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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,009 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.

2012 Chevrolet Malibu engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #10

Jul 012013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 3,000 miles

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

Vehicle has the check engine light come on and reduced power kicks in with no warning. Vehicle has been driven at speed on highways when this happens and automatically slows to 40 mph. Vehicle has been taken to the dealership and repairs made the first 2 times, vehicle has been taken back 3 more times for the same issue, no codes showing in the computer. Issue also reported that if at a stop, vehicle has no response when you step on the gas. The dealership is currently trying to report this as a different issue so they can avoid dealing with the lemon law in the state.

- Pasadena, MD, USA

problem #9

Jul 012013

Malibu

  • miles
I purchased the car in March 2013. It only had 18,000 miles on it. While slowing, such as exiting the interstate, as the car down shifts, it down shifts hard. Especially going from 3rd gear to 2nd and then 1st. It seems to have a slight delay when trying to pick up speed. More so when you have slowed and then sped back up, like when someone is turning and you have to slow for them. There is an awful noise in the dash around the steering column. If you are on a gravel road, it sounds like the dash/steering column is going to fall onto your feet. Its a rattle type sound.

- Ripley, WV, USA

problem #8

Aug 162013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 16,111 miles
I was turning onto the highway and when I pushed the gas pedal there was a significant delay. I always make sure I have plenty of time when pulling onto the street but this could become a major issue while driving. I have a 3 year old son and I do not want to endanger him if there is an issue with my car.

- Verbena, AL, USA

problem #7

Jul 122013

Malibu

  • 10,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle and crashed into a house. The contact sustained injuries to the head, neck, rib cage and the lower back. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and was not inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage and current mileages were 10,000.

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #6

Mar 012013

Malibu

  • 3,800 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving with the cruise control activated at 65 mph, the speed suddenly increased to 73 mph independently. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be inspected. The dealer advised that there were no failures found within the cruise control system. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3,800 and the current mileage was 5,200.

- Yerington , NV, USA

problem #5

Jul 242012

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
Experiencing erratic throttle response time and hard transmission shifts. When the accelerator is pressed you don't know if the response will be immediate or delayed. The inconsistent delays in the throttle response time pose a safety hazard.

- Gideon, MO, USA

problem #4

Dec 042012

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 12,600 miles

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

While lifting off from full acceleration, the throttle pedal had been fully depressed, the right side toe area of my right shoe ( a tennis shoe) became wedged between the throttle pedal and the sharply curved right side panel of the foot box, the result was this was stopping the car from decelerating as I wanted it to do. In order to release my foot I had to fully depress the accelerator pedal and then rotate my right for counter clockwise so that when I released the pedal the toe area of my shoe would not become trapped again. I looked at the foot box area and the side plastic panel has an very abrupt curve shape that acts as a trap if you happen to rotate your foot to the right under full throttle acceleration. This was a Chevrolet Malibu 2012 rental car from avis.

- Rancho Santa Fe, CA, USA

problem #3

Oct 042012

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 13,000 miles
My wife was driving East down hwy-40 toward salina, ks. She had the cruise control set on 60 mph. She began to have a epileptic seizure (she was cleared by her doctor to drive prior to this incident) at that point the car began to slowly drift of to the right side of the road. The car drove over a culver, the rear driver side of the car struck at concrete form and sent the car rolling of into a field the car rolled four times. After the fourth roll the car rolled back on to its wheels and continued to drive due to the cruise control still being engaged and drove 100ft before coming to rest once it struck a concrete fence post. At no time did any of the air bags deploy nor did the cruise control disengage. The vehicle has a crash response system threw on-star, at no time did the crash response activate. This information was provided to me via the saline county sheriffs. My wife only suffered minor cuts and bruises.

- Brookville, KS, USA

problem #2

Feb 252012

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 64 miles
A brand new vehicle with 64 miles. While driving on a rural road, the electronic stability control failure light came on and then the accelerator stopped working. After I turned the engine off, it would not come back on. This certainly could have been a safety issue had I lost control on a more traveled street. Coincidentally, the only other complaint listed on NHTSA for this vehicle is for the exact same issue.

- Henderson, KY, USA

problem #1

Nov 172011

Malibu

  • miles
This car suddenly lost power as it began to slow down on a busy street, and then would not drive. The car continued to run, but would not go forward, even after gas pedal was pushed to the floor. It, in fact, started coasting backwards when it was on a slight incline. No indicator light came on. It happened suddenly, and without warning. Service dpt. At dealership can find nothing wrong. We feel that this brand new car has a faulty computer system and is very dangerous to drive. The car is running fine at present, but there are no guarantees that this will not happen again. It poses a safety hazard, and neither Chevy or GM are willing to do anything about it. My daughter is afraid to drive the car.

- Cambridge, OH, USA

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