The 6 way front drivers seat has failed 6 times since 2006. the most recent incident was 3/15/2019. the first failure was in 2007. the welds that support the frame break and i have replaced the seat 3 times, welded 3 times. this is a significant safety issue as it has occurred while driving after hitting a bump and caused me to loose control of the car. i am reporting this now as the dealers ignore this as an issue and just want over a $1000 to replace the same defective part which will fail again. nhtsa is my last hope that lives will be saved. this is not an unusual problem as there are many reports of this defect.
The driver's seat frame is broken. the adjuster only raises the left side. in speaking with other malibu owners, this is a very common problem in both the sedan and maxx versions of this vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the driver seat frame welds fractured. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician verified the failure and replaced the seat frame. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 134,360. updated 02/26/16*lj
Attempting to adjust the driver's seat back it snapped and dropped on the right side, closest to the center column. driver;s seat now tilts towards the right. mechanic said it will not pass a safety inspection. upon reading nhtsa reviews by other owners of the same model there are multiple reports of the same incident. this really should be recalled.
The driver's seat frame weld on the front right corner has broken and the seat tilts to the side.
I own a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the front drivers seat recently has started uncomfortably leaning to the right and shiftng back and forth. i was just informed by my mechanic that the frame on the front seat drivers side is broken. he did not recommend trying to fix it due to the fact that by breaking it has affected the whole integrity of the frame. he advised me to get a new seat due to safety issues if being in accident or crash. he said the seat could come all the way loose and cause the driver to fly forward and sustain serious injury. also, it could cause the air bag to inflate prematurely. i would like to see gm do a recall due to this being a safety issue. and by doing research on the computer i have found that there are a lot of malibu owners that have had their car seat frames break. this problem is not due to abuse or extended wear. it is due to an inadequate, defective part. i need advice as to how to proceed with addressing this issue with gm. thank you.
I have owned a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx for a couple years. recently the drivers seat started wobbling and now sits uncomfortably crooked leaning to the right. i had my mechanic take the whole seat out to determine what the problem was and he said that the frame holding the seat to the floor had broken in 2 places. he said that there was no way to fix it safely for several reasons. he said that the materials for the frame were weak and inadequate. he said that it would be impossible to weld because there was no way to do it without possibly starting the seat on fire. he also brought up the facts that if a seat wasn't securely bolted to the floor and was loose that in a front end crash the seat would throw the driver forward into the windshield. the air bag "might" help slightly. or - if you were hit from the rear with the seat loose the seat would collapse backward and throw the driver to the rear of the car or possibly through the rear windshield. either situation could cause serious injury or death to a driver with this situation. my mechanic suggested replacing the whole seat but why would i spend the possible $900 and end up with a seat with the same inadequate, weak frame only to break again. the seat broke because of cheap, weak, inadequate materials that were used. it did not happen from wear and tear or abuse. it is a huge safety issue that gm needs to recall and fix at their expense. i hope others reading this complaint will pursue this issue with gm until a recall happens, and before any of us are killed!
