2009 Chevrolet Malibu Electrical System Problems
- 273
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 273 stored complaint records:
- 4 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 3 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 42 records
- brake lights · 31 records
- brake pedal · 18 records
- traction control · 16 records
- stability control · 14 records
- door locks · 14 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 75 |
| 100–150k mi | 61 |
| 30–60k mi | 49 |
| 150–400k mi | 22 |
| 1–30k mi | 17 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Vehicle Speed Control
My 09 chevy malibu lt brake lights will illuminate without the brake pedal being pressed.therefore signalling to other drivers that i am slowing, when in fact i am not. Also when the brake pedal is deliberately pressed to indicate the vehicle is slowing, the lights go out entirely, signalling to other drivers that i am not slowing down when in fact i am! This is a huge safety issue! I parked my vehicle today january…
ODI 11292426
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
The power steering goes out and the traction control light comes on and service esc message comes across the message center. I cannot turn the wheel when this happens. I turn the car off and back on and the light goes out, power steering comes back for a second then the light trips again and it's out again as soon as i turn the wheel. This occurs while driving the vehicle at a slow pace.
ODI 11281826
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Tcs, abs, esc, etc intermittently stop working. Electronic power steering occasionally stops working, usually when turning at low speeds. Brake lights sometimes do not illuminate when pedal is pressed. I also replaced the wiring harness to the passenger head light that had shorted out and melted. There is a slew of electrical issues, and they usually get worse as the weather gets wetter and colder.
ODI 11280410
Electrical System
When i was driving at night my passenger side headlight went out. This is not the first time this has happened. Have had it replaced for other times and the connector to the headlight keeps melting. Then there is a smell of plastic melting almost like it is going to catch on fire
ODI 11270032
Electrical System
Passenger side headlight went out. The connector to the headlight is melted this is the fourth time it has happened. General motors will not do anything about it. It gets replaced every time and that connector keeps getting melted making it hard to see while driving at night
ODI 11270026
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
My cars passenger side low beam head light connector keeps frying out. Ive changed the bulb numerous times and the light never stay on longer than 2 weeks at a time. I was looking into the issue and noticed that the whole connector has melted and the wiring too.
ODI 11266697
Electrical System
Car dies while driving. No warning. Starts back up after stopping and turning key off and then back on. Happened 5 times now.
ODI 11266529
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The wire harness for the passenger front headlight keeps burning out the lightbulb now the harness has burned out
ODI 11258251
Electrical System
When you're driving down the road the brake lights come on and stay on when you press the pedal the brake lights go off and then come back on when you release the pedal 3 seconds later the brake lights come back on and stay on.
ODI 11243792
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
Starting last week, i've noticed that my brake lights turn on when i'm not even touching the brake pedal. It happens all the time and the brake lights turn on when i'm accelerating and then turn off when i apply the brakes. I have to really push down hard on the brake pedal to have the brake lights turn on. The electronic stability control and traction lights also appeared on my dashboard and that's when i took my…
ODI 11230205
Electrical System · Power Train · Steering
I have a 2009 chevy malibu .recall webisite reflects numerous recalls regarding my auto , make and model. While driving on a 6 lane hwy,, i have lost power steering twice. Which is almost impossable to control. Also, the automatic locks have stopped operating even when pressing the door auto lock/ unlock button .you can hear then trying to function however does not. Also, while sitting in park, i crank my car and…
ODI 11234322
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Takata recall recently while driving and in park, even when i am sitting at a red light my car my locks will lock and unlock without me pushing the buttons on the door, which are broken and the dealer would not fix it upon request. Also my car will stall at times because the door locks are motioning on their own. For some reason the electrical system in the car messed with the locks when the prior owner put in a…
ODI 11210833
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Takata recall. Esc triggers with turns, power steering shuts down making it difficult to turn. On multiple occasions steering has failed causing me to stop in the middle of traffic, luckily able to avoid accidents. 09' malibu @ 148k
ODI 11208367
Electrical System · Service Brakes · Vehicle Speed Control
Warning lights on dash contantly flash: esc, brake lights, tire sensors, tire traction, engine reduce speed. The car turns off while actively driving (in motion) , sometimes will start up in neutral or park right away and sometimes not. On i-[redacted]. Dealership stated the timing chain need to be done so it got done and car still doing the same thing. Sensors also has been replaced.
ODI 11231322
Electrical System · Fuel/Propulsion System · Steering
Replaced battery, starter, and alternator driving down highway esu warning and traction service light come on power steering light came on. Car loss power and cut off
ODI 11204159
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Steering
Steering wheel locks up in cold weather even after being warmed up for more than 5 minutes. Happened twice, second time i did a normal turn to the right it locked up and had to pull over right away. Always unlocks when restarting the car. Right headlight also doesn't properly work. Changed the light bulb two weeks ago and turned off just today. Checked the bulb and still works. I've researched the problems online…
ODI 11196597
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Visibility/Wiper
I purchased the car march 14, 2019 from a family member. The front passenger low beam headlight was not working. The prior owner stated they had taken the car in to have the light repaired at least 6 times in since 2009. April 2, 2019 i took the car to clint newell chevrolet to have the low beam headlight fixed. The problem was the wire that plugs into the light was melted. The repair cost was $172.33. On april 4,…
ODI 11195957
Electrical System · Steering
While driving each light comes on follow by power steering the wheel automatically started clicking while turning the wheel in the mist the wheel jerks the opposite direction make it hard to turn and can cause an accident. The power steering then goes completely out
ODI 11206052
Electrical System · Service Brakes
Brake lights not functioning correctly .brake lights illuminate at the opposite times. Meaning lights come on when not touching the brake pedal yet go off when depressing the brake pedal. This brake light malfunction is intermittent. I have taken the vehicle to the dealer 6 times in last 9 years for repair. Chevy has a service bulletin on how to fix and dealer does repairs for free. The repair lasts not long before…
ODI 11193293
Electrical System
Constantly have had problem with low beam passenger side light going out. Replaced harness, now light went out again. Intermittently working, problem is now my daughter is going down i94 in the dark and the lights shut off. Only way to drive is with the high beams on.
ODI 11192312
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
While operating my 2009 chevy malibu 4cyl in a turn, the electric power steering without any warning failed. A warning indicator afterwards then flashed power steering and electronic stability control failure. The result was almost total loss of control of vehicle while driving in heavy city traffic going through a traffic circle with children in backseat of my vehicle. This is because without warning the electronic…
ODI 11193796
Electrical System
Electronic power system failed.. While driving it became difficult to steer. Managed to get off the road and wait for help.. Was driving in the city limits of town
ODI 11190512
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Power steering, along with some other electric problems i am having with this car. I have only had the car for 3 years and already the steering wheel locks up frequently while driving my car on the highways, and traveling through the city. Last night the power steering locked as me and my child was driving home. I had to leave the car parked on a side street because the car would not allow me to turn the steering…
ODI 11185610
Electrical System · Steering
My car power steering goes out and comes pack after i turn my car off and on. Sometimes the car won't start and the abs light and the traction control light is on on the dash and the inside lock and unlock buttons don't work. They will go up and down on their own in the beginning now if i open my door it locks on me. I changed the wheel barring on the front right tire because bell tire said that the sensor was bad…
ODI 11192065
Electrical System · Steering
Power steering randomly stops work. I was driving down a busy highway and it completely stoped working! I have to stop the car shut it off and back on for the power steering to start working again. Also, when i start the car the wheel starts to shake (when in park) and also shakes going down the highway. Happens at least 3-4 times a week.
ODI 11184990