2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Chevrolet › Malibu Maxx › 2004
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
3 recalls name the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. Newest first.
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 manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured…
Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
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 will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
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 vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx…
If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
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 at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
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, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while…
If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
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, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that after he turned off and restarted the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Bruce’s auto body shop where it was diagnosed that the air bag side impact sensor failed to reset and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified by the dealer and the contact was informed that the parts were no longer being manufactured and was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 164,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact stated that while making a left turn the vehicle shifted into neutral independently without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact attempted to manually shift the vehicle into park however, the transmission failed to engage. The contact pushed the vehicle over to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to midway chevrolet (2323 w bell rd, phoenix, az) where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The contact mentioned nhtsa campaign number: 14v224000 (power train) as a possible solution to the failure, however the vin was not included. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering ability seized and all the warning indicators illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road as the power steering warning indicator remained illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and then to mccurley chevrolet (1325 n autoplex way, pasco, wa 99301) where it was determined that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. While operating the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. Also, 'power steering' displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was driven to billion automotive (600 w. 41ST, sioux falls, sd) where it was diagnosed that the torque sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 125,000.
No steering,steering turns around and around without stop turning in either direction,right or left. Second time this happened,spent approximately $1200.00 before. Car this time ended in a tow pound yard. Triple aaa moved my car to a shop called quick stop where I wanted to get my car fixed at only to discover they didn't do electrical work which they discovered was the problem among others. Again the towing company triple aaa carried it to webb chevrolet suggested by this shop. Webb chevrolet discovered also electrical issues. My insurance notified me after I contact them for a claim report. An estimator was sent to webb chevrolet also they discovered after a tear down diagnosis that it IS a recall issues. Now you are being notified by me,ruby wells of these problems. This IS why im notifying you of the recalls found on this make,model and year 2004 vehicle. Not stationary,it was in motion when happened on city street. My son was arrested for no reason $2000 bail times 2 . Court judge through case out on april 45TH 2019 after discovering bogus tickets writing and arrests they indicated there was no insurance on vehicle and had my car towed to pound within hours. I had to pad towing fees of $1200 approximately to get my car from pound less than24 hours of the towing. money has already been spent unnecessarily money I had to borrow because I'm retired. Please take care of this for me asap. Please!
Steering out of whack. I have had my control arm on both sides changed along with axles and a alignment. No luck its still all over road. I drive from sylvester ga to tifton ga everyday. It does the same thing everytime. Also I have had my lights replaced 3 times in the last year. Why arent the lasting. Gas cap keeps reading error. Whole car. I can let someone drive it to see what I am saying.
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.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. While turning the steering wheel in either direction, a popping noise was present and the steering ability seized. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the steering shaft pulled out of the rack. The air bag warning indicator illuminated after the failure. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. Elm chevrolet (301 e. Church st, elmira, ny) was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 157,000.
The electronic steering assist would fail while driving down the road causing the vehicle to loose steering and have to come to a stop and turn vehicle off to avoid a crash. It IS scarey and dangerous. Mine isn't the only malibu maxx that has had this dangerous problem.
Steering wheel shakes and power steering won't work
Car was running a little rough going up hills at 106,000 miles so I had a transmission service done at aamco. 2 days later the car IS in limp mode barely made it home coasted. Low rpms has no power and for some reason it will not go into reverse now. gets higher rpms and pulls in neutral. before that the car was fine beside a suspension/ shocks that were never able to be repaired by every mechanic I went to.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. When the vehicle was started, the check engine and power steering warning indicators illuminated. Once the vehicle was restarted, the indicators went away. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,972. *dt consumer stated manufacturer notified and repairs made. Updated 12/04/18*jb
TL* the contact owned a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering lost power. In an attempt to make a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the front driver's side of the contact's vehicle. The front driver's air bag exploded and struck the driver in the face. The driver sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow yard. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. After reversing and attempting to place the vehicle in park, the transmission gear selection did not match the indicated gear. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer where it was serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 14v224000 (power train), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the gear shifter still failed after the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
Electronic steering failure on recal replacement part, in 2014 replaced under recall steering column and module. 3 years later failed again. Replacement parts appear defective not to fix the problem. Replaced at dealership indicated recal replaced once, now IS owners responsibilty to replace defective parts.
