The 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 5,371,054 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,489 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
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…
POWER TRAIN14V2240002014-04-301,131,113 affected
Defect
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,…
Consequence
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…
Remedy
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.
STEERING14V1530002014-03-311,373,177 affected
Defect
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)…
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…
POWER TRAIN12V4600002012-09-18426,240 affected
Defect
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
Consequence
If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle…
Remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may…
Complaints by component
STEERING
451
11crashes1fires3injuries1deaths
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
224
7crashes1fires5injuries
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
95
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
75
4crashes2injuries
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
68
5crashes1injuries1deaths
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
67
AIR BAGS
62
10crashes1fires13injuries2deaths
SERVICE BRAKES
62
4crashes2injuries
ENGINE
61
3crashes1fires2injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
44
Total complaints1,489
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Randomly when I press the brakes the brake lights don't turn on. Other times they work fine. All of the light bulbs are good. All three brake light don't turn on randomly. I have almost been rear-ended on numerous occasions.no dash lights came on. And I have not had it inspected yet just my…”
“Randomly when I press the brakes the brake lights don't turn on. Other times they work fine. All of the light bulbs are good. All three brake light don't turn on randomly. I have almost been rear-ended on numerous occasions.no dash lights came on. And I have not had it inspected yet just my…”
“The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it failed to start up. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed dtc: p0016 was retrieved. The contact was informed that the camshaft position correlator and crankshaft…”
“I own a 2008 chevrolet malibu ltz (vin [xxx] ) with an electric power steering (eps) issue that matches gm’s known eps defect and recall 14v‑153 / bulletin 15356 for 2007–2012 malibus. The steering is very stiff and hard at low speeds, the car feels like it is dragging, and the steering…”
“As I'm driving I hear a chime and the radio says power steering and I just loose power steering it's scary and I really wish gm would have made this a permanent recall”
“The eps malfunctions and turns off during normal driving operations at random intervals. Happens more when temperature outside is below 50 degrees. This has made it difficult to steer and has almost caused me to get in an accident on multiple occasions”
“Vehicle accelerated on its own. Only able to stop by turning off the ignition. It was cold at the time 8-15degrees f.”
“Unknown fuel leak needs added to recall list . It is currently at the chevy dealership in van buren arkansas getting looked at on the fuel leakage. I'm going to upload some documents for y'all to look at and consider. Everything that has been stated in these recall is exactly what my car is doing…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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