Chevrolet Malibu Equipment Problems
Owners have filed 200 complaints with NHTSA about equipment problems on the Chevrolet Malibu across 20 model years. The 1998 model year has the most (37). The words owners use most often: “air conditioner” (16% of reports).
- 200equipment complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 3related 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 conditioner: mentioned in 32 of 200 complaints (16%)
- Anti theft: mentioned in 16 of 200 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do equipment problems happen?
Based on 98 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 200 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu equipment complaints by model year
| Model year | Equipment complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2019 Malibu | 1 | 1% | 1,374 |
| 2017 Malibu | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2015 Malibu | 2 | 1% | 17,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 2 | 0% | 62,050 |
| 2012 Malibu | 1 | 0% | 47,607 |
| 2011 Malibu | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2010 Malibu | 3 | 0% | 2,000 |
| 2009 Malibu | 4 | 0% | 42,000 |
| 2008 Malibu | 6 | 1% | 27,816 |
| 2006 Malibu | 7 | 1% | 42,574 |
| 2005 Malibu | 9 | 1% | 59,000 |
| 2004 Malibu | 13 | 1% | 20,173 |
| 2003 Malibu | 7 | 1% | 46,173 |
| 2002 Malibu | 13 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2001 Malibu | 20 | 3% | 59,148 |
| 2000 Malibu | 33 | 4% | 56,500 |
| 1999 Malibu | 29 | 4% | 49,500 |
| 1998 Malibu | 37 | 4% | 65,000 |
| 1997 Malibu | 10 | 2% | 122,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Equipment:other:owners/service/other manual
Model years: 2024
Problem: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024 Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The vehicles may have the wrong owner's manual in the glove box. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."
Risk: The wrong owner's manual may contain inaccurate information about vehicle functions and other safety relevant information, which could lead to improper operation of the vehicle and increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will provide owners with the correct manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 26, 2024. Owners may contact Cadillac's customer service at 1-800-458-8006 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454040.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 2006
Problem: Certain vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the tire label table specified the 15 inch spare for the front disc/rear drum brake system and it should specify a 16 inch spare tire size.
Risk: A 15" diameter replacement spare tire can not be installed on the front axle due to a fit interference with the brake caliper.
Fix: Owners will be mailed a corrected label with installation instructions or the customers could have their dealers to install the label for them. The recall began on november 29, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Equipment:other:labels
Model years: 2004
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) no. 208, "occupant crash protection." some of these vehicles that were not equipped with an advanced occupant restraint system (aors) have driver and passenger side sun visors with aors labels. The aors labels do not include statements and the illustration required by fmvss no. 208 for vehicles without aors.
Fix: Owners will be sent replacement labels with instructions on how to install them. Owner notification began on april 21, 2004. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact rented a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact was an Uber driver. The contact stated that the VIN was previously included in NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V212000 (Back Over Prevention) and 24V575000 (Equipment). The contact believed that the vehicle should not have been rented with the open…
The infotainment system is completely out: I have no navigation, no radio, no clock, no way to adjust anything in the vehicle, no cruise control, left rear turn signal is malfunctioning, left rear brake light is out, left front running light is out, it takes 3-8x to press the ignition button to…
2013- april, rubbing noise coming from steering column for a few months then steering became too hard, barely made to dealership. Steering gear assembly replaced along with intermediate steering shaft part no. 25979679 at 38,643 miles. 2019-december rubbing noise again and slight shifting of car to…
I could have been killed or maimed by a defective tire jack that was included in the tire changing equipment that came with a new impala i rented from enterprise car rental. The jack bent in two when i tried to crank the jack high enough to change a flat tire. I have a photo of the chinese-made…
At 8:00 p.m. I started my car to warm up. It was 27 degrees out and when i turned my heat on, no air would blow out. The car was in park. After i let it warm up for about 15 minutes, i noticed the air would still not blow out. I shut my car off and turned it back on and the air still would not blow…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Chevrolet Malibus have equipment problems?
No. NHTSA has 200 owner complaints about equipment for the Chevrolet Malibu. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Chevrolet Malibu equipment?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list equipment. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about equipment problems on the Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “air conditioner”, in 32 of 200 complaints, followed by “anti theft” (16).
Other Chevrolet Malibu problems
- Steering problems (5,556)
- Electrical System problems (4,721)
- Engine problems (2,167)
- Exterior Lighting problems (1,924)
- Power Train problems (1,666)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (1,315)
- Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems (1,236)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (1,181)
See all Chevrolet Malibu problems.