Fuel pump recall
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
Recall #14116 was in on 04/13/15 to have the recall corrected and it was at that time, but now the problem IS recurring. when car IS in motion any where when you accelerate the power steering on the car loses electronic assist causing the steering to be excessively hard.
TL* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact stated that the vehicle remained on after the key was removed from the ignition, the transmission slipped out of gear, and there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering column. The failures occurred without warning. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 51,000.
The vehicle continually goes into "engine low power mode" while on the highways. This IS now occurring daily. I've tried to get it fixed but no one seems to know what it IS. I am very fortunate that no one has hit me when the vehicle goes from high speeds down to 20 miles per hour with no response by pressing the gas pedal. There have been multiple things failing on this car: passenger side window no longer opens, cruise control will not work, 2 of the 3 chargers in the car do not work (after fixing those fuses, they just blew immediately) power locks went from barely working to not working at all, the latest being the low power mode and traction control being activated in the heat of a tennessee spring (already 80 degrees) - it's not a water issue. The first few months I had this car it was in the shop almost every weekend. I've gotten all the recalls fixed when they required it and I keep up with maintenance on this car. It has the usual break downs but this IS the least safe car I have ever driven (and I have driven around twenty long term, ten more short term).
Power steering goes out intermittently without warning when driving. This has been happening for the last 6 months. Weather conditions/temperature, the car being warmed up/cold makes no difference. Happens when driving on highways, back roads going around corners-road conditions/type of road make no difference. Also there has been a rattling sound like something metal IS rattling. The power steering goes out with absolutely no warning and there IS no opportunity to make preparations. This IS extremely dangerous. *tr
Steering wheel has numerous problems. Had a knocking noise since I brought 3 years ago. Steering wheel tightens up and very hard to turn and tightens more while trying to make turns at slow speeds . Now happening some times when I put into reverse. Been trying to teach my son how to drive and wheel to tight for him to practice turns. A few weeks ago he almost ran into a bush when pulling out from a stop sign because the steering wheel wouldn't turn. Had him put the car in park in the middle of the street while on coming cars had to stop and wait for us to switch drivers. Getting worse/tighter over time. If the wheel IS slightly turned and I put in drive the car jumps ahead with no control over the steering. Already took in for recall's for power steering so when I called was told all my recalls had been done and expired. Last few days the wheel IS shaking the closer I drive to 55 mph. Clearly the steering has issues that seems to be a continuous problem and gm not willing to make right. A driving hazard! *tr
Intermittent loss of power steering during acceleration has persisted and continues to get worse after recall (nhtsa campaign number: 14v153000) was performed. This creates a potentially dangerous situation. Manufacturer and dealer refused to perform any further repairs at their expense, claiming there was a one year warranty on the repair. However, their remedy for this safety defect didn't fix the original problem and it continues to happen.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
GM designed the MY 2004 and 2005 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles with a daytime running lamp (DRL) system that uses the same filament (the high power filament of a dual filament bulb) as the front turn signals.The high power filament operates at full battery voltage when functioning as a DRL.The DRL is illuminated whenever the headlamps are off, increasing the duty cycle of the front turn signal bulb.The MY 2003 and earlier Malibu vehicles (Malibu Maxx was not manufactured for sale in the U.S. prior to MY 2004) used a headlamp based design, operated at a reduced voltage, for the DRL function; GM reverted back to this design on the MY 2006 and later Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles. Filament based bulbs have a finite life (hours of illumination) for any given operating voltage.As a result, increasing the duty cycle of a bulb typically decreases the life span of the bulb.GM identified and addressed two front turn signal/DRL and rear turn signal bulb quality issues early in MY 2004 production, however vehicle warranty claims for failed bulbs continued to occur.To address the high warranty levels of bulb failures (90% of the warranty claims submitted to ODI by GM were bulb failures and 10% were socket failures), GM issued a technical service bulletin in March 2006 advising dealers to use a new specification of bulb when addressing service failures, and to also inspect the electrical sockets for thermal damage