Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

While driving door locks continually go up and down and while parked door locks open and close until we took fuse out to stop. this is a safety hazard can't open door while its doing this and can't lock doors, because they start going up and down again, afraid will drain battery or cause an accident because of this distraction. *tr

While idling with the vehicle in gear at a drive-thru window, the ignition turned off without any input (intentional or unintentional) from the driver. because the vehicle was not listed as being impacted by the ignition switch recall, i had not removed the many keys that i keep on my key ring. no report made at the time, anticipating the ignition switch recall would eventually be widened to include my vehicle, but it has not. decided it's time to finally file a report in case my vehicle is part of an as yet, undetected problem with the ignition. (currently following the suggestion to minimize what is kept on the keyring that holds the key to the vehicle.) *tr

The electronic power steering failed while driving on highway, causing loss of normal steering control, making the vehicle difficult to steer. vehicle had to be moved out of traffic and restarted to reset the failure. loss of steering and esc. error code later determined to have been co545 (steering torque sensor). *tr

Rear right door (rear passenger) lock failing to open. started to randomly open and now it's totally dead. if the door fails to open getting my kid out of the car in an emergency can be impossible even for other passengers sitting on the back. this needs an urgent investigation. a lot of owners have the same issue and surprised to see a lot of complaints here as well regarding the locks/actuators. gm is aware of the issue about actuators failing consistently too, in some occasions they have made the replacements free of charge or at a discounted price. *tr

I was driving at highway speed (approx. 75 mph) the steering wheel began to shake and the traction control to turn on and off. then suddenly i had no power steering. this happened to me at night and suddenly, with our any warning. it is concerning to me that this problem has not been recalled! i found it to be extremely challenging not to loose control of the car since i had been traveling comfortably at 75mph, then suddenly had no power steering. i cannot stress the danger of this occurrence and the possible unfortunate outcome had my wife been driving with my kids in the car. this needs to be recalled now....do not wait until it has cost someone their life! *tr

I did not have an accident yet. there was a recall for my car. the information i provided above on march 13, 204 i took the car back to the dealer to have it fixed. but the problems are still happening..i took it back and they said it was just some water leaking on the electrical wiring and would need replaced. i did not have the money at the time but did take it to my local mechanic where he also put it on the computer and advised that there is no water leakage. i have another incident the other day where i lost power and almost got in an accident. my taction got disabled as well. i have an appointment at kenny ross in irwin to take it back so they can look at it again, but i don't trust them. the car was bought with low mileage and i go no where as i work from home, still has low mileage..i should not be having problems. the original recall repairs were never done...can you please advise what i should do in this ase. *tr

While luckily driving on city streets around 35mph the "power steering needs servicing" light came on. thought it might need power steering fluid and was told my model didn't use fluid - it was all electrical in the steering column. since it was still under warranty i took it the next day to the chevy dealer who sold it to me and was told it wasn't covered at a cost of over $600. *js

Within a week of owning car error code p0011 camshaft alignment?came up. dealer got light to go off. said nothing was wrong with car. electrical problems with power locks also, now my complete steering column is gone.5 error codes c0545/c0561, non functioning electric power steering. i am lucky that i didn't die in this car or worse kill someone. i can't believe there is no recall on this car. plenty of complaints online. are we waiting for people to die???? seriously. my car is at the dealership today and gm district specialist is dealing with the customer experience department at the dealership to see what they can do. i think this will be the last chevrolet that i ever purchase. unsafe. i hope people know how to complain on here because there are a lot of complaints online. 2008 was recalled for same issues. maybe they used some of their old parts in my car from 2008. *tr

Left rear door lock actuator failed to operate. this is the 3rd rear door lock actuator to fail on this car. original owner, replaced 2 locks under warranty, now a 3rd actuator failure. this door is the primary door used for entry/egress by children. this is a serious safety concern due either the inability to safely remove a child in an emergency, or leave the door unlocked while driving. there are many, many complaints of the same problem on this vehicle nation wide over the last 5 years. please initiate an investigation into this safety issue. *tr

