning right. This can potentially confuse other drivers. Fuel Pump - 10/2020 The float of the fuel pump is not working. It says it is empty, even after filling it up. …
Our 2006 Chevy Malibu low coolant light came on. It was checked and coolant was put in the vehicle. It continued to come on. It was taken to our regular Chevy dealer in March 2015 who misdiagnosed the problem and replaced the coolant reservoir. The low coolant light came back on and we were loosing more engine coolant in June 2015. It was taken back to our dealer. We were told it has a cracked head gasket and the leak is internal. The Chevy dealer recommended the entire engine be replaced as a precaution because it has over 100, 000 miles. Our 2006 Chevy Malibu have been maintained well and kept up with all maintenance. . And for the gasket to be leaking is beyond us. The leak could not be seen to the visible eye. The only way we knew their was a leak was because the low coolant light came on, which was the reason why we took it to the mechanic. …
2006 Malibu VIN number shows no active recalls but my wife who drives the car informed me that the car was acting funny so I took for drive and first turn wheel hesitated like it didn't want to turn and when it did could feel it on the column like something was moving that wasn't suppose to this is main road through city heavy traffic so immediately headed for home and have to cross tracks to get there and when I went over sounds like front end wants to come off the car sounds like loose stability bar or joint and to top it off I noticed fuel gauge was going from full to empty and back up so in actuality she has know idea how much has she really has in vehicle I seen a lot of complaints about these things happening to this model and I send my wife and kids off daily in this vehicle with these problems that could pose a huge threat to their safety if it happens to her on main road or rr …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was stationary and while driving various speeds, it stalled without warning on several occasions. On each occasion, the contact immediately activated the hazard lights and coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact stated that the anti-lock brake warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled and would not restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. An independent mechanic replaced the alternator, ignition switch, starter, fuel tank, and the battery; however, the failures recurred. Vandergriff Chevrolet (1200 west interstate 20, arlington, texas 76017, [phone]) was made aware of the failures. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Since I have bought this used Chevy Malibu, if I press the gas pedal to accelerate it sometimes lock myself steering wheel in position, and jerks my car a good bit. Then my car gives me a error message on my radio stating power steering pump fluid. I have done research and took to a mechanic and nobody could find it and suggested it May have a fuse not an actual reservoir for fluid. It occurs at while turning, driving on highways and all other roads, going up and down hills or moutains. As well as my middle seat belt buckle no longer latching into the buckle will hold for a moment and then after applying brakes the safety belt will dislodged from the buckle. Another issue is the gas hand goes from full to empty will sitting still with the car running. I can fill the tank and it will say it's empty and will even have my estimate miles left also say low fuel.
I received this car from my dad in January of 2014. He warned me that if you fill it up all the way that the gas level will drop from full to empty. He said it happened to him and he had to turn off the vehicle and turn it back on and press enter to fix it. I never filled the car all the way up over the course of the last year until about three weeks ago (January 2015). After doing so, the tank would read full and after a few minutes would drop down to empty. My check engine light also came on. For the past few weeks, the gas level will read either full or empty, no in between, no matter how much gas I put in it. I see there are a lot of other people having this same issue, and I agree that there should be a recall on this matter. We should not to have pay for an obvious and repeated issue with this make and model of car.
Went to go get something to eat waiting in drive thru and all of a sudden gas gauge went from full to empty and the light came on and the display said low fuel and hte check engine light came on. Me and my husband looked at each other I told him its full. So we got our food and went next door to the gas station went to put gas in and it would take any because it was full. So then all of a sudden the gas gauge said full. It did this off and on for a while then it started not wanting to start it would take 3-5 tries to finally get it started. Then had the check engine light check it said it needed the fuel pump and relay I think that is what it said. So finally we found some one that would replace it we had to replace both the fuel pump and the relay that lets you know when the fuel is at in your gas tank.
When driving, go to turn wheel and it hesitates and sticks for a second. Does it very often whether turning left or right. Start the car sometimes and warning bell sounds, power steering appears on radio screen and power steering has failed. Turn car off for awhile, turn it back on and power steering is working again, sometimes. And last, start car, start driving and the gas gauge goes from full down to empty. Warning bell sounds and low fuel appears on radio screen. All these things happen randomly while driving on a street. Have seen recalls for these things on other 06 malibus but never for mine. My garage wants hundreds of dollars to fix these problems. Something I can not afford.
The gas gage reads the wrong so you don't know how much gas is in your tank. The check engine light stays on so you don't know if it is going off for a different reason. The low fule light goes on all the time even when it is full so you don't know if you are going to run out of gas on the side of the road. The gas issue has been a problem for about a year. I have a second Chevy Malibu the same year 2006 and it does the same thing with the fule gage and check engine light. One time the check engine light was going off about something else and I didn't know it because the light is on all the time because of the fule gage. The seat belt light goes off when you have your seatbelt on.
Fuel System complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 96 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, 9% of the model year's 1,117 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Malibu fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2006 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 2006 Chevrolet Malibu fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to fuel & propulsion system 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.