Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Malibu AIR BAGS

I was driving and the steering wheel was really hard to steer

Takata recall passenger air bag is sunken in to the dashboard.

Traveling east turning left going 17 mph, struck by a van going the speed limit which is 50 head on, driver airbag deployed, passenger airbag did not. passenger is 5'4' and 120 lbs

My air bag light comes on and off

Passenger headlight has blown twice in less then a year. driver side air bag warning light keeps coming on. drivers side seat belt no longer retracts.

Passenger air bag service light comes on. passenger air bag is off when this is noted by the vehicle's service light comes on.

I have had multiple ignition switch failures resulting in loss of airbag systems, the engine not shutting off when the key is removed, the battery dying, a brand new battery started smoking and leaking acid due to a 3rd faulty ignition switch. the issue can be spotty but indefinitely becomes more prevalent as whatever short in the switch gets worse. this is also across multiple switch manufacturers including bwd, ac delco and bmg. i have also noticed that the airbag system may remain on even with the vehicle off and, the battery drainage is much more prevalent when the airbag stays either in the on or off position with the vehicle off. the other issue this causes is the airbag system to completely go off line in which case the airbag warning light will go off but this usually resolves itself after 2 to 10 starts.

Takata recall the airbag light has come on and stays on something with the steering, wheels, drivetrain, and possibly bcm. a lot of vibration when driving and braking. becoming such an issue to the point i fear to have my 11 month old child in it.

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while slowing down to approach a traffic light, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front driver's side bumper by another vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was filed. the contact and front seat passenger sustained minor injuries to the neck and back. the contact sought medical attention. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was unknown.

I was on my way to work south bound on 1 st avenue when another vehicle turn from on coming traffic to cross in front of me to head west bound when we impacted my seat belt did not restrain me at all my head hit the drivers door window very hard and deflected off and continued to the hit the front window then airbag then deployed after to throw be back into my seat after.

Tl* the contact owned a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while the contact was stopped at a red light, a fedex truck crashed into the rear of the vehicle and pushed the contact's vehicle into traffic. as a result, another vehicle crashed into the driver's side of the contact's vehicle. the air bags did not deploy. the contact sustained head injuries and received medical attention. a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. the local dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not informed of the issue. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 31,000. *bf updated 8/20/18*jb

I was driving on i-95 in north dakota. straight road, no vehicles near me, no bumps and my passenger curtain airbag exploded. i was going about 80 mph.

On friday, 19 may 2017 at approximately 9:15 pm i was driving westbound on thunderbird road and 84th avenue in peoria, arizona while operating my white in color 2009 chevrolet malibu at forty mph when all of a sudden, i heard a loud bang, saw a flash of light and smelled a fire. instantly, shrapnel flew throughout the car and my seatbelt tightened. the first thing i thought was have i been shot or is my car on fire? i immediately lost my hearing for several minutes and had pain on the left side of my chest. my passenger curtain side airbags had deployed suddenly and without notice. the airbag failure mileage was 62,000. (photographs attached) i was in shock, i didn't know if i was hurt or what had happened. i was right near my home and the car could still drive, so i went the couple of blocks home. i pulled into the driveway, turned off the car, and carefully took off my seatbelt. i went inside to the mirror to examine my body, to see how hurt i was. i wasn't bleeding, but it felt like i had been burned, my chest was stinging and i had burns and welts on my chest that were approximately three inches in length and two inches wide. i was very concerned so i then took a shower to wash the chemicals and whatever had flown throughout the vehicle off of my body. (photographs attached) **time sensitive - i need to make a decision on what to do by december 14th-

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving 40 mph, the passenger air bag deployed without warning or impact. the vehicle was towed to a local dealer (power chevrolet arrowhead, 9055 w bell rd, peoria, az 85382). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the driver sustained injuries to the chest, which required medical attention. a police report was not filed. the manufacturer was notified of the issue and opened case number: 5911664. the contact spoke with renita jackson at 866-446-6963 (claim number: 866407). the failure mileage was 62,000. *ln updated 9/13/18*jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 40 mph, the driver's seat air bag deployed without warning. the contact sustained an arm injury, which required medical attention. the dealer stated that the repair was not covered under warranty. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