This is the second time in two years the passenger headlight has went out. the first time was three weeks after purchasing the vehicle. now again, this can not be a simple headlight just going out on the exact same side. *tr

I own a 2009 chevrolet malibu that i bought brand new from a dealership. approximately one year ago (2014) my power locks started failing. primarily the driver's door and the rear driver's door, although the passenger side doors have failed on occasion. the locks will not unlock or lock, intermittently. the rear driver's door won't work at all anymore and you have to climb over the seats to manually pull up the lock. i notice this occurs more often when the weather is hot outside, and less frequently when it is cooler outside. this is a big safety hazard and i am afraid that if i get into an accident there will be issues in getting myself or passengers out of the vehicle safely. i only have 44,000 miles on the vehicle. this needs to be addressed as i see many many malibu owners have filed a complaint with this issue. *tr

Both front speakers, in the doors, do not work. i cannot hear chimes from turn signals being on too long, from keys being in the ignition when the doors are open and other such warning signals. it has caused confusion at times when the warning signals are not alerting me to problems while driving.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that they had to replace the headlights an excessive amount of times. the contact stated that replacement headlights were needed an average of once or twice a year. the contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the wiring harness that was connected to the headlights was faulty, would overheat, and burn out, causing the headlights to fail. the wiring harness had not been replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that there was no recall regarding the failure. the contact was referred to nhtsa to file a complaint. the dealer was not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 185,200.

The brake lights will come on randomly. this also causes the cruise control to kick off. the lights will stay on for varying lengths. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the brake lights illuminated while driving at various speeds and would dim when the brake pedal was depressed. the dealer located a failure code at the brake pedal position sensor. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer stated that the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). the failure mileage was 53,694.

To the nhtsa person reviewing this: please assist on this issue, we depend on you escalating this issue. the problem contained here is a major safety issue potentially catastrophic condition waiting to happen. we (owners of chevy malibus of years 2008-09, and 10') need an investigation to be initiated. summary of problem: the chevrolet malibu 2008,2009, and 2010 has a manufacturing problem with the door lock actuators (which open and close the locks on the doors). for the malibu year 2009, at approximately 35k mile mark all power locks of all four doors randomly open and lock at any vehicle forward speed at random times. an unprecedented amount of lack of safety concerns have been brought up from countless customers through different websites and are beginning to come in a more formal manner such as this public tool. safety flaw: since the opening an closing of the locks on doors is of random manner and of rapid frequency (opens and closes very fast) it poses all occupants to remain inside the vehicle unable to escape in the event of a fire, vehicle crash, or any other emergency. likewise, when the intent is to have the doors locked it poses the issue that the door locks will become open at unexpected times. solution: avoid casualties, incidents, and keep the safety of our loved ones in mind. we need the nhtsa to launch an investigation on this issue. *tr

The drive linkage bushing keeps separating from the ball joint causing the windshield wipers not to work at all. this has happened multiple times, even after purchasing and installing brand new windshield wiper bushings. *tr

Brake lights malfunction. thank god, i was driving behind my wife and her malibu's brake lights were not on when she braked. and then turned on when she didn't have her foot on the brake pedal. took to dealership, and he said he's been seeing that alot lately. please recall before someone has major accident! thank you *tr

for several months my passenger side door will either lock (and you cannot get out of the car) or, once you are out, the door lock prevents the door from closing. this has occurred only when stopped, at this point.the problem has been intermittent and gives no warning. i am also having issues with the lighting on the instrument panel; when outside lighting is dim, it often will not come on if set in auto mode. both have been reported to dealer and i am told they "cannot reproduce the problem- bring it back when it is occurring!". both issues raise significant safety concerns for me. i certainly hope gm isn't waiting for some of us or family members to be killed before they act to correct these issues. *tr

The cruise control was malfunctioning and after researching the problem i discovered that the brake lights could also be affected. when applying the brake the light in the rear window would actually go completely off. the repair is described in tsb 08-05-22-009c and was completed. the problem appears to be fixed. however it appears there was a previous recall for this type of problem with earlier general motors models and the problem is still recurring. chevrolet has not send any kind of notice to owners about this potentially dangerous situation. the computer code c0131 is activated when this occurs. *tr

