chevrolet malibu eco 2013 Complaints

STEERING

while driving steering seems to feel as if it is locking up. i have to give it a little tug to free it and that causes the car to swerve a little. it seems like something is holding the steering in that position, while driving there is movement in the steering.

Reported in: BRENTWOOD NY || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11D5RR6DF

ENGINE

the vehicle rpm's don't go low enough, to initiate the auto stop.. it only goes down to about 500 rpm's, when brake, & not low enough to activate auto- stop!! evidently, the motor has to go to almost zero, to kick -in... dealer service dept didn't know what to do, or tell me ??? what should i do next ???

Reported in: DIMONDALE MI || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

auto stop will not engage unless rpm's are under 500..seldom will "auto stop" engage !!!! vehicle motor will not go slow enough to engage this feature..i have talked to service at chevrolet dealer, & they said the problem can happen at anytime & they don't know what to do about it????? i do, keep complaining!!!!

Reported in: DIMONDALE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11FRR7DF1

SERVICE BRAKES

auto stop will not engage unless rpm's are under 500..seldom will "auto stop" engage !!!! vehicle motor will not go slow enough to engage this feature..i have talked to service at chevrolet dealer, & they said the problem can happen at anytime & they don't know what to do about it????? i do, keep complaining!!!!

Reported in: DIMONDALE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11FRR7DF1

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

auto stop will not engage unless rpm's are under 500..seldom will "auto stop" engage !!!! vehicle motor will not go slow enough to engage this feature..i have talked to service at chevrolet dealer, & they said the problem can happen at anytime & they don't know what to do about it????? i do, keep complaining!!!!

Reported in: DIMONDALE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11FRR7DF1

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

new chevy malibu 2013, continually fails to run normal. electric system as well, as any electronic powered systems turn off while "mid-driving" rendering the vehicle unsafe without any gauge readouts and or lights as well as exterior lighting. potentially rendering drivers( my family) unsafe. vehicle has been taken back to dealer ship 4 times to have "part in battery" fixed, after each time vehicle runs for 1 week and fails again as it did on the latest date 8 august 2013.

Reported in: FT POLK LA || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11D5SR8DF

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet malibu eco. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 13v173000 (electrical system) and took the vehicle to the dealer to have the vehicle serviced. several weeks after the repairs, the contact heard an abnormal crackling noise from th trunk area. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the generator control module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 3,578.

Reported in: MESQUITE NV || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11D5RRXDF

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet malibu eco. the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward and crashed into another vehicle. no one was injured during the crash. the contact also stated the lights on the instrument panel flashed before accelerating. the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where an investigator further inspected the vehicle but could not detect a failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 9,600. updated 03/05/14*lj

Reported in: ESSEX JUNCTION VT || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1G11F5RRXDF

STEERING

when driving the malibu at highway speeds the steering sticks, almost like a dead spot at the center position. minor corrective inputs are difficult, take more force than needed.

Reported in: HUNTINGTON IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR9DF

STEERING

purchased 2013 chevy malibu eco in august 2013, and recently started noticing that steering wheel becomes very stiff and feels like it locks when driving over 60 mph and in a 12 o'clock steering position. i have to jerk it when making slight turns or changing lanes, and has almost caused me to have an accident. i took it to freeway chevrolet in chandler, az. the car was left there for four days, and dealer said they could not find any issues. i was told that the steering power is electrical and their computer reads that there are no issues with it. well, i am still encountering same issue and fear i may have a fatal accident. now that i see i am not the only one experiencing this issue, there may be a lawsuit coming against chevy.

Reported in: PHOENIX AZ || Crash: N || VIN #:

AIR BAGS

i hit a deer going 55 mph and the air bag did not deploy. i got a statement on the screen right when it happened saying airbag service. i would think hitting something going that first would deploy an airbag.

