2008 Chevrolet Malibu Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 64 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (53% of reports).
- 64air bags complaints
- 85,000median miles at failure
- 11mention a crash
- 9mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 30%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.
- Air bag: mentioned in 34 of 64 complaints (53%)
- Service airbag: mentioned in 5 of 64 complaints (8%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 5 of 64 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 48 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 64 complaints, 11 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 9 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Malibu | 7 | 10% | 29,000 |
| 2022 Malibu | 4 | 4% | 90,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 6 | 7% | — |
| 2020 Malibu | 4 | 2% | 78,537 |
| 2019 Malibu | 6 | 3% | 21,898 |
| 2018 Malibu | 14 | 2% | 22,494 |
| 2017 Malibu | 14 | 2% | 55,000 |
| 2016 Malibu | 18 | 2% | 45,000 |
| 2015 Malibu | 49 | 18% | 48,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 16 | 5% | 74,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 59 | 7% | 74,863 |
| 2012 Malibu | 101 | 11% | 67,000 |
| 2011 Malibu | 93 | 10% | 60,822 |
| 2010 Malibu | 144 | 11% | 55,000 |
| 2009 Malibu | 62 | 4% | 71,500 |
| 2008 Malibu | 64 | 6% | 85,000 |
| 2007 Malibu | 75 | 8% | 97,000 |
| 2006 Malibu | 33 | 3% | 114,690 |
| 2005 Malibu | 25 | 3% | 121,000 |
| 2004 Malibu | 26 | 2% | 95,500 |
| 2003 Malibu | 27 | 5% | 93,000 |
| 2002 Malibu | 18 | 3% | 103,000 |
| 2001 Malibu | 21 | 3% | 116,750 |
| 2000 Malibu | 31 | 3% | 110,000 |
| 1999 Malibu | 40 | 5% | 132,681 |
| 1998 Malibu | 40 | 4% | 88,500 |
| 1997 Malibu | 25 | 6% | 91,751 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 2008 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.
My vehicle is experiencing a sudden loss of power steering assist.
On 5/23/2022, we were involved in a crash where a loaded asphalt dump truck pulled out in front of us on major highway. Vehicle was totaled from front end impact. Air bags did not deploy!!
Air bag sensor is reading airbag as a foreign object and not apart of the vehicle. Airbag has never been deployed, nor has it ever been changed. This should not be happening.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Chevrolet Malibus have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 64 owner complaints about air bags for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu (6% of the 989 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 2008 Chevrolet Malibu air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 85,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 34 of 64 complaints, followed by “service airbag” (5).
Other 2008 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2008 Chevrolet Malibu problems or air bags problems across all Malibu years.