Both keyless remotes had to be replaced due to malfunctions when trying to lock or unlock vehicle. both transmitters had to be replaced according to dealer? vehicle only had 42,245 miles and purchased new. *tr

The malibu my wife and i own have had problem with the left passenger door lock not being actuated when commanded. for example, when the door was commanded to lock, it would stay unlocked. but more seriously, it would stay locked when commanded to unlock. i took it to neuville motors in waupaca, wi, a gm/chevy dealer, to have it fixed. according to a service manager at the dealership, door lock actuator malfunctions in malibus from that model year is common and he sees many of them come in with exact same problem as my car's. i believe a door staying locked when commanded to open is a serious safety hazard if a rapid evacuation out of the vehicle becomes necessary. also, if the vehicle rolls on the side of the opposite side of malfunctioning door, evacuating passengers occupying rear seats can be a challenge as the only door available may stay locked when commanded to unlock. i have contacted gm, but they insisted that they are not responsible as the vehicle is out of warranty and a recall was not issued by your administration. the reference number of my complaint with gm is [xxx]. i believe this is a serious safety issue if children/elderly/pets are occupying the rear seat, or the passenger in the back seat becomes unconscious in case of a crash. please consider issuing a recall if the problem is a common one. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving at 30 mph, the contact noticed smoke coming from the front passenger side head lamp. in addition, both the passenger and driver side high and low beam head lamps failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the wiring harness and the head lamp assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred on numerous occasions. the contact also stated that while at a stop light, "service esc, service traction. esc off" was displayed across the message board. the esc warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). the failure mileage was unknown.

Suddenly the door locks on the drivers side of the vehicle, front and back, began working intermittently.the remote key fob does not work, and the manual button to lock and unlock the doors does not always work. the locks only partially lock, resulting in the doors being able to be partially pulled open from the outside. sometimes the two locks on the drivers side do not lock at all. also, the electric windows started malfunctioning - the passenger window cannot be raised and lowered from the drivers side. this appears similar to a recall in the news covering door lock malfunctions in other gm vehicles, but the 2009 malibu is not included in the recall as far as i can tell. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the rear interior power door locks failed to unlock when the key fob and power lock module were activated. the doors could only be unlocked manually. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Electric door lock on the rear driver side door does not work properly in warm or hot weather. you can hear the actuator trying, but it will only "partially"l ock/ unlock the door or not even budge the internal manual lever whether the remote fob or internal control switch is used. things work fine when it is cold. this is definitely related to heat because in the spring and fall this is only a problem when the sun shines on the driver's side of the car. furthermore, in the summer the lock will often work after running the a/c for 30 minutes or so. i think this problem started when the car was 3-4 years old. we can use the key to unlock the door, and if we use the remote fob first, the alarm won't sound. just the same, it is aggravating.

Brake lights come on without pressing the pedal and when u press the pedal they go off for a second and come back on this has happened numerous times. *tr

I was in my driveway preparing for windshield installation. kept on hearing intermittent clicking. realized it was the power door locks. they were not fully locking or unlocking, only attempting to. it continued for a few days then stopped for a few weeks. yesterday we were on a 75 mile drive and 75 miles back with the locks incessantly going through their intermittent rapid cycling. i never know for certain if my doors are locked or not. besides being extremely distracting and irritating while driving, there is the presence of a safety issue. there are a lot of scenarios that could be played out. *tr

Recently, i experienced a failed door locking actuator in my 2009 chevy malibu while driving my 2yr old to daycare. i was turning right out of my neighborhood, when my door(driver's door) swung open. i grabbed it and tried shutting, but the locking mechanism was locked, so it wouldn't shut. i pulled over and had to manually unlock the door so my door would shut. i couldn't even imagine if this situation occurred to a door in the backseat with my daughter sitting there in her child seat. fast forward one week, and now 3 of my 4 locking actuators are failed. i did some research on the internet and noticed that there are numerous complaints from malibu owners about these failed locking actuators. i then started to wonder if there was a recall on this. i called gm and they said there isn't a recall and that is just normal part failure. normal part failure?!?! i've had the car for less than 4 years and have only put 45k miles on it. in my opinion, this is a major safety issue. *tr

Heating element of heated seat feature burned a hole completely through the front of the driver's seat back. the hole is centered in the lower lumbar area of the seat back. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle made an abnormal noise. the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning light illuminated. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 100,000.

