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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,093 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 2 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #323

Jun 042021

Malibu

  • miles

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

The gauge cluster in my car has intermittently lost power for about two years. It is now almost always off. I have been unable to have this repaired as the parts have been unavailable nationwide since I initially started having problems. I can't see any of my gauges. I have no idea how much gas I have, if my car is overheating, or if my car is having any other sort of problem.

- Kankakee, IL, USA

problem #322

Aug 272022

Malibu

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after experiencing a hard braking failure, the vehicle started exhibiting electrical issues. The contact stated that the instrument panel lights would flicker on and off. Additionally, the vehicle failed to start up immediately. The battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the diagnostic module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in NHTSA Recall Campaign Number: 12V224000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 97,000.

- Jamestown, NY, USA

problem #321

Oct 192022

Malibu

  • miles
My wife and I bought this beautiful 2013 Chevy Malibu.upon the first couple of days we had to take the car back to the dealer cause it was repeatedly shut down on us.The used car dealership never fixed the problem.As I done my research on this à2013 Chevy Malibu it has 9 recalls and these recalls been issued since 11-13-2013.These are all the recalls on 2013 Chevrolet Malibu by National highway traffic safety.suspension 12-22-2021.suspension 08-12-2021.... suspension 12-10-2020...... electrical system tran 7-5-2016.....visibility 03-23-2015.... electrical system seats 11-13-2013... electrical system software 5-7-2012. Please tell me how to go abought all these defects

- Ventura , CA, USA

problem #320

Sep 232022

Malibu

  • miles

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

I'm having a lost of battery power in my 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco. when it happens it shows that i should service the charging system. and as i continue to drive both batteries lose power and run out. i have checked the recall for it and it is not coming up under my vin number. at times have no problem but when it does happen the battery light comes on then the check engine light comes on and I start loosing more power and it tells me to check my charging system. what should i do the next time it happens?

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #319

Aug 312022

Malibu

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently. The check engine warning light and the low battery warning light were illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the high voltage generator control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V173000 (Electrical System) which she associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Flint, MI, USA

problem #318

Aug 242022

Malibu

  • miles
Under a slow acceleration doing highway speed say going up a incline the car will get a burning smell in the cabin its smell like burning electrical wireing so far now visible smoke.

- Susanville, CA, USA

problem #317

Aug 022022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Engine overspeed error message & car will start to hesitate to accelerate. First happened 7/2021. Second time is 8/2022

- Atlanta , GA, USA

problem #316

Dec 012021

Malibu

  • 8,900 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that prior to owning the vehicle, her father had the vehicle serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V173000 (Electrical System). Recently, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle jumpstarted; however, the vehicle failed to remain running. The contact had the battery replaced twice within a short period of time however, the failure persisted. The contact initially towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic where she was referred to a dealer for assistance. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective generator control module which she linked to the initial recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 8,900.

- Sherwood, AR, USA

problem #315

Jun 042022

Malibu

  • 88,073 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while his sister was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the instrument panel indicated that the battery voltage was low. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was notified of general control module and belt tensioner failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V173000 (Electrical System). The contact was informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The failure mileage was 88,073.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #314

May 052022

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving down a busy street one day after work during the early night, and as I went to engage the brakes my whole electrical system started to shut off and on. Once I came to a complete stop it shut off my a/c then proceeded with my radio and lights. I took my foot of the brake in pure shock and back on come my a/c and radio. I proceed to drive with caution and again it starts to try and shut off my vehicles electrical systems. I pull over turn the car off check the battery and fine. Trusting it to make it less than the mile trip left home I drive again no issues, as I am approaching a busy intersection then car begins to go haywire with the electrical systems without the ac on and locks the all eletric steering systems and almost causes me to collide with surrounding traffic. Took to have diagnostic run for codes and none. Purchased another brand new battery which I thought maybe it was defective. Well wasn't NY of the issues because tonight with my family's safety put at serious risk along with any of the many tourist pedestrians and other motorist I experience the same exact thing but within a higher speed limit zone. When I pulled over to park the car it refused to cooperate. It was if my car was being controlled by a hacker and I was fighting for control over the wheel.

- Savannah, GA, USA

problem #313

May 042022

Malibu

  • miles

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

The light of the dashboard went on and off several times while I was driving and almost the car went off, I had to press the speed pedal so it won't turn off. I took it ti a electrical shop and the guy told me that is an manufactured problem that special year and model had before and they where call to a recall to fix that problem. Can you please help me with this situation, I'll be very grateful.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #312

Dec 102017

Malibu

  • miles
Car starts idling up and down while stopped at light. When the car is given the gas to go it will not pick up speed it stalls and car completely turns off in drive. While parked in parking lot I put the car in reverse and it would not move and that has happened 5 times. The engine light comes on and I have taken it to 4 different mechanics to put the diagonstic test on it and it comes up with idle sensor, change it and 2 days later car starts jerking and will not go over 35mph and finally dies. While driving 55mph on the hwy the car looses speed and wont go over 35 mph. Nobody is allowed to drive this car until chevy fixes it, and it will sit in my yard until then because my family is more important than a piece of metal. I wont sell it because of this danger either. I crank it up every month but it has not been driven in 2 years.

- Jamestown, SC, USA

problem #311

Jun 072019

Malibu

  • miles
My driver seat is powered and it is inoperative. It remains stuck in a reclined position. At first the seat would not return to an upright position but all the other power functions (reclining the seat, moving it forward and back, tilting the seat, moving it up/down) still worked. I took the car to a shop and they said that the cause was some of the wiring had disconnected. They took the seat out and made sure everything was plugged in correctly. The seat worked again but only for a short while. Now, the issue is present again and the driver seat will not move forward/back or return to an upright position. This is hazardous because the seat is not able to offer the driver the correct seating position to drive.

- Hudson, MA, USA

problem #310

Jan 152022

Malibu

  • miles
Car gives engine power reduced warning and then drastically loses speed. Another warning saying engine over speed comes up and the car is unable to accelerate at safe speeds. This is dangerous because I can easily be rear ended by this malfunction especially when driving on the highway. I have children and having them at risk of being in a motor vehicle accident due to a malfunctioning car does not sit well with me. I have seen this issue reported on several other platforms. When I took the car to the dealership regarding this issue I was told I needed to replace the battery but 2 batteries later and I-??m still having the same issue. There is no warnings or signs prior to this malfunction happening, it is unpredictable and at random, making it that more dangerous. I would also like to add that this has happened a repeated number of times, it is not an isolated incident. But as of late it has been occurring more frequently.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #309

Dec 012021

Malibu

  • 53,944 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the dashboard lights were completely black. The contact mentioned that there were no lights showing on the dashboard panel until the vehicle was being driven. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,944.

- Bayshore, NY, USA

problem #308

Oct 302021

Malibu

  • miles
Dash lights flickering in and out and I can-??t see my speed but the car still runs n has blinkers. Eventually it will flicker and go all the way black. Also the radio still worked fine n reverse camera did too it don-??t stall or anything tho I-??m just scared to drive At night cause i goes totally black

- Belleville, IL, USA

problem #307

Mar 122021

Malibu

  • miles
I brought my 2013 Malibu LT in March of 2021. When I test drove and took it to autozone to get a diagnosis before buying the car nothing was wrong with it. After having the car for about 3 months the problems started. When I went to get it checked again it said that my alternator wasn-??t working correctly how it should do I replaced the alternator. After getting the alternator replaced my car still stalls while driving and acts like it doesn-??t want to go. When I try to start my car it barely turns over to start. While I-??m driving I can-??t turn on the radio or lights because it makes my car power go out. The radio lights turn on and off. When I put car in reverse it shuts off. When I-??m driving the car shuts off out of nowhere and I have to put it in park and turn it back on. Sometimes it takes awhile to turn back on. When it first happened the engine reduced power popped up as a warning then the engine light came on the dashboard on and off. Everyone says they don-??t know what is wrong with it so I feel that the manufacturer should be reliable to fix these problems for us customers. These problems put my child and I at risk by stopping out of nowhere in traffic. I-??m currently pregnant and it happened with me and my kids in the car.

- Xenia, OH, USA

problem #306

Oct 142021

Malibu

  • miles
Both low beam headlights stopped working. Two days later the passenger side low beam headlight turned on again, but not the driver side. 2 months later both low beams again no longer working. I've replaced all 4 fuses (interior and exterior), headlight relay, and bulbs. None of that fixed the problem.

- Independence, KY, USA

problem #305

May 012021

Malibu

  • miles
When driving my dash lights quit for days and then sometimes come back on. I am not aware of what speed I am going when driving. I am not able to accurately drive the speed limit that I am suppose to. I don-??t know how much gas I have or if I am about to run out of gas. If my check engine light is on or not, and can-??t see my turn signals. How can you obey the laws of driving when you can-??t tell if you are going over the speed limit or not or using your turn signal.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

problem #304

Aug 112021

Malibu

  • miles
When driving this vehicle with ~111,000 miles on it. The infotainment center continually rebooted, causing drops of Bluetooth connection and pauses in the AC. The instrument panel stayed working, but lights turned off. This happened about 6 times in a 20 minute drive on the highway. After exiting the highway and executing a turn the reboot happened again, however the power steering locked up making the car unmanageable. Thankfully nothing was hit by the car! After this incident, driver was rightfully freaked out and won't touch the car again until this is resolved. One week prior the car rebooted once and the engine idled oddly, turned car off and on and worked fine for about a week, then the above incident happened.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

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