Chevrolet Malibu Complaints (2011)
978 consumer complaints on file.
- #10711993April 21, 2015ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FUEL PUMP FAILED(STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY) WHILE PARKED AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER. LUCKILY I WAS NOT DRIVING WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THIS IS AS SERIOUS AN ISSUE AS THE IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM IF NOT MORE SO. I,SEE MORE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THEY ARE DRIVING AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. CARS SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THIS MANY FUEL PUMP ISSUES AT THE TIME THEY ARE OCCURRING. THE PROBLEM IS COMPOUNDED WHEN THE VEHICLE RUNS POORLY AND IS MISDIAGNOSED FOR ANOTHER PROBLEM AND UNNECESSARY REPAIR. PLEASE MAKE GM ACKNOWLEDGE THIS PROBLEM. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10706189April 16, 2015ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON (ECS AND TRACTION CONTROL) AND THE DISPLAY READ, "LOSS OF POWER". I WAS AT HIGHWAY SPEED AND THE CAR SLOWED TO ABOUT 15MPH. I WAS UNABLE TO INCREASE MY SPEED. AFTER TURNING OFF THE IGNITION SWITCH IN A PARKING LOT, AND WAITING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, I STARTED THE CAR AND IT RAN FINE. HOWEVER, ON THE FOLLOWING MONDAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED 6 TIMES WHILE TRYING TO GET IT TO BERGSTROM CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP. THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM ONLY MADE IT WORSE, AND THE SECOND TIME A NEW THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY WAS INSTALLED. THIS REPAIRED THE PROBLEM. ON MY SON'S CHEVY TRUCK THE SAME PROBLEM WAS COVERED UNDER A RECALL, BUT ON MY MALIBU I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT. ON THE INTERNET I WAS ABLE TO FIND SIX PAGES OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT OTHER MALIBU OWNERS HAD. THEY TOO WERE TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER A RECALL. THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM COULD HAVE, AND MAYBE HAS, CAUSED NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS AND I ASSUME INJURIES. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL AND I SHOULD BE COMPLETELY REIMBURSED FOR MY REPAIR EXPENSE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10705899April 15, 2015ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND THE ESC AND TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. AFTER STOPPING THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING THE ENGINE, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10705588April 14, 2015STEERING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE SERVICE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PROCEEDED TO TRAVEL A SHORT DISTANCE AND TURNED THE IGNITION TO THE OFF POSITION. ONCE THE IGNITION WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION AGAIN, THE STEERING WAS RESTORED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,100.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10705647April 14, 2015ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
WHILE DRIVING MY 2011 CHEVY MALIBU A SERVICE ESC SERVICE TRACTION MESSAGE CAME ON THEN IT SAYS ESC OFF TRACTION CONTROL OFF. THIS HAPPENED ONE TIME & AFTER CAR WAS TURNED OFF & STARTED AGAIN, PROBLEM DIDN'T OCCUR AGAIN UNTIL A COUPLE MONTHS LATER. THEN THE MESSAGE THEN WAS COMING ON ALMOST EVERYTIME I DROVE THE VEHICLE, & WHEN THE MESSAGE WAS ON THE CAR WOULD SPIT & SPUTTER.TROK IT INTO THE LOCAL SHOP THEY REPLACED THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR. THIS HELPED FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, PROBLEM THEN OCCURRED AGAIN, TOOK BACK INTO SHOP THEY REPLACED THE CAMPHASORS, THIS HELPED FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. THEN VEHICLE BECAME UNDRIVEABLE: RPMS WOULD DROP TO ZERO, CAR WOULD LOOSE ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING WOULD NEED TO SHUT CAR OFF & START AGAIN, SPITTING & SPUTTERING OF THE ENGINE & LOOSING POWER. TOOK VEHICLE IN THEY TESTED IT AND IT RAN CODES P0300,P0204,P0203,P0202 & P0201 THEY CONTACTED GM WHO RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE ECM. REPLACED ECM. A WEEK LATER SERVICE ESC/SERVICE TRACTION MESSAGE IS NOW APPEARING OFF AND ON AGAIN. CAR WILL SPIT & SPUTTER WHEN MESSAGE IS ON. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR & NO ONE CAN TELL ME HOW TO FIX IT??? I CAN NOT AFFORD TO HAVE MY VEHICLE IN THE SHOP EVERY WEEK WITH THE MECHANICS GUESSING AS TO WHAT WILL FIX THIS. THERE ARE MANY OF THESE COMPLAINTS OUT THERE & GM CAN NOT TELL ME HOW TO FIX THIS ISSUE. I AM NOW BACK TO SQUARE ONE. I HAVE A 4 YEAR OLD VEHICLE THAT DOES NOT EVEN HAVE 100,000 MILES ON IT AND I CAN NOT TRUST IT TO TAKE IT ANYWHERE. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT, VERY UNSAFE TO HAVE A VEHICLE SPIT & SPUTTER RANDOMLY & LOOSE ALL POWER DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD! VERY UNIMPRESSED WITH GM & MY GM VEHICLE, WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER GM VEHICLE AGAIN. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10704601April 9, 2015ENGINE, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2011 MALIBU 2LT 3600 VVT. I HAVE MULTIPLE INSTANCES OF THE SERVICE ESC, SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL & ENGINE POWER REDUCED MESSAGES APPEARING. THE LAST TIME, TODAY, ALMOST CAUSED ME TO BE REAR ENDED DUE TO THE ENGINE FLUCTUATING BETWEEN ABOUT 200 AND 1500 RPM. AFTER THE FIRST INSTANCE I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A DEALER TO HAVE RECALL #14V252000 ADDRESSED. THIS SEEMED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS IT ALL HAPPENED AGAIN TELLING ME THERE'S OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING ELSE WRONG. THROUGH ON-LINE RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH ALMOST AS MANY SUPPOSED CAUSES. THERE IS NO WARRANTY LEFT ON MY CAR AND I CAN'T AFFORD A MECHANIC TO GUESS. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE DIES. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10702849March 31, 2015STEERING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING ANGLE SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10701327March 24, 2015VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL, STRUCTURE:BODY
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE PIECE OF PLASTIC DETACHED FROM THE MIDDLE CONSOLE AND COVERED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10701129March 23, 2015ENGINE
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10695041March 18, 2015AIR BAGS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10694778March 17, 2015ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
WHILE IDLING, MY 2011 MALIBU'S ESC LIGHT ILLUMINATES EVERY DAY AND AT EVERY RED LIGHT/STOP SIGN. THE VEHICLE ALSO DRIVES ON ITS OWN AT 72 MPH AFTER I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL. THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALER REQUIRES ME TO PAY A SERVICE FEE TO CHECK FOR A PROBLEM THAT THEY ARE WE'LL FAMILIAR WITH. I DID REC'VE A CALL FROM CHEVY CORP WHO STATED THEY WILL PAY FOR THE FIRST HOUR TO ATTEMPT TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM, BUT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY COST AFTER THE FIRST HOUR/COFFEE BREAK. AFTER READING ABOUT MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT - SHAME ON CHEVY!! *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10694412March 16, 2015ENGINE
JUST GOT MY CAR BACK MID FEBRUARY AFTER THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE. THE SIGNS AT THAT TIME WERE CK ENGINE LIGHT SERVICE TRACTION AND SERVICE ESC. GM DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ENGINE WITH A BRAND NEW ONE. ITS STILL UNDER THE 100,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. FORWARD 1 MONTH. NOW ALL LIGHTS COME ON...ENGINE, SERVICE TRACTION, SERVICE ESC AND ENGINE POWER LOW. CAR SHAKES AND WONT EXCEED 10 MPH. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10693743March 11, 2015STEERING
2/28/15 TWITCH IN STEERING AT 55 MPH. (5 TWITCH/8 MI.) HAD BEEN SNOWY WITH SUBZERO TEMPS, AND SUSPECTED ICE IN STEERING LINKAGE. FOLLOWING DAY EXHIBITED SAME TWITCHES, BUT FEWER. BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE WHEN STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. MESSAGES ON DRIVER INFORMATION: POWER STEERING FAILURE, ESC REQUIRES SERVICE, AND A YELLOW TRIANGLE WITH WAVY MARKS WAS ILLUMINATED. DROVE 2.25 MI TO RELATIVE'S HOME. TURNED CAR OFF & RESTARTED; POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. NEXT DAY CHECKED FUSE CONNECTIONS ON PASSENGER SIDE OF CONSOLE, AND UNDER HOOD NEAR BATTERY. 