Reported in: PLATTE CITY MO || Crash: Y || VIN #: 1G11D5RR0DF

ENGINE

gm replaced my generator control module on june 13 because of a recall. the proper tests were not performed due to them having it in shop for 45 minutes (see recall documents). gcm was replaced and i was sent home with it on june 13. on june 14, i started the car and an error code appeared on dic for battery. contacted the dealership and they advised me to drive the vehicle to dealership (over 1 ½ hours away from my house). every so often my dic would show a new error code, i contacted dealership each time, i was advised to continue to travel. i made it 40 minutes into my travel and i heard a loud clunk. a few seconds later all the error codes started appearing on dic. the power steering shut off all while i was going 75 miles on the interstate. i managed to get the car to the side of the road. my car started going crazy (windows rolled up and down, windshield wipers started working, and radio shut on and off) all on its own. my entire cabin filled up with black smoke and there was a strong odor of burning plastic. the car died within a few seconds of getting the car to shoulder. i contacted dealership again and advised them what was happening. they stated they were calling a tow trunk and hung up on me. tow truck company contacted me to inquire location the tow truck driver had an extremely difficult time getting the car onto the tow truck. my car would not budge and he was worried about the strong odor/smoke. he literally had to drag my car onto the truck. i was taken to the dealership and provided a rental car. i picked my car up on june 17, all that was replaced was generator control module again. this car has been in and out of the dealership for recall work at least 9 more times in the last year. dealership keeps cars for days - returns to me and says "no codes are being thrown on machine. car is working properly".

Reported in: BUTLER MO || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR5DF

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

on may 9, 2014, my car failed to start and the check engine light came on. i called gm emergency vehicle assistance to jump start my car and drove to the don mealey chevrolet in clermont florida, where my car has been for 22 days. during this time i have questioned why a part for relatively new car is not available. i was not given a valid reason by the dealership. i went on line and discovered there may have been a recall for my car last year. i was never advised about this recall even though the bad part (generator control module) can cause a fire in the trunk or engine stalling. i am very frustrated and more important have no faith in my 2013 malibu eco or in general motor or my dealership. please advise my rights.

Reported in: CLERMONT FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11D5SR0DF

POWER TRAIN

we bought this vehicle used with only 5600 miles and has been running fine except for slight smell in rear area. we drove the night before and it was ok, but the next morning the battery was absolutely dead. no lights, horn, wipers, interior lights, got the vehicle pushed out of the garage but no power brakes or steering and transmission was locked-up. called gm for road assistance and car was jump started. i looked to see problems with this model and found complaints of this same problem and also going dead while driving. blogs said they brought vehicles into dealer and they found nothing, which is the same answer i was given other then my wife must of left the door open. i refused to picked the car up to this date as will not have my wife drive this vehicle in fear that it will go dead while driving or will not start and be stranded at night. blogs stated that the generator control module was the cause and several had to have the module replaced again. my vehicle was on a recall list and the dealer stated the module was replaced once a year ago ( before 5600 miles). the dealer stated the gm expert specialist checked and found no codes and would not authorize a replacement module. i bet if it were any senior executive at gm or their spouse driving this car that it would be replaced! i do believe there is a history here and gm does not want to live up to another engineering error.

Reported in: HENDERSONVILLE NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

we bought this vehicle used with only 5600 miles and has been running fine except for slight smell in rear area. we drove the night before and it was ok, but the next morning the battery was absolutely dead. no lights, horn, wipers, interior lights, got the vehicle pushed out of the garage but no power brakes or steering and transmission was locked-up. called gm for road assistance and car was jump started. i looked to see problems with this model and found complaints of this same problem and also going dead while driving. blogs said they brought vehicles into dealer and they found nothing, which is the same answer i was given other then my wife must of left the door open. i refused to picked the car up to this date as will not have my wife drive this vehicle in fear that it will go dead while driving or will not start and be stranded at night. blogs stated that the generator control module was the cause and several had to have the module replaced again. my vehicle was on a recall list and the dealer stated the module was replaced once a year ago ( before 5600 miles). the dealer stated the gm expert specialist checked and found no codes and would not authorize a replacement module. i bet if it were any senior executive at gm or their spouse driving this car that it would be replaced! i do believe there is a history here and gm does not want to live up to another engineering error.

