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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,725 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.

2013 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 14 of 17)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #74

Oct 252016

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 53,000 miles

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

While driving the radio and interior lights go out and power steering stops working. Seems to happen when left blinker is used. Headlights will flicker when this happens also. There is no warning prior to shutdown. One occurrence car completely shut off on its own after power surge. Very unsafe to drive this vehicle, I almost hit a parked car because of this failure. It happens on highway or neighborhood. Car is parked at dealership til problem can be resolved. Odometer has 53,000 miles on it.

- Wentzville, MO, USA

problem #73

Jun 012016

Malibu

  • 48,000 miles
2013 Chevy Malibu continues to power down while driving. Radio will shut off then electrical panel and often times it would lose complete power and cause the power steering to shut off. Very dangerous. Took to dealership 3 times they continue to finagle the negative wiring. But the problem persists. No check engine light; no fix. Something is defective and pose rlly Chevy can't figure it out.

- Auburn, CA, USA

problem #72

Oct 212016

Malibu

  • 44,000 miles
Vehicle moving on city street, lost power to radio, navigation system, etc., then lost steering. Lost steering while making U-turn. Lost steering in forward and reverse while parking vehicle. Power to control panels shut down during both incidents. Occurred briefly on highway while traveling at high rate of speed. The loss of power and steering has become more frequent and lasting for a longer period of time. Vehicle is now at dealership for same issue. I purchased vehicle 3 months ago. My 17 Y/O son uses this vehicle and I am concerned about his safety. I looked into this problem on the web and discovered that this has been an ongoing problem with this make and model. I received a phone call from the dealership where my car is being serviced. They cannot find a problem. This was expected based on what I have read. I find it hard to believe that they have never heard of this happening before especially since GM has recalled earlier models with the same problem but refuse to do anything about the 2013. You cannot understand the nervousness you feel before getting into the driver's seat unless you have experienced this yourself. For GM and dealership to knowingly allow a person to purchase this vehicle and drive off their lot with a serious issue such as this is mind blowing.

- Plympton, MA, USA

problem #71

Oct 182016

Malibu

  • 52,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was stationary, the doors locked on their own and the contact could not exit the vehicle. In addition, the ignition key became stuck on more than one occasion. The vehicle was taken to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #70

Oct 162016

Malibu

  • 66,400 miles
My car initially started with the radio and touch screen powering off for a few seconds. Then, I was driving and went to make a left turn, the radio power went off as well as the steering wheel locked up, again only for a few seconds. Now, when it happens (it's happening more frequently), the headlights and dash lights flicker as well as the radio power shuts off and the steering locks up. It all only lasts around 4-5 seconds, but can be very dangerous at the wrong time. I took it to the dealer who could not reproduce the problem, in which I explained it's sporadic and unpredictable. This is becoming a safety issue and more frightening that dealerships are unaware of the issue or how to fix it. GM really needs to do something about this before it causes a serious accident.

- Streetsboro, OH, USA

problem #69

Sep 222016

Malibu 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,968 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, the electronic screen blanked out, the engine shut down and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was driven to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred multiple times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 49,968. Updated 12/01/16*****updated 12/22/16 updated 7/9/18

- Ridgefield Park, NJ, USA

problem #68

Sep 302016

Malibu

  • 42,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle's power seized. The vehicle restarted after one attempt, but the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was not available.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #67

Oct 072016

Malibu

  • 72,000 miles
I have had problem with the 2013 Malibu since I purchase it on October 22, 2015. On October 07,2016 me and my child almost got hit by a 18 wheeler getting off the interstate. I ran in the ditch to avoid having a accident. I look in the dash of the car and it stated that engine power is reduced and when I push the gas down it told me engine overspeed. The car is park now because I do not feel safe.

- Magnolia, MS, USA

problem #66

Oct 082016

Malibu

  • 39,000 miles
When driving, specifically at night, all lights flicker off, while driving or sitting idle. Also when I put on the turn signal, or just make a turn, stop, accelerate. There is no reason, just happens, the lights flicker off. All of the lights, including the screen. All the lights go completely out for a few seconds then come right back on. Twice the car has turned off, all the lights go out, then they come back on, but of course the car is still off. Luckily the first time it happened in my driveway. The second time, however, I was on the road, with my kid in the car. We were at a red light and the whole car turned off. The lights came back on but I had to turn the car back on. I have been reading about this issue on several different forums and GM should make this a recall before someone is hurt or worse.

- Bethel Park, PA, USA

problem #65

Aug 222016

Malibu

  • 70,000 miles
On numerous occasions my 2013 Malibu has lost power causing a steering issue. It could be while driving, turning, stopping or accelerating. The car will lose power to the touch screen radio causing the screen to go black, then I lose the steering momentarily and then everything will come back on. This can happen once or sometimes it continues to happen which causes the service stabilitrack warning light to come on or the service power steering light to come on. This has also led to the car stalling and losing all electricity and then starting back up right away. The more electronics you use such as the blinker causes the problem to get worse and usually ends up in the car stalling. I have taken it to the dealer four separate times for this issue and nothing has been fixed. I have not had my car more than a week since August 22,2016 because I refuse to drive the car until it is fixed. The dealer is focusing on my after market remote starter which is wrong seeing there are many of the same occurrences listed on tis website.

