Total Complaints
9 filings
CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID · model year
9 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2008CHEVROLETMALIBU HYBRID carries 9 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2008 MALIBU HYBRID is steering with 2 filings, followed by electrical system (2) and fuel/propulsion system (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2008 MALIBU HYBRID, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
9 filings
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 2 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE | 1 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 |
| AIR BAGS | 1 |
SMELL FUEL AND THERE IS A LEAK NEAR UPPER TANK BY THE FUEL PUMP.
WHEN DRIVING, 2 MESSAGES APPEARED ON DASH - "POWER STEERING" AND "SERVICE AIR BAG." WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR LATER, IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER, AND THE "ANTI-THEFT" LIGHT WAS ON, ALONG WITH THE OTHER 2 WARNING MESSAGES FROM ABOVE. AFTER OTHER LIGHTS TURNED OFF, THE "ANTI-THEFT" AND "SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT" REMAINED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. ODOMETER: 101844
Mileage: 101,844
WHEN DRIVING, 2 MESSAGES APPEARED ON DASH - "POWER STEERING" AND "SERVICE AIR BAG." WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR LATER, IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER, AND THE "ANTI-THEFT" LIGHT WAS ON, ALONG WITH THE OTHER 2 WARNING MESSAGES FROM ABOVE. AFTER OTHER LIGHTS TURNED OFF, THE "ANTI-THEFT" AND "SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT" REMAINED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. ODOMETER: 101844
Mileage: 101,844
WHEN DRIVING, 2 MESSAGES APPEARED ON DASH - "POWER STEERING" AND "SERVICE AIR BAG." WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START THE CAR LATER, IT WOULD NOT TURN OVER, AND THE "ANTI-THEFT" LIGHT WAS ON, ALONG WITH THE OTHER 2 WARNING MESSAGES FROM ABOVE. AFTER OTHER LIGHTS TURNED OFF, THE "ANTI-THEFT" AND "SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT" REMAINED AND THE CAR WOULD NOT START. ODOMETER: 101844
Mileage: 101,844
VEHICLE IS STRONG GAS SMELL COMING FROM THE REAR. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY CONFIRMED THE FUEL PUMP MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO LEAK. NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUES BY GM TO FIX THIS ISSUE ON THE CHEVROLET MALIBU.
THE LOCK WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK AS YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND OR WHEN THE KEY ARE NOT IN IT. *TR
FIRST SUMMER OF OWNERSHIP, HOT DAY, AIRCONDITIONER ON. CAR STARTED FLASHING ALL KINDS OF WARNINGS. PULLED OFF ROAD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE PULLING INTO LOT AND THEN CAR SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN. AT FIRST SERVICE, TOLD DEALERSHIP WHAT HAPPENED BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. THAT SAME YEAR OR NEXT YEAR THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE HYBRID BATTERY AND IT WAS REPLACED. THOUGHT MAYBE MY PROBLEM WOULD NOT OCCUR AGAIN BUT EVERY SUMMER HAD SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITH CAR PULLING INTO STOP AND SHUTTING OFF. WAS ABLE TO START CAR AGAIN AFTER SITTING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. DIAGNOSTICS SHOW NOTHING WRONG AT DEALERSHIP. JULY 23 2013 ON A RAINY HIGHWAY (AIR CONDITIONER NOT ON BECAUSE NEEDS NEW COMPRESSOR), SAME SITUATION SUDDENLY HAPPENS. FLASHING WARNING LIGHTS, LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND EVENTUALLY ALL POWER AFTER GETTING OFF HIGHWAY(THANKGOD). POLICE HAD TO PUSH CAR OUT OF INTERSECTION AND TOW TRUCK DRIVER GAVE CAR A JUMP AND PARKED CAR IN SAFE PLACE AND GO
Mileage: 3,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITHOUT WARNING. ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE FAILURE THE STEERING SUSPENSION WAS RECALIBRATED BY THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AFTER THE MALFUNCTION FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,580.
Mileage: 70,580
STORMY ,WET NIGHT,I STOPPED AT CORNER IN MY 2008 MALIBU HYBRID-STARTING FORWARD,MY CAR SURGED AND LANDED ME IN A BROOK-NOW SOUNDS LIKE SUA. ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS SORT. WATER TOTALED THE CAR-THERE WAS NO INVESTIGATION. I AM NOT SURE OF COMPONENT AS I HAVE NO MECHANICAL EXPERTISE. THERE WAS A DEFINITE LOUD SURGE. *TR
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.