NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
567 reportsMileage unknown · Oct 23, 2014
Air Bags
RAN OVER A MANHOLE THAT WAS COVERED ALL THE SUDDEN AIRBAGS WENT OFF DRIVER AND PASSENGER SMASHED WINDSHIELD .AND SENT DAUGHTER TO HOSPITAL 27 WEEKS PREGNANT THIS VEHICLE HAS LOTS OF PROBLEMS ITS DANGEROUS! WE HAVE DROVE OVER THAT SAME SECTION OF ROAD IN OTHER VEHICLES MANY OF TIMES NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE! THEY SHOULD RECALL T…
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RAN OVER A MANHOLE THAT WAS COVERED ALL THE SUDDEN AIRBAGS WENT OFF DRIVER AND PASSENGER SMASHED WINDSHIELD .AND SENT DAUGHTER TO HOSPITAL 27 WEEKS PREGNANT THIS VEHICLE HAS LOTS OF PROBLEMS ITS DANGEROUS! WE HAVE DROVE OVER THAT SAME SECTION OF ROAD IN OTHER VEHICLES MANY OF TIMES NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE! THEY SHOULD RECALL THESE AIRBAGS! *TR
NHTSA ODI #10649382
Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2014
Engine And Engine Cooling
2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING.* LD THE CONSUMER STATED GM USED DEX-COOL ENGINE COOLANT WHICH CAUSED PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR SHOP FLUSHED OUT THE DEX-COOL AND REPLACED THE COOLANT, WITH A DIFFERENT TYPE OF COOLANT. ALSO, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPLACED AT A COST…
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2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET LEAKING.* LD THE CONSUMER STATED GM USED DEX-COOL ENGINE COOLANT WHICH CAUSED PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE. THE REPAIR SHOP FLUSHED OUT THE DEX-COOL AND REPLACED THE COOLANT, WITH A DIFFERENT TYPE OF COOLANT. ALSO, THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF $477.31. *JB
NHTSA ODI #10648091
Mileage unknown · Oct 15, 2014
Electrical System
2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED TWICE. THE CONSUMER IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT. *JB
NHTSA ODI #10644058
Mileage unknown · Oct 15, 2014
Electrical SystemFuel System, Gasoline
2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES TO EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE VEHICLE. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AT TIMES. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINED A PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WENT …
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2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES TO EXPRESS DISAPPOINTMENT WITH THE VEHICLE. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AT TIMES. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HOWEVER, AT THE TIME THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINED A PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER WENT TO HER LOCAL REPAIR GARAGE, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED, THE IGNITION WAS THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THE ENTIRE GAS COVER AND CAP CAME OFF IN THE CONSUMERS HANDS, DUE TO SEVERE RUST. THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE TRADED THE VEHICLE. *JB
NHTSA ODI #10644051
Mileage unknown · Oct 14, 2014
Electrical System
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
NHTSA ODI #10644640
Mileage unknown · Oct 9, 2014
Electrical System
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY FAILED TO MOVE IN THE IGNITION, WHICH PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STARTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY FAILED TO MOVE IN THE IGNITION, WHICH PREVENTED THE VEHICLE FROM STARTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V400000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.
