2009 Chevrolet Malibu Interior & seats Problems

I went to move the Lever to the driver side seat to adjust the back of the seat for support. And I went to go pull the level and the seat assembly snapped and broke off causing the seat to move backwards and forwards(up and down) and won't sit still. the seat can move at almost all angles. It does not slide just moves side to sides. It was a perfectly fine and I never used that level before until the first time ever and it just complete fell apart. It still looks like it's intact but I took it to the dealership and they said part of the assembly snapped.

NHTSA ID

11455385

Incident

Feb 25, 2022

Driver seats horizontal bar has snapped it now leans to th e left. Comes up off of floor when breaking and accelerating. Concerned that the seat will become detached if ever in a rear or front end collision sending me out of the vehicle

NHTSA ID

11428885

Incident

Dec 25, 2020

Question: What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Answer: The drivers seat frame failed via a broken weld. The weld is located on the front and right hand side of the seat (assuming you are sitting in the seat). The seat became very unstable and I do not believe the seat is safe if a crash would occur. The seat is available for inspection. I am an average sized adult in terms of weight (<200 lbs). Question: How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Answer: The seat is no longer rigid and thus in the event of a crash I cannot believe the seat is safe. Question: Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Answer: It is clear the seat failed - see the picture. Searching online I found many people with the same problem and the pictures online of the failure matched what happened with my seat. Question: Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Answer: No, reading online people with the same problem were not happy with GM's lack of response so I did not bother to consult with GM on this broken seat. Question: Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Answer: No. The failure occurred this year. Picture: I am uploading a picture of the broken weld which I temporarily repaired using a hose clamp (I do not have a picture before I installed the hose clamp). In the picture you can clearly see the broken weld.

NHTSA ID

11428630

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WON'T ACTIVATE WHEN SOMEONE IS SETTING IN IT STATIONARY AND MOVING

NHTSA ID

11394991

Incident

Nov 26, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHETHER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON OR OFF, ALL THE DOORS UNLOCKED INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11280279

Incident

Nov 13, 2018

Mileage

140,000 mi

IN 2014, THE HEATER IN THE SEAT MALFUNCTIONED AND BURNED THROUGH THE SEAT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND THROUGH THE COAT I WAS WEARING WHILE DRIVING. NOW, THE SEAT HEATER ON NEITHER SIDE WORKS. I REPORTED THE INCIDENT TO GM AND THEY SAY THAT THE CAR WAS NOT ON RECALL AND IT WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO.

NHTSA ID

11257298

Incident

Jan 25, 2014

Mileage

11 mi

WELD ON SEAT FRAME IS BROKEN. IN A CRASH DRIVER COULD BE EJECTED, ALONG WITH SEAT. SEATBELT IS ATTACHED TO SEAT SO BECOMES LESS USEFUL AND MORE UNSAFE. 1000'S OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ALREADY.

NHTSA ID

11257079

Incident

Sep 20, 2019

Mileage

15,000 mi

DRIVERS POWER SEAT ON MY 2009 CHEV MALIBU 52000 MILES IS LOWER ON RIGHT SIDE AND RUBS ON CONSOLE WHEN YOU TRY AND MOVE, THERE IS BAR UNDER SEAT WITH BROKEN WELD SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING WHEN I CHECKED ONLINE THERE WERE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11241070

Incident

Jul 10, 2019

Mileage

52,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING MY CAR, IT FELT AND SOUNDED LIKE THE SEAT POPPED OUT OF ITS TRACK. THE SEAT NOW LEANS IN TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE. YOU CAN PULL AROUND ON IT AND FEEL IT MOVING. THE SEAT IS NOT TIGHTENED DOWN TO THE BODY OF THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11209323

Incident

May 8, 2019

Mileage

142,000 mi

HIGH MOUNT CENTER STOP LIGHT DOES NOT WORK DRIVERS HEATED SEAT HEATER DOES NOT WORK

NHTSA ID

11115546

Incident

Aug 1, 2018

Mileage

101,200 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BAR UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT DETACHED FROM THE SEAT AND THE SEAT WAS MOVING WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (RON CRAFT CHEVROLET, 4114 I-10, BAYTOWN, TX 77521) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11075432

Incident

Feb 5, 2018

Mileage

120,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT MOVED INDEPENDENTLY AS THOUGH THE SEAT FRAME INTEGRITY WAS COMPROMISED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FELDMAN CHEVROLET (2801 E MICHIGAN AVE, LANSING, MI), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THEY WORK IN CONJUNCTION WITH NHTSA AND WOULD NEED ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS IN ORDER TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11054437

Incident

Dec 13, 2015

Mileage

75,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE GEAR AUTOMATICALLY CHANGED AND THE ENGINE STALLED. THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, SERVICE TRACTION, AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, RESTARTED THE ENGINE, AND THE VEHICLE RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DOOR LOCKS AUTOMATICALLY LOCKED AND UNLOCKED WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 47,000.

