Illustration2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU SEDAN 3.1 V-6 TURN SIGNAL WORK THEN THEY DON'T AT THIS TIME THEY ARE NOT WORKING .JUST CHECKED GOOGLE AND THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINT'S OF THE SAME ! *TR
2002 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Chevrolet Malibu do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 310.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu 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
380–25K
8225–50K
10250–75K
7175–100K
73100–150K
25150K+
391 reports with mileage · 176 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.
- Electrical System. Review the 259 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 143 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports1 fire reports13 injury reports
What owners actually said
567 reportsTHE CAR CONTINUE TO RUN HOT I AM IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING IT FIX I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS A DEFECT WITH THE WATER PUMP AND THE ENGINE. THE WATER COMES OUT OF THE EXHAUST PIPE ON TO THE ENGINE. *TR
BUBBLING AND RUST ON THE BACK PANEL OF THE CAR WHERE THE GAS COVER AND TANK IS. IT HAS RUST AND ALL KINDS OF BUBBLES ONLY ON THAT PANEL. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT FOUND A RECALL FOR HER VEHICLE. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING, WHICH WAS THE SAME FAILURE THE CONTACT WAS EXPERIENCING. THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE …
Read full complaint
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT FOUND A RECALL FOR HER VEHICLE. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT HER VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL FOR THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING, WHICH WAS THE SAME FAILURE THE CONTACT WAS EXPERIENCING. THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 23,000.
THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM ON THE 2002 CHEVY MALIBU DOES NOT ALLOW THE OWNER TO START CAR AND HAVE TO SIT IN A PARKING LOT FOR 10 MINUTES FOR IT TO RECOGNIZE THE KEY, NOT SAFE FOR A FEMALE AND TEEN GIRL DRIVERS. THIS OCCURS EVERY 10 STARTS AND CHEVY WILL FIX FOR 500 DOLLARS, WITH NO GUARANTEE. *TR
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND THE THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON, WHEN I SHUT THE CAR OFF IT REFUSED TO START AGAIN. I HAD HEARD THAT IF YOU TURN THE KEY FORWARD FOR TEN MINUTES THAT IT WOULD RESET AND THE CAR WOULD THEN START AGAIN. IN MY CASE THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE GM DEALERSHIP AND HAVE IT PUT ON A TESTE…
Read full complaint
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND THE THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON, WHEN I SHUT THE CAR OFF IT REFUSED TO START AGAIN. I HAD HEARD THAT IF YOU TURN THE KEY FORWARD FOR TEN MINUTES THAT IT WOULD RESET AND THE CAR WOULD THEN START AGAIN. IN MY CASE THE CAR WOULDN'T START. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE GM DEALERSHIP AND HAVE IT PUT ON A TESTER. THEY THEN INFORMED ME THAT THE CARS BCM HAD GONE OUT THE WHOLE COMPUTER SYSTEM AND THE ANTI THEFT SYSTEM. THEREFORE IT COST ME 1,250.00 DOLLARS. I FIND THAT TO BE CRAZY. GM NEEDS TO RECALL THESE PARTS ON THIS CAR I COULD HAVE BOUGHT ANOTHER CAR FOR THAT AMOUNT!!! *TR
I OWN A 2002 CHEVY MALIBU AND FOR ABOUT A MONTH THE THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND GOING OFF. SEPT. 18 I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I RESET THE SYSTEM AND IT IS STARTING BUT THE LIGHT STAYS ON NOW. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THE TURN SIGNALS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO AND I SMELL COOLANT WHEN I AM DRIVING…
Read full complaint
I OWN A 2002 CHEVY MALIBU AND FOR ABOUT A MONTH THE THEFT SYSTEM LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND GOING OFF. SEPT. 18 I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND IT WOULD NOT START BACK UP. I RESET THE SYSTEM AND IT IS STARTING BUT THE LIGHT STAYS ON NOW. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THE TURN SIGNALS WORK WHEN THEY WANT TO AND I SMELL COOLANT WHEN I AM DRIVING. *TR
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 ON STATE ROUTE 2 WESTBOUND DURING A RAINSTORM AT APPROXIMATELY 5 PM. SUDDENLY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHEN A SEMI-TRUCK PASSED. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. SHE WAS VERY SCARED AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. SHE THEN TURNED THE WIPER CONTROL LEVER TO EVERY …
Read full complaint
