Equipment complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% | 1,000 miles |
| 2017 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2015 | 1 | 0% | 14,000 miles |
| 2013 | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2012 | 1 | 0% | 48,000 miles |
| 2010 | 2 | 0% | 13,000 miles |
| 2009 | 4 | 0% | 42,000 miles |
| 2008 | 8 | 1% | 39,000 miles |
| 2007 | 1 | 0% | 105,000 miles |
| 2006 | 5 | 0% | 60,000 miles |
| 2005 | 7 | 1% | 61,000 miles |
| 2004 | 10 | 1% | 23,000 miles |
| 2003 | 4 | 1% | 77,000 miles |
| 2002 | 8 | 1% | 40,000 miles |
| 2001 | 13 | 2% | 43,000 miles |
| 2000 | 15 | 2% | 65,000 miles |
| 1999 | 9 | 1% | 75,000 miles |
| 1998 | 18 | 2% | 69,000 miles |
| 1997 | 5 | 1% | 150,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accessories, trailer hitches and other equipment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
Steering suspension, 29nov09 replaced right sway bar link. 25jan20 replaced sway bar bushings at the frame. 10mar10 replaced sway bar insulators at the frame. 04may10 replaced sway bar links again only after 6 months from last replacement. There is obviously a quality issue here.
Constant harassment by friends (law enforcement) of[redacted] - during an after federal corruption trials. Harassment includes but not limited to: while driving, constantly followed and threatened by dearborn, detroit, farmington hills, novi and southfield police. Harassment by secret service and channel 7 news personnel.
2013- April, rubbing noise coming from steering column for a few months then steering became too hard, barely made to dealership. Steering gear assembly replaced along with intermediate steering shaft part no. 25979679 at 38,643 miles. 2019-December rubbing noise again and slight shifting of car to left pulling into parking spot, lower u joint on intermediate steering shaft with too much play leads to steering shaft being installed part no. 25979679 installed at 72,712 miles. 2020-February rubbing noise starting again car will be checked out on April 18th. This car has had no hard use such as commuting or multiple long distance driving.
Passenger doors will not lock (or unlock ) with the remote or manual push button switch on drivers arm rest. The only way to lock (or unlock) rear doors is crawl over front seats to manually pull up lever on back side of door. Or.......use the electric windows and lower rear windows to reach in from outside......which anyone that lives in a cold climate knows you don't lower an electric window in cold weather.....have been to the dealer numerous times and they refuse to cover anything.....what if I have my grandson strapped in a car seat in the back seat and an emergency arises ? How do I "quickly" get him out??? This is a very common situation with the chev. Malibus. Plus there are numerous issues with the front end and steering components.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While washing the vehicle, the consumer noticed smoke and flames on the inside the vehicle. The consumer was able to put out the fire with a water hose. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to determine the source of the fire and will not assume liability. The warranty is valid; however, the dealer is still unable to provide any assistance. The dealer also stated that the insurance company should assist him with repairing the vehicle. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileage was 60000. Updated 08/12/08 the consumer stated the fire started from the speaker. Fuses had been blowing for the past two months. Updated 08/13/08
I purchased a 2006 used Chevy-Malibu on feb. 22-2008. With 3600 mileage. After driving for 2 weeks the steering wheel would lock-up along with a bell going off and a light flashing steering wheel problems (the light stayed on for a short period of time). I tried to steer with the car operating in manual steering which was very hard to do since I'm 72 years old. I let the car drift to a parking lot and proceeded to cut the motor off and start again to try to get power steering in an operative mode. This happened to me a number of times . Coming out of my driveway there is a fire hydrant and the wheel locked and I could not turn away from the hydrant in time and I hit it. I was turning a corner in to traffic and it locked again. I called the dealership and they said to take it to someone that required that I leave it overnight . But the shop was quite a distance from my home. …
Driving down the nj turnpike the warning bell chimed and a message stating "power steering" came up. At that point my power steering failed. Once I arrived at my destination and turned the car off and on again, the power steering once again engaged. However on the return trip, with my 82 year old mother in the car the power steering once again failed. Dealer informed me that there was a failure of the power steering control module/motor assembly and electrical. Chevrolet has acknowledged a failure of the power steering in this model, this year and within the range that this VIN falls. However the technical service bulletin only applies if the failure is within the steering column. According to the regional manager I spoke with, the Chevrolet warranty dept. Feels that this problem is just one of the issues you will face when owning a car!!! …
Tl contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. When turning the steering wheel, the contact heard a popping sound. The failure began six months ago and now it is causing the power steering to fail. The failure was very subtle at first, but now the power steering fails for days at a time. The air conditioning would activate on and off, but now it does not work at all. The dealer stated that the power steering module and air conditioning resistor needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that the control panel is warm to the touch after driving for some time. The vehicle is currently with the dealer and the repair will cost over $900. The current mileage was 70,000 and failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 09/10/08. The consumer stated the shocks went bad, the tie rod ends had to be replaced, the cd became stuck in the cd player. …
Related recalls (3)
Equipment › Other › Owners/service/other manual
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024 Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The vehicles may have the wrong owner's manual in the glove box. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
Remedy: Dealers will provide owners with the correct manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 26, 2024.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Certain vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the tire label table specified the 15 inch spare for the front disc/rear drum brake system and it should specify a 16 inch spare tire size.
Remedy: Owners will be mailed a corrected label with installation instructions or the customers could have their dealers to install the label for them. The recall began on November 29, 2005.
Equipment › Other › Labels
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (FMVSS) no. 208, "occupant crash protection." some of these vehicles that were not equipped with an advanced occupant restraint system (aors) have driver and passenger side sun visors with aors labels.
Remedy: Owners will be sent replacement labels with instructions on how to install them. Owner notification began on April 21, 2004. Owners should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Malibu years have equipment problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1998 (18), 2000 (15), 2001 (13), 2004 (10) and 1999 (9) model years. Equipment complaints make up 2% of all complaints for the 1998.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Malibu equipment problems?
Yes — 3 recalls, including 24V-575 (owners/service/other manual, Aug 1, 2024); 05V-486 (labels, Oct 19, 2005); 04V-094 (labels, Feb 24, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Malibu equipment problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles; 53% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the electrical › radio/tape deck/cd etc. (30 mentions), followed by the electrical › anti-theft devices (16).
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.