2012 Chevrolet Malibu — Problems & Complaints
NHTSA has 907 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.
Chevrolet Malibu — Complaints by Model Year
Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.
1,365 complaints
978 complaints
907 complaints
923 complaints
363 complaints
270 complaints
863 complaints
725 complaints
700 complaints
192 complaints
What Owners Complain About Most
Recent Owner Reports
The catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicle’s exhaust system, and their failure is believed to be contributing to hesitation and skipping during operation. Both components are available for inspection upon request. The hesitation and skipping reduce the vehicle’s responsiveness, creating a safety ris…
THE INTERIOR LIGHT PANEL WENT COMPLETELY DARK, AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT LIT UP AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY LATELY. THE RADIO STOPS PLAYING AND THE PANEL READS "AUXILLARY MODE"AND THEN BACK TO RADIO, THEN BACK TO "AUXILLARY MODE". I HAVE TO TURN THE RADIO OFF AND ON FOR IT TO START PLAYING AGAIN. IT IS HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY. WHEN I PLUG IN MY AUXILLARY CORD…
MY POWER STEERING JUST WENT OUT ON ME IN THE MIDDLE.OF DRIVING GOT REAL STIFF ON THE 10 FREEWAY GOING HOME FROM.REDLANDS TO HEMET AND MY POWER STEERING EIS ELECTRICAL AND ITS HARD MY MECHANIC SAID ITS TOO MUCH TO FIX AND TOLD ME THAT ITS A HIGH DEMAND IN RECALL FOR THIS AND THAT I NEED IT FIX I TURNED IT ON AND TI WORKS FOR 5 MINUTES A DRIVE OR TWO AND OUT OF NO WHERE EVEN WHI…
THE WELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT HAS BROKEN MAKING THE SEAT UNSTABLE. I WAS GETTING INTO THE CAR AND HEARD IT SNAP THEN FALL TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND GM NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM AND NOT CHARGE PEOPLE $1000+ TO FIX IT. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT, ONLY A MINOR REAR END COLLISION THAT DID MINIMAL DAMAGE TO THE REAR BUMPER.
I WAS SOLD A CAR PRICED AT $4,995 BUT WHEN THE INITIAL CONTRACT WAS SIGNED THE CAR REPRESENTATIVE FAILED TO KEEP THE PRICE THE SAME AND WITHOUT CONSENT OVERCHARGED ME FOR THE CAR $10,000 I CALLED BACK A WEEK LATER TO NOTIFY THEM THE CAR HAD WENT OUT, WAS IN BAD CONDITION, WASN'T DRIVING, AND PUT ME AND MY FAMILY IN HARMS WAY. CAR SHUTOFF TWICE IN MOTION ONCE WHILE ACTUALLY DRI…
Recalls & Crash Tests
Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.
Problems Checker
Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.