For the last few months i been having trouble with my car. first it started with my lock buttons. whenever i would push the buttons nothing would happen but when i closed my doors it would start locking on and off all by themselves. my esc always giving me trouble one day the light is on and the next it's off. whenever the light was on i took it to get checked but no code came up. till this day i have trouble with my esc! at time it's would say it had cut off!!! the air bag sensor goes on and off also. some days it's on some days it's not!! well today march 29, 2017 i was driving to work and my car just starts to slow down. it wasn't taking no gas at so i pulled over and put the car in park. when i pressed down on the gas it gave it some gas. i took the car out of park and drove off

The sensor that determines if the passenger airbag turns on does not work properly. i weigh 100 pounds (which is above the threshold for what should trigger the airbag to be on) and about half the time the airbag is disabled when i am sitting in the seat properly with my feet on the ground and the chair upright. i contacted chevrolet to have them reimburse the cost of fixing this issue because it is a safety issue and has caused recalls in other chevrolet cars, but they have refused to investigate. the sensor malfunction doesn't seem to be correlated with whether the vehicle is stationary, in motion, on a street or highway, etc. it happens about half of the time and can sometimes go on and off during the same car trip even if i stay in the same position the whole time. this issue has reported for chevrolet malibus on several online forums so i know it isn't an isolated issue with my car. we are concerned about what could happen if we were in a crash and the airbag didn't go off or went off late when the passenger's body was too close to the airbag.

When i turn on the turn signals they both work properly, but when i turn the wheel and make the turn then signal does not turn off !! the problem,as my mechanic claims is a defective (clock spring assembly) in the steering column. i believe this is a safety problem and there should be a recall to correct this problem !! the reason i believe this is a safety issue is i must always look down at the instrument panel to see if the signal is off or on, requiring me to not have my eyes on the road ahead. i hope you can visualize what this entails and the safety issues i experience when i drive my malibu which i love . thank you for your understanding !! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the air bags deployed inadvertently. the vehicle was towed to the residence. the contact sustained injuries to the left shoulder and laceration of the arm and left side which required medical attention due to the air bag deployment. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 159,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle struck a deer. the air bags did not deploy, but the air bag sensor light illuminated. a police report was filed. the contact sustained a minor injury that did not require medical attention. the vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was later taken to a local dealer per the insurance guidelines. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,000. the vin was not provided.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated after the vehicle was started. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred while driving approximately 25 mph. the vehicle was then taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil spring needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the passenger side air bag and seat belt warning lights were constantly illuminated. the failure occurred randomly. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

First issue happened with the driver low beam not working then work again a few days later. the problem keeps going on from passenger and driver low beams. i've noticed the connectors were melted and changed them and they would both work for a few weeks then one would go out again. second issue is the passenger airbag doesn't turn on when passengers are in the vehicle. it works sometimes but not everytime. third issue is the passenger side door locks. the door locks work sometimes and again not everytime like they should. there's a lot of people reporting these same issues but nothing gets done unless it's out of our pockets.

First issue noticed was passenger airbag not on while passengers are in front and rear of vehicle. the passenger airbag sensor works 50% of the time. second issue started close to the same time as the airbag. when using the keyless entry or the electric lock buttons inside the car , it fails to lock or unlock the passenger side doors. after 30 minutes or so it will then lock the doors. the latest issue started on the 19th of november 2014 with the driver side lowbeam not working as like it's blown. the car has been sitting for two days since and now the lowbeam is working but, it's dim compared to the passenger lowbeam. i believe there's a short in the electrical system from manufacturer. there are many forums online about these issues online from other owners. this car has not had any aftermarket installations of its electrical components and the battery is new. chevrolet needs to take the time when manufacturing their vehicles instead of cutting corners. their customers safety should be valued better than worrying about sales. you would think after going under they would take the time to do things right the first time. i highly doubt i will ever purchase a vehicle manufactured after 2002 from chevrolet due to all of the electrical components that fail or cause serious injury or death. please fix these issues or lose a 15 year customer. *tr