- Hanson, MA, USA

problem #64

Oct 032016

Malibu

  • 36,000 miles

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

While driving vehicle at various speeds the electronics and power steering will turn off causing and turn back on. This also occurs while making turns without warning.

- West Worth Village, TX, USA

problem #63

Aug 132016

Malibu

  • 35,655 miles
While driving car instrument panel turns off, after which steering locks up and brakes become inoperable. Instrument panel turns off for seconds, then as the instrument panel turns back on, all messages on instrument panel flash (ie engine light, low battery, etc). Most common message is about stabilink. Even after instrument panel turns back on, the steering wheel will remain stiff and hard to move until you leave the car off for an extended period of time. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the problem, other than driving it. I've had it happen in stop and go traffic where I'm going from not moving to at max 5 mph, I've had it happen on an empty highway going 65 mph, I've had it happen two minutes into my drive, and I've had it happen 40 minutes into my drive. Steering wheel does not always lock up in the middle of a turn, but most frequently it happens when making a sharp turn. I have video of the occurrence of the steering wheel and what happens to the instrument panel but am unable to upload it. I've tried to get the whole thing on video but it really just depends on if someone is in the car with me or if my phone was at the ready and I'm in a safe environment to record. It's scary enough to have the steering and brakes be useless to me, so my Focus is usually more on controlling the car.

- Fair Oaks, CA, USA

problem #62

Oct 032016

Malibu

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 35 mph and turning left, the vehicle stalled. A "service theft deterrent systems" message illuminated. The vehicle was coasted over to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, but the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

problem #61

Aug 012016

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the electrical system intermittently stopped functioning, which resulted in a loss of power steering, ABS functionality, and the windshield wipers operated independently. The failure occurred without warning. The failure occurred approximately eight times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the solenoids needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but not repaired due to the manufacturer's denial of the claim. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Randolph, NJ, USA

problem #60

Aug 242016

Malibu

  • 59,588 miles
The check engine light comes on and stays on - when checked at the dealer they told me no code found for two years, then as time went on it started adding service power steering and ac/DC shut down. After numerous visits to the dealer and two major repairs, the check engine light still comes on, and the power steering locks up. On August 24, 2016, I was driving 50+ mph on a curvy road when the check engine light came on, followed immediately by the service power steering, followed by something stabilizer, followed by ac/DC shut down, to engine overheated idle engine. The power steering locked up and I was unable to steer the car and ran off the road. The car was towed to the dealer who had just worked on the car for the second time in a month, and they found no codes - no surprise! I complained to Chevy for the third time at corporate level and they had denied my claim as being safety related. I find it hard to believe that a car you suddenly can't steer isn't considered a safety issues. I also find it hard to believe that Chevy can't recognize that there is a problem with the 2013 Malibu. How many people have to die before they address this issue? also, why are they waiting on codes when the problem is most likely an electrical/computer problem. If the computer isn't working its no surprise that the warnings are not throwing a code! common sense! also, a car doesn't throw warning lights and check engine lights without something setting it off! hence you have a problem!

- Martinez, GA, USA

problem #59

Sep 082016

Malibu

  • 48,000 miles
While driving down the highway first the windshield wipers quit during a down pour, the anti traction was malfunctioning on the screen then said anti theft system needed service then the steering went out and locked the car down. All of this happened while the car remained running. Was very scary. Have done some research and it appears GM is aware of a problem. The car is currently at the dealership. No known reason why yet although the dealership stated it did this to them when they were trying to pull it in the garage. GM needs to figure this out and issue a recall before there is serious injury including possible death the car was in motion on a highway when this occurred

- Mattoon, IL, USA

problem #58

Sep 022016

Malibu

  • miles
I got my car 6 months ago, and now my car steering wheel locked, and lost battery voltage, I'm getting message to service wheel steering system ann battery charge system

- Albany, NY, USA

problem #57

Aug 112016

Malibu

  • 80,000 miles
While driving, all of the sudden the raio/ screen goes out, steering locks up! has happened right after started, day & night, may be fine for an hour to 4 or 5 hours, never know! has happened when turning, very dangerous! I've almost had 4-5 accidents due to this problem! Chevy says they haven't had any knowledge! dought this, complaints all over the internet. This started around 45,000 ruth just the radio /screen going off for a few seconds, by 60,000 started effecting the steering! I now have 80,000 miles on car. This needs quick attention from ntsb, wonder if any deaths from this? help!

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #56

Jul 302016

Malibu

  • 90,800 miles
My Chevrolet Malibu shut off on me in the mid of the way and I almost go into a accident with my children. Took it to the dealership and they can't find out why my car is doing this.

- Hilton Head Island, SC, USA

problem #55

Jul 312016

Malibu

  • 66,300 miles
Our 2103 Chevy Malibu "loses electrical power and power steering" whuile being driven. This is now happening even more frequently. The dash and steering, etc goes blank and resets after a few seconds. This is happening more often and is dangerous. I see on the internet that dozens or hundreds of other 2013 Malibu owners are having the same problem. Some have had accidents as a result. My mechanic is not able to find an error code, nor to fix, and it seems like neither GM nor the other mechanics are able to fix either. This happens in a variety of movement settings, slow speed, high speed, turning and not, etc. This last happened 5+ times the evening of July 31.

- Raymond, NE, USA

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