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.
I went to put my seat belt on, car was parked, (driver side front) and the cable that holds it the floor snapped in half. Can not use seat belt until I get it replaced. Called dealership and I knew car was out of warranty, but this is a safety issue. Said nothing they could do. The belt itself is ok, it's the cable on floor that broke in half. Car on has 30,000 miles on it. This Happened today Nov. 4 2021. Car is available for inspection
While traveling from work (boulder) to home (westminster) I hit a patch of slush which pulled my car to the right. While attempting to correct the cars pull, the back end of the car slid out from behind me causing the car to go sideways for a little bit before the car got traction and went front end first into the center median/barrier. I then got out of any oncoming traffics way, pulled over, and called 911. The vehicle was in motion on a highway. The seat belt never locked up to protect me and the airbag never deployed. I hit the wall head on once my car caught grip.
The car was rear ended at a fast speed as it was proceeding at a slow pace as traffic was starting to take off from being at a stand still. The person driving was slammed into the steering wheel at the same time the seat belt flew off and the buckle struck the driver on the arm causing injury the seatbelt would not retract back into place and also the driver's knee hit the steering causing the key to break off into the ignition causing injury to the knee and leg. The car accident happened on the top of the bridge leading to the highway. The car was moving at a slow pace because traffic had stopped then proceeded to go. It didn't have a chance to go full speed before being struck. I believe the force of the impact caused the seatbelt to malfunction I don't know why the air bag didn't deploy.
We have a family Malibu, purchased brand new. My teenage daughter got out at one stop, and got in on the next stop. The back seatbelt on the driver side has freeze for no appearent reason, not allowing the seatbelt to come back out past a few inches. It is not folded, ect and is still nearly new. A truck did pull out in front of us in November 2017 while the family was in the car, we hit it going about 15 mph, but that was 8 months back and likely isn't related. (air bags didn't go off due to lower speed).
Braking before potential collision, especially smooth braking, reveals that the driver's seat belt retractor has an inherently and substantially unsafe design. The driver's seat belt has delayed and inconsistent locking, often not locking in braking or locking late. Even when it does lock earlier, it allows too much travel, I.e. 1/3 distance to wheel. Under moderate braking, before enough deceleration occurs to lock the belt, the driver can travel very far forward and it's hard to hold oneself back. Even when ready for that, the force needed is a distraction from what's happening on the road and makes it more difficult to steer. Also, experts have said that being tense during a collision makes injuries worse or more likely. The complainant has tested this many times under straight braking on 25-45 mph roads with the seat as far back as is drivable and the wheel as far away as practical for a slightly below average size guy. Under moderate braking, the belt locked with my head 1 inch from the wheel. If a collision followed, my head would hit the steering wheel and the air bag would deploy at nearly point-blank range to head and chest. The passenger seat belt has an alternate mode activated by pulling the belt all the way out, which activates a retract-only ratchet so it will hold the passenger close to the seat until released. The driver's belt does not have that feature. Suggest crash testing with braking from 70 to 40 mph just prior to collision rather than cruising into the barrier at steady 40. With the 2014 Malibu's restraints, the dummy could easily be 1/3 to fully against the wheel at moment of collision. The person submitting this complaint does not feel at all safe while driving with this defect in the primary driver restraint system. This is a 3-year-old car that has not been in a collision, going by records and professional inspection.
- Charleston, SC, USA
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This auto jerks while in cruise control, then while going 60 mph up a hill down shifts for more speed, then I reach the top of hill cruise stays in lower gear and picks up speed. Unsafe to drive.
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- Wallace, NC, USA