2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS ISSUES. THE DASHBOARD WARNED TO SERVICE THE TRACTION CONTROL AND HYBRID. *JS
2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu Hybrid years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
22 reports with mileage · 3 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
25 reportsTAKATA RECALL: I DON'T KNOW IF I'M DOING THIS RIGHT BUT MY CAR'S WARNING SYSTEM ALERTED ME THAT THE ESC WAS TURNED OFF AND TO "SERVICE ESC", THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING MY CAR, NEVER STATIONARY.IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT ONE THAT IS MENTIONED AS A RECALL FOR MY MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR. WHEN I SEARCH MY VIN I GET NO ALER…
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TAKATA RECALL: I DON'T KNOW IF I'M DOING THIS RIGHT BUT MY CAR'S WARNING SYSTEM ALERTED ME THAT THE ESC WAS TURNED OFF AND TO "SERVICE ESC", THIS ALWAYS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING MY CAR, NEVER STATIONARY.IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT ONE THAT IS MENTIONED AS A RECALL FOR MY MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR. WHEN I SEARCH MY VIN I GET NO ALERTS ON RECALLS FOR MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE BUT WANTED TO BE SIRE IT WASN'T SKIPPED OR MISSED. MY VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING WORKED ON SO IF I DID NEED RECALL WORK THEN I WOULD NEED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE WORK DONE ON MY CAR SINCE A DEALERSHIP WOULDNT DO THE WORK FOR FREE WITHOUT A RECALL NOTICE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL VIOLENTLY VIBRATED WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GR CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC (930 FAIRYSTONE …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL VIOLENTLY VIBRATED WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GR CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC (930 FAIRYSTONE PARK HWY, STANLEYTOWN, VA 24168, (855) 910-9228), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM GOES OUT BECAUSE OF A BAD CONNECTION.
THIS MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK I EXPERIENCED THE MOST SCARIEST MOMENT, WHEN I WAS IN MOTION MAKING A LEFT TURN MIDWAY ON A BUSY INTERSECTION MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED MAKING ME UNABLE TO CONTROL IT ,WHILE LOCKED THE (TSC) LIGHTS CAME ON , I WAS FREAKING OUT I WAS HEADING TOWARDS THE OTHER CARS ON MY RIGHT SIDE TURNING LEFT WITH M…
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THIS MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK I EXPERIENCED THE MOST SCARIEST MOMENT, WHEN I WAS IN MOTION MAKING A LEFT TURN MIDWAY ON A BUSY INTERSECTION MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED MAKING ME UNABLE TO CONTROL IT ,WHILE LOCKED THE (TSC) LIGHTS CAME ON , I WAS FREAKING OUT I WAS HEADING TOWARDS THE OTHER CARS ON MY RIGHT SIDE TURNING LEFT WITH ME AS WELL , I QUICKLY REACTED AND LET GO OF THE GAS PEDAL AND LET THE CAR SLOW DOWN ON ITS OWN AND LET EVERYONE TURNING PASS ME, ONCE PULLED OVER HAZARDS ON , I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON AND THE STEERING WHEEL WENT BACK TO WORKING. I AM NERVOUS TO GET BACK IN THE CAR AGAIN. UNKNOWN
POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND SERVICE ESC MESSAGE COMES ON. IF I TURN CAR OFF AND BACK ON THE ERROR MESSAGE GOES AWAY AND POWER STEERING IS RESTORED TILL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. HAPPENED YESTERDAY ON HIGHWAY SUDDENLY I HAD NO STEERING. LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH OTHERS HAVING SAME PROBLEM. …
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POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND SERVICE ESC MESSAGE COMES ON. IF I TURN CAR OFF AND BACK ON THE ERROR MESSAGE GOES AWAY AND POWER STEERING IS RESTORED TILL IT HAPPENS AGAIN. HAPPENED YESTERDAY ON HIGHWAY SUDDENLY I HAD NO STEERING. LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH OTHERS HAVING SAME PROBLEM. STATING THAT STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. OTHERS MENTION A SPECIAL EXTENDED WARRANTY ON POWER STEERING FAILURE FOR 10 YEARS AND 150,000 MILES. I INQUIRED AT DEALER AND SO FAR THEY DON'T RECALL WARRANTY PROBLEM HAPPENS SOMETIMES USUALLY WHEN STARTING BUT YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED WHEN DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. SCARY FEELING
