2004 Chevrolet Malibu Seat belts Problems
- Complaints
- 14about this part
- Share
- 1%of 1,148 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 60,390miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the seat belts of the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu, 1% of the 1,148 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,390 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
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.
“The driver side seat that is welded to the frame of the car has broke. The right side of my drivers side seat now collapses when driving which is extremely dangerous not to mention the seatbelt is attached to the right side of the seat and buckled into it which is now collapsed which could cause a major issue if I was to ever get into an accident. I have done some reasearch online and this appears to be a common issue amongsts most 2004 Malibu owners. …”
NHTSA complaint #11342187, filed 2020-07, 60,390 miles“Part is actually the seat hook bracket assembly weld. Couldn't get this accepted in affected parts above. Moved the seat while parked and it broke. Took to dealer and after inspection they said it was an inferior weld that came apart. They offered to give me the number of a man who would come out and weld it but that it probably wouldn't hold because you're putting a weld atop an inferior one and it would disqualify me if there was ever a recall on it. I have it propped up with pieces of wood. …”
NHTSA complaint #10616279, filed 2014-07, 48,000 miles“The car cut off while I was driving and in heavy traffic more than once. There was no warning that this would happen. The car was serviced before for this problem but it continued to happen. I have had 3 recalls, the horn fuse has been replaced twice, and the blinker is currently out. The steering collar has also been replaced. This car was supposed to be a new car.”
NHTSA complaint #10123684, filed 2005-05, 23,500 miles“Power steering locked up while driving thru a curve causing a accident which resulted in one rider injury. We made a claim with GM and they denied it stating that the data from the black box showed that there was not any equipment malfunctions. The power steering started working after the accident. The data showed that the driver side seat belt lock was told to deploy and it did not. To me and everybody else, that is an equipment malfunction. Gm told me that since the driver was not hurt that they denied this one also. …”
NHTSA complaint #10648227, filed 2014-10, 140,000 miles“I sat down in the vehicle and found that the drivers seat was leaning. I looked on line to see if I could fix it myself. I found a lot of complaints that the welds break and this is a common problem with these vehicles. I contacted Chevrolet and they told me I had to have the vehicle checked by a chevy dealer. I brought the vehicle in and they told me that the seat welds did break. I am not an overly heavy person, so I thought that even though the vehicle was older, that this is a design problem, and not an age or neglect problem by the owner. …”
NHTSA complaint #10712320, filed 2015-04, 134,295 milesRelated recalls
- 04V188000Apr 16, 2004On 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…Covers: Chevrolet Malibu 2004
Seat belts: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 2% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% |
| 2018 | 3 | 0% |
| 2017 | 7 | 1% |
| 2016 | 9 | 1% |
| 2015 | 8 | 3% |
| 2014 | 7 | 2% |
| 2013 | 6 | 1% |
| 2012 | 47 | 5% |
| 2011 | 53 | 5% |
| 2010 | 16 | 1% |
| 2009 | 7 | 0% |
| 2008 | 4 | 0% |
| 2007 | 13 | 1% |
| 2006 | 5 | 0% |
| 2005 | 5 | 1% |
| 2004 | 14 | 1% |
| 2003 | 3 | 1% |
| 2002 | 9 | 2% |
| 2001 | 9 | 1% |
| 2000 | 2 | 0% |
| 1999 | 13 | 2% |
| 1998 | 24 | 2% |
| 1997 | 15 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
799 complaintsElectrical system
151 complaintsExterior lighting
84 complaintsSeats
69 complaintsBrakes
64 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
64 complaintsSuspension
31 complaintsFuel system
29 complaintsVehicle speed control
27 complaintsAir bags
26 complaintsElectronic stability control
22 complaintsOther or unknown
21 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu
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