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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
68,178 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 14 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #94

Jan 072015

Malibu

  • miles

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

Started my car in Jan 2015 and power steering service ESC alarm comes on this makes second occurrence when I looked up my car it says there was a recall for this problem when I looked up the VIN number it says it was repaired so why is it still happening there R several recalls for my 2009 Chevy Malibu so I want to know if I've owned it since 2010 why I've only received one recall notice for my vehicle.

- Vanceburg, KY, USA

problem #93

Dec 232014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
Power door locks do not work. Will not open or close using the interior switch nor the key fob. Malfunction of locks occurred after a repair of the recalled faulty body control module (BCM) connection; which results in fluctuations in the brake apply sensor ( bas). It mentions other possible electrical problems may occur. Cruise control, traction control, ecs may be affected also. It does not mention that it may cause electric lock issue.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #92

Dec 142014

Malibu

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while parked, the front driver side door failed to unlock. As a result, the contact had to exit the vehicle through the rear side doors. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #91

Nov 122014

Malibu

  • 15,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to exit the vehicle, the electronic door unlock function failed on all four doors. In addition, the contact stated that the door locks were unable to unlock manually. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power lock switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

- Ft Smith, AR, USA

problem #90

Dec 022014

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Scottsville, NY, USA

problem #89

Sep 242014

Malibu

  • 113,400 miles
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.

- Homeland, GA, USA

problem #88

Nov 122014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 98,500 miles

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

Twice in past 5 days while traveling at slow speed, the power steering went out completely - very dangerous. Turned off ignition and restarted engine and it was fine again.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #87

Nov 032014

Malibu

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. In addition, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering). The failure mileage was 68,000.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #86

Nov 112014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 62,150 miles
The rear passenger door lock does not open or close with the fob. The rear passenger door lock has to be opened or closed manually.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #85

Nov 112014

Malibu

  • 156,000 miles
As I was driving down the street my steering wheel locked up and I was unable to move it to safely pull over to the side of the street. I just had to stop in the middle of the street and turn my car off and then back on. It then reset it and I was able to drive again. The "service ESC" light came on and then "power steering" light came on. This is not the first time this has happened. It has happened before right in the middle of an intersection. Where again I had to turn my car off and stop traffic and then turn it back on. I believe this could pose a serious safety issue. When your vehicle to stops because you cannot steer another vehicle can easily hit you and cause a severe accident. There should be a recall on this since it seems to affect a number of 2009 Malibu's that I see all over forums and blogs.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #84

Sep 092014

Malibu

  • miles

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

The rear door lock actuators( both doors ) stopped functioning within several months of each other. This made it such that the rear doors could not be opened without manually lifting the lock button from inside the vehicle. When a child was in a car seat the only way to open the rear door was to get back in the car, put the key in the ignition, turn it to the accessory, lower the rear window, get out of the car and reach in to pull up the lock button. Fortunately we never had an emergency situation where this could have been a critical life threatening problem. We have had the actuators replaced ( at significant expense ). my concern is many individuals, probably can not afford the cost and would forgo the repair, thus leaving the problem and its possible consequences there.

- Kingsville, MD, USA

problem #83

Sep 222014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 158,000 miles
While driving my 2009 Chevy Malibu, I abruptly got a warning message on my dash board which contained the phrase engine power reduction at which time my car completely shut off in the middle of a busy highway. The car had no response even though all the battery operated items were working the car still would not turn over. After further research it has come to my attention that a large group of individuals have had this happen and this error message come up.

- Moncks Corner , SC, USA

problem #82

Aug 012014

Malibu

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The contact stated the headlights failed to illuminate while driving. The contact had to use the high beams to drive at night. The failure occurred for one month. Also, the vehicle failed to accelerate after a stop was made. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle decelerated, vibrated violently, and stalled. The deceleration failure began one week ago and the acceleration hesitation began two months ago. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #81

Sep 052014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • miles
While making a left turn at less than 20mph, vehicle lost traction, causing car to skid and leave roadway, and subsequently hit a cement culvert. Earlier the same week, the rear brake lights were intermittently illuminating when the brakes were not being applied. Vehicle required towing and repairs. Passenger in vehicle suffered lower back injury. Two weeks after accident, owner received recall 13036 notification.

- Brunswick, GA, USA

problem #80

Jul 312014

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact heard a clunking sound from the rear to the front of the vehicle. The power steering warning indicator illuminated. In addition, the contact discovered that the speedometer was not registering the speed of the vehicle. The dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the failure. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unavailable.

- Duquesne, PA, USA

problem #79

Sep 012011

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
I have had so much trouble with the 2009 Chevy Malibu I bought it brand new no miles thinking I was going to be stress free but it has given me the most headaches ever. I have had to replace the shift gear and that my head lights have had to been replace at least once a year since I got it the headache about that is that the whole bumper has to be removed to have them replace. I also had to replace the catalytic converter. I don't think I will ever purchase another Chevy car.

- Grand Prairie , TX, USA

problem #78

Mar 022009

Malibu

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 60 mph, the emergency steering control warning indicator illuminated and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. Also, the vehicle failed to start properly on multiple occasions. In order for the vehicle to start properly, the battery had to be disconnected until the vehicle reset. In addition, the doors failed to lock. The dealer stated that there were multiple electrical malfunctions that needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired, but the failures recurred multiple times. The contact was uncertain what components were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

- Ojai, CA, USA

problem #77

Aug 302013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 42,200 miles
Both keyless remotes had to be replaced due to malfunctions when trying to lock or unlock vehicle. Both transmitters had to be replaced according to dealer? vehicle only had 42,245 miles and purchased new.

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #76

Aug 012014

Malibu

  • 32,000 miles
While driving my door locks started locking and unlocking. Now they won't open or close in the rear with the key fob. I have to do it manually.

- Orchard Park, NY, USA

problem #75

Nov 302012

Malibu

  • miles
Back driver side turning light bulb keeps burning out. Before it goes out it will work sometimes. So I don't think it is the bulb, but some other issue. At this time my car is 6 years old with 32,000 miles and this will be the 4th time of changing this bulb.

- La Habra, CA, USA

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