1997 Chevrolet Malibu electrical system problems
87 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the electrical system on the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu — 20% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Theft light. Car won’t start it’s happened 20 times in the last 6 months. I was driving and theft light caused everything to shut down. This is a dangerous thing that needs to be fixed”
filed Sep 19, 2021
“My thief light starts blinking and my car will not start. This has happened 3 times this past month. I was told it was the passlock to turn car in on position for 10 minutes or until light stops blinking then it would start. This is a safety issues that needs to be fixed before it happens while…”
filed Jan 2, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag systemCampaign 14V400000 · Jul 3, 2014
Related service bulletins
This Preliminary Information communicates to the dealer the process for downloading or updating operating software for the Tire Pressure Monitor, Active Fuel Injector tester, multi media tester, PICO Scope, GR8…
PIP4723D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 31, 2020
Electrical System problems in other Malibu years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 15 | 45% |
| 2023 Malibu | 12 | 21% |
| 2022 Malibu | 31 | 34% |
| 2021 Malibu | 25 | 31% |
| 2020 Malibu | 56 | 29% |
| 2019 Malibu | 61 | 32% |
| 2018 Malibu | 191 | 28% |
| 2017 Malibu | 160 | 23% |
| 2016 Malibu | 222 | 27% |
| 2015 Malibu | 66 | 25% |
| 2014 Malibu | 86 | 25% |
| 2013 Malibu | 375 | 45% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.