2004 Chevrolet Malibu Seats Problems
Owners have filed 69 complaints with NHTSA about seats problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 96,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “driver seat” (36% of reports).
- 69seats complaints
- 96,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,300typical repair cost reported by owners
- 38%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Driver seat: mentioned in 25 of 69 complaints (36%)
- Weld broke: mentioned in 6 of 69 complaints (9%)
- Drivers side: mentioned in 6 of 69 complaints (9%)
- Frame broken: mentioned in 5 of 69 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical seats repair on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu at $1,300, and half of them between $720 and $1,400.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do seats problems happen?
Based on 63 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 69 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Chevrolet Malibu seats complaints by model year
| Model year | Seats complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 2 | 5% | — |
| 2022 Malibu | 1 | 1% | 104,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 1 | 1% | 8,000 |
| 2018 Malibu | 2 | 0% | 14,000 |
| 2017 Malibu | 6 | 1% | 55,000 |
| 2016 Malibu | 6 | 1% | 49,114 |
| 2015 Malibu | 10 | 4% | 35,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 6 | 2% | 75,813 |
| 2013 Malibu | 22 | 3% | 49,955 |
| 2012 Malibu | 36 | 4% | 69,500 |
| 2011 Malibu | 38 | 4% | 91,000 |
| 2010 Malibu | 25 | 2% | 72,560 |
| 2009 Malibu | 30 | 2% | 75,000 |
| 2008 Malibu | 8 | 1% | 67,500 |
| 2007 Malibu | 16 | 2% | 125,000 |
| 2006 Malibu | 8 | 1% | 67,000 |
| 2005 Malibu | 62 | 6% | 89,000 |
| 2004 Malibu | 69 | 6% | 96,000 |
| 2003 Malibu | 2 | 0% | 54,950 |
| 2001 Malibu | 5 | 1% | 100,936 |
| 2000 Malibu | 2 | 0% | — |
| 1999 Malibu | 3 | 0% | — |
| 1998 Malibu | 6 | 1% | 116,486 |
| 1997 Malibu | 4 | 1% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists seats for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The driver side seat that is welded to the frame of the car has broke. The right side of my drivers side seat now collapses when driving which is extremely dangerous not to mention the seatbelt is attached to the right side of the seat and buckled into it which is now collapsed which could cause a…
"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…
The driver's seat is broken and dips down in front and to the right. It's like a bracket under the seat is broken. It's dangerous because every time i lean forward, my seat drops down in the front which could affect my driving. I have read online that there are many malibus with the same exact…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Chevrolet Malibus have seats problems?
No. NHTSA has 69 owner complaints about seats for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu (6% of the 1,147 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu seats?
No recall currently lists seats for this vehicle.
At what mileage do seats problems start?
The median reported mileage is 96,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix seats problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,300 (half paid between $720 and $1,400), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about seats problems on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “driver seat”, in 25 of 69 complaints, followed by “weld broke” (6).
Other 2004 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2004 Chevrolet Malibu problems or seats problems across all Malibu years.