NHTSA ID

11013751

Incident

Jan 1, 2017

Mileage

47,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE DRIVER'S SEAT MADE A POPPING NOISE AND BECAME LOOSE FROM THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS NEEDING A NEW SEAT FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,915.

NHTSA ID

10970733

Incident

Mar 29, 2017

Mileage

95,915 mi

THE DRIVER'S SEAT IS A POWER SEAT AND, WHILE I KEEP THE SEAT IN THE LOWEST POSITION, MY WIFE NEEDS THE SEAT UP HIGHER. WHEN RAISING THE SEAT, SHE NOTICED THAT THE SEAT WAS GOING UP CROOKED AND WAS NOT SUPPORTING PROPERLY ON THE SIDE NEAREST THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT FRAME HAD BROKEN NEAR A WELD, BUT NOT ON THE WELD. INSTEAD, A PIECE OF THE STRUCTURAL TUBING THAT WAS WELDED BETWEEN BOTH SIDES OF THE FRAMEWORK HAD ACTUALLY RIPPED, LIKE A STRESS FAILURE. I PULLED THE SEAT OUT OF THE CAR AND TOOK PICTURES OF THE FAILURE ON THE FRONT. I THEN NOTICED THAT THE REAR TUBING WAS ALSO SPLIT/CRACKED NEAR THE WELD. THE SEAT NO LONGER FEELS SOLIDLY MOUNTED, ESPECIALLY WHEN IN THE RAISED POSITION. THE BAR ACTUALLY SEPARATES WHEN RAISING THE SEAT AND MOVES AROUND WHEN WEIGHT IS APPLIED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON THE INTERNET, I COULD FIND NO SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, WHICH SURPRISED ME VERY MUCH, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE FAILURE. I BELIEVE, IN AN ACCIDENT, THAT THE DRIVER SEAT WOULD NOT BE HELD IN IT'S NORMAL POSITION PROPERLY AND COULD INJURE SOMEONE MORE SEVERELY THAN THE ACCIDENT MIGHT CAUSE ON ITS OWN. I DID FIND NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS ON VARIOUS FORUMS ABOUT PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TYPE OF FAILURE. IN FACT, ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE POSTED PICTURES AND THE TUBING FAILED ALMOST IDENTICALLY TO MINE, WITH A LARGE PIECE STILL ATTACHED TO THE BRACKET BY THE WELD. I DO NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHEN THE BREAK STARTED, BUT IT HAS MOST CERTAINLY GOTTEN WORSE OVER TIME. MY WIFE HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE FOR THE LAST YEAR OR SO, BUT I DROVE IT FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE THAT. THE SEAT HARDLY EVER GOT MOVED WHEN I WAS THE ONLY DRIVER. MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER NOTICED THE SEAT LEANING WHEN IN THE RAISED POSITION, WHICH PROMPTED MY INVESTIGATION. IT APPEARS TO BE A POORLY ENGINEERED FRAMEWORK ASSEMBLY AND SHOULD BE RECALLED.

NHTSA ID

10967877

Incident

Mar 1, 2017

Mileage

130,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL THE DOOR LATCHES WERE DEFECTIVE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE DOOR LOCKS HAVING TO BE LOCKED AND UNLOCKED MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DOOR ACTUATOR MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 82,000.

NHTSA ID

10950120

Incident

Aug 1, 2016

Mileage

82,000 mi

THE SENSOR THAT DETERMINES IF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG TURNS ON DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY. I WEIGH 100 POUNDS (WHICH IS ABOVE THE THRESHOLD FOR WHAT SHOULD TRIGGER THE AIRBAG TO BE ON) AND ABOUT HALF THE TIME THE AIRBAG IS DISABLED WHEN I AM SITTING IN THE SEAT PROPERLY WITH MY FEET ON THE GROUND AND THE CHAIR UPRIGHT. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET TO HAVE THEM REIMBURSE THE COST OF FIXING THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND HAS CAUSED RECALLS IN OTHER CHEVROLET CARS, BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO INVESTIGATE. THE SENSOR MALFUNCTION DOESN'T SEEM TO BE CORRELATED WITH WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY, IN MOTION, ON A STREET OR HIGHWAY, ETC. IT HAPPENS ABOUT HALF OF THE TIME AND CAN SOMETIMES GO ON AND OFF DURING THE SAME CAR TRIP EVEN IF I STAY IN THE SAME POSITION THE WHOLE TIME. THIS ISSUE HAS REPORTED FOR CHEVROLET MALIBUS ON SEVERAL ONLINE FORUMS SO I KNOW IT ISN'T AN ISOLATED ISSUE WITH MY CAR. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF WE WERE IN A CRASH AND THE AIRBAG DIDN'T GO OFF OR WENT OFF LATE WHEN THE PASSENGER'S BODY WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE AIRBAG.

NHTSA ID

10946346

Incident

Jan 18, 2017

SEAT FRAME INTEGRITY IS COMPROMISED. SEAT IS NOT SECURED TO THE RUNNING BOARDS. JOINTS WHERE THE TUBES ARE WELDED ARE COMPROMISED AND SEPARATED. APPEARS TO BE A FATIGUE FAILURE. IN JANUARY 2013, WITH MUCH ARGUMENT WITH GM ABOUT REPLACING THE SEAT FRAME, THEY FINALLY AGREED TO REPLACE IT FOR A DEPOSIT OF $300. THIS BEFORE GM HAD TO GO TO CONGRESS TO EXPLAIN THEIR LACK OF ACTION FOR IGNORING THE DESIGN DEFECT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH. IT'S ABOUT 4 YEARS LATER AND I'M HAVING THE EXACT SAME FAILURE OF THE COMPROMISE OF THE WELDS ON THE REPLACED 2013 FRAME. THIS TIME GM REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AS THEY SAY THEY ALREADY REPLACED IT ONCE! THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM! I HAVE PICTURES FROM THE ORIGINAL SEAT SHOWING THE FATIGUED TUBE BREAKAGE. I HAVE NOW HAD 2 SEAT FRAMES ON THE SAME CAR AND BOTH FAILED. IN ENGINEERING WE CALL THIS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. GM NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS POOR DESIGN. IT'S JUST A MATER OF TIME UNTIL SOMEONE IS KILLED IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSE THE SEAT DOESN'T SECURE THE DRIVER. I'VE NOTICE THAT MY HIPS HURT FROM THE SEAT SLOWING MOVING OUT OF PROPER ALIGNMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10938870

Incident

Jan 26, 2013

Mileage

71,000 mi

MY REAR PASSENGER DOOR LOCK DISENGAGED FROM THE AUTOMATIC LOCKS AND CAN ONLY BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. (SPRING 2016) MY TRACTION CONTROL IS PERIODICALLY SAYING THAT IT HAS MALFUNCTIONED BUT DOES NOT ALWAYS. WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON, I FEEL A PULSE AS I'M BRAKING AND SOMETIMES IF IT COMES ON WHILE I'M DRIVING I'LL FEEL A SLIGHT JOLT THROUGH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. I ALSO HEAR A CLICK NOISE LIKE THE PEDAL MAY DISENGAGE. (LATE SUMMER 2016) I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RELATED BUT SINCE MOST THINGS SEEM ELECTRICAL, MY RADIO SOMETIMES WILL NOT TURN OFF AND SEEMS TO DO WHAT IT WANTS DURING TIMES WHEN OTHER THINGS ARE SEEMINGLY MALFUNCTIONING (I.E. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRACTION CONTROL ISSUE). ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE TAKEN THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION, OPENED THE DOOR BUT MY RADIO DOESN'T TURN OFF. (LATE SUMMER 2016) ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, I HAVE TAKEN THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION, BUT THE CAR SEEMS TO STILL BE RUNNING, LIKE IDLING. I'VE THOUGHT IT WAS THE COOLING SYSTEM, BUT I'VE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN IN THE LAST 22 YEARS I'VE BEEN DRIVING NOR HEARD IT FROM ANYONE ELSE I ASK. (LATE SUMMER 2016) I HAVE ALSO BEEN DRIVING, ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WITH CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED AND THEN REALIZE THAT I'M SLOWING DOWN ONLY TO FIND THE CRUISE IS NO LONGER ENGAGED. THE FIRST FEW TIMES I THOUGHT IT WAS ME. NOW, I RARELY USE IT BECAUSE IT'S NOT CONSISTENTLY RELIABLE. (LATE SUMMER 2016) WHILE MY FUSE AND BULBS ARE FINE, BOTH OF MY TAILLIGHTS ARE NOT WORKING. (LATE NOVEMBER, 2016 WHEN SOMEONE BROUGHT IT TO MY ATTENTION). *TR

