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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

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.

907
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
50
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
13
Involved Fire
owner-reported
35
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

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

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 291 reports
Exterior Lighting 202 reports
Steering 191 reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 129 reports
Air Bags 101 reports
Engine 99 reports
Service Brakes 74 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 52 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11633324 12/31/2024

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…

Electrical System ODI 10669354 12/31/2014

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…

Steering ODI 11164128 12/30/2018

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…

Seats ODI 11385380 12/29/2020

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.

Suspension ODI 11291862 12/29/2019

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…

Same Vehicle

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.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
Owners have filed 907 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, most often about electrical system. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Chevrolet Malibu years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.