Vehicle Data Hub

2003 Chevrolet Malibu electrical system problems

301 complaints about electrical system have been filed for the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, which is 39% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
301 39% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
80,000 miles 234 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
6 and 1
Injuries and deaths
3 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 2003 Chevrolet Malibu Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 80,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 8 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 16 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 43 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 43 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 34 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 32 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 20 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 13 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 10 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 7 complaints 200k+ miles: 8 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 80,000 miles
Based on 234 complaints that include mileage. 29% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles8
20k to 40k miles16
40k to 60k miles43
60k to 80k miles43
80k to 100k miles34
100k to 120k miles32
120k to 140k miles20
140k to 160k miles13
160k to 180k miles10
180k to 200k miles7
200k+ miles8

What the data shows

Of the 234 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 80,000 miles, and 29% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 6 crashes, 1 fire, 3 injuries.

What owners wrote

Tl* the contact owned a 2003 chevrolet malibu. While driving at approximately 55 MPH and attempting to merge into another lane, the vehicle crashed into two barrels. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle stalled. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a junk yard. The contact sustained a left knee, left ankle, and whiplash injuries that needed medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v40000 (electrical system).

Reported at 133,200 miles, February 2014 CrashFireInjury

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet malibu. When the anti-theft light is illuminated, the contact is unable to start the vehicle. A mechanic replaced the fuel pump because the vehicle constantly stalled; however, the fuel pump was not the cause of the failure. The vehicle continues to stall, the check engine light is illuminated, and the anti-theft light remains illuminated. The contact will take the vehicle back to the repair shop for further inspection.

Reported at 82,000 miles, March 2009

Other problems reported for the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Chevrolet models