2009 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2354 complaints
2354
Total Complaints
100,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
64
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

65,000 25th Percentile
100,000 Median Mileage
136,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
763
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
359
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
255
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
154
SERVICE BRAKES
142
POWER TRAIN
103
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
71
ENGINE
61
AIR BAGS
60
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
54

Severity Assessment

64
Crashes
13
Fires
64
Injuries
5
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ALTHOUGH THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ACCIDENT YET, DUE TO THE DESIGN OF THE CARS HEADLIGHTS, AND TAIL LIGHTS, (AND THE REMOVAL OF THE SIDE REPEATER LAMP FOR TURN SIGNAL INDICATION ON THE 2009 MODEL YEAR MALIBU), THERE IS NO VISIBLE TURN INDICATOR FOR OTHER DRIVERS TO SEE INDICATION OF A SIGNAL FROM THE CA..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING, THE GLARE FROM THE DASH DISPLAYED ONTO THE WINDSHIELD. AS A RESULT, VISIBILITY WAS GREATLY REDUCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION; HOWEVER, THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO REMEDY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT M..."
"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING, THE GLARE FROM THE DASH DISPLAYED ONTO THE WINDSHIELD. AS A RESULT, VISIBILITY WAS GREATLY REDUCED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR INSPECTION; HOWEVER, THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO REMEDY. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT M..."

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