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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
81,182 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.

2013 Chevrolet Malibu brakes problems

brakes problem

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #32

May 302018

Malibu

  • 102,000 miles

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

While driving (on multiple occasions) on city streets my car experiences multiple electronic failures including.. flickering display screen, loss of my link radio system, shut down of power steering, and warning displays of need to service stability system. When it first occured I was turning right in a city intersection loss of power steering led the wheel to lock and this lack of control almost forced me into another vehicle, I was forced to slam on the brakes and stop in the middle of the intersections and restart the car to regain control. It continues to display this issue until I made it to the mechanic. The mechanic also drove the vehicle and logged similiar experiences. After the issue was thought to be a loose ground in the car the problem seemed to be resolved.I emailed Chevy multiple times about my concerns wondering if this was a noted problem for my car, I was told that since there was no recall they would do nothing for me. Since it seemed to be okay I let it go and continued. A couple days later while driving the car experienced another reoccurrence of the incident while driving this time only loss of radio and other displays. I again emailed Chevy and took my car to the shop. I started googling to find answers where I found multiple forums with 100S of similar examples and Chevy via email still continues to deny issues with the manufacturering of the car. After 10 days in the shop, hounding Chevy for answers I was able to receive word of a memo from a local Chevy mechanic that stated that this was a known issue for my model/year and listed potential fixes. When I informed Chevy of my anger towards the memo being kept from me they replied that I wasn't allowed to have the information since I wasn't a Chevy mechanic. The issue has now occured again almost resulting in another accident and my car lost power completely. I have owned this car for 3 months.

- Pullman, WA, USA

problem #31

May 262018

Malibu

  • 85,000 miles
My 2013 Chevrolet Malibu lost power and shut off while driving on five different occasions to date. The first two times I had come to a complete stop and the key could not be removed from the ignition. I had to wait for 10 to 30 minutes before the power returned and could remove the key or restart the vehicle. On the third occasion, I was driving on the highway and the radio and air conditioning lost power and the car was threatening to shut off but regained power. The steering wheel briefly locked up during this event. I later turned off on the nearest exit making a complete stop at the light and the vehicle lost complete power and shut off in the middle of traffic.the steering wheel locked up, the radio and all lights went black and the air shut off for a few seconds and then came back on. I had to put the car in park and was then able to restart it. The same thing happened on a residential street with heavy traffic while slowing for a stop light.the next incident was in a parking lot while trying to back out with the car still in drive. There were also a few times where the radio went black and the steering wheel locked up briefly while making a turn but did not loose power. My daily commute to work requires me to take the highway. I am terrified of what may happen after the memorial day holiday when I am to return to work and travel the highway again.

- Anderson, IN, USA

problem #30

May 142018

Malibu

  • 95,000 miles
While driving, all electronic systems shut off. The engine is still running but the gauges, power steering, traction control, everything. Anything electrical shuts off. It's happened on the freeway going 60 mph and on residential streets only going 15 mph.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #29

May 142018

Malibu

  • 78,000 miles

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

I am having a problem with my speedometer jumping, and there is also an indicater light that keeps popping on saying that my car is losing power. I've taken to the landers dealership where I am purchasing my car from six time's now to be fixed, and yet it continues to happen.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #28

Feb 242018

Malibu

  • 90,750 miles
Random stabilitrak warning followed by engine power reduced. Happens randomly while driving. Second instance. First instance was on interstate in heavy traffic. Lucky to not be rear-ended.

- Winchester, KY, USA

problem #27

Jan 292018

Malibu

  • 35,000 miles
Purchased car certified pre-owned. First winter entertainment display and warning lights started to flicker randomly, and car would not reliably start. Took to dealership and they were unable to recreate the symptoms. The following winter the entire electrical system began failing upon engaging it while in motion. For example: Using the the power windows, engagement of the traction control in slippery weather, using a turn signal, were all capable of shutting down all electrical options in the vehicle including the power steering. Nearly caused a couple accidents. The service stabiltrak light would also come intermittently come on. Brought to dealership again, they cleared the dash lights and reset a sensor that was showing bad in a diagnostic scan. Car ran smoothly for a few months. Showed symptoms again over the summer(lights flickering and loss of touch screen momentarily). Dealership was unable to recreate again. Now this winter the car is completely messed up again, same exact symptoms as last time. Power steering loss, full electrical loss while in motion, sometimes randomly, other times as a direct result of engaging with the electrical system as I described before. A aaa worker noticed the burning of electrical cable housing coming from the battery, I pointed this out to the dealership but they don't seem interested in it. Based on the consistent complaints about this vehicles electrical system, this car needs to be recalled and GM seriously investigated. They've already had to settle hundreds of death law suits due to this exact issues they claimed was a faulty ignition switch in the cobalt, yet this exact problem exists heavily in other models and the issue continues to be rampant in 'fixed' ignitions in the cobalts. This is a dangerous public health issue, GM needs to be held responsible

- Salisbury, MA, USA

problem #26

Jan 042018

Malibu

  • 136,000 miles

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

My 2013 Chevy Malibu has been having power and/or electrical issues. I have took it to the dealership numerous of times, but the issue is still ongoing. When I steer left or right, my car powers down and the steering wheel locks. Some times the car radio screen and dashboard lights flashes on & off. The only way to make it stop is to turn the car off and back on. I can be driving down the road and the car will shut down and power off on its own. It is extremely dangerous, but that is the only transportation I have right now. I am not sure what is going on and I have seen numerous of complaints from people with the same issues. Please investigate.

