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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,761 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 5 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #271

Feb 232019

Malibu

  • 180,000 miles

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

Brake lights on with out pressing brake. When pressing brake the lights shut off. Cruise control will not work, traction control light, and ESC light stays on. Brake lights stays on while stationary and in motion.some times everything works just fine and out of no where these problems start to happen. I bought the car in February of 2019 from a private party. And have been having problems ever since

- Paulding, OH, USA

problem #270

Jul 012019

Malibu

  • 127,000 miles
Electrical-I was following someone who was driving my Malibu, and we came up to a stoplight. I noticed that my brakes lights didn't illuminate when he was stopping, the light turned green and we proceeded down the road. I then saw the brakes lights going on and off a couple of times. We were not coming up on a light, nor was there anyone in front of him. When we got to our destination, I asked if he was tapping the brakes when we pulled away from that red light, and he said no, not once. This issue continues to happen, almost causing me to get into an accident. Steering- the power steering will just stop working when I am driving. It does this often. To correct it, I have to pull over and turn the car off and then back on. Sometimes I have to do this a few times right in a row before it corrects the problem. I have looked up recalls for my year vehicle. Currently, there are recalls for both of these issues, just not for my VIN. I cannot help but think that if the same exact issues have been happening with other vehicles from the same year as mine and they have gotten the recalls, that there is a very good chance that mine should probably be included in these recalls as well. Those recalls are 14V153000 and 14V252000.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #269

Oct 072019

Malibu

  • miles
My cars passenger side low beam head light connector keeps frying out. Ive changed the bulb numerous times and the light never stay on longer than 2 weeks at a time. I was looking into the issue and noticed that the whole connector has melted and the wiring too.

- Winchester, VA, USA

problem #268

Oct 042019

Malibu

  • miles

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

Car dies while driving. No warning. Starts back up after stopping and turning key off and then back on. Happened 5 times now.

- Green River, WY, USA

problem #267

Oct 012011

Malibu

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the bulb and harness were replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #266

Sep 232019

Malibu

  • 0 miles
The vehicle was taken in for multiple "recall fixes", for electrical and lighting issues. The registry shows that all recalls were fixed (purely cosmetic work) with regards to the vehicles lights being replaced (received fix it tickets by the authorities). But my car didn't burn out lights, she melted them, while I was deployed, her electrical system fried the security system and the car's computer (brain). Repairs were made in 2014 when I returned from overseas, and she was fine for a couple of months. Then started malfunctioning again in 2015 and 2016. I was charged for repairs and replacements from Chevy dealerships and they fixed the minor issues. Now in 2019 the electrical system is shorting out again stating that the engine is working at decreased power and my car is draining her own battery and locking up. I bought her used back in 2009, and every couple of months or years there is an electronics malfunction and I've had such horrible luck finding a trustworthy dealership to take her to for repairs, I don't know what to do. She still continues to have electronic system malfunctions where she'll burn out or melt a component in the vehicle. She just started malfunctioning again and when I inspected the battery, she had melted the plastic housing unit.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #265

Aug 202019

Malibu

  • 160,000 miles

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

The wire harness for the passenger front headlight keeps burning out the lightbulb now the harness has burned out

- Aiken, SC, USA

problem #264

Sep 122019

Malibu

  • miles
Passenger headlight keeps going out. Changed the bulbs, still out. Changed the wiring harness, still out. Next step is the signal switch! the high beam was working until I changed everything and now I have no low or hugh beam on that side!!I have changed the bulbs numerous times on that same side over the past few years. The time prior the connector on the bulb was melted!! I have been reading all over the internet numerous people who continue to have this issue. Replacing these items over and over again is costly. It has been happening too many times!! this needs to be a recall! it is clearly an issue in manufacturing. We should not have to constantly come out of our pockets for lazy wiring and manufacturing.do right by your customers and make it a recall issue GM!!

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #263

Aug 022019

Malibu

  • 111,108 miles
When you're driving down the road the brake lights come on and stay on when you press the pedal the brake lights go off and then come back on when you release the pedal 3 seconds later the brake lights come back on and stay on.

- Denver, IA, USA

problem #262

Jun 222019

Malibu

  • 155,000 miles
I have a 2009 Chevy Malibu.recall webisite reflects numerous recalls regarding my auto, make and model. While driving on a 6 lane hwy, , I have lost power steering twice. Which is almost impossable to control. Also, the automatic locks have stopped operating even when pressing the door auto lock/ unlock button.you can hear then trying to function however does not. Also, while sitting in park, I crank my car and shift to reverse, my car does not go into reverse. Sometime it will hit very hard and sometime not go into gear at all. I place my car in drive and move forward then to reverse, the car goes into reverse. On other occasions, I turn the car off, re-crank it and its fine. These problems are listed as recalls for the make and model of my auto however, doesn't apoear under my VIN when I search. What can I do I am affraid for my safety while driving my car and also reluctant to drive it. These issues need to be resolved as they appear as recalls. When you loose control while driving and your safety is in jeopardy, its time to expect results.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #261

May 032019

Malibu

  • 87,000 miles

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

Warning lights on dash contantly flash: ESC, brake lights, tire sensors, tire traction, engine reduce speed. The car turns off while actively driving (in motion), sometimes will start up in neutral or park right away and sometimes not. On I-95 and city street. Dealership stated the timing chain need to be done so it got done and car still doing the same thing. Sensors also has been replaced.

