2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
N/A
Safety Rating
1,483
Owner Complaints
5
Recalls
30
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
The 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU has received a total of 1,483 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There have been 10 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with STEERING, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL. 30 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Steering (449 complaints), Electrical System (223 complaints), and Exterior Lighting (95 complaints).
Recalls for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
NHTSA has recorded 10 recalls for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU, potentially affecting up to 16,271,567 vehicles.
Recall 14E044000 — STEERING
| 7,304 vehicles affected
Defect: Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6, and 2007-2009 Saturn Aura vehicles. The affected steering shafts may have a yoke that inadequately supports the u-joint bearing resulting in a premature failure.
Consequence: A joint bearing that fails prematurely may cause separation of the u-joint resulting in a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492.
View full details →Recall 14V252000 — ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
| 2,440,524 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 14V252000 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
| 2,440,524 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 14V252000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
| 2,440,524 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 14V252000 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS
| 2,440,524 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 14V252000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
| 2,440,524 vehicles affected
Defect: 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...
Consequence: 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...
View full details →Recall 14V153000 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
| 1,373,177 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to...
View full details →Recall 14V224000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
| 1,131,113 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from...
Consequence: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall...
View full details →Recall 14V224000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 1,131,113 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from...
Consequence: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall...
View full details →Recall 12V460000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
| 426,240 vehicles affected
Defect: General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
Consequence: If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
1,483 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
The EPS malfunctions and turns off during normal driving operations at random intervals. Happens more when temperature outside is below 50 degrees. This has made it difficult to steer and has almost caused me to get in an accident on multiple occasions
UNKNOWN FUEL LEAK needs added to Recall list . It is currently at the Chevy dealership in Van Buren Arkansas getting looked at on the fuel leakage. I'm going to upload some documents for y'all to look at and consider. Everything that has been stated in these recall is exactly what my car is doing and has wrong with it. I'm just asking for it to be added on this recall list because it needs to be y'all will be able to get all the information at the Chevy dealership on the fuel leakage it is currently up there right now getting looked at in Van Buren Arkansas. I appreciate y'all and everything y'all do.
UNKNOWN FUEL LEAK needs added to Recall list . It is currently at the Chevy dealership in Van Buren Arkansas getting looked at on the fuel leakage. I'm going to upload some documents for y'all to look at and consider. Everything that has been stated in these recall is exactly what my car is doing and has wrong with it. I'm just asking for it to be added on this recall list because it needs to be y'all will be able to get all the information at the Chevy dealership on the fuel leakage it is currently up there right now getting looked at in Van Buren Arkansas. I appreciate y'all and everything y'all do.
UNKNOWN
Safety Rating for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
NHTSA has not yet tested the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU in its New Car Assessment Program.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
General Motors, LLC has issued 30 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
120601003C — ENGINE
This Bulletin Provides Information for Repairing Engine Front Cover Oil Leak, Sealing Surface Preparation and Applying RTV Sealant.
PIC3843E — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer to disconnectthe IPC from BCM before programming will force the BCM to prompt the technician to enter the mileage during programming.
PIP3423M — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician that Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0008 or P0009 may be set. Technician will need to inspect for loose timing chains or tensioners. If after following Service Information diagnostics the root cause is not found inspect the reluctor for...
SB-15356 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
PONTIAC/SATURN/CHEVROLET: TSB CONTAINS AN OWNER'S NOTIFICATION LETTER. SELECT DOCUMENT SEARCH BUTTON BELOW. SOME VEHICLES WILL SUDDENLY LOSE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST (EPS) DUE TO STEERING COLUMN TORQUE SENSOR OR EPS MOTOR/CONTROLLER AND DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER WILL HAVE WARNING MESSAGE ALONG WITH WARNING CHIME SOUND. MODEL 2007-12 MALIBU, AURA, G6. *PE
PI1462 — EQUIPMENT
This preliminary informational bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of crank no start after hot soak.
14118 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
14117 — STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
SUMMARY TO BE PROVIDED ON A FUTURE DATE.
12-06-01-009E — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This informational bulletin advises the technician of new timing chains and guides and part numbers.
12-06-04-003A — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This technical bulletin provides a procedure to replace the TP sensor cover if the TP sensor exceeds the calibrated value and to correct the customers concern of the MIL on and Reduce Power message on.
12-07-30-001C — ENGINE
This informational bulletin provides a process to the service agents that are not required to contact PQC, to determine when to replace a assembly as opposed to repairing and if an engine or transmission is being returned, that it has all the information in relation to that part being returned.
Showing 10 of 30 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET MALIBU
- 2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 772 complaints
- 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,639 complaints
- 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,385 complaints
- 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,474 complaints
- 2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,252 complaints
- 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU (current)
- 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 2,349 complaints
- 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 2,195 complaints
- 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,512 complaints
- 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,466 complaints
- 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,358 complaints
Other CHEVROLET Models
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 — 22,175 total complaints
- CHEVROLET IMPALA — 15,197 total complaints
- CHEVROLET TAHOE — 12,511 total complaints
- CHEVROLET EQUINOX — 12,135 total complaints
- CHEVROLET BLAZER — 11,032 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO — 10,928 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SUBURBAN — 10,375 total complaints
- CHEVROLET COBALT — 10,106 total complaints