Chevy Malibu Safety Rating
The Chevy Malibu is an eye-catching mid-size family car. It has been manufactured since 1964 and has evolved to satisfy the most discerning car buyers. It is exceptionally stylish, and the sculpted and refined interiors perfectly match its exterior look. However, there is more to the Chevy Malibu than meets the eye. The Chevy Malibu safety rating provides insights into the standard and advanced safety features built into the car design and how well they stand against the toughest safety tests.
Safety and Driver-Assist Technologies on Chevy Malibu
The true measure of a modern vehicle’s performance is its array of safety features. Fortunately, Malibu owners or those interested in buying it can access a long list of safety tech features.
Lane Departure & Lane Keeping Assist—Lane Departure is a camera-based safety system that tracks the painted lines on the road and provides audible and visual warnings if you swerve out of the lane. Meanwhile, the Lane Keeping Assist system uses sensors that gently guide you back into the center of the lane.
Forward Collision Alert – It uses sensors to determine when the vehicle in front brakes suddenly, alerting you so that you can swerve out of the way or have enough time to brake.
Following Distance Indicator – This system uses sensors to monitor your distance from the vehicle in front of you, allowing you to maintain a safe distance behind.
Rear Cross-Traffic Alert – A sensor detects if there are any vehicles behind you when backing up and activates the steering or braking assist, depending on the situation.
IntelliBeam High-Beam Assist– This system automatically switches the high beam on or off based on traffic conditions. This feature maintains optimal visibility at night without blinding the drivers of oncoming vehicles.
Airbags – This standard security feature prevents serious injuries resulting from impact during a collision.
Automatic Emergency Braking – It uses sensors to detect a possible collision, wherein the system automatically applies the brake to prevent a collision or reduce its severity.
LATCH – It is a child seat system that simplifies the installation of a child seat. It is a standardized feature in modern vehicles, which includes the Malibu.
Teen Driver Technology – It is a suite of technology and safety features designed to assist teen drivers and encourage safe driving habits.
Chevy Malibu Safety Rating
Learn about the Chevy Malibu safety rating from top agencies that perform standard crash tests recognized by the industry to evaluate how well certain vehicles perform during a collision. Remember that there are many Chevy Malibu recalls, so keep this in mind when determining how safe this vehicle is.
NHTSA
The NHTSA is the top agency that performs safety and crash testing on new vehicles. The Chevy Malibu earned an overall rating of five stars.
The impressive rating is due to its five-star rating on the frontal and side crash tests, with all the individual components of each test performing five stars. Meanwhile, it only earned a four-star rating on the rollover crash tests, with a 10.30% rollover risk rate.
IIHS
The IIHS Chevy Malibu safety rating scored Good on most crash test categories, especially in Crashworthiness. The small overlap front test on Chevy Malibu performed exceptionally on the driver’s side for all tests, with the same results for the moderate overlap front test.
On the other hand, the original side crash test on the Chevy Malibu earned Good ratings across various test elements. However, it scored Poor on most tests for the updated IIHS testing. The Chevy Malibu’s roof strength is Good, and the same goes for the head restraints and seats. As for the headlights, it earned a score of Marginal on most trims.
The front crash prevention test on the Chevy Malibu scored Superior, as it met the IIHS requirements for forward collision warning. This rating applies to vehicle-to-vehicle collision. The pedestrian (daytime only) front crash prevention rating is Basic. Finally, the seat belt reminders were rated as Poor because the initiation time and volume failed to satisfy the IIHS requirements for the unbelted occupant alert.
EuroNCAP
The EuroNCAP safety rating for the Chevy Malibu applies to the 2011 Model. The tested model is a four-door saloon with a 2.4 LTZ engine.
Based on the crash test results, the Adult Occupant safety rating is 94%. It performed well on most tests, including the frontal offset deformable barrier, whiplash rear impact, and lateral impact tests. Meanwhile, the Child Occupant safety rating is 83%, wherein it was rated as Adequate on child restraints for both front- and rear-facing child car seats. The safety features for the child occupants are only six points out of 12.
The pedestrian safety rating for the Chevy Malibu is 57%. According to the test result, the bumper offered good protection in some areas but did poorly in others. The Chevy Malibu’s safety rating is 71% regarding the safety assist features. The Chevy Malibu is equipped with many safety assist technologies, such as airbags, belt pretensioners, belt load limiters, and seat belt reminders. However, the safety features are mostly concentrated on the front and driver’s side, with the rear passengers’ access to safety features somewhat compromised.