I was driving about 35 mph on flat strait road when the drivers seat suddenly dropped down, back and toward the right. upon inspection i see that the weld on the brace/frame of the seat has broken. the seat is now unstable and sloping to the right. i fear the other side may snap as well. i see several other complaints regarding the exact same issue. this needs to be recalled before somebody is seriously hurt. *tr
Noticed seat moved and tended to lean driver toward center console. upon inspection the seat frame broke at the right rear. when the car accelerates the seat rocks backward for several inches. i have owned the car since it was purchased new from the dealer. *tr
Noticed the driver's seat no longer aligned properly: right side is down and back. inspection shows a seat frame weld broken at the forward cross bar where it is welded to the side frame. the metal crossbar tube broke away leaving the weld intact on the frame, indicating insufficient strength in the design and materials, based on my professional mechanical engineering background. internet research indicates broken welds on these driver seats to be a growing problem, often leaving the seat unstable, and negatively affecting the driver's control on the vehicle. this should be a prime safety recall issue! *tr
The track weld and brace on driver side power seat is fractured/broken causing extreme uneven sloping in seat. the seat moves while driving. multiple complaints about this issue with this car, why no recall on a faulty framing design? *tr
Noticed the seat tilted to the right and looked underneath to discover a broken weld on the front cross member of the seat frame. my wife is a petite woman and drives it most of the time. there was no accident or incident, it was just a poor weld. *tr
Possible defect in the construction of the front seat. seatbelt attached to seat; now useless. noticed other drivers have posted the same issue. front seat tips to the right. while driving ,the seat wobbles; seat appears to move as accelerating and moves when braking. possible defect in seat. have read other complaints; same issue; where is the recall letter? *tr
I was making a right turn when something under my seat popped and flung me to the passenger's side. when i got to my destination, i looked under the seat to find the horizontal metal bar on the seat frame snapped at the weld. *tr
2004 malibu lt, weld on rt front of 6 way driver seat broken, seat motor runs but can not make seat adjustments. the seat sags to right when trying to move forward or back. but will not move forward or back on the seat frame.
While driving down the expressway at approximately 70mph i hit a dip in the road heard a loud pop from under the front driver's seat. the seat dropped to the right causing me to nearly lose control of the vehicle. i really think that there should be some sort of recall on this vehicle as there have been numerous complaints about this seat incident. first search on google brought up this website which may be of concern to you. please look at this sincerely and consult with gm and issue a recall or something. this is going to get someone killed if its not fixed now. this is an obvious design flaw as when i inspected the support bar it was only welded on either corner of the bracket holding it on. there should have been a full and proper weld placed in this location as they had to know it would be a heavy stress point. *tr
The driver side seat fell down off the track on the right side. like where it should have been welded better. *tr
up until all these recent gm recalls came out, i had never had the need to read what other owners have been complaining about. now i am among those who now have a broken driver's seat frame that drastically leans toward the center console. i am the sole driver of this vehicle, so the seat does not get moved to accommodate other drivers. i weigh about 175#, so my weight should not be an issue either. since this seat frame failure has happened to so many other malibu owners, perhaps this should be treated as a serious issue. (my wife has a 2005 malibu maxx lt as well, so now i'm wondering if this sudden potential breakage is going to plague her vehicle and catch her off guard as it did to me). *tr
I was driving along a winding curvy road in my area and realized my seat kept rocking to the left and right every time i would go around a curve. it has never done this before. after getting home my husband took a look and could not find anything but it appears one of the bolts in the seat adjustment must be broken or gone as the seat will not move if lowered all the way down but rocks extensively the higher we raise the seat. this becomes a issue for me both ways as i need the higher seat to see clearly and if i do raise it then i am afraid i will get into an accident while trying to drive around corners etc due to the rocking of my seat. trying to get into chevrolet dealer to have them look and fix but service dept is backed up. *tr
The weld on the support beam underneath my driver's seat snapped and broke. my seat is now tilted to the right and bobbles every time i go over a speedup or turn. i'm already dealing with the defective power steering failure in which the wheel becomes unable to turn for a few seconds. and parts under recall won't be available till october...worst purchase ever, get it together gm. *tr