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #25

Nov 292017

Malibu

  • 99,000 miles
Car shuts off while driving at any speed. Touch screen goes black and power steering goes out. It happens more frequent when turning. It is unsafe because if you are driving on a curve it could cause a crash because the steering wheel will not turn. You loose control of the car.

- Rose Hill, NC, USA

problem #24

Aug 112017

Malibu

  • 47,880 miles
Soon as my car hit 47000 mikes it started loosing power. I would be driving and the radio goes off and then I loose power steering for a brief time. Never know when it's going to happened while driving. Has done thus at least 12 times!

- Osceola Mills, PA, USA

problem #23

Jun 162017

Malibu

  • 95,000 miles
When driving the car the radio panel, air conditioning, control panel and power steering goes out. When driving over 45 mph on the highway, the engine will not stop. However, when driving 45 mph or below on city streets, the car will shut completely off and I will have to restart the car. Everything goes complete off. This has been an ongoing issue for several months now. The car has had this issue while in traffic and I was hit from behind. Fortunately, we were pulling off from a stop light and the impact was not enough to cause an injury. I have researched on youtube and online and there are several other consumers with this exact same issue. Also, the check engine light never comes on but it does say service power steering and service stabili trak. Sometimes when the car is not moving (parked) it will also cut off. Once, I went to start the car and it would not start and it would not allow me to remove the key. I tried making sure the car was in park (which I knew it was because it had been parked for hours) but nothing would move. I almost had it towed and then out the blue everything popped on. Chevrolet advised that they "think" it could be the battery cables and the fuse box but cannot guarantee that this will fix the issue. I have already paid $167 for them to "tighten" the cables and tell me what they "think" may be the issue. I also have video of the car while having this issue but it is not in the format allowed for upload. The last time it had this issue was today 07/28/2017.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #22

Jul 072017

Malibu

  • miles

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

Purchased this 2013 Malibu lt in August of 2016. After about a month, I started experiencing power failure and power steering loss while driving. On some occasions, the electrical issues and power failure is triggered by engaging the turn signal. Searched youtube and discovered that dozens of other 2013 Malibu owners are experiencing the exact same issue. The scary part of this issue is that the car stalls out completely without warning while driving at any given speed. And when this happens, the power steering goes out as well. This has happened about a dozen times since about a month after purchase August 2016; the last experience was on this past Friday, July 7, 2017.this is very dangerous as I have already experienced two near-miss accidents. I've read several posts of others who have spent money on diagnosis and repairs only to discover that the problem reoccurs. I don't have the money to waste on fruitless repairs as I'm still paying a note plus full coverage insurance on this vehicle. I don't know how many complaints that it will take for something to be done about this serious problem, but something needs to be done in a hurry.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #21

Mar 132017

Malibu

  • 74,796 miles
*takata recall* while driving on highway steering became difficult to handle car began to shake in a jerking motion felt like wheels were going to fall off. On top of that took car to dealer ship and they didn't handle issue until my second visit to see if it would be covered under warranty I had to pay 100$ and find out my stability service light, and light and traction control light are on due to a rear bearing hub being broke and the sensor not being able to detect speed causing my RPM to be as the technician called it drive erratic and transmission is not shifting until 4-6,000 rpms. Also needs a fuel injection, and they mention a front turn signal being out which I never had any indication or knowledge of my headlights not working properly. Also, began talking to Chevrolet as I was on their sight and seen recalls which I hadn't been notified and wonder if some issues that are occurring are from previous recalls that were believed to have not affected me" is that possible" I am a full time student, in debt with loans and car payments as I don't get any support from family. The steering issue occurred very badly and suddenly on 3/13/2017. Stabilitrac service warning light ABS and traction lights have been on since February 15 went to dealership on 20th they said they would look when I mentioned it, the issue wasn't looked at or even noted just may need 2 front tires. Currently at 75,259 miles I got the car in 2015 with about 45,000 miles. Do have documents from the two visits to the dealership and one visit from another mechanic. Also didn't realize a recall or issue has occured with a solenoid as my engine light went on and after taking it to a mechanic shop versus the dealership I paid 400$ and found out that was recalled at one point prior to me owning the vehicle.

