Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Steering has become increasingly stiff and harder to turn, as if the power steering doesn't work. My granddaughter hit a curb in a tight turning entrance to a 4 lane highway and broke the wheel and other component parts.
WHEN GOING OVER ANY BUMP OR TURNING THE FRONT END SHAKES AND MAKES A CLACKING NOISE. ESC IS OFF. TRACTION CONTROL IS ALWAYS OFF. ERROR CODES READ P0010 P0449 P0013 P0722 P0011
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. JUST AS DESCRIBED IN BULLETIN 114116, MAKING IT HARD FOR ME TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH CAUSED THE CAR TO SHAKE TERRIBLY.
POWER STEERING WORKS RANDOMLY BUT MOSTLY NOT AT ALL. POWER STEERING, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT. ABS LIGHT AND ESC FLASH ON DASH DISPLAY ALL IN ONE WEEK. DRIVING TO WORK MADE A LEFT HAND TURN AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT CAUSING ME TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD. POWER STEERING CAME BACK ON AND THEN OUT AGAIN. AND HAS BEEN OFF SINCE
CAR BEGAN TO MAKE A RANDOM CLUNK WHEN TURNING. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AS SOON AS THEY WERE OPEN. ALIGNMENT BEGAN TO PULL. FRONT END STARTED TO HUM. DEALER SERVICE MANAGER SAID WHEEL BEARINGS FAILING IN FRONT END. STRUT ASSEMBLIES IN FRONT NEED REPLACEMENT, KNUCKLES THAT HOLD THE STRUT ASSEMBLIES TO THE FRAME WERE ORIGINAL, MADE OUT OF ALUMINUM, AND ARE NOW ROTTED OUT AND REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. INTERMEDIATE STEERING COLUMN FAILING. THE VEHICLE HASN'T REACHED 90K MILES YET. THE COST OF REPAIRING THE VEHICLE IS NEARING HALF OF ITS RETAIL VALUE. ALLEGEDLY NO OPEN RECALLS, DESPITE A RECALL BY DORMAN FOR THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. ALUMINUM KNUCKLES TO HOLD STRUTS TO THE FRAME? AND THAT'S NOT A DESIGN FLAW? THE REPLACEMENT KNUCKLE PARTS ARE $1200 NOT INCLUDING LABOR. WHEEL BEARINGS ARE ABOUT $762, THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT IS $290. STRUT ASSEMBLIES ARE ABOUT $600 FOR BOTH.
PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW FROM DEALER IN JUNE OF 2009. 1ST TIME I HEARD CLUNKING NOISE FROM FRONT SUSPENSION ONLY WHEN THE TEMPS DROP BELOW 50 DEGREES. ONCE CAR WARMED UP, THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY. SOUNDED LIKE A BROKEN STABILIZER LINK. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER AND HAD TO LEAVE OVERNIGHT SO THEY CAN HEAR THE NOISE, ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT THE DEALER COULD HEAR THE NOISE WHEN COLD, BUT SOUND NOISE WOULD BE GONE BY THE TIME THEY GOT THE CAR ON THE LIFT. ONCE THE SOUND WAS GONE THEY HAD NO CLUE AS TO WHERE THE NOISE STARTED FROM. RETURNED TO THE DEALER ROUGHLY 7 TIMES OVER 3 YEAR PERIOD, NOW THE WARRANTY IS OVER. DEALER DID REPLACE LINKS, STRUTS, STEERING RACK, STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND A SLEW OF OTHER PARTS WHICH I HAVE DOCUMENTED. NOW I HAVE THE CAR FOR 5 YEARS AND YES THE NOISE IS STILL THERE EACH WINTER MORNING BELOW 50 DEGREES. ONCE THE WARMER WEATHER ARRIVES, IT NEVER MAKES A SOUND. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A LOT OF GM CARS ALL HAVE THE SAME "CLUNKING" SOUND IN FRONT SUSPENSION. ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF IS THAT THE DEALER PARTS ARE ALL DEFECTIVE AND MAYBE AN AFTERMARKET PART MAY BE UPGRADED TO HELP ELIMINATE THE NOISE. AS FOR NOW, I JUST LIVE WITH IT AS I FEEL NO WOBBLY EFFECTS OR UNSAFE CONDITION. *TR