While adjusting drivers power seat, heard a loud snap and the right side of the seat frame seemed to fall down as the left side continued upward...the seat frame broke, apparently at a weld, and now i cannot adjust the seat upward at all as it just tilts to the right as it raises. the seat belts are attached to seat frame and in the event of a crash, there is no reason to expect them to work properly either. i have read lots of complaints of this happening on all malibu maxx's but, for some reason, the recall that i read about only covers 2005 and 2006 vehicles but the 2004 is identical and suffers the same problem....when is the recall going to be enlarged to cover this problem as the powersteering recall has just been? i just received notice of the power steering recall being expanded to the 2004 and just in time as the car has started alerts. *tr
I sat down in the front driver's seat and heard a loud snap. the seat immediately dropped down and to the right. the weld on the seat frame just snapped causing the power seat functions to no longer work. since the seat was moved as far back as possible at the time the frame broke, the bolts that remove the seat from the vehicle are completely covered and not accessible. i am stuck with driving a broken/ unsafe/ unmovable seat or paying over $1000 at the dealership to have this fixed. because of the safety issue i would be willing to spend the money at the dealership for a new seat but i have absolutely no faith that the new seat will work for long, especially after reading about some people having their seat repaired by the dealership multiple times (spending over $2000 total) and they're still driving around on a broken seat. when are we getting a recall?? the posts describing this issue go all the way back to 2005 and it seems that gm just doesn't care. *tt
Upon raising my power seat something broke. the motor is really loud and when it went up the left side did not go up right and the seat leans to the right into the center console, doesnt feel as though i have any support under right side of seat. i am short and i need to sit up to see over the steering wheel and i now cannot. seat belt is connected to seat frame and if im in an accident i feel the seat belt will not help. this issue needs to be recalled! read other people have this same issue on this same year. *tt
The drivers seat frame broke on my 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx causing it to lean and tilt back to the right toward the center console. it has the 6-way power seat. the 58,795 is less than average for the age of the car. i feel that this is a safety issue since the seat belt attaches to the frame of the seat. i feel that gm should have this on a recall to fix the problem. *tr
The drivers seat upon adjusting sagged to the left and the seat base moved unevenly causing the seat to rock. the seat was previously repaired for the same problem approximately 4 yrs ago. i believe that this is a definite safety issue i believe the seat would not hold up to even a small crash. *tr
On thursday october 17th while driving the seat all of a sudden dropped down on the right hand side, i brought to a repair shop on monday october 21st to have the seat looked at it. the welds on the right hand side of the seat frame are broken, the cost to fix this is going to be over $1100 because in order to fix the problem i need an entire new seat. after a lot of research i have discovered that this is an issue in the 2004 chevy malibu maxx, i found a website that had over 50 complaints of the exact same issue. i feel this should definitely be a recall issue since the welding had broken and seems to be an ongoing issue with this model car this sounds like a manufacturing error since it has occurred frequently with this year and model. *tr
Heard a thump and power seat sagged on right side. checked under seat and found weld had broken that holds a tube to a bracket. i could see that where the weld pulled loose from the tube it pulled metal from the tube. the weld did not break but pulled metal from the tube. the tube was made from thin gauge metal. *tr
While making a turn at 15 mph drivers seat dropped to floor. now drivers seat rocks back and in towards center console. adjusting the height twists the drivers seat to a dangerous angle. upon inspection it was determined that the seat frame welds broke on the back right corner of seat. an internet search has provided a vast number of complaints regarding this issue. with the seat attached at the seat this will no doubt fail in a moderate impact crash and leave the driver unsecured. this needs to be a recall by chevrolet. *jb
First off, everywhere i look online someone has problems regarding the chevrolet malibu maxx's seats. i was going about 30mph and i heard a pop cone from the drivers side seat frame when i turned a corner. the weld on one of the supporting bars popped off again after trying to weld it again which leads me to believe that the metal bar that broke was to weak and should not have been put in at the factory.i believe very strongly that these seats should be fixed because it is a major safety hazard and a financial burden on those seeking to get it fixed. thank you for reading my concerns. *tr
In june the drivers seat began listing to the right and rocking. the dealer looked at it and said it is a broken weld and quoted me $800.00 to fix it. then in sept of 2012 i was trying to maneuver out of a parking lot and the power steering locked up. it was really scary, it took all my might to get to a safe place to stop without hitting anyone. when i restarted it was okay and my mechanic did not see any obvious problem with it. also the cd player no longer will load up cds although the other functions and info on the little screen work. also the side mirrors no longer can be adjusted in the vertical plane although they still move horizontally. *tr