Reported in: HENDERSONVILLE NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

ENGINE

we bought this vehicle used with only 5600 miles and has been running fine except for slight smell in rear area. we drove the night before and it was ok, but the next morning the battery was absolutely dead. no lights, horn, wipers, interior lights, got the vehicle pushed out of the garage but no power brakes or steering and transmission was locked-up. called gm for road assistance and car was jump started. i looked to see problems with this model and found complaints of this same problem and also going dead while driving. blogs said they brought vehicles into dealer and they found nothing, which is the same answer i was given other then my wife must of left the door open. i refused to picked the car up to this date as will not have my wife drive this vehicle in fear that it will go dead while driving or will not start and be stranded at night. blogs stated that the generator control module was the cause and several had to have the module replaced again. my vehicle was on a recall list and the dealer stated the module was replaced once a year ago ( before 5600 miles). the dealer stated the gm expert specialist checked and found no codes and would not authorize a replacement module. i bet if it were any senior executive at gm or their spouse driving this car that it would be replaced! i do believe there is a history here and gm does not want to live up to another engineering error.

Reported in: HENDERSONVILLE NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

i purchased this vehicle on february 7, 2013. before driving off of the dealer lot, we asked why an airbag light was flashing. the dealership assured us it was fine and did not look into it. they let us drive the car home. after about a week of the light continuing to flash and the car not recognizing that my husband was in the passenger seat and turning the passenger airbag on, we decided to take it into the local dealership to get it checked out. upon taking it there, we learned that there had been an active recall on my car with the airbag potentially being able to deploy if the car braked too hard. so we found out we were sold the car with an active recall and it was not fixed before purchase. after this first incident on the day i bought it, there has been nothing but problems. the gcm recalled, the wiring harness recalled, both which could start a fire, i have steadily lost gas mileage and now average only 26 mpg, if i'm lucky, not the 37-40 adverstised, there is a buzzing noise when trying to go in and out of eco mode, which the dealership assured us was "probably normal", and now there is some kind of smoke coming out of the vents and moisture all over the driver side floor mat. we have also recently found out that this model was discontinued after only one year. in spite of this, chevy will not do anything about it, but offer to help us trade it in, and even then they would not give us what the car is "worth". in my opinion, if chevy knows they did something wrong, they need to take care of their customers who bought the worthless cars to begin with. i am a completely dissatisfied customer, yet they don't seem to care, so they have now lost not just me and my husband as customers, but also family and friends that have heard of our terrible and unsafe experience.

Reported in: SUMTER SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

i purchased this vehicle on february 7, 2013. before driving off of the dealer lot, we asked why an airbag light was flashing. the dealership assured us it was fine and did not look into it. they let us drive the car home. after about a week of the light continuing to flash and the car not recognizing that my husband was in the passenger seat and turning the passenger airbag on, we decided to take it into the local dealership to get it checked out. upon taking it there, we learned that there had been an active recall on my car with the airbag potentially being able to deploy if the car braked too hard. so we found out we were sold the car with an active recall and it was not fixed before purchase. after this first incident on the day i bought it, there has been nothing but problems. the gcm recalled, the wiring harness recalled, both which could start a fire, i have steadily lost gas mileage and now average only 26 mpg, if i'm lucky, not the 37-40 adverstised, there is a buzzing noise when trying to go in and out of eco mode, which the dealership assured us was "probably normal", and now there is some kind of smoke coming out of the vents and moisture all over the driver side floor mat. we have also recently found out that this model was discontinued after only one year. in spite of this, chevy will not do anything about it, but offer to help us trade it in, and even then they would not give us what the car is "worth". in my opinion, if chevy knows they did something wrong, they need to take care of their customers who bought the worthless cars to begin with. i am a completely dissatisfied customer, yet they don't seem to care, so they have now lost not just me and my husband as customers, but also family and friends that have heard of our terrible and unsafe experience.