- Waterloo, IA, USA

problem #20

Jul 282015

Malibu

  • 42,333 miles
The ABS light has come on stating that I did not have stabil track control anymore. This happened when I was entering a busy road when I spun tires on some gravel on pavement road surface. It happened when I spun tires on a icy road driving at about 35 miles an hour due to road conditions. It happened when I was driving down a dry pavement state highway at 65 miles an hour. A total of three times. Every time it was the same problem but different wheels. It has happened with lr, rr and rf wheels part replaced was 13589507W-(s) wheel bearing assembly. The problem is the encoder ring which is part of this assembly is cracked, pieces gone or the whole thing gone. There was not a problem with earlier versions of this encoder ring. I understand that this part will be on the new 2017 models and that it will affect the computer even more than the 2013 version with some features such as cruise control.

- Cavour, SD, USA

problem #19

Jan 122017

Malibu

  • 46,937 miles
Right rear wheel hub failure mileage 46,937

- Clyde, MI, USA

problem #18

Dec 292016

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Several times now the car radio and electrical has just shut off. Shortly there after --- the steering locked up while driving. Such that there was an inability to maintain control, and the steering wheel was unable to be moved at all. This happened multiple times. This vehicle was purchased for my daughter and my grandchildren. Thus safety is a major concern. If indeed my daughter were to have been in a busy intersection when this happened today, she or my grandchildren could have easily been killed. Chevrolet dealer refuse to do anything without a recall and have said that the diagnostic would be $100 to perform. In my 30 years of driving experience and my husbands 22 years of active duty army service and many mechanical fixes that we have done to numerous vehicles we have never seen something as dangerous that a manufacturer would refuse to recall. This is a huge safety issue and god forbid anything happens to my daughter or my grandchildren there is now documentation to request Chevrolet fix the problem, as I will be sure to hold them accountable for their negligence. We have maintained proper maintenance, there are no fault codes that have come up that will indicate an issue that would cause the steering to just lock up straight. We had the battery checked, the battery terminals checked and we keep trying to narrow down the cause. But we are now at an impasse and this is most certainly a manufacturer's defect. This is an issue that we have found on multiple forums in common with other owners. Vehicle was in motion, mid turn, city street, and unable to make the turn. Would have crashed had been going faster, or had other cars been coming.

- Watertown, NY, USA

problem #17

Dec 202016

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 46,901 miles
I was driving my 2013 Chevy, Malibu with 46,901 miles at 80mph on the interstate when my car started loosing power and became uneasy to drive. The engine service light, stability track light, and engine power is reduced was illuminated on the dashboard. Prior to this incidence, my engine and stability track lighting would come on at random making the car difficulty to drive. I would take the car back to the Chevrolet dealership only to be told that the tech could not replicate/duplicate the engine light/stability track coming. The dealership had me to purchase a new battery and change spark plugs, but engine light/stability track continued to come on at random. Dealership advised that they could not fix anything that could not be replicated/duplicated.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #16

Oct 122016

Malibu

  • 65,000 miles
Car randomly losses power at any speed. During this time, I am unable to control the car. The power steering is off. This happened to my wife as she made a left turn on a green light on bell road, AZ (a busy road). There is no way that this should be taken lightly.

- Peoria, AZ, USA

problem #15

Nov 222016

Malibu

  • 73,000 miles
I was driving to work going about 45 to 50 miles per hour on the highway, then my vehicle stalled, vibrated, and wouldn't go past 30 mph. Reduced engine power signal came on and traction control light and engine light came on. I then exited onto the feeder and coasted to work.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #14

Jun 012016

Malibu

  • 48,000 miles
2013 Chevy Malibu continues to power down while driving. Radio will shut off then electrical panel and often times it would lose complete power and cause the power steering to shut off. Very dangerous. Took to dealership 3 times they continue to finagle the negative wiring. But the problem persists. No check engine light; no fix. Something is defective and pose rlly Chevy can't figure it out.

- Auburn, CA, USA

problem #13

Oct 212016

Malibu

  • 44,000 miles
Vehicle moving on city street, lost power to radio, navigation system, etc., then lost steering. Lost steering while making U-turn. Lost steering in forward and reverse while parking vehicle. Power to control panels shut down during both incidents. Occurred briefly on highway while traveling at high rate of speed. The loss of power and steering has become more frequent and lasting for a longer period of time. Vehicle is now at dealership for same issue. I purchased vehicle 3 months ago. My 17 Y/O son uses this vehicle and I am concerned about his safety. I looked into this problem on the web and discovered that this has been an ongoing problem with this make and model. I received a phone call from the dealership where my car is being serviced. They cannot find a problem. This was expected based on what I have read. I find it hard to believe that they have never heard of this happening before especially since GM has recalled earlier models with the same problem but refuse to do anything about the 2013. You cannot understand the nervousness you feel before getting into the driver's seat unless you have experienced this yourself. For GM and dealership to knowingly allow a person to purchase this vehicle and drive off their lot with a serious issue such as this is mind blowing.

- Plympton, MA, USA

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