On february 28, 2013 i took my 2004 chevy malibu maxx to a local dealer to have the power seat fixed. the frame broke at the weld during normal use causing the seat to rock, it could not be adjusted, and was a safety hazard since the seat was not anchored. i spoke with a local chevy dealer before having this fixed and they confirmed that it was a problem, a safety issue, and that chevy had decided to not take any action on it july 16, 2013--spoke with someone in customer service at chevy. they said that the problem would have to be documented by a chevy dealer, although documentation could be provided by the shop that fixed the problem. chevy said they would of course want to know if there was a safety hazard with the vehicle. but they have no knowledge that this exists, even though the internet posts shows this to be quite a common complaint. imagine if one were in an accident and the entire seat was ejected. *tr
Front drivers seat frame rod severed at the weld joint causing the front seat to not remain in place and shift around during driving. *tr
While turning to the left the drivers seat suddenly shifted and was leaning to the right. the weld which holds the base together had broken. this is the second occurrence of this happening. the first time it was under warranty so it was repaired by the dealer. at that time we were told that it was a $1000 repair because the whole unit had to be replaced. this to me seems a dangerous situation since when the seat jerks there seems to be a period when there is a loss of control of the vehicle. i went on the computer when i got home and this seems to be a common problem. why is there no recall to fix this problem? *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the right side of the driver's seat suddenly collapsed to the floor. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they advised the contact that the seat needed to be welded or replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 54,000. updated 1/17/13 *cn updated 01/24/13
Right rear of power operated driver's seat failed to raise. removed seat for inspection and found two broken welds on seat frame - right side front and rear. disassembled seat and had frame welded locally. *tr
Driver's seat weld failed and seat shifted down and dropped to the right. also effected seat adjustment. rocked back and forth on the frame. seat had to be replaced, could not be repaired. *tr
For the second time my drivers seat has broken on the right hand side at a weld joint on the front cross rod. the first time it failed around 30,000 miles and the second time around 71,000 miles. this is a common problem, a safety issue and needs a recall. not only is chevrolet getting away with this, but the fix is complete seat frame replacement that cost the consumer about $1000. chevy wins again as they get to sell a defective part at a profit. a great deal for chevy until i buy my next car. time to do the right thing and do a recall. *tr
While adjusting the seat up, it suddenly dropped and leaned to the right. after inspecting under the seat, i found that the welds on the front frame bar broke loose also twisting the frame bar. this could have been very dangerous while driving as the seat really leaned over violently. also, it apears the seat belts are attached to these support bars. this issue still has not been repaired as the cost is over $1000. should we be involved in an accident, the seat will very easily tear away from the remaining welds possibly ejecting the driver along with the seat. the seat shifts and tilts drastically when turning vehicle. after researching this issue online, i find that several malibu maxx owners from several different years are having the exact same issue. this should be a safety recall issue as the seat will come loose along with the seat belts should vehicle be involved in an accident. *tr
The drivers seat right side dropped suddenly. my inspection revealed a weld to a structural member failed. the structural member actually failed in the weld heat affected zone. the wall thickness of the structural member was a tube with inadequate wall thickness for the design. i am a civilian nuclear engineer for the dod (navy) and can send a digital image of the failed part. it appears from an internet search that this is not an uncommon failure as i would expect from my inspection. *tr
Weld broke on front frame of drivers seat causing the seat to tilt to right and not go up and down properly. looks like it is broke at a weld point. *tr
Weld broke on seat and fell to the right. only way to drive was to put the seat all the way to the floor. have been looking for 2 years for a replacement seat in the junk yard. i have found 4 matching seats over the 2 years, but every one had the frame broken. problem is that in a severe accident the seat could come unhooked from the car. 2nd problem is that the safety belt hooks to the seat not the car or frame rendering the seatbelt useless. had it welded 3 times and breaks in less than a month. it is shame that chevrolet will not do a recall. probably because they have no solution as it was a poor design. i own 5 chevrolet vehicles including 3 malibu's, 2004, 2005 and 2011. none with problems like this. *tr
