2006 Chevrolet Malibu problems and complaints
Owners have filed 1389 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The most-reported areas: Steering (1019), Electrical System (170), Service Brakes (93).
Key takeaways
- 1389 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 54 involve a crash, 7 a fire, 31 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 1019 | 73% |
| Electrical System | 170 | 12% |
| Service Brakes | 93 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 71 | 5% |
| Power Train | 60 | 4% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 56 | 4% |
| Fuel System | 48 | 3% |
| Gasoline | 45 | 3% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 43 | 3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 41 | 3% |
| Engine | 40 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 37 | 3% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Parts for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
GarageDex's verified specs for this car. Each Buy button searches Amazon for that exact part.
- Battery
- Engine oil
- Oil filter
- Engine air filter
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| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR. w/SAB | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
| 2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-DR. | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic - filed 2026-11-02
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal became inoperable and was difficult to depress, resulting in extended stopping distance. During the failure, the air bag warning light illuminated and an abnormal odor emanated from the brakes. The vehicle was take...
Steering - filed 2026-10-26
I was driving at a busy time of the day and my steering wheel became almost impossible to turn, and it felt as though my whole car turned off but I gave it gas and went to nearest place I could pull over and noticed my radio was showing that steering fluid or something like that was on the digital part of my radio, so ...
Air Bags,seat Belts,unknown Or Other - filed 2026-10-18
I got the car on June 12th on June 16th when I had a severe car vacation not deploy and the seatbelt did not buckle when I bought the car they stated in the paperwork that the airbags have never been deployed and or never been deactivated and I had to find out the hard way 4 days later and due to the transmission shift...
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More for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.