2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 574 complaints
574
Total Complaints
70,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
42
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

36,831 25th Percentile
70,000 Median Mileage
107,402 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
218
SEATS
92
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
33
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
31
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
29
POWER TRAIN
17
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
10
SERVICE BRAKES
8
SUSPENSION
7
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
6

Severity Assessment

42
Crashes
8
Fires
34
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING, WHILE DRIVEING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (65 MPH). *AK PE04031_CAT"
"COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING, WHILE DRIVEING AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (65 MPH). *AK PE04031_CAT"
"WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL DASHBOARD COMPONENTS FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN THE KEY WAS TURNED IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING DAY A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, BUT NO FAILURE CODES WERE FOUND. THE FAILURE RECURRED 4 MONTHS LATER WHILE..."

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