NHTSA ODI #10643587
60,000 miles · Oct 9, 2014
Electrical System
FOR OVER A YEAR NOW I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY 2002 MALIBU NOT STARTING DUE TO A FAULTY ANTI- THEFT SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM IS THE ORIGINAL STOCK MANUFACTURERS THEFT SYSTEM. IT FIRST BEGUN OVER A YEAR AGO, WHERE MY CAR WOULD NOT START LEAVING ME STRANDED. THE CAR SAT FOR NEARLY 4- DAYS, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO! THE CAR HAS VERY LOW MI…
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FOR OVER A YEAR NOW I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY 2002 MALIBU NOT STARTING DUE TO A FAULTY ANTI- THEFT SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM IS THE ORIGINAL STOCK MANUFACTURERS THEFT SYSTEM. IT FIRST BEGUN OVER A YEAR AGO, WHERE MY CAR WOULD NOT START LEAVING ME STRANDED. THE CAR SAT FOR NEARLY 4- DAYS, NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO! THE CAR HAS VERY LOW MILES, ONLY 60,000 ORIGINAL; DON'T DRIVE MUCH, REALLY ONLY TO AND FROM WORK DAILY AND MAYBE TO THE FOOD STORE HERE AND THERE. ANYWAY, I WOUND UP GOOGLING "2002 CHEVY MALIBU NOT STARTING", PROBLEMS WITH THE PASS LOCK THEFT SYSTEM CAME UP, TELLING ME TO TRY THE 10- MINUTE RESET BY PUTTING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TURNING TO ON W/OUT TURNING THE ENGINE ON FOR 10- MINUTES, REMOVING THE KEY, WAITING 5 SECONDS AND THEN PUTTING THE KEY BACK INTO THE IGNITION. FIGURED WHAT THE HECK, IT DOESN'T HURT TO TRY IT!! WELL WHAT DO YOU KNOW, IT WORKED!!! WELL FOR THE PAST YEAR NOW MY CAR HAS LEFT ME STRANDED ROUGHLY 3 - 4 TIMES A MONTH BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. EACH TIME I HAD TO DO THE 10- MINUTE RESET AND IT WOULD THEN START RIGHT UP. I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS, THIS IS CRAZY AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AND FIXED AT CHEVY/GM'S EXPENSE, NOT MINE. ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THERE ARE OVER 3,000 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE!!! I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CONSTANTLY WORRY ABOUT MY CAR NOT STARTING BECAUSE OF A FAULTY THEFT SYSTEM THAT WAS BUT IN MY CAR BY GM. CHEVY. ON SEPTEMBER 10TH 2014 I GOT IN MY CAR TO TAKE MY SON TO SCHOOL AND GO TO WORK, CAR WOULD NOT START, TRIED THE 10-MINUTE RESET, THIS TIME IT DID NOT WORK, WAITED 4- HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK, SON MISSED SCHOOL AND I WAS LATE TO WORK! WELL, BECAUSE OF ME HAVING TO KEEP CRANKING MY CAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BECAUSE OF IT NOT STARTING BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY THEFT SYSTEM BLEW OUT MY STARTER AND BATTERY. WAS WITHOUT A CAR FOR A WEEK AND A HALF GOT MY CAR BACK AND THE THEFT SYSTEM ISSUE HAS STARTED AGAIN!!! *TR
NHTSA ODI #10643558
100,000 miles · Oct 9, 2014
Electrical SystemPower Train
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM, TRANSMISSION, COOLING SYSTEM AND POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE FLUSHED. THE SPARK PLUGS, FU…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL SYSTEM, TRANSMISSION, COOLING SYSTEM AND POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE FLUSHED. THE SPARK PLUGS, FUEL FILTERS, AND HUB KIT WERE REPLACED. HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. UPDATED 01/06/15
NHTSA ODI #10643540
31,000 miles · Oct 7, 2014
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE PARKING AND TURN SIGNAL BLINKER INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE LAMP CONTAINED MOISTURE. THE FAILURES OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE PARKING AND TURN SIGNAL BLINKER INDICATORS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE LAMP CONTAINED MOISTURE. THE FAILURES OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. THE REAR DRIVER SIDE LAMP WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.
NHTSA ODI #10641972
113,000 miles · Oct 1, 2014
Electrical System
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF TH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,000. UPDATED 11/20/14*CN
NHTSA ODI #10640571
Official recalls
2Jul 3, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on July 3, 2014, that they are recalling 5,877,718 model year 2000-2005 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, 1997-2003 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2005 Malibu Classic, 1999-2004 Oldsmobile Alero, 1998-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, 1999-2005 Pontiac Grand Am and 2004-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
Apr 10, 2002
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." SOME OF THESE VEHICLES WERE PRODUCED WITH A LEFT LOW-BEAM HEADLAMP THAT DOES NOT MEET THE PHOTOMETRIC PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS OF THE STANDARD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: LIGHT INTENSITIES BELOW THE MINIMUM INTENSITY REQUIREMENTS CAUSE REDUCTION IN VISIBILITY DOWN THE ROAD FOR THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE AND INTENSITIES ABOVE THE MAXIMUM INTENSITY REQUIREMENTS CAUSE INCREASE IN GLARE FOR DRIVERS AHEAD OF, OR APPROACHING, THE VEHICLE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE LEFT LOW-BEAM HEADLAMP AND REPLACE IT IF IT DOES NOT MEET REQUIREMENTS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