2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid problems
NHTSA has received 36 complaints about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and 17% of them involve stability control. After that come steering (17%) and drivetrain & axles (14%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 36 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Stability control 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 1 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 56,000 miles 30 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 7 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 30 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 56,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 1 complaint mentions a crash; 1 injury reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, another vehicle crashed into the rear passenger door of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries as a result. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for diagnosis. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would further assess the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 23,000. Updated 08/30/2012
There is a recall of my vehicles battery hybrid pack. I brought in the car 2 weeks ago b/c the engine ceases and restarts by itself and jerks forward at every stop sign and red light. The dealer said today that the parts wont be in for another 2 weeks. The car is hazardous to drive and they wont give me a loaner.
2009 malibu with 8000 miles has developed meldew in the air vents. The odor that comes through the vents not only smells bad but is causing myself and family members to become sick with asthma and allergy conditions. This can not be healthy. The odor is so strong at times, it embeds into your clothing and makes your eyes burn and water. I took to the dealership and they are very familiar of the problem, which tells me it is a common complaint.
Car refused to go above 30 MPH when accelerating from light on river road even when applying full throttle. Went about half mile until I smelled friction material. Pulled car over to side of road. Walked from wheel to wheel to see how hot they were. Left front wheel was exceedingly hot as was right rear wheel. Left rear wheel & right front wheel were cool enough to touch. Car had been driven about 5 minutes in urban traffic when this happened.
Takata recall: I don't know if I'm doing this right but my car's warning system alerted me that the ESC was turned off and to "service ESC", this always happens while driving my car, never stationary.it's an intermittent problem but one that is mentioned as a recall for my make, model and year. When I search my VIN I get no alerts on recalls for my specific vehicle but wanted to be sire it wasn't skipped or missed.