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8.5

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
87,700 miles
Total Complaints:
4 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (3 reports)
  2. replace engine (1 reports)
2013 Chevrolet Malibu engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #4

Jun 012023

Malibu LT 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 134,000 miles

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

We purchased a 2013 Chevy Malibu as a certified pre-owned vehicle w/30,000 miles on it. With it we purchased 2 different CNA warranties. One is a wrap warranty & the other is a powertrain warranty. My CNA contract number is 22856489. The vehicle currently has just over 130,000. We brought the vehicle into the dealer because it was going through a lot of oil. The car has always had regular oil changes & never actually ran low on oil. The dealer notated a few small leaks that CNA requested to be sealed up before doing an oil consumption test. None of which were big enough to leave even 1 drop of oil on the garage floor where the car was always parked. The dealer did the repairs & had us bring the car back every 1,000 miles to check how much oil the car was consuming. The problem was still evident as the car was still burning 1.5 qts. of oil every 1000 miles.

CNA then instructed the dealer to tear down the motor & find out what the problem was. The dealer tech determined the cylinder walls were “out of round”. The tech noted how clean the inside of the motor was & that there were absolutely no signs of maintenance being an issue. CNA then sent out a 3rd party inspector who determined the same to be true. CNA then denied the claim stating that since there was no “part failure” they would not cover it. How would a cylinder wall be “out of round” without a “part failure”? CNA initially refused to even pay for taking the motor apart until recordings of them telling the dealer to do so were reviewed. CNA has since agreed that they would cover taking the motor apart but will not pay for additional seals, gaskets, & fluids to put it back together. Nor will they cover actually fixing the problem.

- Greg T., Cedar Hill, MO, US

problem #3

Jan 192017

Malibu LT 2.4L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles

my car isnt even paid off yet!!! i'm emtremeley dissapointed!!!!. i've always loved chevy's, now i beleive toyota will get my buisseness from now on!!!

- Shelley G., Union City, PA, US

problem #2

Mar 022016

Malibu LTZ 2.0L Dohc I4 Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,599 miles

2013 Chevrolet Malibu LTZ 2.0L DOHC i4 Turbo ... Maintenance Schedule in manual suggests (if needed/upon checking) Oil/Filter Change be performed every 7,500 miles. I find this odd. I find this odd because the Oil Life Monitor in this vehicle is set to alert the driver every 3,000 miles (pulled directly from page 281 of vehicle manual), however, does state this monitoring system is somehow so technologically advanced that it actually takes into consideration 'real-life' factors, other than mileage driven. *I call BS. Now, there are several Technical Bulletins relative to the symptoms I am experiencing.. yet fail to mention the actual lack of Oil Life / Excessive Oil Consumption (the primary issue I experience). Well, here goes my complaint. .... Each notation below was performed because a light / issue I was experiencing at the time lead to me to a service appt, which ultimately lead to the action taken. Do not have all specifications for reasoning for initial appt... DEXOS 5W30-Manufacturer Recommendation-Approx Life 5,000-7,000k Miles- 1) January 23rd, 2016::Mileage 61,xxx::Engine Oil/Filter Changed. 2) February 25th, 2016::Mileage 63,199:Engine Oil/Filter Changed. 3) March 2nd, 2016::Mileage 64,083:: "Engine oil black, quart low, oil heavily carbonated"-service writer notated, Oil/Filter Change preformed. 4) May, UNKNOWN:: Engine Oil / Filter Change preformed 5) June - July:: Intermittent Check Engine Light / Change Oil Light. 6) July 1st, 2016::Mileage 70,448::Engine Oil/Filter Changed.

It seems quite ridiculous to me I cannot simply get half of the recommended oil life. Does anyone else have this issue?

- taylor8856, Royal Oak, MI, US

problem #1

Jun 292015

Malibu 2LT

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,145 miles

Two months prior I had experienced a oil loss in my 2013 Malibu. I began checking it regularly. In 16 weeks time it has lost a total of 4 quarts of oil. My mechanic checked it for leaks and there are none. which means it is burning it. He suggested I get it to the dealer since the car is still covered by the factory warranty (Keims Cheverlot in Paradise, pa). I talked to the service manger and he said to bring it in to be checked out. When I arrived he pulled the oil stick which was full because I keep my eye on it. He said he can't do anything because he has to check it himself when it shows low on oil.

I explained to him the owners manual CLEARLY states that if I drive it low on oil my warranty is void, not to mention the damage it causes to your engine. So I ask if he refused to test it for the loss of oil based on my mechanics own reports and my report could he please put in writing his instructions stating I had to drive it there to be documented that it is low on oil when this happens. Of Course he refused to do so. I am still under warranty but he refuses to do any testing.

I contacted Chevrolet and I was told by them I absolutely would have my warranty VOIDED if the dealership documented that I drove it there on low oil. They also stated that the dealership should never instruct anyone to drive their car low on oil to bring it to them to document. This case is now under investigation and I am awaiting resolution for this issue.

- blburns4190, Cochranville, US

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