Model year record

1981 Chevrolet Malibu

2 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 3 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 83V077000

Vehicle speed control: cables

Component
Vehicle speed control: cables
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
19,108
Reported to NHTSA
1983-08-19
Owners notified
1983-08-10

Defect description

ACCELERATOR PUMP LEVER RETAINING PIN MAY LOOSEN AFTER REPEATED HEAVY ACCELERATOR PEDAL APPLICATIONS. THIS COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE TO BECOME STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALER WILL INSTALL A SPECIAL COTTER PIN, TO RETAIN THE ACCELERATOR PUMP PIN, AND A SPRING CLIP THRUST WASHER ON THE ACCELERATOR PUMP LINK.

Recall campaignNHTSA 81V025000

Suspension: rear

Component
Suspension: rear
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Vehicles affected
5,821,160
Reported to NHTSA
1981-02-25
Owners notified
1981-03-09

Defect description

THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM TO THE FRAME MAY FRACTURE. THE REAR CONTROL ARM SUPPORTS AND POSITIONS THE REAR AXLE. FRACTURE OF THE BOLTS WOULD ALLOW THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP FREE.

Manufacturer remedy

BOTH REAR CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT BOLTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly1
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components1
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: drum1

The 1980 model has about half as many complaints as this one. The 1982 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.