NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Chevrolet Malibu Recalls
The 2003 Chevrolet Malibu has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on July 3, 2014.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Chevrolet Malibu. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 569
- Crashes reported
- 35
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
4 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu
Electrical system: ignition
- Campaign
- 14V400000
- Reported
- July 3, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 5,877,718
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Malibu, 4 other models
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
- Campaign
- 04V528000
- Reported
- November 1, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 92,863
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 124, accelerator control
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Fuel system, other: storage: tank assembly: pressure relief devices
- Campaign
- 07E021000
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Malibu, 13 other models
2003 Chevrolet Malibu complaints by year
NHTSA has received 569 owner complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, the newest on June 15, 2026. Of these, 35 describe a crash (6%) and 4 a fire; owners reported 23 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu, the component group named most often is the electrical system (51%), followed by the vehicle speed control (15%) and the engine (8%).
1 of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu's 3 recalls also concerns the electrical system.
Where 2003 Chevrolet Malibu owners gave the mileage (428 complaints), the median was 70,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Electrical System289
- Vehicle Speed Control85
- Engine47
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic45
- Engine And Engine Cooling41
- Exterior Lighting28
Complaints received, by year
| 2003 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 46 | |
| 2005 | 29 | |
| 2006 | 16 | |
| 2007 | 29 | |
| 2008 | 42 | |
| 2009 | 26 | |
| 2010 | 41 | |
| 2011 | 36 | |
| 2012 | 24 | |
| 2013 | 21 | |
| 2014 | 113 | |
| 2015 | 56 | |
| 2016 | 24 | |
| 2017 | 12 | |
| 2018 | 7 | |
| 2019 | 9 | |
| 2020 | 4 | |
| 2021 | 5 | |
| 2023 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu peaked in 2014, when NHTSA received 113. 20% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu drew 0.6× the complaints of the median Chevrolet Malibu year in the same window: 16th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 3/5
The 569 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Chevrolet Malibu by model year
Other 2003 Chevrolet models
Newest record on this page: June 15, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted