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2009 Chevrolet Malibu electrical complaints

Page 10 of 13: complaints 251 to 280 of 368, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2009 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Apr 20, 2015 · Electrical, Locks · 48,000 miles · CA

Power door locks do not work. I bought this beautiful 2009 chevy malibu used w 48,000 miles, I had it only 2 months before problems started with the locks. All locks will not open or close using the interior switch nor the key fob. If you manually open the lock by pulling it up and then start the car and put it in gear, the locks will engage automatically and lock the door properly. I checked online and everyone says the problem with the locks is the bcm connection and lack of dielectric grease.gm needs to also fix the power lock issue, it is very much well known on the internet. Anyway, checking forums it seems gm is aware of the locks failing consistently. We all owners of chevy malibu's have this issue with 2008, 2009, 2010 power locks that malfunction. This is a safety issue since the doors can lock and unlock at random times. I have owned chevrolet autos for 40 years and never had one actuator go out so 4 at once is obviously a manufacturing defect and should be covered by chevy. This is also a safety issue. I always have to roll down the windows just to open the door for my kids or anyone who is going in the back. Its very annoying and I just about had it with the malibu even though the car drives nice it getting irritated. I don't have money to fix this problem.

Filed Apr 15, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 100,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. While driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal noise. The steering wheel seized and the power steering warning light illuminated. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Mar 18, 2015 · Electrical, Transmission · 127,056 miles · CA

While driving on city street going maybe 35 MPH my 3year old who was strapped into his car seat in the backseat began to choke. I immediately pulled over and got out to go to his aid but I couldn't unlock the back door. I panicked and had to try to climb through the small space from the front seat to the back but could not quickly get my choking child out of the car. Later that day I checked the door locks after calming down and I am not able to lock or unlock the doors.I noticed clicking noises but never paid any attention to it as it was not a concern until I could not free my chocking child from the back seat.I just purchased the car used last month. After review the locks on this car is a know'n common problem that is a safety concern . My helpless child was locked in.

Filed Mar 3, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 86,000 miles · NY

Abrupt power-steering failure. The steering wheel turns and jerks (shutters back and forth) on its own while the car is at rest at a stoplight or stop sign. Took to chevy dealer and they advised me there is a recall for this issue but my VIN and part# are not included as of now. Dealer told me it is due to faulty positioning sensor part # 23232310 sensor ki.

Filed Mar 3, 2015 · Electrical · 86,000 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the traction control and ABS light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure was 86,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 115,000 miles · WI

Service ESC light comes on &power steering goes out. Happens over and over randomly. Dealership told me it was a battery issue since the power steering is electrical, however I replaced the battery and the issue persists. After searching the internet I saw a ton of other chevy malibu owners have the exact same issue.

Filed Feb 26, 2015 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 152,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while making a left turn at 4 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that ESC off was displayed across the message board. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v252000( electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was 152,000.

Filed Feb 23, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 150,200 miles · MI

My 2009 malibu lost it's electronic power steering, and I now have to steer it manually, which is hard for me. My car was on a recall list on 4/2014 but I never received any notification and when I called gm they said there was no recall for my car. My cousin, who is a mechanic, got the recall info from the site alldata repair s3000. I would like to know if my car is on the recall and what I need to do. Ty

Filed Feb 20, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 180,000 miles · GA

I was driving home with my children in the car and my electrical power steering locked up and nearly caused an accident. Happy that everyone made it home safely, I then tried to find probably causes in to what is the cause and what I can do. I saw nothing but gm recalls for 2008 -2009 chevy malibu's that are having this problem. No one can help but the dealership, so I drove down to the dealership on a saturday, and asked if anyone can take a look at the issue, and the gentleman was short and rude, as if he did not want to help me. I practically had to beg for them to look at my vehicle. So I patiently waited for 3 and a half hours in the lobby. To find out that the power steering module is going bad. That it will cost 480.00. The guy charged me 95.00 just for a diagnostic, and I didn't get a warning that this will be a charge, on top of it he wanted to charge me 800.00 to fix other things on my vehicle, when my main concern was the power steering. I felt taken advantage of, and no one explained to me as to why this took place. I am thinking it must be apart of the recall. So I sent a letter to corporate about this experience. I spoke with an agent and a senior adviser. I cannot wait years later for them to decide that they missed a vehicle. So they did try to give me options to see if they can help with the cost due to the inconvenience I've been through with my children and how I was treated at the terry cullen chevy dealership in georgia. Hopefully they can cover half the cost so I can get this fix. I am currently driving dangerously on the road to get to and from work, and I have no other options nor extra money to get this fixed right now. I just do not understand how I can have the same issue in my vehicle and everyone else has a recall on theirs. Is this a normal ware and tare issue.

Filed Feb 18, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 70,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the electrical power assist system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

Filed Feb 3, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 40,218 miles · PA

I did not have an accident yet. There was a recall for my car. The information I provided above on march 13, 204 I took the car back to the dealer to have it fixed. But the problems are still happening..I took it back and they said it was just some water leaking on the electrical wiring and would need replaced. I did not have the money at the time but did take it to my local mechanic where he also put it on the computer and advised that there is no water leakage. I have another incident the other day where I lost power and almost got in an accident. My taction got disabled as well. I have an appointment at kenny ross in irwin to take it back so they can look at it again, but I don't trust them. The car was bought with low mileage and I go no where as I work from home, still has low mileage..I should not be having problems. The original recall repairs were never done...can you please advise what I should do in this ase.

Filed Jan 28, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · 91,800 miles · OH

The same day I brought my car to my local chevrolet dealership for an oil change and a brake light malfunction recall, I had the first occurrence of the issue. While on the highway, a chime sounded, and the information display on the dash showed power steering and service ESC. The power steering was turned off, and turning the steering wheel became extremely difficult. When I turned the car off and back on, the problem was gone. However, after driving for a few minutes, the same chime sounds, same errors come up, and power steering shuts off. This now happens every time I drive my car. I found out that there was a recall for several gm vehicles, including some 2009 malibus, for an electric power steering (eps) issue. In the recall, the description they give matches my issue perfectly. However, my specific 2009 malibu isn't part of the recall for some reason.

Filed Jan 27, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 98,000 miles · MS

I was driving at around 45mph and suddenly lost power steering assistance, making it difficult to steer, and increasing the risk of a crash. The problem persists. There have already been multiple recalls for this issue but my car is not included in these recalls.

Filed Jan 27, 2015 · Body, Electrical · 70,000 miles · MI

Rear door locks just quit working, doesn't work with key fob or inside switch.

Filed Jan 16, 2015 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 125,000 miles · MA

While driving down the highway with my son going at rates of 70mph. My power steering gave out and I was unable to turn wheel. Trying to find out what was wrong I found out the power steering torque sensor gave out. I contacted gm and my local dealer about incident because there has been reports of this happening on several of this year and model car. Other gm cars have put recall on the power steering, not mine. I contacted dealer because they have me a price of $500-$1200. I contacted gm they refuse to help me at all. This is a safety issue and I feel unsafe driving my own car. I purchased the sensor on my own because the dealer mark up was double of what the part cost. Gm refuses to help and I am now renting a car waiting for this to be fixed to sell it. I was with my young child on the highway when it locked up. Please help!

Filed Jan 13, 2015 · Electrical · 83,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,000.

Filed Jan 8, 2015 · Electrical, Lights · 80,000 miles · TX

The passenger front headlight burned out. I took it to the dealership and had it replaced. Within a week or so, it had burned back out. At that time the dealership determined that the entire headlight assembly needed to be replace. I researched the problem on.chevymalibuforum.com and this is apparently very common.

Filed Jan 7, 2015 · Electrical · KY

Started my car in jan 2015 and power steering service ESC alarm comes on this makes second occurrence when I looked up my car it says there was a recall for this problem when I looked up the VIN number it says it was repaired so why is it still happening there r several recalls for my 2009 chevy malibu so I want to know if I've owned it since 2010 why I've only received one recall notice for my vehicle.

Filed Jan 2, 2015 · Electrical, Steering · CA

There is a power steering problem as is goes off on the freeway while driving, as well as there is a recall on the break lamp turns on and off while driving. Attempted to contact multiple dealerships as they couldn't not find the issue relating to this problem.

