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2008 Chevrolet Malibu Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 989 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, most often about the steering (47% of complaints, typically around 83,000 miles). It is 5th of 26 Malibu model years by number of complaints and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2008 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Steering
460 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 83,000 miles. Parts named most often: column, electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist system.
One week ago I noticed my steering wheel would shake back and forth when idling. I thought the fluid may be low and looked to fill it only to find out the car has electric steering. I drove it to work without issue but now the shaking has begun to appear when driving at all speeds. It is an uncanny shimmy that can be…
2008 Malibu the power steering goes out with out warning sometimes on the highway it is very scary this is a big concern to me because this is my wife and kids only transportation.
Electrical
233 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel.
Three of my car doors do not lock unless manually locked. The electronics have failed on all three doors. I have to replace the motor in each door, at the cost of over $750. The cost is not the only problem. The motors that failed in each door will be replaced by the same faulty part. I can't believe it costs $300 to…
Brake lights stay on all the time, except when I first press the brake pedal. I have already applied dielectric grease to connector and plugged/unplugged many many times. Works for about 1 day.
Lights
106 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, headlights, turn signal.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the exterior headlamps failed to illuminate. The contact stated that the failure recurred on four occasions within approximately two years. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the headlamps where defective and…
As I was driving the driver behind me told me that there was something wrong with my tail lights. I then noticed while driving that the brake lights stayed on and when I did press down on the brakes there was nothing. This poses a great problem in that I could have been rear ended due to the drivers behind be me not…
Brakes
87 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 73,000 miles. Parts named most often: pedals and linkages, antilock.
Whilst driving home one night I noticed that my brake lights were on, however I was not applying the brakes. I then pressed the brake pedal and the brake lights turned off. Once I let go of the brake they came back on after a few seconds. At the same time, I received an error that read along the lines of: ESC service…
My wife and I were traveling on interstate 40 going around 75-80 MPH when the cruise control disabled by itself. I could not get it to engage and noticed the tail lights were illuminated. The only way they would go off was to apply a little pressure to the brake pedal. The cruise control will still not work and the…
Transmission
86 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline.
Shift cable broke. When I went to park the car, the car kept moving. No injury, no damage. Looks like general motors safety recall number 12106, but dealer stated that the VIN was not under this defect. This is a major safety concern and if other vehicles are out there, then they should recall them all. I was never…
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu lt. The contact started the ignition and shifted into reverse. The vehicle would not shift into any other position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the gear shifter cable was replaced. The vehicle was repaired one month prior to the failure under NHTSA campaign id…
Engine
74 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine, dome light, door ajar sound, seat belt warning lights illuminated at the same time. The engine lost power after the above warning signals displayed. The failure recurred three times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer.…
The contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the door lock switch operated independently without warning. After parking, the vehicle caught fire under the hood. The contact sustained a back injury attempting to put the fire out that did not require medical attention. A fire report was…
Doors and locks
71 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles. Parts named most often: doors.
Both rear door lock actuators are inoperable. The doors will not lock automatically or unlock automatically. Both doors will not lock or unlock when the power door lock button is actuated. Both doors will not lock when the car is placed into drive. The rear doors can be opened when the car is moving. Both doors will…
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the doors would not unlock when using the remote control or with manual the lock and unlock buttons. The contact stated that the only way to open the doors was to pull the knob to unlock it manually. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who…
Stability control
68 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles.
Driving on the freeway, tried to switch lanes and vehicle's traction went out of control, making the vehicle had unstable, tried to controlled the car, but there were other vehicles driving next to the car which resulted in a multiple car crash, had recently received a recall letter from gm stating that the car had…
Power locks have only worked for front doors for as long as ive had the car, about a year..... Over the past month - service air bag light came on shortly after starting the car one day. A few weeks later, service ESC and traction control popped up after starting the car. Now my power steering has gone out and does…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Chevrolet Malibu recalls
Speed control: cruise control
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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
Transmission: floor shift
Risk: 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 âparkâ position, the transmission may not be in âpark.â 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
Fix: 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 is 14152.
Full defect summary
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 june 25, 2003, through april 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 pontiac g6 vehicles manufactured from may 26, 2004, through september 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 saturn ion, 2009-2010 chevrolet hhr and 2010 chevrolet cobalts. Dealers will replace the eps motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx, 2005-2006 pontiac g6 and 2008-2009 chevrolet malibu, pontiac g6 and saturn aura built from mar
Full defect summary
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.
Transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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 instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until january 2013. Owners may contact general motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (460 complaints, typically around 83,000 miles); electrical (233 complaints, typically around 81,000 miles); lights (106 complaints, typically around 90,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 14, 2014 (speed control). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Chevrolet Malibu?
- It is 5th of 26 Malibu model years by number of complaints, with 989 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.