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 have been having problems with my air bag. I can have a passenger that weighs over the appropriate weight sit in the seat and the air bag light doesn't come on. I was driving one day and I made it to my destination and parked my car. I got back in my vehicle and started it up and the air bag light on my dash just came on and it will not go off. I went to the dealership and they told me that I will have to pay $3000 to get the vehicle repaired because they will need to take the air bag out and find out what the issue it. I feel that this is a defect, I did not have a crash or did anyone hit my steering wheel.
In my 2012 Chevrolet Malibu's when my wife sits in the passenger seat the airbag system does recognize she is there. You can watch as the system goes through it's start up process with the airbag on/off light cycling from off to on and back to off. We were told that it is how my wife sits in the seat but I have video of her sitting with her feet on the dash (which is not an "approved" seating position) and the airbag system shows the seat is occupied and the passenger airbag is armed. This problem has not occurred in any other vehicle we have driven. My wife weighs 145 so it is not that she is too light for the sensor. The other day I was at a GM dealer and found a used 2012 Malibu with the same trim package as mine and we tested it to see if that car would do the same thing as mine. It did on the first time we turned the key, I have video of that failure. We have been unable to reproduce this problem except in both 2012 Malibu's. on my car the passenger presence sensor has been replaced 3 times and a seat from another Malibu was installed and the airbag system still fails to operate correctly. The dealership told me the GM engineer said he did not know how to solve this problem. I have seen other videos online with the same issue. I have over 20 videos showing the system work and the system failing. The VIN I listed is for the car on the dealer lot.
Was operating the vehicle on the interstate when I was forced to brake and hit the horn to avoid a collision. The "service airbag" light came on and stayed on. I found that by hitting the steering wheel it would go out and reset. Every time I use my horn causes the "service airbag" light to come on. Sometimes it goes out again on its own. Unsure if the airbag would deploy while the light is on.
Had a broadside collision with impact to side of Malibu that drove drivers door into drivers seat, pushing seat into center console. Side impact airbags did not deploy from this accident! B post was bent into passenger area also. Again no airbag deployment!
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, she suffered a seizure and crashed into a telephone pole before landing in a creek. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was awaiting diagnosis of the air bag failure and repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
- Cynthiana , KY, USA
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On May 30, 2013, I noticed that the on light for the front seat passenger airbag would not illuminate when I sat in the passenger seat of our 2012 Chevrolet mallibu. I am 66 inches tall and weigh over 100 pounds. I am an older adult - not a child. My husband and I took the Malibu to hendrick Chevrolet in merriam, Kansas where we had purchased the car and complained that the airbag on light would not illuminate when I was in the passenger seat. The service advisor informed my husband that we should turn the airbag on. I wasn't present at the service desk to explain that the airbag would not come on no matter how many times I pushed the on and off button while sitting in the car. Some time later, I was sitting in the passenger seat and my husband handed me our 17 pound dog. Instantly the airbag on light illuminated. We returned to hendrick Chevrolet on November 6, and explained that the only time the passenger airbag light would come on when I was in the passenger seat was when I was holding the 17 pound dog. We were informed that the airbag was controlled by a sensor that could not be adjusted. The repair report stated, "cust states that the passenger seat will not recognize his wife sitting in seat to engage airbag - she weighs 100 lbs. Scanned system. No codes present, ck for programming updates. Current. No repairs made or attempted. The system is designed to disable passenger air bag operation of (sic) occupant is lighter than pre determined limit with in the control module. Operating as intended at this time." We hand delvered a letter to the hendrick service manager stating we were not satisfied with the service. We wanted a working passenger seat airbag. We have not heard back.
My 2012 Chevy Malibu has a problem with the passenger air bag system. At random times the passenger airbag off light will turn on when the seat is occupied (by someone >120 lbs) also at the same time if the passenger unbuckles the seat belt the seat belt warning light does not come on. I have several videos of this failure while sitting still and while driving. Dealer replaced the passenger sensing sensor and control module. This has not fixed the problem. Dealer said because the passenger sits with one leg tucked under the other that this is the cause. Not buying it because it does not always fail like that. We have duplicated the problem at the dealership with the service adviser and the technician. I can get the system to reset by cycling the key to off and then restart the car. This is not the fix just the patch. Sometimes the problem happens when using the remote start and the passenger gets in before the key is turned in the ignition switch. I have been in contact with GM about this.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while sitting at a complete stop, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle while traveling 47 mph. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belts did not tighten around the passengers. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained neck and back injuries. The front passenger sustained neck, back and hip injuries. The rear driver's side passenger sustained neck, back and ankle injuries. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer however, the seatbelt and air bag failure could not be diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 40 mph, the vehicle's front end was crashed into by another vehicle. Upon impact, the air bags did not deploy. The passenger in the contact's vehicle sustained minor bruising. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 47,000.
My auto going thru green light intersection-struck on passenger side by auto who ran red light-damaged both passenger side doors (both replaced)-other auto doing approx 45mph -did $8000 damage to my car-right side air bag did not inflate.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 55 mph, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags deployed but the entire air bag assembly detached from the vehicle. The contact sustained burns to her chest and injuries to the face because metal pieces from the air bag assembly struck her in the face. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was deemed as destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 32,828...updated 12/05/12 updated 12/07/2012..updated 12/03/14 updated 06/1/2015
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.
The contact owns 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, while approaching a traffic stop signal another vehicle unexpectedly crashed into the driver's side. As a result, the vehicle began to travel across the road causing the front end to crash into an embankment and the air bags failed to deploy. The driver's sustained minor injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage facility. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 16,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chicago, IL, USA