2009 Chevrolet Malibu Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 62 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 4% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 71,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (37% of reports).
- 62air bags complaints
- 71,500median miles at failure
- 23mention a crash
- 22mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 26%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 23 of 62 complaints (37%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 8 of 62 complaints (13%)
- Medical attention: mentioned in 6 of 62 complaints (10%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 5 of 62 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 50 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 62 complaints, 23 mention a crash, 22 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 2009 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 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…
I brought car told dealer of air bag light on to service and tire monitor light I had my steering lock and ESC light on dealership did nothing to comply to safety of this called don't return calls
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the steering wheel to the left or the right, the steering wheel seized and failed to operate as needed. The contact aggressively maneuvered the steering wheel to regain normal functionality. The air bag…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Chevrolet Malibus have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 62 owner complaints about air bags for the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu (4% of the 1,509 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 2009 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 71,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 23 of 62 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (8).
Other 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems or air bags problems across all Malibu years.