The 2009 Chevrolet Malibu has received excellent ratings in frontal crash tests for both the driver and the passenger side, with a top score of 5 out of 5. In side crash tests as well, it achieved a perfect score of 5 out of 5 for both the driver's side and the passenger's side. The car also comes equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances its safety on the road. However, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning features.
In terms of overall safety rating, the vehicle is labeled as "Not Rated" by the NHTSA. Despite its impressive crash test results, it is important to note that there have been 1458 complaints filed about this model and it has been subjected to 6 recalls. These numbers indicate a higher than average rate of issues reported by owners and highlight areas for potential concern. It is recommended that potential buyers thoroughly research these complaints and recalls before making a purchasing decision.
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Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR w/SAB
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.
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.
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.
Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR 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.
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 | 2009 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 |
Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.
| Test | 2005 Score | 2009 Score | 2024 Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Side Crash Rating | Not Rated | Not Rated | 5 |
| Side Crash Drivers Side Rating | 4 | 5 | 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 |
The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.
| Test | 2005 Score | 2009 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 |
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.
Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.
Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.
Recall:
"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 april 24, 2006, through may 26, 2009. in the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the body control module (bcm) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the brake apply sensor (bas) circuit. these fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'park' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist..."Consequence:
Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.Remedy:
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.
Component(s) Involved: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM > WIRING
Date of incident: 2014-05-14
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 |