2009 Chevrolet Malibu Engine Problems
Owners have filed 61 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 4% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 113,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “engine power” (13% of reports).
- 61engine complaints
- 113,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 41%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.
- Engine power: mentioned in 8 of 61 complaints (13%)
- Service ESC: mentioned in 6 of 61 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 51 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 61 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Malibu | 13 | 18% | 63,810 |
| 2022 Malibu | 29 | 30% | 76,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 15 | 17% | 36,500 |
| 2020 Malibu | 59 | 30% | 65,000 |
| 2019 Malibu | 64 | 33% | 51,724 |
| 2018 Malibu | 281 | 40% | 50,000 |
| 2017 Malibu | 253 | 36% | 56,114 |
| 2016 Malibu | 302 | 36% | 52,000 |
| 2015 Malibu | 70 | 26% | 66,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 125 | 36% | 75,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 204 | 24% | 78,825 |
| 2012 Malibu | 99 | 11% | 81,000 |
| 2011 Malibu | 160 | 16% | 75,000 |
| 2010 Malibu | 115 | 8% | 76,000 |
| 2009 Malibu | 61 | 4% | 113,000 |
| 2008 Malibu | 62 | 6% | 94,362 |
| 2007 Malibu | 28 | 3% | 92,434 |
| 2006 Malibu | 33 | 3% | 120,500 |
| 2005 Malibu | 49 | 5% | 107,261 |
| 2004 Malibu | 17 | 1% | 127,500 |
| 2003 Malibu | 47 | 8% | 85,600 |
| 2002 Malibu | 22 | 4% | 95,666 |
| 2001 Malibu | 26 | 4% | 109,740 |
| 2000 Malibu | 19 | 2% | 109,500 |
| 1999 Malibu | 5 | 1% | 86,950 |
| 1998 Malibu | 2 | 0% | 178,000 |
| 1997 Malibu | 4 | 1% | 68,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine 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.
My car is having issues driving over 60miles per hr, I have to keep pressing the gas to get the car to move, the car battery is dead and wonât turn on, I got the car repaired twice and the second time I got it repaired, it just was even worse then before . The car smells like gas , the salesman…
Service traction light/ service esc / esc off has come three times replace what was told to be to problem three times
I purchased the car used and been driving one week. I was driving at approx 55-60 and attempted to accelerate going over hill. The car rpm went up to about 3000 and was reving high until I let of gas. I attempted again to push pedal which repeated same acceleration of rpm. I stopped and checked…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2009 Chevrolet Malibus have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 61 owner complaints about engine 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 engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 113,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “engine power”, in 8 of 61 complaints, followed by “service esc” (6).
Other 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems or engine problems across all Malibu years.