2004 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,357 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 66,280 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2015, 2019–2022.
Avoid
Where 2004 sits among all Malibu years
What owners report
“I lose power steering assist when i'm driving. Usually happens when the car is parked or randomly while i am driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
“Had to replace head light bulbs has melted plastic cover dashboard has warning lights that come on and stay on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
“The driver's seat frame weld on the front right corner has broken and the seat tilts to the side.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
“Loss of power steering. Recall #4050 power steering assist. It i nvolves replacement of steering collmn w/movable pedals v1185.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
“The car was running fine gradually ran out of power and would not start i was left in the middle of a busy street with no power and not moving. The car would not start it was pulled home.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
“While driving on rough roads or breaking noises rattles an severe shake in steering coming from steering column an an steering binding when first starting car hard to turn wheels strange noises when applying breaks”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Malibu
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,859 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 74,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 33,000 and 113,528 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010…
Fix: Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and…
General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact…
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles,…
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available,…
TI AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN FUEL PUMPS, PART NUMBERS TU456 AND TU303, SOLD UNDER VARIOUS BRAND NAMES AS AFTERMARKET AND REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTOR VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MAY SEIZE, STOPPING THE FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE…
Fix: TI AUTOMOTIVE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND WILL REPLACE ANY DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP WITH A NEW OR REWORKED FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
SOME OF THESE PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) THAT MAY CALCULATE A HIGHER THAN ACTUAL VEHICLE SPEED BECAUSE OF AN ERRATIC REAR-WHEEL SPEED SENSOR SIGNAL, AND CAUSE ABS ACTIVATION WHERE IT IS NOT NEEDED OR NEEDED ABS ACTIVATION TO BE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ABS CONTROLLER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, ANALYSIS OF AN A SIDE IMPACT CRASH TEST CONDUCTED BY THE NHTSA;S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) INDICATED THAT THE OUTBOARD ANCHORAGE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT COULD DISCONNECT BECAUSE OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE SEAT TRIM AND THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSERT A RETAINER ON BOTH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S BELT ANCHORAGES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." SOME OF THESE VEHICLES THAT WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM (AORS) HAVE DRIVER…
Fix: OWNERS WILL BE SENT REPLACEMENT LABELS WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO INSTALL THEM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
646 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Malibu TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
The 2004 Chevrolet Malibu drew 2,357 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2004 Chevrolet Malibu problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu are steering (1,234 complaints), electrical (400), and seats & interior (164).
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Malibu problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Chevrolet Malibu problems around 74,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 33,000 and 113,528 miles.
Does the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.