Model year guide

2004 Chevrolet Malibu

Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 138 on record.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu — representative photo
Representative photo · via Wikimedia Commons

2004 Chevrolet Malibu at a glance

Safety recalls9
Combined24 mpg
Typical price$2,027

Free: specs, open recalls for that exact car, build sheet and fair price.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu recalls 9

Electrical System:wiring NHTSA Campaign #14V252000 · 14/05/2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicle…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim le…

Steering:electric Power Assist System NHTSA Campaign #14V153000 · 31/03/2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin …

Power Train:automatic Transmission NHTSA Campaign #14V224000 · 30/04/2014

General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007,…

Fix: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.

Steering NHTSA Campaign #14E044000 · 21/07/2014

Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6, and 2007-2009 Saturn Aura vehicles. The affected steering shafts may have a yoke that inadequately supports the u-joint bearing resulting in a prema…

Fix: Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492.

Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump NHTSA Campaign #11E009000 · 28/02/2011

TI AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN FUEL PUMPS, PART NUMBERS TU456 AND TU303, SOLD UNDER VARIOUS BRAND NAMES AS AFTERMARKET AND REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTOR VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MAY SEIZE, STOPPING THE FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE CREATING A STALLING CONDITION.

Fix: TI AUTOMOTIVE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND WILL REPLACE ANY DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP WITH A NEW OR REWORKED FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TI AUTOMOTIVE AT 1-866-867-3759 OR LOG ON TO WWW.RECALLRESPONSE.COM.

Exterior Lighting NHTSA Campaign #09E012000 · 07/04/2009

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Fix: 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.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module NHTSA Campaign #04V190000 · 19/04/2004

SOME OF THESE PASSENGER VEHICLES HAVE AN ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) THAT MAY CALCULATE A HIGHER THAN ACTUAL VEHICLE SPEED BECAUSE OF AN ERRATIC REAR-WHEEL SPEED SENSOR SIGNAL, AND CAUSE ABS ACTIVATION WHERE IT IS NOT NEEDED OR NEEDED ABS ACTIVATION TO BE EXTENDED DURING BRAKING AS THE VEHICLE SPEED DROPS TO ABOUT 3 MPH.

Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ABS CONTROLLER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.

Seat Belts:front:anchorage NHTSA Campaign #04V188000 · 16/04/2004

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, ANALYSIS OF AN A SIDE IMPACT CRASH TEST CONDUCTED BY THE NHTSA;S NEW CAR ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NCAP) INDICATED THAT THE OUTBOARD ANCHORAGE OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT COULD DISCONNECT BECAUSE OF CONTACT BETWEEN THE SEAT TRIM AND THE ANCHORAGE CONNECTOR WHEN THE SEAT WAS ADJUSTED TO ITS LOWEST POSITION.

Fix: DEALERS WILL INSERT A RETAINER ON BOTH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S BELT ANCHORAGES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.

Equipment:other:labels NHTSA Campaign #04V094000 · 24/02/2004

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD (FMVSS) NO. 208, "OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION." SOME OF THESE VEHICLES THAT WERE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED OCCUPANT RESTRAINT SYSTEM (AORS) HAVE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISORS WITH AORS LABELS. THE AORS LABELS DO NOT INCLUDE STATEMENTS AND THE ILLUSTRATION REQUIRED BY FMVSS NO. 208 FOR VEHICLES WITHOUT …

Fix: OWNERS WILL BE SENT REPLACEMENT LABELS WITH INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO INSTALL THEM. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.

Source: U.S. NHTSA. A recall applies to a model year, but only a VIN check shows whether a specific car has had the repair done.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu MPG & running costs

Combined24 mpg
City21 mpg
Highway30 mpg
Est. annual fuel cost$2,550

Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov, averaged across trims.

What's a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu worth?

Low
$800
Typical price
$2,027
High
$3,700

From 133 comparable 2004 Chevrolet Malibu listings.

Estimated 5-year cost to own

A rough guide to what running a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu costs over five years and 75,000 miles.

Fuel (5 yrs)$12,750
Depreciation (5 yrs)$950
Total$13,700
Per mile$0.18

How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. Depreciation compares today's typical asking price for this model year ($2,027) with the same model 5 model-years older ($1,070), from CarLogs listing data. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu trims & engines on record

Trims
Base · LS · LT
Engines
3.5L 6-cyl · 2.2L 4-cyl 170 hp

2004 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles on record

Other Chevrolet Malibu model years

2004 Chevrolet Malibu — frequently asked questions

Does the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu have any safety recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 9 safety recalls for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

What gas mileage does the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu get?

The U.S. EPA rates the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu at about 24 mpg combined (21 city / 30 highway).

How much is a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu worth?

Comparable 2004 Chevrolet Malibu listings run roughly $800–$3,700, typically around $2,027 (from 133 vehicles).

Sources: NHTSA (recalls, complaints, crash tests), U.S. EPA (fuel economy). Vehicle data only — CarLogs never shows owner information.