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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,429 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Chevrolet Malibu body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2011 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #14

Feb 102023

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have bought multiple Chevy Malibu manufactured in the 2008-2012 year range and I have experienced the same problems on all of them. The first one is almost everytime I remotely start the car and begin to drive the electric power steering feature goes out until I park the car and restart it. Another problem I-€™ve been experiencing is the the passenger door malfunctions and does not open from The inside or outside even though the locking system is working properly. Upon looking online I have also seen there-€™s been a good amount of people reporting the same problem

- Grand Rapids , MI, USA

problem #13

Oct 202020

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles
My teenage son was driving in the rain when his Malibu gave engine power reduced, service traction, service ESC, and ESC off warnings. Car was barely drivable. This is a safety issue since it happens suddenly and increase the chances of a collision with other vehicles. Code reader showed the P2138 dtc. The headliner above the driver side door was also wet. This appears to be coming from the sun roof. I believe that this leakage is causing electrical connection issues somewhere else in the car that is causing the above mentioned warnings and performance issues. According the the Chevy website, there are no recalls applicable to this car based on its VIN.

- Waverly, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 192019

Malibu

  • 5 miles
Takata recall... the undercarriage fell down unexpectedly while driving. The most important thing is that I have been continually getting an error that my engine reduced/engine disabled and it shuts off while I'm driving on the street. I may get a few seconds of motion to get to the side of the road before it stops completely. It's happened with my child in the car and that scares me more to think it may happen again. It has happened 3 time in the past 5 weeks. I've had a tune up and a number of things replaced in the past 12 months. My engine light came on again and one of the same sensors on the engine had to be replaced again.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #11

May 202019

Malibu

  • 178,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I tried to open my drivers side door and it would not open randomly looked it up online and apparently alot of other people were having this problem with no way to fix because they could not get to the problem with the door stuck shut, with no solution should be covered by Chevrolet in a recall

- Avon, NY, USA

problem #10

Apr 012017

Malibu

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start upon attempting to turn the key in the ignition. Wood motor company (600 us-62, harrison, ar 72601, (870) 741-8211) indicated that there was an internal electrical and engine failure that required diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that the repair may be extensive. The dealer indicated that the timing chain, gear, belt, and valves within the engine assembly may need to be replaced. The dealer also stated that the pistons had not been firing at the right time and there was an internal meltdown of the dashboard area. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

- Forsyth, MO, USA

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problem #9

Nov 142017

Malibu

  • 96,000 miles
Front passenger door cannot be opened from outside or inside. Had to climb over seat to get out of the back door. Car was in a parking lot.

- Clayton, NJ, USA

problem #8

Feb 022016

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The driver's side body seam of my 2011 Chevy Malibu was not properly sealed. This allowed water to leak into my electrical panel cause corrosion to all of my wiring. I determined this after driving down a high way at 60 mph and having my car drop down to 10 mph with service engine lights, engine power reduced warnings all lighting up my panel. It had been raining that day. I am lucky that the car behind me was following an appropriate amount of distance behind me.

- Bradford, PA, USA

problem #7

Dec 152011

Malibu

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the area where the front driver side seat was welded had fractured. As a result, the seat failed to remain in position. In addition, while making a left turn at various speeds, the steering wheel steered to the left in excess and there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. The ESC warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.

- Homer, MI, USA

problem #6

Feb 012016

Malibu

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 5 mph, the vehicle made a loud squealing noise coming from the exterior body of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to be repaired but the dealer could not replicate the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.

- Grand Blanc, MI, USA

problem #5

Dec 092015

Malibu

  • 81,000 miles
Front drivers side door on 2011 Malibu would not open when shut. The door was unlocked but would not open when I parked.I tried locking and unlocking the vehicle and it still would not open. I was stuck in the vehicle and I began pressing lock and unlock on the key fob several times until I heard a popping noise and the door was finally able to be opened. All other doors were locking/unlocking and were able to be opened properly. The vehicle has been doing this for about a week now and it happens intermittently everyday. I dropped it off at the dealership and am awaiting further information. This would be very dangerous during an accident/vehicle fire as you would be trapped in the vehicle.

- La Crosse, WI, USA

problem #4

May 252015

Malibu

  • 54,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver's door will not close and latch properly or unlock/unlatch to open. This has started occurring frequently. There are many complaints regarding door latch mechanism failures that dealers are more than willing to fix for hundreds of dollars. I feel this is a safety issue, as each time the car is started, it is a gamble, as to whether the door will latch, or unlatch, properly, as needed. If this vehicle is involved in an accident, I am not confident that the door will open, even if it is an undamaged one, due to the failing lock/latch mechanism. I am replacing this at my cost but feel that the manufacturer bears responsibility for faulty parts/design. Thankfully, no one in my family has been injured, yet. I fear that this could be an issue during times of great stress that can and will lead to fatalities, if left unaddressed.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #3

Mar 232015

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking space at an unknown speed, the piece of plastic detached from the middle console and covered the accelerator pedal causing the vehicle to accelerate without warning. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

- Beaver Dam, WI, USA

problem #2

Nov 232013

Malibu

  • 45,000 miles
I was going onto a exit an hit a guardrail on the drivers side, the car spun and I ended up sideways. The airbag deployed but did not inflate. I sustained broken ribs, a facial hematoma and multiple contusions. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time of the accident.

- Carmel, IN, USA

problem #1

Jun 222013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
On 6/22/13 at approx 1:40pm I was heading back to work from my lunch break and I was going through the intersection on my green light at approx 30mph when a big Chevy truck blew through the red light going approx 40 mph. I ended up T boning the cab of his truck. Causing me to do a 360. Tore off the bumper completely. My airbags did not deploy and onstar did not call me. Two important safety features of my car failed me! I thank god I am alive with no serious injuries! everyone who saw my car including the body shop are in complete shock of my air bags not deploying! I really would like to know the cause!

- Vista, CA, USA

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