What 921 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

WHEN DRIVING, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS AND THEN COME BACK ON FINE BUT THE WHEEL AND THE BRAKES LOCK UP. IT WILL RANDOMLY DO THIS. IT HAPPENS ON NORMAL SIDE STREETS AS WELL AS ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAVE ALSO HAD IT HAPPEN WHILE SITTING STILL IN PARK. THE CAR WAS TURNED ON BUT THE RADIO WOULD BLINK AND THE AIR STOP AND THEN AFTER ABOUT 6 SECONDS IT WILL START AGAIN LIKE NORMAL. HOWEVER ABOUT 4 TIMES IT HAS HAD MAJOR EPISODES WHERE ALL OF THE LIGHTS WILL BLINK (LIKE I WAS RESTARTING THE CAR), THE WHEEL LOCKS UP, THE BRAKES LOCK UP, THE CAR ACTS AS IF IT IS IN NEUTRAL AND THEN ABOUT 6 SECONDS IT WILL JERK LIKE IT'S GOING INTO GEAR AND ONCE I PULL OVER AND RESTART IT, IT MAY HAPPEN AGAIN OR IT MAY BE FINE FOR A WHILE. IT HAS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN ON THESE 4 TIMES WORDS OF "CHECK POWER STEERING OR STABILITRAK WARNING" IT'S VERY SCARY. I'VE ALMOST WRECKED 3 DIFFERENT TIMES BECAUSE THE WHEEL LOCKS UP AND I WAS IN A TURN WHEN IT DID IT. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I WAS TRAVELING WITH MY YOUNG CHILDREN AND WE WERE ALMOST REAR ENDED BY AN 18 WHEELER ON THE INTERSTATE AT RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. I FEEL LIKE I'M DRIVING A DEATH TRAP. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP THAT THE DEALER ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO. THEY SAY IT IS THE ECM. THE DEALERSHIP IS NOT WILLING TO PAY FOR IT SINCE IT'S NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY. I'VE HAD THIS CAR SINCE OCTOBER AND ITS BEEN IN THE SHOP 5 TIMES FOR THIS AND OVERHEATING. I'M IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING GM ABOUT THIS ISSUE BECAUSE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS TROUBLE. IT'S EXTREMELY SCARY AND IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT. IT'S A HAZARD NOT ONLY TO ME AS THE DRIVER AND THE CHILDREN THAT I CARRY IN MY CAR DAILY, BUT THE OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD BECAUSE WHEN IT HAPPENS ITS WITHOUT WARNING AND THE CAR COMPLETELY LOCKS UP.

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PROBLEM 1: DRIVING CAR AT 40MPH (ON A CITY STREET) IT BEGINS TO OVERHEAT, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZES THEN STALLS OUT REPEATEDLY. TAKE VEHICLE TO CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP, TECHNICIAN SAYS NEED TO REPLACE PARKING BRAKE CONTROL MODULE (WATER INTRUSION) GM PAYS 50/50 PAYMENT ASSISTANCE, I PAID $417.23. WITHIN A WEEK'S TIME SEVERAL ISSUES ARISE AS INDICATED BELOW. PROBLEM 2: WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION DRIVING THE CITY STREETS THE DASH LIGHTS AND TOUCH SCREEN RADIO (ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUTS OFF) FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS THEN COMES BACK ON. THE BRIEF BOX POPS UP FOR A FEW SECONDS, INDICATING CHECK POWER STEERING, STABILITRAK WARNING LIGHT ON AND PARKING BRAKE SAYS IT'S ON. ALL THIS HAPPENED, EIGHT TIMES IN TEN MINUTES. THEN I PROCEED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP AND I NEARLY HIT A VEHICLE THAT WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY BUT I DID NOTICE WHEN I HAD THE A/C ON IT HAPPENED REPEATEDLY. AGAIN VEHICLE IS AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM, DEALING WITH GM CORPORATE AT THIS TIME.

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STABILITRAC LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT CAME ON. DIAGNOSED BOTH THE LEFT REAR AND RIGHT REAR ENCODER RING FOR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR BROKEN. BOTH REAR WHEEL HUBS HAD TO BE REPLACED.

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ABS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH MESSAGE TO SERVICE STABILITRAK.

