Problems · by component

2009 Chevrolet Malibu air bags problems

63 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu cite air bags, 4% of all 1,511 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
63
4% of all complaints
Crashes
23
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
35
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the air bags

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side air bag deployed without impact. The air bag struck the ear of the contact. The contact sustained a loss of hearing in the left ear. The contact received medical treatment for the injury. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was deemed as a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2026Air bagsODI 11774133
“The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the driver's side curtain air bag erroneously deployed and struck the left side of the contact's head. The contact immediately pulled over to the side of the road. No warning light was illuminated before or after the failure. Police Officers arrived at the scene, but no police report was filed. The contact sustained a headache and a partial left-ear hearing loss. The contact received a paramedic evaluation. The following day, the contact was taken to the Emergency Room, where it was confirmed that the contact had not sustained a concussion. The vehicle was towed to an autobody shop, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a field inspector would be sent to investigate the failure; however, the contact was later informed that the case was closed because the root cause of the air bags deployment could not be determined upon inspection. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 17, 2026Air bagsODI 11744780
“I brought car told dealer of air bag light on to service and tire monitor light I had my steering lock and ESC light on dealership did nothing to comply to safety of this called don't return calls”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 21, 2024Steering, Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11573159
“The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the steering wheel to the left or the right, the steering wheel seized and failed to operate as needed. The contact aggressively maneuvered the steering wheel to regain normal functionality. The air bag warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 184,553.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 22, 2023Steering, Air bagsODI 11545973
“well it all started at one, i fixed the electrical myself after inspecting 6 months worth of it sitting , finally found electrical problems that i got it running afterwords 2 fuel pumps later knowing pumps werent the issue then, now I almost have it paid off, its really began to just be a piece of junk after dearly taking care of it when i bought the car I loved it, now I found on it, no steering, comes and goes, like I know how to put a steering asst. in... i pulled one from the J yard, its in the backseat now, airbags indicator saying it needs servicing, tires I bought brand new last summer, they are baby butt smooth now, the car cant even squeal the tires so whatever on that, 5 days ago I threw a new alternator in it, similar to every alternator when they go it was normal... no problem, now I'm pooped out, I want the problems fixed so when its paid off in April I can sell it legally without anyone getting hurt, also the value is poor, not even close to what you value it as on here. [XXX] if I didn't spend more on costs on parts, repair, labor (thankfully I know wyf I'm doing when I work on a GM) it would be more than the car loan I took out on the junk on…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 20, 2022Steering, Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11453058
“As I drive on highway and go a certain speed it slows down and engine power reduced and service traction pops up on my dashboard if cut it off it will not crank back up until I let the car cool down”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 1, 2021Air bags, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11435159

Showing 6 of 63 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.