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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,621 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems

electrical problem

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2009 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 2 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #328

Mar 212022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Service traction light/ service esc / esc off has come three times replace what was told to be to problem three times

- Sheffield Village, OH, USA

problem #327

Mar 122022

Malibu

  • miles
The power steering light comes in every time car is turned on and I don-€™t want to be driving like this

- Severn, MD, USA

problem #326

Feb 172021

Malibu

  • miles
My car keep showing the engine reduced light and esc service light I have paid to get a new computer and gas petal and a throttle body from the Chevy computer and it-€™s still doing the same thing

- Rocky Mount, NC, USA

problem #325

Feb 212022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Steering affected, unable to control direction of vehicle. Luckily I was not on highway driving at high speed....it very well had caused a serious accident. Warning lights on : dashboard monitor messaged " power steering " traction control light First time it happened was on December 22, 2021. The most recent time was on February 21, 2022.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #324

Feb 172022

Malibu

  • miles
I started to smell a slight burning smell, as I pulled off the road to investigate at the gas station my power steering failed upon restarting the vehicle. On the message center it says power steering, service ESC, ESC off. This could have caused an accident if i had not pulled off the road. Upon research, it shows a recall bulletin has been issued for 2008-2009 Chevy Malibu for a torque sensor, which appears to be the same issue. Bulletin No.: 14116B Date: October 2014 GM recall search returns no results for this VIN#, so we were not notified of a recall. This appears to be a mistake, as the recall is for the same issue as what we have experienced.

- South Saint Paul, MN, USA

problem #323

Sep 042021

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
well it all started at one, i fixed the electrical myself after inspecting 6 months worth of it sitting, finally found electrical problems that i got it running afterwords 2 fuel pumps later knowing pumps werent the issue then, now I almost have it paid off, its really began to just be a piece of junk after dearly taking care of it when i bought the car I loved it, now I found on it, no steering, comes and goes, like I know how to put a steering asst. in... i pulled one from the J yard, its in the backseat now, airbags indicator saying it needs servicing, tires I bought brand new last summer, they are baby butt smooth now, the car cant even squeal the tires so whatever on that, 5 days ago I threw a new alternator in it, similar to every alternator when they go it was normal... no problem, now I'm pooped out, I want the problems fixed so when its paid off in April I can sell it legally without anyone getting hurt, also the value is poor, not even close to what you value it as on here. [XXX] if I didn't spend more on costs on parts, repair, labor (thankfully I know wyf I'm doing when I work on a GM) it would be more than the car loan I took out on the junk on October 19th 2019. I think somebody is responsible in repairing these issues as I knew nothing about the problems gm had when buying this vehicle. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Coon Rapids, MN, USA

problem #322

Jan 202022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I couldbt turn tge car out of nowhere an nout ran off the road

- Miami, OK, USA

problem #321

Feb 122022

Malibu

  • miles
My cars power steering failed while making a right turn the steering wheel locked up and wouldn-€™t move I turn the car off and the issue went away but I know it will come apparently there has been a recall on this cars EPS but there-€™s no open recall on my vehicle

- Brooklyn , NY, USA

problem #320

Jan 052022

Malibu

  • miles
Power steering will stop working while driving. EPS Light will start blinking. Once you shut off car and turn it back on it works again.

- Grayslake, IL, USA

problem #319

Jan 162022

Malibu

  • miles
Power Steering and ESC both failed at the same time randomly, no warning lights or signals until after the incident. Can get it to turn back on by starting car and jerking wheel, steering wheel shakes back and forth, power steering and ESC goes back out once wheel is turned even slightly. Electronic power steering is constant, so I am fighting my car just to drive it, and I have no electronic stability control in snow/ice. Impossible to react/turn quickly enough to prevent an accident in the worst case scenario. Most likely torque sensor, extremely common issue with 09 Malibu-€™s, no recall issued.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #318

Jan 112022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power steering failed when turning from a stop and/or low speed into traffic. Steering was nearly impossible and required great effort from driver. A brief message flashed on the Driver Information Center and a unique chime was heard. The safety of the driver was affected by oncoming traffic. The failure has not been inspected by a mechanic as of yet, but the vehicle is available for inspection at any time.

- Salina, KS, USA

problem #317

Jan 112022

Malibu

  • miles
Steering failed when driving on freeway, abruptly stopped and had to restart on the road to can control of steering. Spent several hundred dollars, replacing breaks and to fix the check engine light error. Despite service, ABS, service tire pressure, service + passenger air bag and other controls flash in and out when driving at various speeds/times. Breaks seem not to work right when stopping and speeding up is strained. Now cruise control is not disengaging consistently.and power steering issues are returning this winter. Dashboard lights are in and out and I can't read speed. Do not purchase!

