"How reliable is the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"Based on 754 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu has a median complaint mileage of 68607 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 754 total complaints filed."

2002 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 754 complaints

754

Total Complaints

68,607mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

41,800 25th Percentile

68,607 Median Mileage

99,699 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

182

Control Module

Exterior Lighting

Turn Signal

Switch

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Cooling System

Rotor

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN INSTALLING CAR SEAT AND PUTTING SEAT AROUND VEHICLE BUCKLES WOULD LOCK INTO SEAT BELT. CONTACTED DEALER AND THE DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT THE CHILD CAR SEAT DOES NOT FIT WITH THE VEHICLE'S NEW LATCH SYSTEM AND THE REAR SEAT BELT DOES NOT LOCK PROPERLY. *YH"

"TIRES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES IN FRONT HAD DEVELOPED WEAR OUT IN MIDDLE WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT STATE WHAT HAD CAUSED WEAR JUST ON FRONT. FIRESTONE, P-215/60R15. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK"

"WHEN DRIVING REARVIEW INTERIOR MIRROR WOULD VIBRATE, CAUSING A VISIBLE DISTORTION. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES AND HAD MIRROR TIGHTENED, BUT NOT REPLACED. ALSO, THIS HAPPENS WHEN RADIO IS TURNED ON. OUTSIDE EXTERIOR MIRRORS DO NOT VIBRATE. MECHANIC INDICATED PROBLEM IS NORMAL.*A..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 182 complaints

25th: 55,613 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 119,000 mi

Control Module 62 complaints

25th: 51,565 mi Median: 69,996 mi 75th: 85,500 mi

Exterior Lighting 49 complaints

25th: 40,000 mi Median: 74,000 mi 75th: 90,000 mi

Turn Signal 40 complaints

25th: 39,810 mi Median: 55,514 mi 75th: 67,720 mi

Switch 36 complaints

25th: 40,850 mi Median: 58,300 mi 75th: 66,318 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

OH: 68 PA: 59 NY: 50 IL: 43 CA: 42 FL: 42 GA: 36 TX: 34 MI: 34 MD: 33

Who Files Complaints?

20%

Original Owners

80%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Malibu — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	693	82,750	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	34
1998	1480	70,000	Rotor	53
1999	1227	60,000	Rotor	61
2000	1379	65,000	Electrical System	71
2001	1005	70,000	Electrical System	51
2003	772	70,000	Electrical System	52
2004	1639	69,000	Steering	78
2005	1385	89,000	Steering	67
2006	1473	85,000	Steering	59
2007	1252	100,000	Steering	53
2008	1482	80,000	Steering	54
2009	2354	100,000	Steering	64
2010	2193	82,000	Steering	72
2011	1512	79,632	Electrical System	71
2012	1470	87,000	Electrical System	93
2013	1367	70,000	Electrical System	50
2014	561	60,000	Engine	32
2015	389	50,000	Engine	30
2016	1424	50,000	Engine	37
2017	1157	51,000	Engine	25
2018	1166	44,700	Engine	34
2019	293	41,750	Power Train	9
2020	307	70,000	Engine	15
2021	99	21,000	Unknown Or Other	0
2022	116	42,000	Electrical System	6
2023	48	34,853	Electrical System	5

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