2008 Chevrolet MALIBU HYBRID - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid has received excellent ratings for front and side crash protection, with a top score of 5 stars for both driver and passenger sides. However, the overall safety rating is listed as "Not Rated" by NHTSA. Despite not having an overall rating, this vehicle does offer optional electronic stability control for enhanced safety on the road. It does not have the forward collision warning or lane departure warning features.

In terms of recalls and complaints, the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid has had 5 recalls and a high number of 974 complaints reported. While the crash test ratings are impressive, the high number of complaints and recalls may suggest potential issues that could impact the overall safety and reliability of this vehicle. It is important for owners of this car to stay informed about any recalls and address any reported issues promptly.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

974

Recall Count

5

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Optional
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR Hybrid w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2008 Score 2019 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 4

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2008 Score 2019 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 4
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 4
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 3
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 3
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 4

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2008 Score 2019 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2008 Chevrolet MALIBU HYBRID

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"my power steering locking up when i trying to back up out of my driveway and a service warning light coming on"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2026-01-01

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knock, clicking, and looseness in the steering column while turning the steering wheel in either direction. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. the local dealer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 79,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-09-01

Complaint:
"unknown. power steering warning appears every now and then."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-10

Complaint:
"the power steering stops working making it difficult to control. those has been an ongoing issue for several years."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2017-01-09

Complaint:
"driving my 08' chevy malibu and suddenly in a turn my steering locked. it was so hard to turn. the dash stated power steering with the failure symbol. i turn car off then back on and it's fine. then it happens again. my safety and others was at risk do to child with autism in my car & suddenly having to really break around the sharp turn that could of taken me over the embankment and killed us. i am disabled and the scared me bad because on a country road and nobody to help me & my daughter. very scary and life threatening."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-12-03

Complaint:
"power steering"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-03

Complaint:
"the car is hard to steer."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-03-03

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving at approximately 25 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality while attempting to make a left turn. the contact pulled off to the side of the road where the power steering failure warning light illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic and was informed of nhtsa campaign numbers: 14e044000 (steering) and 14v153000 (steering. the contact called the dealer who confirmed that the power steering had failed. the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not currently under recall. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the recall repairs were already completed and that a second free repair would not be offered. the failure mileage was 82,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-01-03

Complaint:
"the vehicle pulls to the left while driving. i have taken the vehicle to get aligned 3x and the issue is still the same; the repair shop says it's not the alignment (since it's well aligned) but another problem with the steering. also, the left and right turn signs do not click back, and i have to push it back into place to stop the signals, and every time i turn my steering wheel, it clicks all the time too."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-06-06

Complaint:
"the car shakes and becomes hard to steer and the instrument panel reads service esc, service traction."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2022-01-08

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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