Chevrolet Malibu Complaints (2009)

1,536 consumer complaints on file.

#11443515December 12, 2021
STEERING
Electric power steering failure while vehicle was in motion resulting in difficulty to steer vehicle. "Power Steering," "ESC OFF" message codes on information panel. GM issued a recall for a series of 2009 Chevrolet Malibus regarding the same safety issue with the power steering, unfortunately my NIN is not covered under the recall. Issue started at ~188k miles and has not yet been verified by a certified mechanic. Power Steering failure has occurred once while vehicle was in motion and on multiple occasions on start-up; would clear on restart.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443326December 10, 2021
POWER TRAIN
Transission was recalled by GMC, however my VIN# was not included. I was told to contact you to include the VIN# in the recall. I paid $3300 to repair the transmission only to be told after the fact I need to contact NHTSA to include.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441395November 22, 2021
STEERING
When i turn the wheel almost all the way i loose power steering i almost hit some one & their car due to this i took it to the dealer and they said my vin wasn't apart of the recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440814November 17, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the ESC and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact continued driving to his residence. The contact was informed that while pulling into the driveway, the brake lights were not operational. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake sensor and Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440704November 16, 2021
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440033November 10, 2021
STEERING
My power steering has intermittently gone off making the vehicle nearly impossible to steer at times while driving. It appears to be in line with recall # 14V153000. When I brought this to the attention of a local dealership, they advised my car now has too many miles and is past the end date of this recall. For one, I never received notice that my car was eligible for this recall and two, it wasn't causing these issues until recently- and the dealership said to repair this would be in excess of $2000. The car is still drivable and available to be inspected. It would be preferred that it was examined soon as this is not only a hazard to myself & those in my vehicle, but others on the road as I would not be able to avoid them. The power steering alert comes on when this occurs, but obviously it is too late as it provides no prior warning that this is about to happen - and this has happened multiple times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439782November 8, 2021
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, WHEELS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11437325October 19, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11435159October 1, 2021
ENGINE, AIR BAGS, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
As I drive on highway and go a certain speed it slows down and engine power reduced and service traction pops up on my dashboard if cut it off it will not crank back up until I let the car cool down
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11435013September 30, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated after he had the vehicle serviced for maintenance at the local dealer, he noticed an ignition odor after parking the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,276.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434246September 24, 2021
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
Electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432061September 7, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431313September 1, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429827August 20, 2021
STEERING
Steering is difficult after driving and components get hot, research shows many other Vehicles have same issue. costing 300.00 to 1200.00 for repairs. Needs reported this to GM and the NHTSA. You never know, GM might cover some of the replacement cost. There is a video on youtube that covers replacing the torque tube sensor but what if that is not the cause? Yes, a GM tech 2 scan tool is required to set up the front end once the part has been replaced. Keep any bills you acquire during this job so that GM may reimburse you in the future should they decide to cover this repair. it also could be a module in the steering colum plus the turn signals do not shut off making it a hazard to drive while turn signals are still on! SEE LINK BELOW: THIS IS HARD TO TURN WHILE DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS! https://www.chevymalibuforum.com/threads/2009-esc-service-light-no-power-steering.47242/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428885August 12, 2021
SEATS
Driver seats horizontal bar has snapped it now leans to th e left. Comes up off of floor when breaking and accelerating. Concerned that the seat will become detached if ever in a rear or front end collision sending me out of the vehicle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428630August 11, 2021
SEATS
Question: What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The drivers seat frame failed via a broken weld. The weld is located on the front and right hand side of the seat (assuming you are sitting in the seat). The seat became very unstable and I do not believe the seat is safe if a crash would occur. The seat is available for inspection. I am an average sized adult in terms of weight (<200 lbs). Question: How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: The seat is no longer rigid and thus in the event of a crash I cannot believe the seat is safe. Question: Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: It is clear the seat failed - see the picture. Searching online I found many people with the same problem and the pictures online of the failure matched what happened with my seat. Question: Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No, reading online people with the same problem were not happy with GM's lack of response so I did not bother to consult with GM on this broken seat. Question: Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. The failure occurred this year. Picture: I am uploading a picture of the broken weld which I temporarily repaired using a hose clamp (I do not have a picture before I installed the hose clamp). In the picture you can clearly see the broken weld.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428588August 10, 2021
STEERING
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11423827July 7, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, WHEELS
The passenger front light stops working no matter his w many times I fix it. Replaced bulb 3 times within two weeks. Works for 1-2 days then stops. Everyone I know who has a Malibu is having the same problem. The right wheel rubs and makes noise. No matter how many times I have it fixed, no matter how many times I replace the noise continues. Mechanic cannot figure out why.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11420237June 9, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS, SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in, and repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). After the vehicle was repaired, the ESP system with the warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the braking system activated without the brake pedal being depressed. Additionally, on occasions, the brakes failed to operate as intended with the brake pedal depressed. The contact stated that the brakes functioned opposite to what was intended. The failure was intermittent but started occurring more frequently. The contact contacted the local dealer who confirmed the failure however, the dealer was not able to do the repair under the recall. The contact was informed that in 2017 the manufacturer released information for a special coverage regarding the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11416181May 11, 2021
STEERING
POWER STEERING LIGHT ON PROBLEM OF THE 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU AS I WAS AT THE HOUSE WAYNESBORO GEORGIA IT HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY 25 IT HAPPENED TAKING OFF FROM WORK ON HIGHWAY 56 IN AUGUSTA GEORGIA MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND WAS HARD TO TURN CAUSING ME TO ALMOST CRASH. IT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE SPEEDING UP OR SLOWING DOWN MAINTAINING SPEED IS OKAY THE ESC LIGHT AND POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON. THE STEERING WHEEL IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. THIS IS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS THE END OF APRIL THIS IS NOW MAY 10 2020 I AM ON UNEMPLOYMENT AND I AM TRYING TO GET THE CAR THAT I GOT FOR MY DAUGHTER FIXED
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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