The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while sitting in the driver seat, she noticed a discomfort and that the seat would move as she was driving. She took the vehicle to an authorized dealer who advised her that the welding had fractured and that she needed to replace the entire driver side seat. The manufacturer was contacted and advised her that they would not assist due to the mileage on the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. Updated 04/15/11 the consumer contacted GM and was informed that due to the mileage on the vehice, they would not cover the cost. Updated 10/12/11

- Tyler, TX, USA

2004 Chevy Malibu driver side seat frame broken welds. The welds in the frame have broken causing the seat to become unstable. Given that the welds are breaking under normal use and that the seat restraints are anchored to this frame causes safety concerns. If the vehicle owners are unaware of a defective weld and the seat should break under crash impact the safety restraint could fail possibly causing greater harm. I have experienced this problem under normal conditions and can see that the integrity of the seat and safety restraint could be compromised. I subscribed to some car forums and was surprised to see the number of people with the same problem on the 2004 and 2005 Chevy Malibu models which indicates some form of defect. I am of average height and weight and did not misuse the seat in anyway.

- Rome, NY, USA

The welding under the driver seat is broken causing the seat to tilt to one side and sometimes rock. If a collision occurs the seat will not hold the driver securely in the seat.

- Kilgore, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. While traveling at 5 mph, the driver side seat suddenly shifted backward without warning. The dealer re-welded the driver side belt frame to the base. There were no prior warnings of the failure. The current and failure mileages were 74,000.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Driver's side power seat. Steel frame is broken causing seat to rock front to back and side to side. Noticeable rust. Unable to weld, only fix is to replace seat. Not a safe seat if there is an accident.

- Burgettstown, PA, USA

2004 Chevrolet Malibu lt sedan failure: Weld under driver seat broke in two places. Causes seat to set lower on one side placing driver at awkward position to controls. If a collision occurred, the seat would fail causing the driver to be thrown who knows where. Correction: Seat removed for inspection, must be replaced as unable to repair.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

My electric drivers seat was not working properly, so I set it to my position and left it that way for over a year. My wife complained about it so I removed it to find the bad motor ( assumed) but found the main cross member weld broke. If I had been in an accident, I may have gone through the windshield. Contacting GM and the local dealer resulted in no correction. I personally repaired the weld, but since the tubing was also torn, it may not hold. My concern is that others are not aware of this weld issue and believe like me that it is an electric failure.

- Commerce Twsp, MI, USA

I have not been able to drive my 2004 Chevy Malibu due to the supports under the drivers seat breaking on one side. It is a 6-way power seat and the breakage is causing the one side of the seat to "float." It is not secure when you have the seat raised off the floor. The seat will move when you shift in your seat, make a turn, or go over any bumps. New parts to fix the seat cost $500 (not including labor), for a few screws and some metal bars. Searched junk yards for a replacement seat and noticed the same issue starting to occur on several seats that were there. Also inquired with a mechanic who stated that this is a common occurrence in the 2004 and later Malibu sedans, he knew the exact part numbers that needed to be replaced without even seeing the car. I would like for Chevrolet to recognize this as a real safety concern.

- Grayslake, IL, USA