2009 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Malibu years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 29 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 5 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,509 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. That is the most of any Malibu model year in the database (29 years). The most reported problem area is steering (768 complaints, 51%), typically at around 120,000 miles. Complaints mention 41 crashes, 9 fires, 44 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 1,509owner complaints
- 5safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 41complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 768 | 51% | 120,000 | “service esc” (14%) | $1,250 |
| Electrical System problems | 368 | 24% | 90,000 | “door locks” (11%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 255 | 17% | 120,000 | “service esc” (26%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting problems | 172 | 11% | 94,236 | “low beam” (17%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 142 | 9% | 75,000 | “service esc” (16%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 121 | 8% | 88,000 | “wave plate” (13%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 73 | 5% | 82,500 | “cruise control” (32%) | — |
| Air Bags problems | 62 | 4% | 71,500 | “air bag” (37%) | — |
| Engine problems | 61 | 4% | 113,000 | “engine power” (13%) | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages problems | 56 | 4% | 57,000 | “door locks” (38%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 53 | 4% | 91,550 | — | — |
| Structure | 31 | 2% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 30 | 2% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 29 | 2% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 22 | 1% | 77,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 21 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 12 | 1% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 11 | 1% | 35,870 | — | — |
| Visibility | 11 | 1% | 8,405 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 1% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 1% | 26,236 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 0% | 62,500 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 0% | 9,125 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 0% | 83,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 4 | 0% | 42,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 0% | 530,500 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 0% | 137,000 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 0% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 10,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Chevrolet Malibu recalls (5)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Electronic stability control (esc); vehicle speed control:cruise control; exterior lighting:brake lights:switch; electrical system:wiring
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
Power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl)
Problem: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
Risk: If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shift
Problem: General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
Risk: The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1-866-608-8080, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, gmc at 1-866-996-9463, pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 and saturn at 1-800-972-8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system
Problem: Gm is recalling 77 my 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 103, "windshield defrosting and defogging system." the heating, ventilation, and airconditioning (hvac) system may become inoperative. If this were to occur, the blower would not function properly and the mode selector would remain in the last known setting.
Risk: If the windshield began to fog or frost, there may not be enough airflow to clear the windshield, resulting in reduced driver visibility and a possible crash without prior warning.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the hvac control head module. The recall is expected to begin on december 17, 2008. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or through their website at <a href=http://www.gmownercenter.com>http://www.gmownercenter.com</a> .
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit (AQ10001) — opened Nov 18, 2010, closed Dec 28, 2015.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The power steering motor failed ,ESC , TRACTION and power steeringg lights came on, i am a woman and coould NOT control the car and my safety and others was at risk for an accident or crash ,there was nothing prior to this just suddenly loosing control of my car and a very scary position to be in…
The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the driver's side curtain air bag erroneously deployed and struck the left side of the contact's head. The contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated…
Power steering went out
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. Additionally, the traction and power steering assist motor warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent…
I was cruise control 80mph and my.power steering went out. Esc power steering warning on dash. Car is incredibly hard to steer. When I turn car off and back on it might go away for a few minutes but then come.back randomly in a scary scenarios. Thing is a death trap.
Other Chevrolet Malibu years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Malibu | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 Malibu | 43 | 2 |
| 2023 Malibu | 71 | 2 |
| 2022 Malibu | 98 | 1 |
| 2021 Malibu | 90 | 2 |
| 2020 Malibu | 198 | 1 |
| 2019 Malibu | 192 | 1 |
| 2018 Malibu | 700 | 6 |
| 2017 Malibu | 703 | 4 |
| 2016 Malibu | 839 | 9 |
| 2015 Malibu | 270 | 3 |
| 2014 Malibu | 351 | 6 |
| 2013 Malibu | 836 | 10 |
| 2012 Malibu | 907 | 2 |
| 2011 Malibu | 978 | 3 |
| 2010 Malibu | 1,363 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1,509 | 5 |
| 2008 Malibu | 989 | 4 |
| 2007 Malibu | 977 | 3 |
| 2006 Malibu | 1,116 | 6 |
| 2005 Malibu | 975 | 3 |
| 2004 Malibu | 1,147 | 6 |
| 2003 Malibu | 569 | 2 |
| 2002 Malibu | 567 | 2 |
| 2001 Malibu | 721 | 2 |
| 2000 Malibu | 922 | 3 |
| 1999 Malibu | 789 | 1 |
| 1998 Malibu | 976 | 3 |
| 1997 Malibu | 443 | 4 |
See all Chevrolet Malibu problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners most often report steering, electrical system, electronic stability control (esc) problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 768 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu?
Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Malibu model years, the 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.