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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2003 Chevrolet Malibu Classic Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
1about this part
Share
6%of 16 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 1 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu Classic, 6% of the 16 complaints for this model year.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“While driving on the freeway, my car just shut off. I managed to put in neutral and restart the car after a long attempt to do so. I ended up repeating the process again within a few minutes, but since we were so far from an exit we continued to drive slowly in the right lane until we reached an exit while leaving our hazard lights on. The car has now continued to seemingly randomly repeat the process at odd times with significant intervals between each episode. I have also had a tremendous amount of trouble with the vehicles anti theft system prohibiting the car from starting. …”

NHTSA complaint #10614842, filed 2014-07

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2008210%
200522%
200454%
200316%
200216%

Other parts of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu Classic

Electrical system
11 complaints
Electronic stability control
1 complaints
Engine
1 complaints
Other or unknown
1 complaints
Steering
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu Classic

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology