2003 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 563 complaints · 0 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (231 complaints · 41.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 34
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 23
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2002 →
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 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 231 of 563 owner complaints (41.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 231 complaints, 41.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 231 · 41.0% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 68 complaints, 12.1% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 68 · 12.1% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports ENGINE: 60 complaints, 10.7% of reports ENGINE 60 · 10.7% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 50 complaints, 8.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 50 · 8.9% · 6 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 31 complaints, 5.5% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 31 · 5.5% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 22 complaints, 3.9% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 22 · 3.9% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 21 complaints, 3.7% of reports AIR BAGS 21 · 3.7% · 13 crash reports 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 18 complaints, 3.2% of reports SUSPENSION 18 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 15 complaints, 2.7% of reports STEERING 15 · 2.7% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 225 complaints, 40.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 225 · 40.0% · 15 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)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 231 41.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 68 12.1% 7 crashes · 1 fires
ENGINE 60 10.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 50 8.9% 6 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 31 5.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 22 3.9% 1 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 21 3.7% 13 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 18 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 15 2.7% 1 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 225 40.0% 15 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 2003. 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2003-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2004-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2005-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2005-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2007-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2007-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2008-Q2: 21 owner reports 21 2008-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2009-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2010-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2010-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2010-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2011-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2011-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2014-Q2: 30 owner reports 30 2014-Q3: 34 owner reports 34 2014-Q4: 36 owner reports 36 2015-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2015-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2015-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2015-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2003 Apr 2026
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 9
2003-Q4 Owner reports 10
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 18
2004-Q3 Owner reports 13
2004-Q4 Owner reports 9
2005-Q1 Owner reports 9
2005-Q2 Owner reports 8
2005-Q3 Owner reports 9
2005-Q4 Owner reports 3
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 4
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q2 Owner reports 11
2007-Q3 Owner reports 11
2007-Q4 Owner reports 5
2008-Q1 Owner reports 8
2008-Q2 Owner reports 21
2008-Q3 Owner reports 10
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 12
2009-Q2 Owner reports 5
2009-Q3 Owner reports 5
2009-Q4 Owner reports 4
2010-Q1 Owner reports 9
2010-Q2 Owner reports 17
2010-Q3 Owner reports 13
2010-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 8
2011-Q2 Owner reports 6
2011-Q3 Owner reports 13
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 9
2012-Q2 Owner reports 7
2012-Q3 Owner reports 5
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q1 Owner reports 6
2013-Q2 Owner reports 6
2013-Q3 Owner reports 8
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 12
2014-Q2 Owner reports 30
2014-Q3 Owner reports 34
2014-Q4 Owner reports 36
2015-Q1 Owner reports 20
2015-Q2 Owner reports 11
2015-Q3 Owner reports 14
2015-Q4 Owner reports 11
2016-Q1 Owner reports 15
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2016-Q4 Owner reports 4
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 4
2017-Q3 Owner reports 4
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 2
2019-Q2 Owner reports 2
2019-Q3 Owner reports 4
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 3
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (0)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

Zero safety recalls recorded for this model year in official NHTSA 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot Aug 21, 2026
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 563 complaints · page 1 of 23

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 Aug 21, 2026
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