ODOR FROM LEAKING COOLING SYSTEM. CAR PULLS TO LEFT. DRIVER DOES SEAT NOT ADJUST WITH THE CONTROL. FRONT TIRES ARE WORN DOWN CORDS SHOWING. BOUGHT CAR AT OURISMAN CHEV. CAR DEALER (34,523 MILES) WITH PLATINUM COVERAGE. CAR CURRENT (49,512 MILES). THEY INSISTED THAT I SHOULD PAY FOR NEW TIRES$295. TRANSMISSION FLUSH $249.00. FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE $179. COOLANT HOSE$10. THAT MY PLAN ONLY COVER SURGE TANK WHICH I HAVE TO PAY $100.00 DEDUCTIBLE. I BROUGHT THE CAR 5/17/12. READING THROUGH COMPLAINTS 2009 MALIBU HAVE SIMILAR CAR PROBLEM. I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS FOR ALL THESE PROBLEM FOR A CAR THAT OWN FOR THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. *TR
AT 15,237 MILES THE RIGHT FRONT HUB BEARING WAS REPLACED. MFG PART # 20907865 AT 24,079 MILES THE LEFT FRONT HUB BEARING WAS REPLACED. MFG PART # 20907865 AT 24,079 MILES THE RIGHT FRONT HUB BEARING WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. MFG PART # 20907865 THIS 2009 CHEV. MALIBU HAS NEVER BEEN IN SALT OR ANY OTHER CORROSIVES EXCEPT WHAT IS IN THE NORMAL DRIVING ENVIRONMENT. THIS CAR HAS THE V- 6 ENGINE. I HAVE OWNED SINCE NEW. *TR
THE EVENT LEADING UP TO : TURNING RIGHT FROM SIDE STREET THE CAR LUNGES INTO THE LEFT LANE WHEN ACCELERATING . THE FAILURE OCCURS EVERY TIME WHEN THE CAR TAKES OFF FROM A STOP TO ENTER INTO FREEWAY. STEERING WHEEL ROTATES WITH FAST ACTION CLOCK WISE 360 DEGREES.WHAT WAS DONE TOOK CAR TO 4 DEALERS ALL SAID IT MEETS THE SPECIFICATIONS OF THE CAR. CAR DEALER SAID IT WAS A GLITCH CORPORATE SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. UPDATED 10/05/10 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE PULL TO THE RIGHT. UPDATED 10/07/10 *TR
STEERING SUSPENSION, 29NOV09 REPLACED RIGHT SWAY BAR LINK. 25JAN20 REPLACED SWAY BAR BUSHINGS AT THE FRAME. 10MAR10 REPLACED SWAY BAR INSULATORS AT THE FRAME. 04MAY10 REPLACED SWAY BAR LINKS AGAIN ONLY AFTER 6 MONTHS FROM LAST REPLACEMENT. THERE IS OBVIOUSLY A QUALITY ISSUE HERE. *TR
04FEB09 VEHICLE IN FOR REAR WHEEL BEARING AND NHUB REPLACEMENT 14MAY 09 IN FOR REPLACE TRANS SHIFT CABLE, THEN IN 09SEP09 RECALL 23NOV09 IN FOR STEERING SHAFT KIT REPLACEMENT & REPLACE RIGHT SWAY BAR LINK 21JAN10 BACK IN FOR CLUNKING NOISE, 25JAN10 ORDERED BUSHING REPLACEMENT PART CALLED CHEVY CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AND TIFFANY FROM GM CALLED ME BACK AND STATED THAT GM IS UNABLE TO GET PART DUE TO SUPPLIER, AFTER WAITING ONE (1) MONTH STILL NO PART. TIFFANY STATED THAT GM WILL NOT BUY BACK THIS VEHICLE AND THEY WILL NOT EXTEND MY WARRANTY. I HAVE BEEN A LIFE TIME GM CUSTOMER AND I WILL NO LONGER BUY A GM VEHICLE. *TR
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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