Electrical System. Review the 290 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 202 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Steering. Review the 191 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

50 crash reports13 fire reports27 injury reports

Seats complaints

36 reports

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Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2026

Seats

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Car has 161,848 miles and the seat frame broke on the drivers side of my 2012 Chevy Malibu. It had a slight tilt to the right. It was taken to the Chevrolet Dealership and they inspected and verified that the frame welding was broken. I have a video from the service tech showing the broken frame. I took a screen shot of the video and attached it to this incident repot. I would be happy to share the video but it won't allow me to share on this page. I asked the dealership if there was any recall because I find it hard to believe that a seat frame would just break. I have gone online and read that multiple people have had this issue however, Chevrolet has done nothing about it. A few people have at least gotten somewhat of a compensation for having to replace something that should last the life of the vehicle. I was not one of them. I had to pay over a thousand dollars for a USED frame and labor. What is to keep this frame from cracking too? I think Chevrolet should do better.

NHTSA ODI #11761110

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2024

Air BagsEngineSeats

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The catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicle’s exhaust system, and their failure is believed to be contributing to hesitation and skipping during operation. Both components are available for inspection upon request. The hesitation and skipping reduce the vehicle’s responsiveness, creating a safety risk in traffic. This issue could hinder safe merging, overtaking, or maintaining consistent speeds. Additionally, malfunctioning exhaust components may lead to increased emissions and pose a risk of toxic gases entering the cabin if leaks are present. Check engine light displays. The problem has been confirmed by a professional auto mechanic during their inspection and diagnosis. The components have been inspected and diagnosed by an independent service center (the auto mechanic). They have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No warning lamps or error messages were displayed on the dashboard prior to the diagnosis. The symptoms, including hesitation and skipping, began approximately [insert timeline, e.g., two weeks ago] and have been recurring during normal driving, particularly during acceleration or at lower speeds.

NHTSA ODI #11633324

Mileage unknown · Mar 15, 2023

Seats

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Driver seat frame bar broke. Is weld and the weld broke when I was on the road. Safety concern when I turn left or right driver seat moves a lot. I can’t drive my malibu like that, Im putting myself in risk and other drivers. First time happens to me this kind of situation. I had other oldest vehicles and driver seat never broke. Not good for a 2012 malibu with a broken frame bar driver seat. GM should fix this problem that comes from manufacure. I did a research about this and Im not alone there is a lot of people complaining about this safety concern issue that chevy malibus from 2009 and 2012 had and dealers dont want to pay attention to this problem.

NHTSA ODI #11512046

Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2021

Seats

Driver side seat is broken and the frame is cracked on the right side which makes it lean towards the middle console. Which causes my seat to be crooked and definitely feels unsafe and worries me that the airbags may not deploy if ever in an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11429488

Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2021

Seats

The driver side seat bottom portion left side caved in it says if the webbing underneath the seat that holds it up it broke and I just wanted to see if it was cause do the recall that was fixed on it or what not because I did read other complaints with the exact same issue I just want to know if there is a investigation or a way…

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NHTSA ODI #11427626

15 miles · Jan 13, 2021

SeatsCrash

I HIT A DEER ON THE DRIVE SIDE AND SEAT BROKE. IT MOVES WHEN I SIT IT IT AND THE INSURANCE WON'T BUT TO HAVE IT FIX BECAUSE THEY STATE IT IS A PROBLEM THAT THE MALIBU'S HAVE.

NHTSA ODI #11387936

73,000 miles · Dec 29, 2020

Seats

THE WELD ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT HAS BROKEN MAKING THE SEAT UNSTABLE. I WAS GETTING INTO THE CAR AND HEARD IT SNAP THEN FALL TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF THE CAR. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND GM NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM AND NOT CHARGE PEOPLE $1000+ TO FIX IT. THE CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT, ONLY A MINOR REAR END COLL…

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NHTSA ODI #11385380

Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2020

Seats

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THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY FOR MY CAR IN 2019 AND I TOOK IT TO DAVIDSON CHEVROLET IN WATERTOWN NY. THEY FIXED THE RECALL AND MENTIONED IT COULD AFFECT THE SEAT ASSEMBLY. SHORTLY AFTER I GOT A POSTCARD REGARDING THE SEAT. A FEW DAYS LATER MY SEAT NO LONGER MOVES BACK OR FORTH. I TRIED CALLING AND THEY SAID IT WAS A FUSE AND THEY HAD TO ORDER IT. I KEPT CALLING EVERY FEW WEEKS AND THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME AN ANSWER OR CALL ME BACK. I FINALLY GOT AHOLD OF SOMEONE AND WENT INTO THE SHOP THURSDAY JULY 30, 2020 TO GET THE FUSE IN. THEY LATER CAME OUT AND SAID IT WAS BECAUSE MY LEVER BROKE, HOWEVER MY LEVER WAS NOT BROKE WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN. IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS A CLEAN CUT. THEN THEY TURNED AROUND AND SAID THAT IT WAS THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY AND PROCEEDED TO TELL ME TO GO TO THE JUNKYARD TO REPLACE MY SEAT AND THEN I CAN PAY THEM TO INSTALL IT. I FEEL AS THOUGH I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT AS IT WAS ORIGINALLY FROM THE RECALL. I ALSO FEEL LIKE I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO GO TO THE JUNKYARD WHEN THEY SHOULD BE FIXING IT.

NHTSA ODI #11342707

154,336 miles · Nov 11, 2019

Seats

DRIVER SEAT WELD BROKE AT THE RIGJT REAR AND LEFT FRONT WITHOUT BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. I WAS SITTING IN THE SEAT AND WENT TO ADJUST IT AND IT BROKE ON THE WAY UP, THEN THE LEFT SIDE ON THE WAY DOWN. I HAVE SEEM ON THE INTERNET THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO GM AND NEARLY ALL ARE DENIED TO BE REPAIRED AT DEALERS COST. THIS I…

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NHTSA ODI #11279340

80,000 miles · Sep 13, 2019

Exterior LightingSeats

PASSENGER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT KEEPS FAILING EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALL CHEVY MALIBUS. DRIVER SEAT BACK BREAKS AND CAUSES THE SEAT TO BE UNSAFE.

NHTSA ODI #11255238

Official recalls

15V269000 · Seat Belts

May 8, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured April 8, 2010, to October 11, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the outboard lap anchor mounting bracket and inspect the flexible steel cable, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 16, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15031.

14V252000 · Electrical System:wiring; Electronic Stability Control (esc); Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch; Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control

May 14, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Electronic Stability Control (esc)