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.
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at any speed, a humming noise emitted from the vehicle. As the speed increased, the humming would get louder. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rear passenger side wheel bearing was faulty. The wheel bearing was replaced and the failure was remedied. Approximately 6 months later, the humming noise recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the rear driver side wheel bearing was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 52,000.
2013 Chevy Malibu 1ls manufactured 11/20/12, currently less than 7,000 mi. 1) chrome & radio glass - when sun shines on console it blinds driver & driver must cover area with a scarf or jacket; console is beautiful to look at, but not practical from a safety viewpoint since the driver is blinded & cannot see until the area is covered from the sun. 2) when air conditioning was turned on, a blast of very hot air came out; it took a couple of times of turning the settings off & on (at least 60 seconds or longer) before the hot air stopped & the air conditioning came on. The hot air could not be immediately turned off. Happened only once. 3) passenger side front fender/bumper loose - makes noise, can pop it back in, but on hot days, it pops out, vibrates and makes loud noise until popped back in. 4) rear windows - when down 1/2, 3/4 or fully, vibrates, makes very loud noise that sounds like tires are coming apart, causing driver to immediately pull over to check tires, the distraction & being on side of road could be a safety issue. 5) no spare tire - unable to locate a tire & rim (or donut tire) for purchase to insert in trunk tire area. No can of goop, also goop only lasts for 6 months & must be discarded & new can purchased. Not good when stranded in inclement snowy weather or out in the hot desert & must wait for tow truck. I like my Chevy Malibu very much, it has been able to handle rough gravel/dirt roads in inclement weather, snow, & highway travel. I plan to take it to the dealer shortly for an oil change & to take care of these issues. What I don't like is that I am unable to turn the driver airbag off (I sit less than 12 inches from the wheel & am concerned that if it were to deploy I would be killed) & that the vehicle is fairly low to the ground, making speed bumps & getting out of businesses where there is a dip onto streets difficult.
I had an incident where the after the car was properly parked, the car settled and the front bumper caught the parking stopped. I immediately returned the car, and learned from the hertz agent that it was the undercarriage. I understand from other complaints that the car dealer will not even cover the defective flimsy front bumper lip. The other complaints are regarding the poor assembly quality....updated 11-06-13
Went to test drive 2013 Chevy Malibu. As always, I adjust mirrors before driving. I immediately noticed that because the roofline is so low-slung for aerodynamic reasons, that the rear view mirror is also very low. As a result, the mirror was blocking almost 25% of my view! I've heard of blindspots on vehicles but through the windshield? I'm only 5'10' tall, but I had to duck my head to see under the mirror. Didn't buy the vehicle for that reason alone. As a matter of fact, I never even went for the test drive as it was obviously dangerous.
Purchased my vehicle in April 2012 and noticed after a week that my ac had a bad smell every time I turned on the air conditioner. Also noticed after about three days of purchasing my vehicle that the carpet was coming up on the passenger seat in the front.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Malvarn, AZ, USA