Filed Jan 1, 2015 · Electrical · 110,000 miles · IL

Power door locks do not work . Will not open or close using the interior switch nor the key fob. Malfunction of locks occurred after a repair of the recalled faulty body control module (bcm) connection; which results in fluctuations in the brake apply sensor ( bas). It mentions other possible electrical problems may occur. Cruise control,traction control ,ecs may be affected also. It does not mention that it may cause electric lock issue.

Filed Dec 19, 2014 · Electrical · 56,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while parked, the front driver side door failed to unlock. As a result, the contact had to exit the vehicle through the rear side doors. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

Filed Dec 16, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · 50,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the key failed to release from the ignition. In addition, the gear was difficult to shift. The contact had to apply force in order to shift the vehicle into park. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on two occasions. The technician was unable to duplicate or repair the failure. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The contact also stated that the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch, the steering column, and the parking brake wire needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Dec 15, 2014 · Electrical · 15,000 miles · AR

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to exit the vehicle, the electronic door unlock function failed on all four doors. In addition, the contact stated that the door locks were unable to unlock manually. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power lock switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

Filed Dec 2, 2014 · Brakes, Electrical · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the parts to do the repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Filed Nov 22, 2014 · Airbags, Electrical · 113,400 miles · GA

First issue noticed was passenger airbag not on while passengers are in front and rear of vehicle. The passenger airbag sensor works 50% of the time. Second issue started close to the same time as the airbag. When using the keyless entry or the electric lock buttons inside the car , it fails to lock or unlock the passenger side doors. After 30 minutes or so it will then lock the doors. The latest issue started on the 19th of november 2014 with the driver side lowbeam not working as like it's blown. The car has been sitting for two days since and now the lowbeam is working but, it's dim compared to the passenger lowbeam. I believe there's a short in the electrical system from manufacturer. There are many forums online about these issues online from other owners. This car has not had any aftermarket installations of its electrical components and the battery is new. Chevrolet needs to take the time when manufacturing their vehicles instead of cutting corners. Their customers safety should be valued better than worrying about sales. You would think after going under they would take the time to do things right the first time. I highly doubt I will ever purchase a vehicle manufactured after 2002 from chevrolet due to all of the electrical components that fail or cause serious injury or death. Please fix these issues or lose a 15 year customer.

Filed Nov 19, 2014 · Electrical, Steering · 98,500 miles · MO

Twice in past 5 days while traveling at slow speed, the power steering went out completely - very dangerous. Turned off ignition and restarted engine and it was fine again.

Filed Nov 19, 2014 · Electrical, Steering · 68,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. In addition, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The failure mileage was 68,000.

Filed Nov 12, 2014 · Electrical · 62,150 miles · AZ

The rear passenger door lock does not open or close with the fob. The rear passenger door lock has to be opened or closed manually.

Filed Nov 11, 2014 · Electrical, Steering · 156,000 miles · TX

As I was driving down the street my steering wheel locked up and I was unable to move it to safely pull over to the side of the street. I just had to stop in the middle of the street and turn my car off and then back on. It then reset it and I was able to drive again. The "service ESC" light came on and then "power steering" light came on. This is not the first time this has happened. It has happened before right in the middle of an intersection. Where again I had to turn my car off and stop traffic and then turn it back on. I believe this could pose a serious safety issue. When your vehicle to stops because you cannot steer another vehicle can easily hit you and cause a severe accident. There should be a recall on this since it seems to affect a number of 2009 malibu's that I see all over forums and blogs.

Filed Oct 22, 2014 · Electrical, Locks · MD

The rear door lock actuators( both doors ) stopped functioning within several months of each other. This made it such that the rear doors could not be opened without manually lifting the lock button from inside the vehicle. When a child was in a car seat the only way to open the rear door was to get back in the car, put the key in the ignition, turn it to the accessory, lower the rear window, get out of the car and reach in to pull up the lock button. Fortunately we never had an emergency situation where this could have been a critical life threatening problem. We have had the actuators replaced ( at significant expense ). My concern is many individuals, probably can not afford the cost and would forgo the repair, thus leaving the problem and its possible consequences there.

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