The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, it lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality returned. The failure reoccurred every mile while driving, requiring the driver to pull over to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The power steering, ESC, and the traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated who was a retired independent mechanic, determined that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
2009 Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance problems
264 complaints (17% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 120,000. 5 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 264
- of this car's complaints
- 17%
- typical mileage
- 120,000
- crashes
- 5
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Automatic emergency braking2
- Warning1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Electronic stability control (ESC)
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
- Risk
- Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), 1‑800‑762‑2737 (Pontiac), 1‑800‑553‑6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
Recall number 14V252000 · Recall details
What 2009 Chevrolet Malibu owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
As I'm driving down the road my vehicle will engage the brake without warning while I'm in a curve or turning and it's extremely dangerous. I had a 18 wheeler behind me and my car came to an abrupt stop without warning as I was getting onto the interstate
When I am going down the road the vehicle comes to a complete stop in a curve sometimes and it's dangerous. Only the bright lights work on the vehicle. The esc activates and turns off a lot when you least expect it
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that in 2017 the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control) however, the brake lights would illuminate randomly without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact stated that the brake lights would fail to illuminate whenever the brake pedal was depressed. The failure recurred at various speeds. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who added di-electric grease to the harness, replaced the brake harness, replaced the position sensor, and inspected the brake light. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer approximately 7 times since the recall repair was performed; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light, the steering wheel started to vibrate. The contact stated that the power steering assist and traction control warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her that the vehicle needed further diagnostic testing and should be taken to an authorized dealer. The dealer was contacted and informed her of an unknown recall however, the recall had expired. The contact stated that she then contacted the manufacturer who referred her to the federal safety agency for assistance. The failure mileage was 103,967.
Car shuts off while driving problems electrical
I've been having an issue with my vehicle registering which gear it is in. The gears shift hard, and when placing the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle vigorously jerks back and forth. While driving the vehicle on the road, it slowed down to a complete stop in the middle of traffic. The vehicle would not accelerate, and when it finally did, it just takes off with no warning. When placing the vehicle on park, at times it would still roll.. There is also the power steering and traction control sensors that are both illuminated on the dashboard. The steering stiffening in the vehicle is an issue only sometimes. However, it still worries me while driving on the road with my toddler in the vehicle as well. I did research recalls associated with the make, model, and year of my vehicle and found that there is a recall in each area I'm having trouble in. However, when I spoke with a chevrolet associate, I was told that there was nothing they could do for me. I won't drive the vehicle because I don't feel it's safe and I'm afraid of an accident taking place.
Power steering fails while driving. Dashboard will say "traction off, ESC off" and I won't be able to move steering wheel. This has happened in busy intersections. I have to stop the vehicle and restart in order to gain power steering again. Mechanic has diagnosed it as torque sensor/steering column. This was recalled on many other malibus, but not mine. A lot of people are having this same problem but weren't included in the recall. This has been happening since I purchased vehicle seven years ago at 80,000 miles (about once per year) and has gotten worse recently at 170,000 miles (multiple times per month). This is dangerous and very expensive.*dt
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
Driving at about 60 MPH on a straight away, car lost power steering and sensor light service ESC/power steering started flashing. The steering felt no different prior to losing, no noises. Drove it this way until I reached my destination about 4 miles away. Car sat for 4 hours, turned it back on and had regained all steering and no warning lights came back on. I have noticed that for about the past 4 years, during the colder months, the service ESC/service traction notification will randomly pop on for no other reason then the cold and I lose tire traction. Pretty positive this is what caused me to slide off the road 2 years ago. Whenever I have taken it to dealership for analysis, they claim they can't find anything wrong, because the light pops off as quick as it comes on. I have also specifically asked about and looked up a recall for this, and when my VIN is entered it shows that it is not needed. I found the recall from 2014 for the power steering issue, so either the prior owner had it fixed and it didn't last, or it was never done to begin with because something is definitely wrong here. This is obviously a major issue and the first time I have lost my steering. I have owned this vehicle for 7 years, staying on top of all required maintenance and then some. Gm needs to get a fix for this!!!
Questions about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance
Does the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu have driver assistance problems?
Owners have filed 264 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 17% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2009 Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 120,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu driver assistance?
Yes, 1 recall: 14V252000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu have the most driver assistance problems?
The Chevrolet Malibu model years with the most driver assistance complaints are 2009 (264 complaints), 2010 (244 complaints) and 2011 (183 complaints).
Other 2009 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Steering 769Electrical 368Lights 172Brakes 153Transmission 121Acceleration 73Engine 70Airbags 63Locks 56Fuel system 34Body 31Seats 30Visibility 23Wheels 21Suspension 11Seat belts 7Tires 6
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