BEGINNING IN DEC/JAN OF 2016/2017 I BEGAN HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH MY POWER STEERING WHERE IT WOULD STOP WHILE I WASN'T DRIVING BUT ALSO WHEN I WAS DRIVING. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL START TO AGGRESSIVELY SHAKE AND MY TRACTION CONTROL WOULD CUT OFF. IT GOT TO THE POINT I COULDN'T EVEN DRIVE MY VEHICLE. I THEN CONTACTED GM AFTER RE…
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BEGINNING IN DEC/JAN OF 2016/2017 I BEGAN HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH MY POWER STEERING WHERE IT WOULD STOP WHILE I WASN'T DRIVING BUT ALSO WHEN I WAS DRIVING. THE STEERING WHEEL WILL START TO AGGRESSIVELY SHAKE AND MY TRACTION CONTROL WOULD CUT OFF. IT GOT TO THE POINT I COULDN'T EVEN DRIVE MY VEHICLE. I THEN CONTACTED GM AFTER RESEARCHING THAT THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED. I GOT IT FIXED AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE UNTIL THIS WEEK JANUARY 2019. I CONTACTED GM TO LET THEM KNOW OF THE ISSUE, AND THAT IT WAS THE SAME ISSUE I HAD BEFORE. THEY THEN PROCEED TO TELL ME TO DRIVE MY UNSAFE VEHICLE WITH MY 7 MONTH OLD INFANT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO LOOK AT IT (WITH NO POWER STEERING), EVEN THOUGH THE ISSUE ISN'T AN ALL THE TIME ITS JUST IN ITS BEGINNING STAGES. I HAVE TO TURN OFF MY CAR TO HAVE IT RESET THE POWER STEERING.
ON MAY 18, 2018 ALL DOORS ON MY CHEVY MALIBU WERE WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN MY FIANCE LEFT TO LEAVE FOR WORK ON MAY 19, 2018 THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM NEITHER THE INSIDE NOR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE; IT WASN'T UNTIL MAY 21, 2018 WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DOOR TO OPEN AND FOUND THAT THE LATCH ON THE SIDE OF THE DOOR W…
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ON MAY 18, 2018 ALL DOORS ON MY CHEVY MALIBU WERE WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN MY FIANCE LEFT TO LEAVE FOR WORK ON MAY 19, 2018 THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM NEITHER THE INSIDE NOR OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE; IT WASN'T UNTIL MAY 21, 2018 WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE DOOR TO OPEN AND FOUND THAT THE LATCH ON THE SIDE OF THE DOOR WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE CAR WAS STATIONARY, BUT MY MAIN CONCERN IS WHAT IF IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, EMERGENCY PERSONNEL OR MY PASSENGER WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR.
MY ELECTRONIC OR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING GOES OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR A 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND 3 YEAR OLD SON NOT SAFE AT ALL. VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE I ALREADY HAVE TO OTHER RECALLS ON THIS CAR BUT I NOTICED OTHER EXACT SAME MODEL OF CARS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE BEEN RECALLED BUT MY CAR AN…
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MY ELECTRONIC OR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING GOES OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR A 1 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND 3 YEAR OLD SON NOT SAFE AT ALL. VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE I ALREADY HAVE TO OTHER RECALLS ON THIS CAR BUT I NOTICED OTHER EXACT SAME MODEL OF CARS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AND HAVE BEEN RECALLED BUT MY CAR AND VIN # IS NOT LISTED ON THE RECALL BUT HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME ISSUES AS OTHERS.
PULLING OUT OF SIDE STREET ON TO HIGHWAY AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND STUTTERED. ALMOST HIT BY 18 WHEELER. LOW ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL. TURNED AROUND AND DROVE HOME GOING NO MORE THAN ROUGHLY 10-15 MPH.THE NEXT DAY I PLANNED TO TAKE IT TO GET CHECKED OUT AND THE CAR RAN FINE AND ENGINE LIGH…
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PULLING OUT OF SIDE STREET ON TO HIGHWAY AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND STUTTERED. ALMOST HIT BY 18 WHEELER. LOW ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT AS WELL. TURNED AROUND AND DROVE HOME GOING NO MORE THAN ROUGHLY 10-15 MPH.THE NEXT DAY I PLANNED TO TAKE IT TO GET CHECKED OUT AND THE CAR RAN FINE AND ENGINE LIGHT WAS OFF. A FEW DAYS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AS I WAS JUST DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, CAR DECELERATED AND LOW ENGINE POWER LIGHT CAME ON. VERY SCARY TO SAY THE LEAST.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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