80A POWER STEERING FUSE WAS LOOSE ON ONE SIDE. NUTS SECURELY TIGHTENED, BUT RIVETS ON FUSE BODY WERE LOOSE; LUG COULD BE MOVED APPROX 1/32". REPLACED FUSE, AND WORKED BETTER. THEN NOTICED THAT TWITCHING HAD RETURNED; WAS PREVALENT WITH VEHICLE STOPPED AND RUNNING. ON WED DROVE VEHICLE TO PICKUP LUNCH,; STEERING WHEEL WAS TWITCHING WITH CAR IN PARK AND ENGINE RUNNING. USED REMOTE START SYSTEM TO LET ENGINE RUN AS IT WAS NEAR 0 F AND HAD ONLY DRIVEN 3 MI. RETURNED TO CAR WITHIN 10 MIN REMOTE START RUN TIME, INSERTED KEY; POWER STEERING DIDN'T WORK & SAME MESSAGES DISPLAYED. STOPPED & RESTARTED CAR; POWER STEERING DIDN'T WORK. ARRANGED FOR REPAIR, AND DROVE CAR TO SHOP LATER THAT AFTERNOON; POWER STEERING WORKED, BUT LOTS OF TWITCHING. STEERING COLUMN REPLACED DUE TO STEERING WHEEL TORQUE SENSOR CODE C0545. POWER STEERING FAILED AND FOUGHT ME AS EVIDENCED BY UNEVEN JERKY TURNING FORCE. SYSTEM ALLOWED STEERING WHEEL TO RUN ABOUT 1/8 TURN, AND THEN DAMPENED TURNING. HAVE A SORE RIGHT SHOULDER. FORCE REQUIRED TO STEER WITHOUT POWER STEERING IS INEXCUSABLE. SYSTEM DOES NOT DISENGAGE WHEN IT FAILS, AND INTERMITTENTLY INTERACTS WHILE DISPLAY INDICATES IT'S OUT OF COMMISSION. SYSTEM IS INHERENTLY DANGEROUS DUE TO FUNCTION DURING FAILURE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10693415March 10, 2015AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT TURNED ON AND HAS REMAINED ON WHEN CAR WAS STARTED ONE DAY. IT WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENTS, COLLISIONS, ETC. COINCIDENTALLY, THE LIGHT APPEARED AFTER THE OIL WAS CHANGED AND THE COMPUTER RESET FOR OIL CHANGE. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10692915March 9, 2015ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE ESC, SERVICE TRACTION AND REDUCE ENGINE CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE NUMEROUS TIMES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10692408March 6, 2015POWER TRAIN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,500.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10692676March 6, 2015STEERING
WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN IT WAS NECESSARY TO DO SO. ONCE I MADE THE TURN I COULDN'T TURN WIDE ENOUGH BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TIGHT AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH. *TR
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10692094March 4, 2015TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, ENGINE
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION AND THE ESC, TRACTION CONTROL, AND REDUCED POWER WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10692104March 4, 2015ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
I WAS DRIVING MY 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU AT ABOUT 40 MPH ON A FAIRLY BUSY 2 LANE STREET. WITHOUT WARNING THE CAR LOST POWER. A MESSAGE APPEARED IN THE INFORMATION SCREEN INDICATING SOMETHING LIKE "REDUCED POWER TO THE ENGINE". ALSO, A MESSAGE INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS OPERATING UNDER REDUCED POWER MODE BECAUSE I NEEDED TO SERVICE ESC, AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS DISPLAYED AS WELL ON THE DASHBOARD. I WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO GET THE CAR PULLED OFF OF THE ROAD AND INTO A PARKING LOT. I READ THE OWNERS MANUAL AND ESSENTIALLY FOUND OUT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING IN "LIMP MODE". I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND THIS TO BE A "COMMON PROBLEM" FOR CHEVY MALIBU MODELS. MY CAR WAS, OF COURSE, OUT OF WARRANTY AND NOT COVERED UNDER ANY SORT OF RECALL, SO I HAD TO PAY ABOUT $500 FOR THE REPAIR. MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS I SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING LOST POWER. HAD THIS OCCURRED WHEN TRYING TO PULL ACROSS A HEAVY INTERSECTION OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS INJURY. FURTHER, I SEE REPORTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND I AM REPORTING THIS AS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN - HAD THIS SITUATION HAPPENED UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES IT VERY EASILY COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND SERIOUS INJURY TO SOMEONE. I SINCE FOLLOWED UP WITH CHEVROLET SERVICE AND THEY ESSENTIALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE "AWARE" OF THE ISSUE BUT THERE ARE NO RECALLS ETC... *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #10691730March 3, 2015STEERING
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTS VIBRATING AND TURNING ON ITS OWN WITH LITTLE OR NO INPUT. RANDOM LOSS OF POWER STEERING OCCURRED. VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN WHEEL. POWER STEERING COMES BACK EVERY TIME VEHICLE IS SHUT OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN AND SAME THING OCCURS. IDENTICAL SYMPTOMS TO OLDER MODELS WITH RECALL FROM 2008 MODEL YEAR. *TR
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0