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2008 ON STATE ROUTE 2 WESTBOUND DURING A RAINSTORM AT APPROXIMATELY 5 PM. SUDDENLY, THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED WORKING WHEN A SEMI-TRUCK PASSED. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE. SHE WAS VERY SCARED AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. SHE THEN TURNED THE WIPER CONTROL LEVER TO EVERY SPEED SETTING UNTIL THE HIGH SPEED SETTING BEGAN TO WORK. WIPER MOTOR WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE FAILED AND WAS REPLACED. *TR
MY 2002 CHEVY MALIBU HAS BAD SIGNAL LIGHTS. SOMETIMES THEY WORK SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. I SEE THERE IS A BULLETIN POSTED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SO I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT AND I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM FIX IT. CAN YOU LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME? THE LAST 8 DIGITS OF THE VIN. THAT'S WHAT T…
Read full complaint
MY 2002 CHEVY MALIBU HAS BAD SIGNAL LIGHTS. SOMETIMES THEY WORK SOMETIMES THEY DON'T. I SEE THERE IS A BULLETIN POSTED ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SO I CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT AND I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM FIX IT. CAN YOU LOOK INTO THIS FOR ME? THE LAST 8 DIGITS OF THE VIN. THAT'S WHAT THEY ASKED FOR TO CHECK. THANKS. *TR
2002 MALIBU TURN SIGNAL WORK WHEN THEY WANT. HAVE TO HIT DASH BY HAZARD LIGHTS TO MAKE THEM WORK. HAVEN;T HAD A ACCIDENT YET ,BUT AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR. BOUGHT THE CAR NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP. HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES. HORN ALSO HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN. ONLY HAVE 45,000 MILES ON MY CAR. I USED TO LOVE IT BUT NO…
Read full complaint
2002 MALIBU TURN SIGNAL WORK WHEN THEY WANT. HAVE TO HIT DASH BY HAZARD LIGHTS TO MAKE THEM WORK. HAVEN;T HAD A ACCIDENT YET ,BUT AM SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR. BOUGHT THE CAR NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP. HAVE NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES. HORN ALSO HAS A MIND OF IT'S OWN. ONLY HAVE 45,000 MILES ON MY CAR. I USED TO LOVE IT BUT NOW I AM AFRAID OF HAVING A WRECK AND EITHER DYING OR KILLING SOMEONE ELSE. CHEVY NEEDS TO RECALL ALL THE PROBLEM CARS AND NOT JUST A FEW. *TR
Official recalls
214V400000 · Electrical System:ignition
Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
02V107000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights
Apr 10, 2002
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH A LEFT LOW-BEAM HEADLAMP THAT DOES NOT MEET THE PHOTOMETRIC PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: LIGHT INTENSITIES BELOW THE MINIMUM INTENSITY REQUIREMENTS CAUSE REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY DOWN THE ROAD FOR THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE AND INTENSITIES ABOVE THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY REQUIREMENTS CAUSE INCREASE IN GLARE FOR DRIVERS AHEAD OF, OR APPROACHING, THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LEFT LOW-BEAM HEADLAMP AND REPLACE IT IF IT DOES NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020.
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
1PE05055 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Sep 27, 2005 · Closed Jan 13, 2006
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights:switch; Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Exterior Lighting:hazard Flashing Warning Lights:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Exterior Lighting:turn Signal:switch
IN DECEMBER 2004, GM ISSUED A SPECIAL POLICY FOR MY 1999-2000 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V327. THE POLICY COVERED TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURRED FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH. GM SENT LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING DECEMBER 30, 2004.IN JANUARY 2006, GM WILL UPDATE THE SPECIAL POLICY TO INCLUDE MY 2002 ALERO, GRAND AM AND MALIBU VEHICLES NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 03V-327.THE POLICY COVERS TURN SIGNAL/HAZARD FLASHER FAILURE FOR A PERIOD OF 10 YEARS OR 150,000 MILES (WHICHEVER OCCURS FIRST) TO PROVIDE A NO COST REPLACEMENT OF THE HAZARD SWITCH.GM WILL SEND LETTERS TO OWNERS STARTING LATE APRIL 2006.THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE MANUFACTURER IS SUFFICIENT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES RAISED BY THIS INVESTIGATION.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TAKE FUTURE ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.