2010 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags150.0%
- Steering150.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
ALL MODELS, BELT BAG IN THE HISTORY OF THE AIRBAGS GAS DESIGN, THE FIRST SET OF GASES USED ON THE PUBLIC WERE ALL THE WORST IN 50 DESIGN COULD FIND, AND THAT'S HOW UTAH SUPPORTED HAZ WHOOPER. THESE WERE MOSTLY OXYGEN DEPROVANT GASES, THIS SET OF GASES HAD BEEN FOUND TO BE FLAMMABLE. PREVIOUSLY KNOWN AS "MUST STAY CONTAINED DURING USE" AND "MUST STAY CONTAINED UNTIL DISPOSED OF PROPERLY". THEY LOST THIS CASE UNDER FEDERAL RULING THAT SUPPORTED ONCE DELIVERED THE GAS BECOMES THAT BUSINESS' PROPRIETARY. THESE HAVE A UNIQUE GAS MIXTURE TO MORTON INTERNATIONAL AND AUTOLIV. WHEN THE EMPLOYEES LOST THEIR HAZARDOUS EXPOSURE CASE TO REMOVE THE AVAILABILITY OF HAZ WHOOPING GAS FROM 49 OTHER PRODUCTION STATES, THEY WENT TO A NEW SET OF GASES. THOSE THAT WERE ALLOWED TO RELEASE DURING USE SUCH AS: WELD GAS (ARGON) "DESIGNATED RELEASE ON PUBLIC WHILE IN USE" HELIUM (SAFE ENOUGH FOR USE IN A CHILD'S TOY) THESE WERE ALSO EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. WHAT HAZ NEVER BEEN PROVIDED BY THIS COUNTRY IS THE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF WHAT THESE "MIX" GASES WILL DO THAT MAKE THEM PROPRIETARY TO AUTOLIV & MORTON INTERNATIONAL. CHEMICAL REACTION NEEDS TO BE DETERMINED ON THE "MIX" GAS CONCERNING SPONTANEITY OF THE GAS IN UNPRECIDTABLE DEPLOYMENT. TV JUST ADVERTISED THIS BELT BAG. IT TAKES MUCH LESS GAS ON AN INFANT NO MATTER WHERE YOU PUT THEM IN THE VEHICLE. THE MORE "MIX" CYLINDERS YOU ALLOW IN THE VEHICLE THE WORSE THIS SITUATION IS GETTING. FLAMMABILITY IS THE LEAST OF OUR WORRIES AS THE PLANT DECLARED IT A "KNOCK OUT" GAS, FEELS LIKE A NERVE GAS, ETC. SOME WERE FIRED IN 1995 DESCRIBING IT AS SARIN GAS, QUALIFYING IT AS A BIO-EXPLOSIVE BUILT EXTERNAL TO DEFENSE (WHERE THE FIRST ARTICLE TESTING IS THAT PREVENTS PURCHASE OF THIS COMPONENT IN THE MILITARY). THESE CYLINDERS ALSO HAVE A KNOWN LEAK RATE OF 100%. (THE ORIGINAL FAILING OF THE GAS BESIDES THE BIO CHEMICAL REACTION) TOO MUCH PRESSURE LEAKS IN EXTREME HOT WHETHER CLIMATES, TOO LITTLE LEAKS IN COLD. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
POWER STEERING IS BEING AFFECTED. HARD TO STEER.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .