Does the 2008 Chevy Malibu need different driver/passenger axles?

Question

Engine is 2.4 L4 (Non-Hybrid)

I ordered two axles from a site that said the axle fit both the front right and left.

Here is the part:

CONSTANT VELOCITY DRIVE AXLE - CARDONE SELECT [NEW] Part Number: 66-1243

If you click on "See all vehicles this part fits" you can see that it says it fits both the front left and the front right but look at the picture and notice the inner side of the axle.

Then look at this part:

CONSTANT VELOCITY DRIVE AXLE - A1 CARDONE [REMAN.] Part Number: 60-1460

Notice how the inner side of this axle looks different than that one did, it has a bar extending out where that one didn't.

Now look at this parts list and filter to Constant Velocity Drive Axles. You can see there that some of them have the same part number for the front right and front left and some of them have different ones. So which is it? Are they the same or different? Do I have to buy another axle or not?

One thing I noticed is that some of them say Transfer Inner Stub Shaft From Original Axle to Replacement CV Axle Does this mean that the ones that actually say they will fit front left or right are correct but the one on the left needs that OEM inner stub shaft?

Answer 1

It depends on which engine you have in your car. For the 2.2L, 2.4L, 2.4L Hybrid, and 3.5L V6, the Cardone 66-1243 is correct and can be used for either side. For the 3.6L V6, there are two separate half shaft assemblies. The Cardone 66-1461 is for the right and Cardone 66-1640 is for the left. So it really comes down to which engine you have in your car.