"How reliable is the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"Based on 1005 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu has a median complaint mileage of 70000 miles. The most common issue is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, accounting for a significant portion of the 1005 total complaints filed."

2001 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1005 complaints

1005

Total Complaints

70,000mi

Median Mileage

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

46,666 25th Percentile

70,000 Median Mileage

104,978 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

174

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HAZARD FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS:SWITCH

STEERING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"IN THE MORNING ON VERY SUNNY DAYS, CONSUMER HAS TROUBLE SEEING OUT THE BACK WINDOW, IN THE AFTERNOON, CONSUMER HAS TROUBLE SEEING THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. *SLC"

"AFTER COMING OFF FREEWAY STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY BECAME LOOSE, CAUSING DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WANDER ACROSS CENTER LANE. DRIVER APPLIED BRAKES TO IN ORDER TO STOP VEHICLE. DEALER HAS VEHICLE CURRENTLY. *AK"

"ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND TRANSMISSION HAD PROBLEMS SHIFTING. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO CORRECT PROBLEM.*AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28