Chevrolet Malibu Complaints (2009)

1,536 consumer complaints on file.

#11506964February 13, 2023
STEERING
Loses power steering and switches to manual steering, making it hard to steer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505959February 7, 2023
STEERING
Electric power steering failure (EPS). I looked on the website and shows a recall but I called my dealer and said my VIN does not come up. I have loss of power steering. driving down the road it will stop working or when in a parking lot trying to maneuver around. Warning lamps are on. Steering is very difficult. I do not feel safe having anyone drive my car because it is so hard to steer when it stops working. It will catch you off guard and when you are in traffic it could be fatal. Loss of steering has been happening for about 6 months but has gotten worse the last week to the point I cant even drive and feel safe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504753January 31, 2023
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
My power steering Assist is beginning to fail again. In January 2020, I had my power steering Assist motor replaced. Now, just over 3 years later, the power steering is failing again. This can be extremely dangerous if it fails while on the freeway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502356January 18, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
It’s going on with a lot of Malibu’s with the starting issue with the whole fuse box the copper in the fuse box is making a hairline split in the copper in the fuse box one the car heats up enough to make the plastic fuse box hot there no engine light for this so people would go threw thousands of dollars and never find the issue this really needs a recall because it’s happening to mys and if you take the fuse box apart and don’t see a split in the copper your going have to have a hot gun to warm it it up to show I did what many people did I change the starter I change the starter relay and a few other fuses and still have a starting problem sometimes my car starts up fine then other times it won’t start after trying aleast 6 times then I got wait 20 to 30 mins then it will start this is a major problem for these models and for a mechanic to find unless you explain the situation this need to be recall for the fuse boxes with it over heating in splitting the wire inside to cause starting problems and power problems and sometimes throwing out faulty codes please resolve this issue so I can bring my car in for new fuse box are a recall to shouldering the wire as they call it this is major
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11502238January 17, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SEAT HEATER:WIRING HARNESS
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the contact smelled a burning odor and felt her leg burning. When the contact exited the vehicle, she became aware that her sweater was burned, and the driver’s seat was burned. The contact was not severely injured. The contact had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the fuse for the seat warmer was removed, but the seat was not replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 193,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11501714January 13, 2023
STEERING
While driving vehicle on highway a sudden loss of power steering happened. A message did appear on the dash stating “service powering steering system ESP”. I immediately turned off the highway as I was very afraid of what had happened. I got a ride from a friend and left the car on the side road overnight. After researching what happened it is a very common issue with this year, make and model. Since I researched it was a loss of power steering I knew I had to get it serviced and knew it would be difficult to steer under manual steering. I was able to drop it off at a local AAA service center. The service center contacted me the next day and said this particulat steering column has been recalled by GM. I called GM and they said my vehicle was not recalled by the VIN I had. I called the service center back and they called a certified GM technician and again stated the steering column had been recalled. I decided to go ahead with the repair the service center had to get a remanufactured GM steering column and that’s what was replaced. I am requesting an investigation to why my VIN was not part of the recall and I would like to request reimbursement by GM. The NTHSA campaign id# is 14V153 and the GM technical bulletin that was issued for my year make and model is bulletin 14116 and 14116B.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500980January 10, 2023
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:POWER STEERING FLUID
2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO LOSS OF POWER STEERING.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499745January 2, 2023
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The power steering just stopped working. Not really safe to drive. I did research and found that many GM cars have had this problem. No warning messages came on prior to the problem happening. I think this is a sensor problem with this car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499678January 1, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
My 2009 malibu has had the recall fixed a few years ago for the brake lights but they are currently turning on when I let off the brake peddle and turn off when I press the brake peddle but at random times. Everytime I drive I never know if my brake lights are on when they need to be or if I'm driving with no lights. My ESC and traction control error keeps coming on and going away as well. Not sure if these issues are connected but started around the same time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499243December 28, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
My brake light illuminate while driving when not touched.. if I tap the brake they will turn off. they do not always come on when I press the brake .I have taken the vehicle to the shop and they did work on the brake system and it still does the same thing .I then found out there was a recall for 2009 Chevy malibus but for some reason my car does not fall under the category and I am unsure as to why considering I have the exact same issue as the recall States. This has continued for the past year (everytime I drive the car no matter how far or fast or how long ) and is getting worse. My drive to work daily is an hour and 15 minutes one way and it happens at least 30-40 times in one trip.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498527December 22, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and exiting a highway exit ramp, the steering wheel and column started to shake and vibrate abnormally. The contact stated she drove the vehicle to a nearby independent mechanic. The contact was able to place the vehicle in park P) and turned off the vehicle. The contact returned to the vehicle to drive to a maintenance bay however, the power steering function was unavailable. The contact stated she observed an unknown warning light. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the independent mechanic determined that the steering motor and the steering angle sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven back to the same mechanic who diagnosed that the u-joint on the steering shaft had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The independent mechanic researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498605December 22, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Bought a 2009 Malibu (2.4 engine with electric power steering) a few weeks ago. Pulled into my driveway today and the power steering goes out and the traction control light comes on and service ESC message comes across the message center. Turn the car off and back on and the light goes out, power steering comes back for a second then the light trips again and it's out again as soon as I turn the wheel. It’s absolutely insane and I can’t even drive it half the time. I’m a nurse and a mother of two. This is the same recall in many of the same year and vehicle type, and we have snow. Severe snow. It can kill me. The ESC LIGHT TRACTION CONTROL ABS POWER STEERING AND CHECK ENGINE LOGHT ARE ALL ON BECAUSE OF THIS DEATHTRAP OF AN electronic steering system you have