Leaving my subdivision trying to make a left turn when i was hit on the driver's side passenger door, just shy of the driver's door. side airbags did not deploy. therefore, onstar did not contact me. i rec'd injuries and had to be transferred to hospital. car was totaled. person that hit me was going at least 45-55 mph.......updated 09-03-14 *bf updated 11/7/2014 *js *tr

I was stopped at a red light and a man who wasn't paying attention came speeding up and rear ended me he hit me so hard that my car hit the car in front of me and that car hit the car in front of him. 4 cars total. my airbags did not deploy and i am suffering from many injuries because of that. the man who hit me was going around 50 miles per hour. i believe with such impact that he hit me the airbags should have deployed. my face slammed into the steering wheel and hurt me very badly also i am concerned about the seat and the seatbelt. the seat i was in is all broken now due to the accident and i am also thinking that the seatbelt is also defective. *tr

While driving at 10mph after making a left hand turn my curtain side airbag on the drivers side deployed. there were luckily no injuries. the car filled with smoke, and my ear was ringing for 1 week. my hip was sore for a few days from the drivers seat airbag that deployed also. the road was clear, no pot holes, no rain. snow or ice. it was a residential street. after supposedly investigating gm has not discovered any mechanical reason for the deployment. they retrieved all the information from the sdm and have stated that they want to purchase my vehicle back to research further. i am currently using a loaner car from the dealership near my home. gm has still not offered me a good enough settlement for me to purchase a new car. *js

I was traveling wb ih-30 west of e. grand ave in the hov lane. a car was stopped in front of me due to heavy traffic. i was coming to a stop. a truck rear ended me due coming into the hov lane very fast, made contact with me from behind knocking me into the car in front of me. when the truck hit me, he smashed the whole back end forcing the back windshield to break and my face hit the steering wheel causing severe bruising around my left eye. my air bags did not deploy when the truck crashed into me. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph over an ice patch, the contact lost control of the vehicle as it spun in a 360 degree turn. the vehicle then stalled and proceeded to slightly crash, and slide against a guardrail. there were no injuries and a police report was not filed however, the front bumper and grill were damaged. the contact was able to restart the vehicle after the incident and proceed normally. the air bags did not deploy. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries reported. the vehicle was able to be driven after the crash. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 79,000.

Start car up for work at 6:15am an service air bag indicator light was on never was on before. as of jan5 2014. *tr

Re-occurrence of a prior complaint. driving my vehicle on a local highway when the service traction and service esc displays came on. car began to sputter as though it were going to stall. coasted to the side of the highway, and after idling for a minute the displays returned to normal. after driving about 2 miles further, it happened again. it continued to happen throughout the rest of my drive. the next day, it ran fine for about 10 miles or so, and then began stalling again and began to lose some braking and steering. last time this issue occurred, the brake lights also locked on leaving the drivers behind me thinking that i was braking. last time these alerts were displayed my vehicle died completely and had to be serviced. now, it seems to be progressing towards the same result. gm will not acknowledge that there is an issue, but hundreds of malibu and hhr owners since 2008 seem to disagree. i once again contacted the dealership that gave me the explanation of it requiring hundreds of dollars to diagnose. seeing that this has been occurring for at least 5 years, i would imagine that gm is aware that there is an issue. unfortunately, it always seems that it takes the death of several drivers before there is a response. one driver in a printed chat with a gm rep stated that the issue caused his vehicle to crash due to the loss of abs and power steering, and his airbag failed to deploy. isn't a loss of braking, steering, air bag, brake lights and acceleration a safety concern? *tr

