2012 Chevrolet Malibu problems and complaints
Owners have filed 906 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The most-reported areas: Electrical System (290), Exterior Lighting (202), Steering (191).
Key takeaways
- 906 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 50 involve a crash, 13 a fire, 35 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 290 | 32% |
| Exterior Lighting | 202 | 22% |
| Steering | 191 | 21% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 129 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 101 | 11% |
| Engine | 99 | 11% |
| Service Brakes | 73 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 52 | 6% |
| Unknown Or Other | 51 | 6% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 51 | 6% |
| Power Train | 49 | 5% |
| Seat Belts | 47 | 5% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Seats - filed 2026-08-31
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 ...
Electrical System - filed 2026-07-22
Electrical system problems that create unsafe driving conditions!! Vehicle has electrical glitches. Internal warning lights flicker on and off. Battery drains. Car randomly will not start. Multiple incidents. Car stalled on roadway without warning and would not crank. Luckily I was in a residential neighborhood with ...
Electrical System - filed 2026-03-26
Rear defrost stopped working. Hasn't worked in years. I took it to GM, they had a print out of a kit that I had to purchase to repair. This stopped working back around 2016.
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More for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.