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498397December 21, 2022
STEERING
At the time I bought my Chevy Malibu Hybrid in 2009, I was not aware nor was it made known to me by the dealership or the Sales Rep. that the steering mechanism was electronically controlled and not hydraulic. Had I known that to be the case, I would have reconsidered the purchase. In September of 2015 GM issued a notice informing me and those who were owners of my particular vehicle equipped with electric power assist (EPS): "... the steering column torque sensor or the EPS motor/controller may cause the vehicle to suddenly lose EPS ...The vehicle will revert to a manual steering mode, which requires greater driver effort to operate at low vehicle speeds." GM's resolution: 10 year warranty from date of purchase or 105,000 mile whichever occurs first. About two years after the warranty was issued, I started experiencing an intermittent failure with the steering upon starting on extremely cold mornings though not while driving. Once the car warmed up the steering problem went away. But because it was not continuous and difficult to replicate and thus to diagnose, the dealership as well as GM found that it would be hard for my unique problem to be covered by the warranty. I verbalized my complaint to GM on Oct. 15, 2016. Additionally, I was told by the dealership, if a diagnostic code (ESP) could not be found at the time the vehicle was bought in, a fee of $119.00 for diagnostics would be owed at that time. Note: A total failure of the torque sensor is the only time a code is present therefore I was reluctant to bring the vehicle in. The warranty expired for my vehicle in 2019. Recently, within a year or two, the steering has failed me while driving - twice, intermittently. When failure does occur on a car with this type of steering it is extremely difficult to steer and very dangerous especially at low speeds. Therefore, my plea is for NHTSA to issue a recall, not a limited warranty for this kind of safety issue. The estimated cost to repair: $1,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11498079December 19, 2022
STEERING
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with an alarm engaged. Additionally, the message "Service ESC" was displayed. The contact pulled into his driveway and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the power steering responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering) because an unknown TSB had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 81,230. The dealer diagnosed the defect as the torque sensor and along with the power assist motor needed to be replaced to fix the power steering loss issue. The manufacturer informed the consumer that since the repairs were not made by the dealer, they could not even offer the minimal remedy of a loyalty certificate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495440November 30, 2022
STEERING
I have lost power steering multiple times while driving! I was able to turn the car off and turn it back in to regain steering! It is a reoccurring issue! The issue has not been taken to a dealer, as they told me if it was the Steering shaft torque sensor that it would be roughly 700$ to fix it! (This is what was fixed in both my sister and cousins 2009 Malibu’s and I can provide the Vins if requested! As they had the exact same issues! I believe the code it throws is a EPS code on the dash! This issue seems to Happen more so when it is cold as it has happened in the past as well and finally quit giving me problems after it got warm again! But now that it is cold again it is starting to act up again as it has reoccurred 7 Times in the last 200 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495026November 27, 2022
STEERING
Driving at around 40MPH last night the power steering quick working. The EPS light and traction lights came on as well. Luckily I was only about 1/2 mile from home. Now this morning looking into it by checking fuses etc, trying to figure what is wrong, I turn it on and the steering is working again.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492633November 7, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). The contact stated that after the repair, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer where the starter and PCV hose were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 104,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491102October 27, 2022
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
my transmission is slipping when there was a recall and my car went in to get fixed for both my power steering and my transmission and my power steering does not work and my transmission is slipping.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491134October 27, 2022
STEERING
My power steering suddenly stopped working in a very unsafe location. This has happened several times. In the past, I've been able to shut the car off, wait for a couple minutes, start the car back up, and the warning lights are no longer lit (the road hazard light and the check engine light come on during this episode, which has happened on more than one occasion, both times in unsafe locations. This model with this specific 2.4L motor has not been recalled but I have been told that these malibus with the larger motors have at least had bulletins issued for the same exact characteristic. My fear is that one of my daughters will be driving this car and the power steering pump will go out when they are on the highway. So even though my car has 156,000 miles on it, this has happened since I bought the car with 48,000 miles on the odometer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11490852October 25, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that in 2017 the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control) however, the brake lights would illuminate randomly without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that the brake lights would fail to illuminate whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The failure recurred at various speeds. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who added di-electric grease to the harness, replaced the brake harness, replaced the position sensor, and inspected the brake light. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer approximately 7 times since the recall repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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