Top Safety Pick criteria

2006 Chevrolet Malibu

midsize car / 4-door sedan

2006 Chevrolet Malibu 4-door sedan
2005 Chevrolet Malibu shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side
Side: original test with additional optional side airbags
Side: original test without optional side airbags
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2004-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2004 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4-door

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2004 model year. The earlier design remained in production through the 2005 model year, but was called the Chevrolet Classic and was sold only to fleets.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

A high head acceleration occurred when the dummy's head bottomed out the airbag and hit the steering wheel.

Forces on the right foot were just high enough to indicate the possibility of injury.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0406
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 7
Center (cm) 7
Right (cm) 7
Brake pedal (cm) 1
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -3
Rearward (cm) 1
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 1

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0406
Head
HIC-15 490
Peak gs at hard contact 93
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm) 16
Maximum Nij 0.31
Chest maximum compression (mm) 33
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.9
Femur force - right (kN) 2.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 0
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.39
Maximum tibia index - right 0.73
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 51
Right 152

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2005-07 models

Tested vehicle: 2005 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4-door with optional front and rear head curtain airbags and optional front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2004 model year. The earlier design remained in production through the 2005 model year, but was called the Chevrolet Classic and was sold when new only to fleets.

Two previous tests of a 2004 Malibu were conducted, one with an optional side curtain airbag for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. In 2005-06 models, side airbags designed to protect drivers' and front passengers' torsos were added to the optional side curtain airbags previously available. In 2007 models, the side curtain airbags became standard, but the side torso airbags remained optional.

The three tested vehicles are rated separately, except that structure ratings for the vehicles are based on the two previous tests plus the latest test. Also, the rear passenger injury and head protection ratings are based on the two tests with side airbags.

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

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side curtain and side torso airbags

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0404 CES0403 CES0509
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -5.0 -5.0 -5.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0509
Head HIC-15 292
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Compression (kN) 0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 45
Lateral force (kN) 1.6
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 32
Average deflection (mm) 28
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.04
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.59
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.6
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.4
Combined force (kN) 4.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.7
L-M moment (Nm) 89
A-P moment (Nm) 29

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0403 CES0509
Head HIC-15 94 174
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1 0.9
Compression (kN) 0.5 0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 34 29
Lateral force (kN) 1.5 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 36 35
Average deflection (mm) 28 27
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.84 3.89
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.61 0.58
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.6 0.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.0 2.4
Combined force (kN) 2.1 2.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.5 0.5
L-M moment (Nm) 177 165
A-P moment (Nm) -43 35

Rating applies to 2004-06 models

Tested vehicle: 2004 Chevrolet Malibu LS 4-door without optional side airbags

The Chevrolet Malibu was redesigned for the 2004 model year. The earlier design remained in production through the 2005 model year, but was called the Chevrolet Classic and was sold when new only to fleets.

All 2004-07 Malibu models manufactured after February 2004 include front door trim panel changes to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes. (Chevrolet reported that these door trim panel changes would not significantly affect side-impact performance in models without side airbags; therefore the overall side impact rating for all 2004-06 models without side airbags is the same.)

Two tests of a 2004 Malibu were conducted, one with an optional side airbag for the driver and rear passenger, and one without. A third test of a Malibu, a 2005 model, was conducted because the side airbags were changed beginning with 2005 models. These three Malibus are rated separately, except that the structure ratings for the three vehicles are based on all three tests.

Beginning with 2007 models, the side curtain airbags designed to protect drivers' and front and rear passengers' heads became standard, but side airbags designed to protect drivers' and front passengers' torsos remained optional.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the intruding barrier, producing high head injury measures.
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
The dummy's head was hit by the window sill and window frame of the rear passenger door, producing moderately high head injury measures. Hitting the window areas should be prevented.

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head being hit by the intruding barrier.

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the driver dummy's head hit the barrier.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0404 CES0403 CES0509
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -5.0 -5.0 -5.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0404
Head HIC-15 1,606
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.0
Compression (kN) 1.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 51
Lateral force (kN) 2.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 48
Average deflection (mm) 39
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 8.12
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.49
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.8
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.8
Combined force (kN) 6.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.8
L-M moment (Nm) 129
A-P moment (Nm) 42

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0404
Head HIC-15 722
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.9
Compression (kN) 0.1
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 35
Lateral force (kN) 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 38
Average deflection (mm) 30
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.63
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.61
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.5
Combined force (kN) 3.3
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.3
L-M moment (Nm) 124
A-P moment (Nm) 31

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats
Geometry
Backset (mm) 32
Distance below top of head (mm) 52
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 12.1
Head contact time (ms) 71
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 14
Max neck tension (N) 732

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.