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #316

Dec 252019

Malibu

  • miles
December 25th, 2019- Driving home from work, steering wheel twitched then began to shake. Thought it was just needing alignment or tires. Drove on highway (70mph) 8.5months pregnant and then abs light, Traction off/service traction, service ESC and Power steering pop up on cluster panel and then steering became hard and my car shut off on its own. Wouldn't start back up. For 2 days. After it being look at by 4 DIFFERENT mechanics they all seem to have no idea except one. Complete Steering Column replacement. This is extremely unsafe for anyone and I have 2 kids I can't risk to drive in this vehicle AND just paid off.Recalls shouldn't expire and they should be honored if a new owner has the same issue. This is deadly and if I wasn't as strong as I am, I doubt I'd be able to steer it like I did.

- Portage, WI, USA

problem #315

Feb 202020

Malibu

  • miles
There is a clicking noise in the steering wheel column while it jerks both left and right while driving. Happening every time it is driven hard to turn steering wheel both left and right.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

problem #314

Nov 042021

Malibu

  • miles
UNKNOWN I was driving to work last week on Thursday and when I attempted to make a right turn my steering wheel was difficult to turn and a few seconds later it locked and the car turned off and on the dash board the battery light turned on and the words that appeared were Service Traction, Service ESC, and Power Steering.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #313

Oct 192021

Malibu

  • miles
I started my vehicle and began to drive it as I normally would. After stopping at a stop sign, I began accelerating and turning 90° left onto the street. Mid-turn my power steering completely shut off and I almost got into an accident. Luckily there was a turn around right there I was able to veer to. Turning this vehicle without power steering is nearly impossible. I'm a strong guy and it was pretty tough for me. This issue happened completely out of the blue without any warning whatsoever. When it happened, the ESC light came on as well as saying something about power steering. I turned the car off and then back on and noticed that the ESC light and power steering message were now gone and the car drive as it should. But it decides to go out randomly at any given time while driving and that is a HUGE safety hazard for not only me but others on the road as well. It has come to my attention after plenty of research that this seems to be massive issue among Chevrolet Malibu owners. The issue was recalled for different models/engines but not the 2.4 liter. At this point it's obvious that this is a vehicle wide issue and needs to be recalled for all models/engines.

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #312

May 222021

Malibu

  • miles
Electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control

- Gladewater, TX, USA

problem #311

Aug 232021

Malibu

  • miles
Occassionally and unpredictably, the service ESC, power steering, traction control and anti theft light come on and the car goes on limp mode, unable to shift past first gear. Also power locks do not work (all four doors) and tire pressure sensor is on and service tire sensor pressure light is on all the time. Took car to an independant mechanic who stated that when using his diagnostic tool, no code or fault indicated for ESC, power steering, traction control or anti theft device. It should be noted that these reset themselves when car is turned off and then go back on unpredictably, once you start driving the car. This mechanic then tried fixing the powerlocks, and stated that after replacing two of the powerlocks, he realized that they still did not work. This mechanic contacted GM and was told that the issue with the powerlocks came from the the body control module, which aparently was causing the powerlocks to fail and was also the cause of the tire pressure sensors being on all the time, since the body control module controlled the powerlocks and the tire pressure sensors. He also stated that the Chevy dealer was the only ones who could change the body control module, since they were the only ones who reprogram the new module to the car. This mechanic also stated that all four tires pressure sensors were working. I took the car to a Chevy dealer with same problem. The dealer claimed that gasoline which contained a high level of ethanol was causing the ESC, traction control and limp mode problem. They suggested for me to run the gas out and fill the car up three times with regular gasoline (87 octane) and that this would resolve this issue. They claimed that the tire pressure sensors on two of the tire were not reading properly and needed to be replaced and that the power lock switch was the root of the powerlocks not working, since two of them (the ones that were not replaced by the first mechanic) were not working. Problem with ESC wasnt resolved

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #310

Sep 012020

Malibu

  • 98,514 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the brake lights, service traction, and ESC warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the cruise control was inoperable. While driving the brake pedal was depressed however, the brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pedal switch and calibration needed to be repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the brake pedal switch was replaced. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical system, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). The failure mileage was 98,514.

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #309

Mar 272021

Malibu

  • 199,000 miles
The steering wheel moves back and forth on its own while idling. It gets hard to steer when the traction light comes on. The light above our heads don't work. The brake light comes on while we're driving when I'm not pressing on the brakes. The tire pressure don't work to let us know how much air is in the tire and the tire caution light is on at all times. The front fender on the bottom is broke. We just bought this vehicle last month

- Porcupine, SD, USA

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