2008 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Owners have filed 1,493 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 31% of complaints. After that come electrical system (16%) and lighting (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,493 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 31% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 54 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 32 and 6
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 1,166 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 | 99 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 122 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 167 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 184 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 171 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 121 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 107 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 98 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 46 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 21 |
| 200k+ miles | 30 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,166 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 80,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 82,000 miles (380 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 54 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 32 injuries reported; 6 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 13th most-complained-about out of 28 model years of the Chevrolet Malibu with enough data (592 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 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.
My sister an I was on a flight from los angeles, ca into dallas, tx at the airport we rented a car from national car rental to go onto shreveport. La to see our sister who was in her last days with her fight with cancer. We're on I-20 north driving along then all of a sudden the car steering went out of control, speeding going very fast I could not stop, the went over into the medin of I-20 steal travel fast went all the way over to the other side south I-20 still could not stop no brake we hit a car on the other…
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 3 MPH and making a left turn the power steering suddenly malfunctioned making the steering wheel difficult to turn. The contact turned the vehicle off and then restarted it and the steering defect was corrected. Throughout the day she restarted the vehicle and the power steering failed to function normally. The contact indicated the failure was diagnosed and repaired by the dealer.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. While driving various speeds, the steering column made an abnormal knocking noise. The contact stated that the control arms, inner and outer tie rods, sway bar links, ball joints, front shocks and the axle were all replaced on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14e044000 (steering). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.