Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was reended sitting at a stop light. About the same time that happened, my door locks started acting up. I've never been able to lock the doors on the inside of the car, before getting out. I've always had to use my key fob. I have googled the issue, and according to what I have found, for all 4 doors it will cost around 1600 dollars to fix. I think this should be a recall, simply because I've had to have people crawl over seats just to get out because the doors wouldn't unlock. If it sits out in the sun, they will either lock and wont unlock, or they wont lock at all. Is this not a safety issue? Someone being locked in their car????
3 of the 4 door actuators are failing. This is a huge safety issue as I drive with a 2-year old and cannot open the rear doors in the event of an emergency without extreme hardship in reaching the manual rear door pegs near back of each door. This is a huge complaint on the internet and all are referencing the safety aspects of it which the ntsb is doing nothing and GM is offering to replace at full cost saying until the ntsb pushes a recall that this will rest on the shoulders of the consumer. Http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/forums/6-problems-service-issues-troubleshooting-generation-7/7950-door-lock-actuator-recall.html http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Malibu/2009/accessories-interior/power_door_locks_malfunctioning.shtml http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f31/2008-Malibu-door-lock-actuators-107426/ …
Power steering goes out at random moments it could be 1 mile of driving this vehicle or 1000 miles of driving this vehicle so it's very difficult to know when or if this car needs to be taken to the shop and I'm sure if there is a survey these vehicle have more owners due to the fact that this defect is so difficult to detect and they are sold off when detected. But this is extremely dangerous if the power steering suddenly gets extremely hard driving (cuts off) at high speeds. Someone could crash and get seriously injured or potentially die. This should be considered a safty recall not an extended warranty and should be reopened because more people would go get thier car fixed if you tell them thier safety is at stake. And also the doors get locked shutt rendering passengers or drivers locked and unable to escape if danger is immanent.
I am having difficulty with the latches on my doors. It started with my passenger front door. I would close the door and it would pop open a little and wouldn't close. After a few tries it closed but this would intermittently happen from time to time. Eventually it closed permanently and now will not open at all. It is a safety hazzard that the door cannot be opened. This is now beginning to happen with the driver side front door, where when I close it and it won't stay closed, I have to hold it while driving on occasion. Then it will shut and work and then it will happen again. It is a safety hazard to have to drive and hold the door closed and I cannot imagine having two front doors that won't open. This really has to be addressed immediately.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at a very low speed, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. The contact had to apply force to the steering wheel in order to turn the vehicle. The power steering and service ESC warning lights displayed across the message board. In addition, the contact stated that all doors failed to lock and unlock electronically. The contact had to manually lock and unlock the doors . The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact was aware of NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.
I was driving to work April 10th & I was side swipe by an 18 wheeler dump truck starting on my driver side passenger door. My front end was hit by the nose of the dump truck, I was spun 180 degrees slammed into a school bus to which the truck squashed me up against the bus dragged me up the q bridge leaving me there with no air bags deployed or OnStar alert! My concern is I have front & side airbags & I am not sure why none of them went off. My car was towed away & I was unable to drive it away & is now totaled!
I was traveling wb ih-30 west of e. Grand ave in the hov lane. A car was stopped in front of me due to heavy traffic. I was coming to a stop. A truck rear ended me due coming into the hov lane very fast, made contact with me from behind knocking me into the car in front of me. When the truck hit me, he smashed the whole back end forcing the back windshield to break and my face hit the steering wheel causing severe bruising around my left eye. My air bags did not deploy when the truck crashed into me.
Attempted to unlock passenger doors from driver door panel switch when the driver rear door lock failed to open. This occurred intermittently until it completely failed about 3 months later in which time the other doors began having the same issue progressing clockwise around the vehicle. If door lock-unlock is cycled more than twice, 3 (non-driver) doors fail about 95% of the time. This failure occurs both when the door is locked and unlocked. Ref: cfr 571.206 s4.3.1
The doors on my 2009 Chevy Malibu do not open no matter what I do with the locks this is a safety issue if I was in an accident I would not be able to get out of the vehicle the problem has gone on and off for the last year and sometimes they won't work and sometimes they will work. I have seen many complaints about this issue and think it should be addressed as a serious safety issue
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the front driver side door would intermittently fail to open from inside or outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to determine the failure of the door handle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
Body complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the body & structure of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2% of the model year's 1,509 complaints. The component named most often is body (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Chevrolet Malibu body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 5 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 2009 Chevrolet Malibu body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to body & structure 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.