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #260

Jul 012019

Malibu

  • 120,000 miles
Starting last week, I've noticed that my brake lights turn on when I'm not even touching the brake pedal. It happens all the time and the brake lights turn on when I'm accelerating and then turn off when I apply the brakes. I have to really push down hard on the brake pedal to have the brake lights turn on. The electronic stability control and traction lights also appeared on my dashboard and that's when I took my vehicle to the car shop today, but there was nothing wrong with my brakes, brake pads or suspension system. I looked online to find the recall number 14V252000 matching the exact description of what I'm experiencing in my Chevy Malibu. I searched on VIN on the online database, but my car didn't appear in the search even though my car matches the make, model, year and manufacture date range (August 2008).

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #259

May 232019

Malibu

  • 130,000 miles
"takata recall" recently while driving and in park, even when I am sitting at a red light my car my locks will lock and unlock without me pushing the buttons on the door, which are broken and the dealer would not fix it upon request. Also my car will stall at times because the door locks are motioning on their own. For some reason the electrical system in the car messed with the locks when the prior owner put in a auto start in the car, which I did not know of until the car was owned and it was'nt told to me either. I feel this car was a rough struggle since getting it and now its so hard to get fixed because of someone else's non knowledge before selling it.

- Enfield, CT, USA

problem #258

Feb 152019

Malibu

  • 101,000 miles
While driving on highway, traction service indicator would come on as well as ESC indicating it was off, also brake lights would stay on all the time and cruise control would not work, vehicle would downshift at highway speeds (approximately 60 mph). Passenger side lower beam light continues to blowout (have replaced three times in as many months) also turn signal will not always click off after turning. As far as repairs on traction, ESC brake lights and downshifting, I removed the BCM connector, cleaned it and used dielectric grease on it and as of now seems to have resolved the problem, however, the headlight problem is ongoing as well as the turn indicator, if you will go online, (google) lower beam headlight problem on Chevy Malibu's as well as as the other electrical problems, you will find numberous complaints, but no recalls

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #257

Feb 282019

Malibu

  • 105,000 miles
Brake lights stay on while driving and brake light goes off when stepping on the brake pedal. The lights are intermittently working and I've taken the car to get the problem taken care of, but it returns.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #256

May 172019

Malibu

  • 148,000 miles
Takata recall. ESC triggers with turns, power steering shuts down making it difficult to turn. On multiple occasions steering has failed causing me to stop in the middle of traffic, luckily able to avoid accidents. 09' Malibu @ 148K

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #255

Apr 022019

Malibu

  • miles
While driving each light comes on follow by power steering the wheel automatically started clicking while turning the wheel in the mist the wheel jerks the opposite direction make it hard to turn and can cause an accident. The power steering then goes completely out

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #254

Apr 272019

Malibu

  • 104,478 miles
Replaced battery, starter, and alternator driving down highway esu warning and traction service light come on power steering light came on. Car loss power and cut off

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #253

Apr 152019

Malibu

  • 146,714 miles
Steering wheel locks up in cold weather even after being warmed up for more than 5 minutes. Happened twice, second time I did a normal turn to the right it locked up and had to pull over right away. Always unlocks when restarting the car. Right headlight also doesn't properly work. Changed the light bulb two weeks ago and turned off just today. Checked the bulb and still works. I've researched the problems online and there's been recalls and complaints about both of my problems.

- Waukegan, IL, USA

problem #252

Apr 112019

Malibu

  • 130,000 miles
I purchased the car March 14, 2019 from a family member. The front passenger low beam headlight was not working. The prior owner stated they had taken the car in to have the light repaired at least 6 times in since 2009. April 2, 2019 I took the car to clint newell Chevrolet to have the low beam headlight fixed. The problem was the wire that plugs into the light was melted. The repair cost was $172.33. On April 4, 2019 the rear passenger turn signal quit working. I replaced the bulb. April 9, 2019 the passenger tail light quit working. April 11, 2019 I replaced the bulb. As soon as that was done the front passenger low beam headlight quit working again. I checked the low beam fuse and it was fine. I cannot afford $172 again 9 days later for this repair. I have also found online in Chevy forums, this seems to be a problem for many people that own Chevrolet Malibu.

- Roseburg, OR, USA

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