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What 905 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (905)Crash / fire / injury (65)Electrical system (290)Lights (202)Steering (191)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (129)Airbags (101)Engine (99)Brakes (73)Fuel system (56)Speed control (52)Transmission & drivetrain (49)

202 of 905 complaints match · Lights · clear filters · page 9 of 9

May 22, 2014LightsSpeed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINE POWERING DOWN AND THE LOW TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD STOP WORKING SPORADICALLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

NHTSA ODI 10593346

Jan 22, 2013Electrical systemLightsVisibility & wipers

WHILE DRIVING ON A STATE HIGHWAY, I HAD A NUMBER OF FUNCTIONS STOP WORKING. THE PROBLEM COULD COME AND GO FOR A WEEK BEFORE IT HAPPENED ON ALL IGNITION CYCLES. NOTE, THE PROBLEM COULD EVEN COME AND GO ON 1 IGNITION CYCLE. THE FOLLOWING STOPPED WORKING: WINDSHIELD WIPERS, HEATED SEATS, POWER WINDOWS/SUNROOF, POWER DOORS, POWER MIRRORS, BLUE TOOTH INTERFACE, DOME LIGHTS AND MIRROR / COMPASS. DEALER HAS REPLACED BODY CONTROL MODULE AND VPM. FIXES SEEM TO WORK FOR APPROXIMATELY 10-12 WEEKS BEFORE ISSUES RESURFACE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10494367

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Working with the data? Download all 905 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Chevrolet Malibu Eco verdict →