2009 Chevrolet Malibu
midsize car / 4-door sedan
Moderate overlap front: original test
Rating applies to 2008-12 models
Tested vehicle: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4-door
The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2008 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by General Motors.
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Leg/foot, left | |
| Leg/foot, right | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics |
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | VTF0715 |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 3 |
| Left (cm) | 8 |
| Center (cm) | 9 |
| Right (cm) | 8 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 5 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 2 |
| Right (cm) | 1 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | 3 |
| Rearward (cm) | -3 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | VTF0715 |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 370 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.6 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 15 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.27 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 43 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force - left (kN) | 0.9 |
| Femur force - right (kN) | 6.0 |
| Knee displacement - left (mm) | 1 |
| Knee displacement - right (mm) | 1 |
| Maximum tibia index - left | 0.48 |
| Maximum tibia index - right | 0.98 |
| Tibia axial force - left (kN) | 1.4 |
| Tibia axial force - right (kN) | 2.9 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 52 |
| Right | 118 |
Side: original test
Rating applies to 2008-12 models built after February 2008
Tested vehicle: 2008 Chevrolet Malibu LT 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags
The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2008 model year. Beginning with 2008 models manufactured after February 2008, design changes were made to the front door trim panels to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes (note: information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on or near the driver door).
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis/leg | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.
View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.
Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag (the blue strip is a kind of liner for the airbag).
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Test ID | CES0811 |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -9.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Test ID | CES0811 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 493 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.2 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.1 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 48 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.1 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 30 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.37 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.51 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.1 |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.7 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.5 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 62 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 17 |
Passenger injury measures
| Test ID | CES0811 |
|---|---|
| Head HIC-15 | 249 |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.5 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 39 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 2.0 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 36 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 26 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.92 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.38 |
| Pelvis | |
| Iliac force (kN) | 1.2 |
| Acetabulum force (kN) | 3.0 |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.8 |
| Left femur | |
| L-M force (kN) | 0.4 |
| L-M moment (Nm) | 159 |
| A-P moment (Nm) | 18 |
Roof strength
Rating applies to 2008-12 models
Tested vehicle: 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT 4-door
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Curb weight | 3,445 lbs |
| Peak force | 15,063 lbs |
| Strength-to-weight ratio | 4.37 |
Head restraints & seats
Seat type: Manual-power cloth seats
| Overall evaluation | |
|---|---|
| Dynamic rating | |
| Seat/head restraint geometry |
| Seat type | Manual-power cloth seats |
|---|---|
| Geometry | |
| Backset (mm) | 64 |
| Distance below top of head (mm) | 58 |
| Seat design parameters | |
| Pass/fail | Fail |
| Max T1 acceleration (g) | 12.1 |
| Head contact time (ms) | 92 |
| Force rating | 2 |
| Neck forces | |
| Max neck shear force (N) | 149 |
| Max neck tension (N) | 775 |
About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.