The vehicle is experiencing intermittent problems with the passenger position sensing system which cause the passenger air bag system to become disabled, notwithstanding a passenger being seated in the affected passenger seat. *tr

I was driving to work april 10th & i was side swipe by an 18 wheeler dump truck starting on my driver side passenger door. my front end was hit by the nose of the dump truck, i was spun 180 degrees slammed into a school bus to which the truck squashed me up against the bus dragged me up the q bridge leaving me there with no air bags deployed or onstar alert! my concern is i have front & side airbags & i am not sure why none of them went off. my car was towed away & i was unable to drive it away & is now totaled! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the air bag warning light intermittently illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to a mechanic or the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were 29,230.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the passenger side headlight failed to work without warning. the contact stated that the bulb was changed; however, the failure recurred. the contact also stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated and would not recognize if someone were seated in the passenger side of the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 40,000.

My daughter rear ended another vehicle, hard enough for her passenger to hit her head on the dashboard and do a lot of damage to the front end of the car, no one was injured other than her hitting her head pretty hard. however, the air bags did not deploy. *tr

I was hit by a truck that struck the driver front end and side panel. i was moving about 1-15 mph (?)driver was texting and taling on bluetooth did not see us, cited for failing to stop. other driver was driving faster than 15 mph making a left turn. she never put on brakes. none of the air bags deployed. onstar never called like in the commercials on t.v. all passengers hurt enough to have to see a chiropractor 10xs for back, neck, knees, headache - all over body pain. awful x-rays... chiropractor stated i'd been less hurt if bags had deployed. i the driver have to see a md tommorrow can't stand back pain . called gm was told it may take 120 days to check car but i would have to pay for my rental during the process. gm can easily say nothings wrong to me and not pay for rental. gm rep said if i refuse the terms then case will be closed. catch -22. i feel this is unfair gm should put safety first and offer loaner car. texas has had a huge problem with fatalities due to drunks, texting or careless drivers from small cars to 18 wheelers. love the malibu but i'm extremely afraid to drive this car. sadly, i'm hoping its totalled. why is gm treating consumers like this. brought car during rebate out of loyalty to help american company/jobs stay afloat. thanks a lot gm. i just want car fixed or anoffer to buy another car - i was planning to buy a chevy suv prior to this accident. my malibu also often has a strange sour smell emitting from air conditioner that goes away after the windows are left down for a few minutes - i just never had time to take it in for that. i always kept car in good maintenance as scheduled. skipped on fords now i'm adding chevy to my " don't buy" list and will spread the word about my experience unless they come through with a better way to handle serious problems. now i know how that toyota driver felt. thanks. *tr

I was hit very hard on driver front and side panel. other driver in truck failed to yield (texting and talking on bluetooth) was making a left turn and ran into our car i was moving about 10-15 mph no onstar call and none of the bags deployed. 3 people hurt and still sore must see doctor for >12 treatments to realign and stop soreness. my x-rays of my back look awful. we all have vertebrae damage in our necks injured neck, shoulders, arms/wrist, headaches, back, ribs, knees, numbness in feet. hurts very much. m.d. stated i would have been less hurt if bag(s) had deployed. called gm out of concern. they called me for info. last call, friday gm rep (faith) read statement " it may take up to 120 days to investigate and during that time i'm responsible for paying for a car rental, if gm finds problem, they will pay for the rental and/of other awards." i was in bed sore during this call and i've been experiencing impaired thinking since this accident. after i hung up i was very angry about this. gm can and probably will say "nothings wrong" and i'm stuck with huge rental bill and possibly a defective car. i called back and left msg w/faith and her boss on answering service. i ask "what if i don't agree to these terms?" faith said the file would be closed. gm, this is serious, you can't offer a loaner car? the average small car rental is around $27.00 a day. i feel like this is a catch-22 situation. i had been planning since last year to buy the chevy equinox - forget that. brought car during the government rebate to trade old car in when gm. now i'm stuck with a car i'm afraid to drive. i live in a city where drunk driving fatalities occur daily with texting and other careless drivers. car also emits a strong sour smell when started but goes away after the windows are down some minutes. i loved this car but, sadly i hope its totaled - seriously. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the driver was traveling 75 mph and crashed into the center median. the air bags did not deploy. the contact was not injured and a police report was not filed. the vehicle was towed by the contact's insurance company. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 47,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. the vehicle on-star system performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the front bumper sensor. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the current and the failure mileage was 95,000.