and replace if necessary.In June 2006 (after subject vehicle production ended) GM changed the turn signal bulb specification to that of the TSB bulb in vehicle production also.To date, ODI has not identified any allegations of crash, injury, or fire related to the alleged defect even though the subject vehicles have experienced 5 - 6 years of field exposure.ODI's analysis of consumer complaints, both VOQ and manufacturer, shows a declining trend.The warranty rate for turn signal bulb replacement is high however statistical analysis of the warranty data suggests that the majority of the original equipment bulbs have already been replaced.GM conducted a safety recall (06V-263) for MY 2004-2005 Cadillac XLR to replace the front turn signal/DRL bulbs and the electrical sockets.However GM advised that the turn signal/DRL bulbs/sockets on the subject vehicles differ from those on the recalled XLRs in several respects, including using bulb sockets with four electrical terminals as opposed to three, which improves the electrical connection, allows the bulb to operate at a lower temperature, and adds stability to the bulb in the socket; operating at a lower voltage, which increases vehicle bulb life; using vented headlamps, which allows bulbs to run cooler than those installed in a non-vented XLR headlamp; and using a clear bulb, which runs cooler than the amber bulbs installed on the XLR.Additionally, the warranty claim level related to subject vehicle sockets is unremarkable compared to other defect investigations into defective socket assemblies.A safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time.Further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.The agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.See attached report for further information.
The subject vehicles may experience loss of function of one or more of the park, turn, stop or daytime running lamps (drl).failure of the bulb may also include discoloration (heat damage) to the bulb socket.general motors (gm) technical service bulletin (tsb) number 06-08-42-004c instructs technicians to examine the lamp housing for signs of discoloration and to replace the bulbs and or sockets depending on the severity of the discoloration and the condition of the bulbs and sockets.the scope of investigation in the preliminary evaluation (pe08-062) was the 2004 malibu/maxx.however, the agency evaluated gm's warranty data which indicates that the 2005 model year (my) malibu and malibu maxx vehicles are also affected by this condition.this investigation IS upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-004).
In performing this engineering analysis, odi determined that the electric power steering system in the subject vehicles can malfunction or fail, causing the driver to lose power steering assistance; however, due to the following reasons, odi has decided that further expenditure of agency resources on this investigation IS not warranted at this time: - gm issued customer satisfaction campaign (csc) 04050a indecember 2004 to address the alleged defect in approximately58,700 subject vehicles, encompassing at least 97 percent of thecomplaint and warranty claims population.vehicles outside thecsc 04050a population contain a newly designed torque andposition sensor and have experienced a relatively low complaintrate.this customer satisfaction campaign presently has acompletion rate of 52%. - the impact on the driver?s ability to control these relativelysmall and light vehicles was limited.vrtc test engineers wereunable to induce a failure mode that would cause the eps tosubstantially limit the driver?s ability to turn the vehicle in aparticular direction or to provide the driver with unintendedpower assistance.- there IS no risk of fire.accordingly, this investigation IS closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted by the circumstances.(for further details see attached engineering analysis (ea04-018)closing report.)
Odi opened pe04-031 based on eight reports of alleged power steering failure in the subject vehicles.the complaints allege that the driver suddenly lost all electric power steering assistance without warning making the vehicle difficult to steer. The subject vehicle utilizes an electric power steering assist system (eps) that provides variable steering assistance based on steering wheel torque, steering wheel postion, and vehicle speed.general motors documents identified the following two factors that contributed to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles: a.contamination of the torque and position sensor from theseparation of grease applied to the steering column assembly. B.electrical noise generated on the power and ground slip ring surfaces of the torque and position sensor.the noise IS generated as the sensor contact brushes move along the slip ring surfaces when the steering wheel IS rotated.odi's analysis showed failurerates that are of concern to odi and indicated that the alleged defect IS continuing to occur in the subject vehicles. This preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis to further investigate this concern, to assess the potential safety-related consequences, and to determine the scope of the affected population.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.