Power door locks do not work. i bought this beautiful 2009 chevy malibu used w 48,000 miles, i had it only 2 months before problems started with the locks. all locks will not open or close using the interior switch nor the key fob. if you manually open the lock by pulling it up and then start the car and put it in gear, the locks will engage automatically and lock the door properly. i checked online and everyone says the problem with the locks is the bcm connection and lack of dielectric grease.gm needs to also fix the power lock issue, it is very much well known on the internet. anyway, checking forums it seems gm is aware of the locks failing consistently. we all owners of chevy malibu's have this issue with 2008, 2009, 2010 power locks that malfunction. this is a safety issue since the doors can lock and unlock at random times. i have owned chevrolet autos for 40 years and never had one actuator go out so 4 at once is obviously a manufacturing defect and should be covered by chevy. this is also a safety issue. i always have to roll down the windows just to open the door for my kids or anyone who is going in the back. its very annoying and i just about had it with the malibu even though the car drives nice it getting irritated. i don't have money to fix this problem. *tr

Driver side and passenger side automatic door locks have failed. intermittently, opening any of the four doors at any given time will cause all locks to engage. *tr

My rear driver door lock will not activate. only manually. very dangerous. it seems to be a very common thing with these cars. they have bad actuators. this should be a recall by general motors... *tr

Brake light turn on without braking, brake lights don work while braking, traction control becomes disabled, cruise will not activate, will not come out of park. *tr

Both passenger side doors locks only stopped working electrically and only work manually, i began to notice this about two weeks ago, they were only working about half the time. i took it to the dealer and they told me the car is out of warranty, and even its a common problem they want me to pay roughly $500.00 dollars for the repair. i think this is a safety concern because in the event of a traffic collision i will not be able to get my kids out of the vehicle quickly since you cannot unlock the rear doors through the outside of the vehicle manually with a key. i contacted gm customer service and addressed my concern to no avail. i don't think it is right for a 3 year old car to be having such problems, i also own a 1996 honda civic whose doors still work properly?? thank you.. there are a lot of unsatisfied customers on this forum....http://www.chevymalibuforum.com/foru...ead.php?t=7950. *tr

The passenger front headlight burned out. i took it to the dealership and had it replaced. within a week or so, it had burned back out. at that time the dealership determined that the entire headlight assembly needed to be replace. i researched the problem on.chevymalibuforum.com and this is apparently very common. *tr

Back driver side turning light bulb keeps burning out. before it goes out it will work sometimes. so i don't think it is the bulb, but some other issue. at this time my car is 6 years old with 32,000 miles and this will be the 4th time of changing this bulb. *tr

Malibu has had a couple of different problems. while driving the electrical panel including warning lights would flicker on and off along with the vehicle losing power. multiple times the vehicle was taken to a local dealership who ultimately told me a grounding wire had some problems and they fixed the issue. the vast majority of the problems were solved with that fix. since then the vehicle has had issues with the steering. while driving the steering wheel will move itself back and forth. the problem is not all the time, and very random. this usually happens within the first few minutes after the start of the vehicle. when moving the steering wheel will wobble back and forth even with both hands on the wheel.

I had a problem with the brake light function. when driving, the brake lights would be on. when pressing the brake, the lights would turn off. i had to pay to have a switch replaced by the dealership to fix this issue. *tr

Within a one year period, had to have all 4 wheel bearings replaced, a strut, and the front sway bar linkage. 2009 malibu ltz, 3.6 l v6 with approx. 32,000 miles.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the doors would sporadically become locked and unlocked independently. additionally, the contact noticed a burning odor inside the vehicle and the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection and the contact was awaiting diagnosis of the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 90,000. the current mileage was 100,000.