The passenger side air bag shows off when the seat is occupied. all passengers are 110 lb and above. this happens less than half the time. my mother has a 2007 equinox with the same problem. the local dealership worked on it and then replaced the seat sensor but after a short time it started again, about three quarters of the time it shows off. *tr

Have told the dealership of these problems with the service airbag and service traction. also i sent an email to the chevrolet headquarters and received a call from them telling me that it was my repair not their fault. this past friday the 20th i took the car again to the dealership as the service airbag light has been on constantly for the past two weeks. i was informed that the module was bad and i would have to pay $250.00 dollars ( my deductible since i have the extended warranty, paid extra for that when we bought the car). how can a module be bad on a 2 year old car is the issue i am having and why i have to pay to fix/replace it. i could understand if the car was older, but feel anything electronic that goes wrong with a car today now falls on the consumer.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving at 10 mph, she crashed into another vehicle after the other vehicle failed to stop for a traffic light. the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle sustained moderate front end damage. both drivers sustained minor injuries but were not transported to the hospital. both drivers were wearing a seat belt. the vehicle was towed to a local repair facility where the contact was awaiting an assessment of the damages by her insurance company. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were 45,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. while driving at approximate speeds of 15 mph, a vehicle crashed into the passenger's side of the contact's vehicle. the air bags did not deploy upon impact, however the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed at the scene. the contact was transported to the hospital as a precaution but did not suffer from any injuries. the vehicle was towed to a local towing company lot and had not been further examined to determine the cause of the air bag failure. the failure and current mileages were 9,000. updated 08/03/10. *lj updated 08/06/10*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the front passenger seat belt and air bag light does not come on when someone is sitting in the front seat. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there were no codes for the malfunction. the contact called the gm manufacturer in regards to the repair; however, they didn't offer any assistance. the failure mileage was 15,500.

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer due to a very strong chemical smell inside the passenger compartment. the dealer advised him to drive with the windows open, keep the vehicle out of direct sunlight, and allow it to air out. after a few weeks of airing out the vehicle, the contact rear ended another vehicle at 40 mph. there were no injuries. the contact believed that the strong scent in the vehicle caused him to become disoriented while driving. he believed that the scent was so strong that it caused him to drive poorly. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and repaired by the insurance company. the contact does not want to drive the vehicle due to the odor. the current and failure mileages were 800. updated 07/14/09 *bf the consumer also stated after crashing into several cars, the air bags did not deploy. the consumer believed the reason he crashed was due to the chemical smell in the vehicle which caused him to become disoriented. updated 07/16/09.*jb

I was sb on shirley avenue in sioux falls, sd. i was making a left on a green light when a lady traveling eb ran a red light and hit me on the right front of my vehicle. my vehicle was totaled. i was injured. my vehicle is a 2009 chevrolet malibu. the airbags did not deploy. *tr

The airbags deployed due to aggressive braking...

On september 14, 2008 at approximately 12:30 am, the car i was driving suddenly went into a skid after which i aggressively deployed the brakes when the airbags deployed leaving me unconscious and not in control of the car. the car then hit the barrier and then a parked disabled car at a high speed. i was injured and the driver of the parked car was fatally killed. i went to prison for five years because no one would believe my story. *tr

Airbags deployed when i hit the brakes in 2008.