2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems
Owners have filed 574 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 48% of complaints. Next are seats (16%) and lighting (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 574 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 48% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 42 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 34 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 70,000 miles 492 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 | 83 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 44 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 71 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 75 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 63 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 53 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 46 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 34 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 16 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 492 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 70,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (241 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 42 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 34 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx with enough data (237 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
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.
On december 2, 2005 I was traveling to work using my typical route highway 74 also known as the ortega highway when coming to a sharp and narrow curve my brake pedal did not work and my steering was locked. I was not able to control the direction of my vehicle as a result the vehicle merged to on coming traffic and tumbled four times .
Bought a certified used 2004 malibu maxx in august 2007 with 19000 miles. Currently have 68000 miles. Drivers seat frame cracked. Was not in any accident or any incident which could have caused the frame to crack. The driver seat is 4 way electric powered seat.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact stated that the gear lever failed to shift from reverse into drive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shift cable fractured. In 2015, the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 14v224000 (power train); however, there was no failure. Recently, a failure occurred and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 173,000.