Home · 2012 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid · Complaints

What 904 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

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 (904)Crash / fire / injury (65)Electrical system (289)Lights (202)Steering (191)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (129)Airbags (101)Engine (99)Brakes (73)Fuel system (56)Speed control (52)Transmission & drivetrain (49)

12 of 904 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Dec 8, 2025Body & structureWheelsBrakesCrash

The brake caplier screw came out why driving the vehicle and broke the brake line and the vehicle lost control try to use the emergency brake and it didn't work vehicle crash

NHTSA ODI 11703616

Feb 27, 2018BrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF A NISSAN TITAN. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 8-3918629379. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11075305

Jul 3, 2017BrakesCrash1 injury

TRAVELING ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR ON I-17 SB IN PHOENIX. VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME HIT BRAKES SUDDENLY. WHEN I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES,IT DIDN'T FEEL LIKE MY BRAKES WERE WORKING PROPERLY. BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, DIDN'T SEEM TO BE STOPPING CAR. FELT LIKE THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES.

NHTSA ODI 11002836

Jun 26, 2017SteeringElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

"SERVICE ESC" LIGHT ILLUMINATES WHEN MAKING SHARP TURNS, SLOWING DOWN ON THE INTERSTATE, AS WELL AS BREAKING IN BAD WEATHER. AFTER REPLACING BRAKES TWICE AND ROTORS ONCE I SCONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM . AFTER A RECENT INQUIRY I LEARNED OF A RECALL ON "SERVICE ESC" AS WELL AS "TRACTION CONTROL".

NHTSA ODI 11001410

May 10, 2017AirbagsBrakesCrash2 injuries

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT I PRESSED THE BRAKES AND THE CAR FAILED TO STOP. BOTH TIMES RESULTED IN COLLISIONS. THE FIRST TIME THE CAR WSS REPAIRED AND THEN GIVEN BACK TO ME. THIS TIME I WAS TRAVELING APPROX 45 MPH AND THE PERSON IN FRONT OF ME SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES. I WENT TO DO THE SAME AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT STOPPING THE CAR AT ALL. I COLLIDED WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME CAUSING MAJOR DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND INJURIES TO MY SHOULDER, NECK AND BACK.

NHTSA ODI 10984656

Apr 26, 2017AirbagsBrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR TRAFFIC, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT FAILED TO RESPOND IN TIME. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A BODY SHOP, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 10980811

May 5, 2015AirbagsBrakesCrash

WHILE DRIVING A PERSON SLAMMED ON BRAKES IN FRONT OF ME AND I TOO HIT MINE. I DID NOT FEEL THE ANTILOCK WHILE BRAKING AND AFTER IMPACTING WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE AIRBAGS WERE NOT RELEASED. FOR AS HARD AS WE HIT AND FOR AS MUCH DAMAGE HAPPENED THE POLICE WERE SURPRISED THEY DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10714695

Apr 6, 2015SteeringBrakesCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A GUARDRAIL. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED MINOR CUTS, BRUISES, AND WRIST INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,979.

NHTSA ODI 10703947

Nov 4, 2014BrakesElectrical systemLightsAirbagsSpeed controlElectronic Stability Control (esc)Crash1 injury

2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BODY CONTROL MODULE RECALL NOTICE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AND CAUSED HIM TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED. THE CONSUMER SENT IN A RECALL NOTICE ALONG WITH HIS COMPLAINT. *JB

NHTSA ODI 10651200

Oct 3, 2014LightsBrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) HAD EXCEEDED THE REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DELAY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIR. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10641318

Aug 15, 2014AirbagsBody & structureBrakesEngineCrash

MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE MY FRIEND APPLIED THE BRAKES AND WAS FORCED INTO HYDROPLANING INTO A BARRIER, ANOTHER VEHICLE AND A PERSON. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AS THE SENSOR WAS NOT HIT NOR DID THE ONSTAR BECOME ALERTED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. AFTER FIGHTING WITH INSURANCE COMPANIES, MY CAR WAS TOTALED THEN DECLARED NOT TOTALED, AND REPAIRED. I RECEIVED THE NOTICE OF A RECALL MUCH LATER AFTER THE CAR WAS IN THE ACCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10622589

Aug 6, 2014AirbagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)BrakesCrash

MY SON WAS DRIVING MY CAR DOWN A TWO LANE HIGHWAY. IT HAD BEEN MISTING RAIN AND THE ROAD WAS SLIGHTLY DAMP... APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION HE REDUCED HIS SPEED TO APPROX 40 MPH. TWO CARS AHEAD OF HIM SLAMMED ON BREAKS WHEN THE LIGHT CHANGED TO YELLOW. THIS CAUSED A CHAIN REACTION... CARS SLIDING TO PREVENT HITTING THE FIRST CAR. MY SON SAID THAT HE WAS BREAKING VERY HARD WHEN THE ANTI-LOCK BREAKS ENGAGED... THEY PULSED 3-4 TIMES AND THEN RELEASED WHICH SHOT HIM STRAIGHT INTO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. HE SAID THAT HE WAS PUSHING THE BREAK AS HARD AS HE COULD WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY NOR DID THE AUTOMATIC CRASH RESPONSE SYSTEM WORK. I CALLED ON STAR TO SEE IF THE SYSTEM EVEN SHOWS A CRASH AND IT DOESN'T. I THINK THAT CONSIDERING THE CRASH BENT THE FRAME IN THE FRONT END AND IS IN EXCESS OF $6,000 YOU WOULD THINK THE SENSORS WOULD HAVE PICKED UP ON SOMETHING. AFTER THE CRASH I CONTACTED MY DEALER TO ASK IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THIS ISSUE AND WAS TOLD THERE WERE NOT. I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT THIS CRASH DID NOT RESULT IN A MORE SERIOUS INJURY / DEATH. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10619178

Working with the data? Download all 904 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 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 Hybrid verdict →