The power locks on the car would not unlock the doors, leaving the passengers trapped inside. we were unable to open the doors manually, electrically or even with inserting the key into the door. passengers had to crawl out of the windows. after trying the key and remote numerous times the driver side door unlocked but would not relatch when the door was closed or even after starting the engine and placing the transmission in gear. the locks sound like they engage and disengage leaving one to think every thing is okay but, it is not. this a serious safety hazard and one that could be life threatening. *tr

I had a headlight go out over a year ago, had to pay 300$ to get it replaced (new design.... makes everything complicated, thanks gm!). not even 3 months later, same headlight out again (passenger). my mechanic noticed water in the light compartment (condensation) which he says will cause them to overheat and die. got the light changed again, hoping avoiding car-washes was the solution. nope. out again. and then on again! and now out again for the past 4 months. i haven't had the money to get it fixed and by the grace of god i have not gotten a ticket. the brights both work!!!! i believe it is a wiring problem, and judging from the internet this problem seems frequent enough to warrant a recall. note: there have been numerous electrical problems on this car, but i would like to focus on this one getting recalled. *tr

Rear passenger side door does not unlock unless manually unlocked. vehicle was sold to me used by cadillac west of las vegas. upon selling of the vehicle, i was told this was a malfunction and the dealership would fix this. tried calling once and they refused to do so, saying it was gm's issue. figured they just sold it "as is", wasn't aware that this was so common. *tr

After lowering the left-side passenger window several inches, i was unable to raise it via the driver's door control panel. i could make it descend all the way using that panel but not ascend at all. i was able to raise the window only by using the left-side passenger door switch; the driver's door control panel was useless for that particular window only. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the battery melted and leaked acid onto the engine. prior to the failure, the air bag light intermittently illuminated. an acid odor also became present and smoke emitted from under the hood. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the battery suffered a meltdown and released acid onto the engine compartment. the dealer replaced the battery, the negative cable, and cleaned the engine. the contact expressed concern that the failure may recur. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 38,000.

The car door locks cycle on and off at any given time. mostly stays unlocked, although the other day it did lock me in the car this was just as frightening as them not being locked. i can be stopped a stop light or driving 70 mph and the locks are cycling on and off. the unlock/lock bottom in the door panel does not work. i feel very unsafe with my door locks cycling on/off. i work downtown by the county jail and i feel very unsafe driving anywhere down there with my doors unlocked. i park in a parking garage that has had some theft, i hope my car does not get robbed. i also have small children that ride in the car and feel unsafe driving around the city or highways with the doors unlocked. i hope the doors don't fly open or if in a wreck there would be nothing preventing the doors from opening. i need to take this car on a five hour road trip next weekend, with kids in the car, the sound of the locks cycling on/off will be a distraction while driving. i hope this problem can be repaired soon. i have read many chevy malibu's with this same problem and when i called gm regarding this issue they know of this problem, unsure if the are going to help me at this point. i take my car to the dealership on monday. i sure hope gm and the car dealership sees this as a safety issue. a well known gm lock malfunction and repairs this problem at their cost. *tr

The car door locks cycle on and off at any given time. mostly stays unlocked, although the other day it did lock me in the car this was just as frightening as them not being locked. i can be stopped a stop light or driving 70 mph and the locks are cycling on and off. the unlock/lock bottom in the door panel does not work. i feel very unsafe with my door locks cycling on/off. i work downtown by the county jail and i feel very unsafe driving anywhere down there with my doors unlocked. i park in a parking garage that has had some theft, i hope my car does not get robbed. i also have small children that ride in the car and feel unsafe driving around the city or highways with the doors unlocked. i hope the doors don't fly open or if in a wreck there would be nothing preventing the doors from opening. i have read many chevy malibu's with this same problem and when i called gm regarding this issue they know of this problem, unsure if the are going to help me at this point. i take my car in on monday. i sure hope gm sees this as safety issue and fixes this problem at their cost. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the driver's side headlight failed to illuminate. the contact mentioned that the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the bulb and harness were replaced, but the failure recurred. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 95,000.