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.
On Friday, 19 May 2017 at approximately 9:15 pm I was driving westbound on thunderbird road and 84th avenue in peoria, Arizona while operating my white in color 2009 Chevrolet Malibu at forty mph when all of a sudden, I heard a loud bang, saw a flash of light and smelled a fire. Instantly, shrapnel flew throughout the car and my seatbelt tightened. The first thing I thought was have I been shot or is my car on fire? I immediately lost my hearing for several minutes and had pain on the left side of my chest. My passenger curtain side airbags had deployed suddenly and without notice. The airbag failure mileage was 62,000. (photographs attached) I was in shock, I didn't know if I was hurt or what had happened. I was right near my home and the car could still drive, so I went the couple of blocks home. I pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, and carefully took off my seatbelt. I went inside to the mirror to examine my body, to see how hurt I was. I wasn't bleeding, but it felt like I had been burned, my chest was stinging and I had burns and welts on my chest that were approximately three inches in length and two inches wide. I was very concerned so I then took a shower to wash the chemicals and whatever had flown throughout the vehicle off of my body. (photographs attached) **time sensitive - I need to make a decision on what to do by December 14th-
The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While the contact was stopped at a red light, a fedex truck crashed into the rear of the vehicle and pushed the contact's vehicle into traffic. As a result, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained head injuries and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 31,000. Updated 8/20/18
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving 40 mph, the passenger air bag deployed without warning or impact. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer (power Chevrolet arrowhead, 9055 w bell rd, peoria, AZ 85382). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The driver sustained injuries to the chest, which required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and opened case number: 5911664. The contact spoke with renita jackson at 866-446-6963 (claim number: 866407). The failure mileage was 62,000. Updated 9/13/18
I was driving on I-95 in North Dakota. Straight road, no vehicles near me, no bumps and my passenger curtain airbag exploded. I was going about 80 mph.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 40 mph, the driver's seat air bag deployed without warning. The contact sustained an arm injury, which required medical attention. The dealer stated that the repair was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
- Trenton, NJ, USA
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For the last few months I been having trouble with my car. First it started with my lock buttons. Whenever I would push the buttons nothing would happen but when I closed my doors it would start locking on and off all by themselves. My ESC always giving me trouble one day the light is on and the next it's off. Whenever the light was on I took it to get checked but no code came up. Till this day I have trouble with my ESC! at time it's would say it had cut off!!! the air bag sensor goes on and off also. Some days it's on some days it's not!! well today March 29, 2017 I was driving to work and my car just starts to slow down. It wasn't taking no gas at so I pulled over and put the car in park. When I pressed down on the gas it gave it some gas. I took the car out of park and drove off
When I turn on the turn signals they both work properly, but when I turn the wheel and make the turn then signal does not turn off !! the problem, as my mechanic claims is a defective (clock spring assembly) in the steering column. I believe this is a safety problem and there should be a recall to correct this problem !! the reason I believe this is a safety issue is I must always look down at the instrument panel to see if the signal is off or on, requiring me to not have my eyes on the road ahead. I hope you can visualize what this entails and the safety issues I experience when I drive my Malibu which I love. Thank you for your understanding !!
The sensor that determines if the passenger airbag turns on does not work properly. I weigh 100 pounds (which is above the threshold for what should trigger the airbag to be on) and about half the time the airbag is disabled when I am sitting in the seat properly with my feet on the ground and the chair upright. I contacted Chevrolet to have them reimburse the cost of fixing this issue because it is a safety issue and has caused recalls in other Chevrolet cars, but they have refused to investigate. The sensor malfunction doesn't seem to be correlated with whether the vehicle is stationary, in motion, on a street or highway, etc. It happens about half of the time and can sometimes go on and off during the same car trip even if I stay in the same position the whole time. This issue has reported for Chevrolet Malibu on several online forums so I know it isn't an isolated issue with my car. We are concerned about what could happen if we were in a crash and the airbag didn't go off or went off late when the passenger's body was too close to the airbag.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the air bags deployed inadvertently. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact sustained injuries to the left shoulder and laceration of the arm and left side which required medical attention due to the air bag deployment. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 159,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle struck a deer. The air bags did not deploy, but the air bag sensor light illuminated. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a minor injury that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was later taken to a local dealer per the insurance guidelines. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000. The VIN was not provided.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the passenger side air bag and seat belt warning lights were constantly illuminated. The failure occurred randomly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving various speeds, the passenger side headlight failed to work without warning. The contact stated that the bulb was changed; however, the failure recurred. The contact also stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated and would not recognize if someone were seated in the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
First issue happened with the driver low beam not working then work again a few days later. The problem keeps going on from passenger and driver low beams. I've noticed the connectors were melted and changed them and they would both work for a few weeks then one would go out again. Second issue is the passenger airbag doesn't turn on when passengers are in the vehicle. It works sometimes but not everytime. Third issue is the passenger side door locks. The door locks work sometimes and again not everytime like they should. There's a lot of people reporting these same issues but nothing gets done unless it's out of our pockets.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated after the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred while driving approximately 25 mph. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
First issue noticed was passenger airbag not on while passengers are in front and rear of vehicle. The passenger airbag sensor works 50% of the time. Second issue started close to the same time as the airbag. When using the keyless entry or the electric lock buttons inside the car, it fails to lock or unlock the passenger side doors. After 30 minutes or so it will then lock the doors. The latest issue started on the 19th of November 2014 with the driver side lowbeam not working as like it's blown. The car has been sitting for two days since and now the lowbeam is working but, it's dim compared to the passenger lowbeam. I believe there's a short in the electrical system from manufacturer. There are many forums online about these issues online from other owners. This car has not had any aftermarket installations of its electrical components and the battery is new. Chevrolet needs to take the time when manufacturing their vehicles instead of cutting corners. Their customers safety should be valued better than worrying about sales. You would think after going under they would take the time to do things right the first time. I highly doubt I will ever purchase a vehicle manufactured after 2002 from Chevrolet due to all of the electrical components that fail or cause serious injury or death. Please fix these issues or lose a 15 year customer.
My daughter rear ended another vehicle, hard enough for her passenger to hit her head on the dashboard and do a lot of damage to the front end of the car, no one was injured other than her hitting her head pretty hard. However, the air bags did not deploy.
Leaving my subdivision trying to make a left turn when I was hit on the driver's side passenger door, just shy of the driver's door. Side airbags did not deploy. Therefore, onstar did not contact me. I rec'd injuries and had to be transferred to hospital. Car was totaled. Person that hit me was going at least 45-55 mph.......updated 09-03-14 updated 11/7/2014
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph over an ice patch, the contact lost control of the vehicle as it spun in a 360 degree turn. The vehicle then stalled and proceeded to slightly crash, and slide against a guardrail. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed however, the front bumper and grill were damaged. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after the incident and proceed normally. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was able to be driven after the crash. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Peoria, AZ, USA