Reported in: SUMTER SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

AIR BAGS

i purchased this vehicle on february 7, 2013. before driving off of the dealer lot, we asked why an airbag light was flashing. the dealership assured us it was fine and did not look into it. they let us drive the car home. after about a week of the light continuing to flash and the car not recognizing that my husband was in the passenger seat and turning the passenger airbag on, we decided to take it into the local dealership to get it checked out. upon taking it there, we learned that there had been an active recall on my car with the airbag potentially being able to deploy if the car braked too hard. so we found out we were sold the car with an active recall and it was not fixed before purchase. after this first incident on the day i bought it, there has been nothing but problems. the gcm recalled, the wiring harness recalled, both which could start a fire, i have steadily lost gas mileage and now average only 26 mpg, if i'm lucky, not the 37-40 adverstised, there is a buzzing noise when trying to go in and out of eco mode, which the dealership assured us was "probably normal", and now there is some kind of smoke coming out of the vents and moisture all over the driver side floor mat. we have also recently found out that this model was discontinued after only one year. in spite of this, chevy will not do anything about it, but offer to help us trade it in, and even then they would not give us what the car is "worth". in my opinion, if chevy knows they did something wrong, they need to take care of their customers who bought the worthless cars to begin with. i am a completely dissatisfied customer, yet they don't seem to care, so they have now lost not just me and my husband as customers, but also family and friends that have heard of our terrible and unsafe experience.

Reported in: SUMTER SC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR4DF

SERVICE BRAKES

i purchased this vehicle january 2014 at 5,000 miles. i began to notice trouble with brakes and acceleration a couple of months after. braking was not smooth or consistent at times. at times i wasn't able to accelerate and it felt like i was driving with parking brake on. later i noticed that i could control this by lifting the brake pedal with my foot. the brake pedal wasn't releasing on its own. i took the car to a chevrolet dealership (same dealer that fixed another recall on this car for electrical wiring recall) to have the brakes checked out. they said the brake assembly was faulty and kept the car for a few days. since the part hadn't been delivered and i needed a vehicle asap, i picked up my car to use until the parts came in to the dealer. when i was leaving the service center, i wasn't able to go in reverse. i made sure the emergency brake wasn't on and even tried to turn it on and off to make sure it was definitely off. the tires were aligned straight and try as i may, the car would not go in reverse. i went in to the service department and spoke with the technician who came out and tried reversing the car without success at first. he eventually got the car to go in reverse and didn't seem concerned or thought this to be significant. the next day, i was driving on the speedway and suddenly i could not accelerate past 50 mph regardless of how much i pressed on the accelerator. the car started to slow down on its own and i was terrified that other vehicles would hit the back of my car. i got off the highway on the next exit and my vehicle started to smoke and scraping/groaning sounds were heard. i barely made it to a shopping center where i had to call a tow truck to take the car back the dealer for service. tomorrow it will be one week since i took my car in and i still don't know when the parts will be delivered or when my vehicle will be fixed.

Reported in: SHELBY NC || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11D5RR3DF