NHTSA ID

10929854

Incident

Nov 29, 2016

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I HEARD A "POP" OR "BANG" AND THEN THE BACK RIGHT SIDE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED. SEAT IS NOW UNSTABLE AND MOVES WHILE MAKING TURNS. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE STABILITY IF INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

10926450

Incident

May 18, 2016

Mileage

215,000 mi

BACK OF DRIVERS SEAT BROKE AT HINGE AREA OR MOUNTING BRACKET. THE SEAT IS NOW LOOSE AND UNSTABLE AS IT TILTS TO CENTER CONSOLE AND IS UNSTABLE BOTH IN ACCELLERATION AND DECELLERATION AND FEELS LIKE IT WILL SEPERATE FROM THE SEAT MOUNTING APPARATUS.

NHTSA ID

10891893

Incident

Jun 29, 2016

Mileage

175,000 mi

A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO WE NOTICED THE DRIVERS SIDE POWER SEAT SEEMED TO BE MOVING AT TIMES. IT HAS SINCE BROKEN LOOSE FROM PART OF THE FRAME. AS LONG AS THE SEAT IS IN THE DOWN POSITION IT SITS KINDA STEADY. ANY ATTEMPT TO MOVE IT UP OR DOWN CAUSES IT TO BECOME DISLODGED. IT HAPPENS REGARDLESS OF THE MOTION OF THE CAR. ABOUT THE SAME TIME FRAME, THE REAR DOOR LOCKS STARTED ACTING UP. DEPENDS ON THEIR ATTITUDE OF THE DAY, THEY EITHER WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK BY REMOTE OR SWITCH. ONLY WAY TO ACCESS THE REAR SEAT AREA IS TO ROLL THE WINDOW DOWN AND REACH IN FROM OUTSIDE TO UNLOCK SINCE THE LOCK BUTTON IS NOT LOCATED IN A HANDY SPOT. COULD SEE A LARGE PROBLEM IN AN ACCIDENT WITH CHILDREN IN THE BACKSEAT NEEDING TO EXIT QUICKLY. HAVE NOT REPORTED TO DEALER AS THE BLOGS HAVE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND STORIES THAT ARE BEING IGNORED BY THE MANUFACTURER. SEAT MALFUNCTION IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN IF ANY OTHER BRACING FAILS AND CAR IS IN MOTION

NHTSA ID

10865042

Incident

Feb 2, 2016

Mileage

92,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR FAILED TO LOCK AND UNLOCK ON THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR. IN ADDITION, AS THE FAILURE PROGRESSED, THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE. THE CONTACT AND VARIOUS PASSENGERS WERE UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES AND PROVIDED AN ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 04/20/16*LJ

NHTSA ID

10837702

Incident

Apr 10, 2014

Mileage

50,000 mi

SIDE HEATED SEATS BURNED MY GIRLFRIENDS BACK AND PUT AHOLE IN THE SEAT SHE WAS DRIVING TO WORK.

NHTSA ID

10806341

Incident

Nov 23, 2015

Mileage

59,885 mi

2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE DOOR LOCKS ACTUATOR PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, THE DOOR LOCKS BEGAN LOCKING AND UNLOCKING BY THEMSELVES CONTINUOUSLY. IT STARTED AFTER A MONTH. HOWEVER, RECENTLY THE PROBLEM RETURNED. IT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ON, OFF OR WHILE DRIVING. AN INSPECTION REVEALED, ALL FOUR LOCKING ACTUATORS WERE BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10761596

Incident

Aug 4, 2015