The driver seat leans due to the fact that the welds break. the front and the rear supports broke. i have read this happens to most of the seat. they don't make a replacement frame and therefore want me to buy a whole seat at a cost of 800 just for the seat. so here i am to say this isn't right and i'd like to have this fix at there expense since they want to make me buy the whole thing and not just a frame. *tr
The seat belt do not lock in case of an accident. the drivers seat rocks while you are driving an adjusts by itself you can not keep the seat still. the welding has come apart from the base. the head lights are melting the bulbs for the signal and running light. i just caught that last weekend the lights stopped working when i look at the bulb it was melted which could have started an fire. i am waiting for the letter for the recall on the stern now. this would be the second time for it. i keep my car up to date with everything oil and whatever need to be done i am on top of it. but i have to many safety issue with it right. seat belt, stern,drivers seat, headlights. not only that the rotor warps every six months. *tr
The seat belt do not lock in case of an accident. the drivers seat rocks while you are driving an adjusts by itself you can not keep the seat still. the welding has come apart from the base. the head lights are melting the bulbs for the signal and running light. i just caught that last weekend the lights stopped working when i look at the bulb it was melted which could have started an fire. i am waiting for the letter for the recall on the stern now. this would be the second time for it. i keep my car up to date with everything oil and whatever need to be done i am on top of it. but i have to many safety issue with it right. seat belt, stern,drivers seat, headlights. not only that the rotor warps every six months. *tr
While driving our 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx with a 6 position driver seat, i hit a pothole and the driver seat broke loose. this caused the seat to drop down, back and to the right. this resulted in a momentary loss of control causing me to pull the steering wheel to the right and ending up off the road and hitting a small tree. the contact to the tree caused damage to the trim around the headlight and the lens. inspection found 2 welds on the seat frame had broken. the 1st weld is on the front cross bar and right frame rail. the 2nd weld had broken on the rear cross bar and the frame where the seatbelt receptacle is attached. we called the chevy customer service line and we were told that chevy had not had received complaints about broken welds on the seat frame but would be happy to record our concern. we talked to the dealer and we were informed that this was not covered under warranty. i asked about recalls and tsb's regarding this issue and was informed there had been no recalls or tsb's reported on the seat frame. in fact this was the first time our local dealer had ever seen this type of failure. repair for the seat alone will be over $1,000 not to mention the other damage caused by running off the road.i called in our area and was told this was a common problem and they could not keep seats in stock. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) *tt
The 2004 chevy malibu maxx has a faulty drivers seat. the base and frame fracture and cause the seat to lean to the right and prohibit it from rising. this happened once and we had it replaced at a cost of $900. it has happened again. i searched online and found a number of others with this vehicle with the exact problem. my wife cannot even drive the car with the seat so low and it is a safety issue. chevy needs to do a recall and stop those of us who have tried multiple fixes and it continues to break. *kb
Driver seat broken at weld mount. *tr
The front driver's become loose and rocket to the right side. took the vehicle to the dealer who said the seat frame broke. dealer states frame must be replaced - cost $1200.00 i asked if it could be welded and he said no because it's a safety issue. i've never had a car whose frame broke from normal use. i see on the internet that there are many other similar complaints and feel this should be investigated for a recall. i only found out about other because of a automotive forum. there are many others like this who i'm sure don't know about your website. *tr
The front drivers seat rail is broken. this is a safety concern since the seat belt is connected to the frame. i have searched online and found this is a common problem for many owners of the 2004 malibu maxx. the broken frame cause the seat to fall and shake while driving. i had a mechanic try to fix it and he said it is not possible and chevy has discontinued the car. i have been unable thus far to find a new seat but suspect even if i buy a new one the same faulty issue with the weld will occur. http://www.automotiveforums.com/t919217-discuss2004_chevy_malibu_maxx_broken_power_seat.html *kb
The passenger front seat went to adjust it and it started going up at an angle. it got tilted and loose, the only way to correct was to put it all the way down to the floor but can feel it rock. all i can think of is i am screwed in an accident. also the power steering indicator comes on all the time and when you get an oil change, then it disappears for a little while, then comes on again everytime you start the car. *kb