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CAR DIES WITHOUT WARNING WHILE DRIVING. RESTARTS ITSELF AFTER A COUNT OF 3. WILL DIE COMPLETELY WHEN STANDING STILL AND ALL THE LIGHTS AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS GO OFF. THE COMPUTER DOES NOT REGISTER THE DYING. I LOSE POWER STEERING IF IN A TURN WHEN IT DIES. IT STARTS WITH THE RADIO. DEALERSHIP CAN'T FIND PROBLEM AND CAN'T SEEM TO RECREATE IT. NO DIAGNOSTIC TRAIL TO FOLLOW.

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SO I HAVE A 2013 MALIBU LT WHICH I HAD TOOK TO THE DEALER FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND ENDED UP BEING THAT THE CAM SHAFT HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW THAT I GOT MY CAR BACK 2 WEEKS LATER WITH 33,000 MILES IT KEEPS COMING UP WITH SERVICE STABILITRAK. IT STALLS OUT ON ME SO I TAKE IT BACK IN AND THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIKE IS NOT ON. SO I HAVE MY CAR BACK AND IT'S THE SAME PROBLEM...AT A STOP THE CAR WILL SHOW SERVICE STABILITRAK AND THEN SHORTLY AFTER IT WILL JUST SHUT OFF!! TONIGHT DRIVING HOME FROM WORK I GOT SCARED BECAUSE IT DID IT TO ME ABOUT 6 TIMES AND MIND YOU ITS A 20 MINUTE DRIVE. AS I TURNS ON MY LIGHTS WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR THE CAR DID IT AGAIN AND SEEMED LIKE IT WAS ABOUT TO JUST SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF ME DRIVING IT. THE CAR SLOWED ITSELF AND THE STEREO SHUT OFF AND THEN EVERYTHING FLASHED AS IF I HAD JUST TURNED THE CAR ON AND ALL THE DOORS RELOCKED ITSELF. AFRAID OF WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN NEXT I'M TAKING IT IN AGAIN AND DEMANDING THAT THEY RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND FIX IT...AND I DON'T CARE IF THERE IS NO ENGINE LIGHT ON, THEY NEED TO DO SOMETHING BECAUSE I'M TO THE POINT THAT I'M SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR IN FEAR THAT I MIGHT CAUSE A WRECK DUE TO MY CAR SHUTTING OFF BY ITSELF!! IF ANYONE KNOWS HOW TO GET THIS RESOLVED SO I CAN EXPLAIN TO THE MECHANIC AT THE CHEVY DEALER WHO SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY CAR..PLEASE HELP!!

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MY FAN KEEPS STAYING ON AFTER MY CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES NOW. THIS WEEK MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, MY CAR SIGNALED THAT IT WAS OVERHEATING, AND I NEEDED TO IDLE MY ENGINE. THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE WENT BACK AND FORTH FROM COLD TO HOT. I WAS TOLD AT THE LAST TRIP TO THE DEALER THEY HAD FIXED EVERYTHING AND I HAD A LIFETIME WARRANTY. NOW THERE IS THIS PROBLEM WHERE I CANNOT TURN ON THE DEFROST OR THE CAR WILL THINK IT IS OVER HEATING, BUT THERE IS NO SMOKE AND IT CAN BE IN AS LITTLE AS 30 SECONDS AFTER I START MY CAR. THE PANEL WHERE THE REAR CAMERA GETS WARM BUT NO HEAT COMES OUT OF THE VENTS. MY CONCERN IS THE VEHICLE WILL IGNITE WHILE I AM DRIVING.

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WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR KEPT SHUTTING OFF AND THROWING IT INTO THEFT MODE...THIS HAPPENS ON DAILY BASIS NOW AND I'M SCARED IT WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE CONTINUOUS SHUTTING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING IN CERTAIN SPEEDS...I SEE THERE IS RECALLS ON THIS WHICH I DO KEEP GETTING THE ANTI THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM ERROR MESSAGE IN MY MAIN SCREEN WHEN THIS HAPPENS. WHEN WILL THERE BE A RECALL FOR THIS ON THIS YEAR & MODEL BECAUSE I SEE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ONLINE? *TR

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3/20 I WAS GOING 35 WHEN IT LOST POWER AND BRAKE.ONSTAR TOWED TO DEALER 4 DAYS LATER WAS TOLD IT WAS TRACTION CONTROL AND FIXED. 4/29 GOING 50 AND LOST POWER, AND BRAKED TO 28 MPH. ONSTAR AGAIN TOWED TO DEALER HAS SAT THERE FOR 24 DAYS AND COUNTING WITH NO RESOLUTION FROM GM. THIS IS A 2013 CHEVY MALIBU.I AM CURRENTLY LOOKING TO HAVE IT DECLARED A LEMON. *TR

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