2006 Chevrolet MALIBU - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2006 Chevrolet Malibu has received a front crash driver side rating of 5 and a front crash passenger side rating of 5, indicating excellent safety in frontal collisions. In side crash tests, it scored a 4 for the driver's side and a 5 for the passenger side. However, the car did not receive an overall safety rating from NHTSA. The vehicle is not equipped with electronic stability control, forward collision warning, or lane departure warning systems.

Despite its good crash test ratings, it is worth noting that there have been 1357 complaints filed and 9 recalls issued for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. This suggests that while the safety performance in crash scenarios is relatively good, there may be other reliability or safety issues that have led to a significant number of complaints and recalls for this particular model.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,357

Recall Count

9

Investigation Count

0

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR. Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR.

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.

No
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

2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR. Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR. 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 2005 Score 2006 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 4 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2006 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated Not Rated 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2006 Chevrolet MALIBU

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:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was seized. the contact stated that the vehicle was independently turned off. the contact's son was able to get the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. the contact's son was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle was driven to the residence. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed steering wheel torque input sensor. the contact was informed that the steering wheel torque input sensor needed to be replaced. the contact was informed about nhtsa campaign number: 15v064000(steering) however, the vin was not associated with the recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 109,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-06-02
Complaint:
"each time i’m driving my vehicle, i’ll hear a ding, ding, ding and my power steering will stop working. this seems to happen, most times, immediately after starting my car, while backing up. i did have it happen once, while in the middle of turning onto the road. each time this happens, i must put the car in park, turn it off and restart it."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2026-01-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel started to turn independently, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. the power steering warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed failures with the electronic power steering control module and steering column. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the nhtsa hotline for assistance. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-12
Complaint:
"while driving the power steering message came on screen. and all electrical power steering assist stopped working. had to use all my strength just to turn the steering wheel."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-10-12
Complaint:
"the electric power steering went out while i was driving. i will not be able to send the part in for inspection until it gets replaced. my safety and others were at risk because it made it really difficult to change lanes which could've resulted in a crash. the problem hasn't been reproduced on my vehicle specifically, but has been produced on enough vehicles to have a recall issued. there weren't any warnings prior to the power steering going out. just a beep and a warning on the radio display as it went out. my vehicle was manufactured in may of 2006 but want recalled, although the affected vehicles were made from april - june 2006. this is the second one that has gone out on me and there is still no recall for my vehicle. first one happened october of 2020, got it fixed then the second one went out november of 2023."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-02-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving 40 mph, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly. the eps warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the nhtsa campaign number: 15v064000 (steering) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 174,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-01-11
Complaint:
"the electronic power steering goes out while driving and while making a turn. it has almost put me in a ditch and also into oncoming traffic."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-06-09
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the steering wheel became firm. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact attempted to pull over, but the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. the contact was able to pull over, shut off and restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. the failure mileage was 241,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-05-03
Complaint:
"random power steering loss that happens more often in the winter. there is a recall on my model vehicle for power steering loss but not my particular vin. i think chevy needs to widen the range of vehicles since i am experiencing this problem as well."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-02
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate. the contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality. the contact pulled over and turned the vehicle off and on and regained power steering functionality. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. the contact stated that the failure was related to a recall that had been completed under nhtsa campaign number: 15v064000 (steering). the failure mileage was approximately 75,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-06-02

Recalls for the 2006 Chevrolet MALIBU

Component Recalls

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

Recall:
"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 driving."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

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.

Component(s) Involved: STEERING > ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2014-03-31
Recall:
"general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 chevrolet malibu and malibu maxx vehicles manufactured april 1, 2006, to june 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 pontiac g6 vehicles manufactured april 18, 2006, to june 30, 2006. in the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (eps) assist that could occur at any time while driving."
Consequence:
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.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14772. Note: This is an expansion of recall 14V-153 to cover additional vehicles built between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.

Component(s) Involved: STEERING > ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Date of incident: 2015-02-04

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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