POWER TRAIN

around the time i bought the car, on 11/30/12 at 5812 miles, unknown to me the car had a concern of loss of battery charge which called for an inspection of the generator control module. so a gen control module performance test per recall was performed. in may of 2013, i stopped at red traffic light and the engine was idling, when i proceeded to accelerate by placing my foot on the gas pedal at the green light, the vehicle shut off on me. this had nothing to do with the automatic shut-off that conserves energy. on 6/24/13 at 14006 miles, i tried to get them to do a diagnostics and i don't think they did a diagnostics even though i was still under bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty. they suggested a test drive with a mechanic foreman to see if the issue would present itself again. the issue did not occur again. in july of 2013, i then complained that the car had poor engine acceleration entering onto a highway and took it in for service at 14810 miles. they did a r&r ecm recalibrate controller program. on july 26, 2014, i drove earlier in the day for quite a few hours through the city and a little on the highway. i accelerated once on the highway at which the issue of acceleration presented itself again. at 38,548 miles, the following messages was shown on my dashboard: 1. battery service needed 2. power steering service needed i then called onstar and i asked them to do a diagnostics and they gave me the following messages: 3. engine control module cruise control system not performing as expected. (p155a) 4. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to cruise control system. cruise control disabled. (c0800) 5. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to transmission. the check engine light will not illuminate. vehicle performance and shift behavior may be affected. top shift feature will be disabled if equipped. (p0826)

Reported in: MERRILLVILLE IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR2DF

STEERING

around the time i bought the car, on 11/30/12 at 5812 miles, unknown to me the car had a concern of loss of battery charge which called for an inspection of the generator control module. so a gen control module performance test per recall was performed. in may of 2013, i stopped at red traffic light and the engine was idling, when i proceeded to accelerate by placing my foot on the gas pedal at the green light, the vehicle shut off on me. this had nothing to do with the automatic shut-off that conserves energy. on 6/24/13 at 14006 miles, i tried to get them to do a diagnostics and i don't think they did a diagnostics even though i was still under bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty. they suggested a test drive with a mechanic foreman to see if the issue would present itself again. the issue did not occur again. in july of 2013, i then complained that the car had poor engine acceleration entering onto a highway and took it in for service at 14810 miles. they did a r&r ecm recalibrate controller program. on july 26, 2014, i drove earlier in the day for quite a few hours through the city and a little on the highway. i accelerated once on the highway at which the issue of acceleration presented itself again. at 38,548 miles, the following messages was shown on my dashboard: 1. battery service needed 2. power steering service needed i then called onstar and i asked them to do a diagnostics and they gave me the following messages: 3. engine control module cruise control system not performing as expected. (p155a) 4. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to cruise control system. cruise control disabled. (c0800) 5. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to transmission. the check engine light will not illuminate. vehicle performance and shift behavior may be affected. top shift feature will be disabled if equipped. (p0826)

Reported in: MERRILLVILLE IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR2DF

ENGINE

around the time i bought the car, on 11/30/12 at 5812 miles, unknown to me the car had a concern of loss of battery charge which called for an inspection of the generator control module. so a gen control module performance test per recall was performed. in may of 2013, i stopped at red traffic light and the engine was idling, when i proceeded to accelerate by placing my foot on the gas pedal at the green light, the vehicle shut off on me. this had nothing to do with the automatic shut-off that conserves energy. on 6/24/13 at 14006 miles, i tried to get them to do a diagnostics and i don't think they did a diagnostics even though i was still under bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty. they suggested a test drive with a mechanic foreman to see if the issue would present itself again. the issue did not occur again. in july of 2013, i then complained that the car had poor engine acceleration entering onto a highway and took it in for service at 14810 miles. they did a r&r ecm recalibrate controller program. on july 26, 2014, i drove earlier in the day for quite a few hours through the city and a little on the highway. i accelerated once on the highway at which the issue of acceleration presented itself again. at 38,548 miles, the following messages was shown on my dashboard: 1. battery service needed 2. power steering service needed i then called onstar and i asked them to do a diagnostics and they gave me the following messages: 3. engine control module cruise control system not performing as expected. (p155a) 4. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to cruise control system. cruise control disabled. (c0800) 5. powertrain system has detected malfunction related to transmission. the check engine light will not illuminate. vehicle performance and shift behavior may be affected. top shift feature will be disabled if equipped. (p0826)

Reported in: MERRILLVILLE IN || Crash: N || VIN #: 1G11F5RR2DF