1999 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 732 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (226 complaints · 30.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 42
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 34
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1998 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution SERVICE BRAKES appears in 226 of 732 owner complaints (30.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 226 complaints, 30.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 226 · 30.9% · 13 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 111 complaints, 15.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 111 · 15.2% · 3 crash reports ENGINE: 104 complaints, 14.2% of reports ENGINE 104 · 14.2% · 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 61 complaints, 8.3% of reports SUSPENSION 61 · 8.3% · 1 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 39 complaints, 5.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 39 · 5.3% AIR BAGS: 33 complaints, 4.5% of reports AIR BAGS 33 · 4.5% · 16 crash reports STEERING: 23 complaints, 3.1% of reports STEERING 23 · 3.1% · 2 crash reports TIRES: 23 complaints, 3.1% of reports TIRES 23 · 3.1% · 1 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 22 complaints, 3.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 22 · 3.0% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 557 complaints, 76.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 557 · 76.1% · 32 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
SERVICE BRAKES 226 30.9% 13 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 111 15.2% 3 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 104 14.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 61 8.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 39 5.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 33 4.5% 16 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 23 3.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
TIRES 23 3.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 22 3.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 557 76.1% 32 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1999; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2007. 1999-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1999-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 1999-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2000-Q1: 23 owner reports 23 2000-Q2: 30 owner reports 30 2000-Q3: 49 owner reports 49 2000-Q4: 27 owner reports 27 2001-Q1: 40 owner reports 40 2001-Q2: 29 owner reports 29 2001-Q3: 31 owner reports 31 2001-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2002-Q1: 22 owner reports 22 2002-Q2: 21 owner reports 21 2002-Q3: 23 owner reports 23 2002-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2003-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2003-Q2: 39 owner reports 39 2003-Q3: 26 owner reports 26 2003-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2004-Q1: 31 owner reports 31 2004-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2004-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2005-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2005-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2008-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2014-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 1999 Apr 2024 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 14V400000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V400000 Investigation EA00010 ● Investigation EA00010 Investigation DP02008 ● Investigation DP02008 Investigation PE03031 ● Investigation PE03031 Investigation EA03021 ● Investigation EA03021 Investigation RQ04005 ● Investigation RQ04005
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 2,891 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V400000 was reported 5,601 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1999-Q1 Owner reports 6
1999-Q2 Owner reports 3
1999-Q3 Owner reports 10
1999-Q4 Owner reports 17
2000-Q1 Owner reports 23
2000-Q2 Owner reports 30
2000-Q3 Owner reports 49
2000-Q4 Owner reports 27
2001-Q1 Owner reports 40
2001-Q2 Owner reports 29
2001-Q3 Owner reports 31
2001-Q4 Owner reports 15
2002-Q1 Owner reports 22
2002-Q2 Owner reports 21
2002-Q3 Owner reports 23
2002-Q4 Owner reports 18
2003-Q1 Owner reports 18
2003-Q2 Owner reports 39
2003-Q3 Owner reports 26
2003-Q4 Owner reports 17
2004-Q1 Owner reports 31
2004-Q2 Owner reports 16
2004-Q3 Owner reports 12
2004-Q4 Owner reports 11
2005-Q1 Owner reports 18
2005-Q2 Owner reports 15
2005-Q3 Owner reports 11
2005-Q4 Owner reports 6
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 3
2006-Q3 Owner reports 4
2006-Q4 Owner reports 4
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q2 Owner reports 6
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 4
2008-Q2 Owner reports 3
2008-Q3 Owner reports 10
2008-Q4 Owner reports 3
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q2 Owner reports 6
2009-Q3 Owner reports 5
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 5
2010-Q2 Owner reports 4
2010-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q4 Owner reports 5
2011-Q2 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 3
2014-Q3 Owner reports 11
2014-Q4 Owner reports 13
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q2 Owner reports 3
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 3
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 14V400000
Defect investigation 1 EA00010
Defect investigation 1 DP02008
Defect investigation 1 PE03031
Defect investigation 1 EA03021
Defect investigation 1 RQ04005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E021000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V400000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    GM will notify owners, and dealers will install two key rings and an insert in the key slot or a cover over the key head on all ignition keys, free of charge. The recall began on September 9, 2014. GM's number for this recall is 14350.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 732 complaints · page 1 of 30

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources