Home · 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco · Complaints

What 921 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 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 (921)Crash / fire / injury (52)Electrical system (423)Engine (226)Steering (197)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (84)Airbags (69)Suspension (65)Transmission & drivetrain (61)Brakes (55)Visibility & wipers (44)Fuel system (40)

Newest first · 921 complaints · page 6 of 37

Nov 1, 2021SuspensionCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension). The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the rear wheels were wiggling and the vehicle went side to side before the contact lost control of the vehicle and ended up in a ditch. The contact sustained injuries to his neck, right shoulder, and back. The passenger did not sustain injuries. The contact's son transported him to the hospital where medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension). The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11438859

Oct 31, 2021Electrical systemLights

Dash lights flickering in and out and I can’t see my speed but the car still runs n has blinkers. Eventually it will flicker and go all the way black. Also the radio still worked fine n reverse camera did too it don’t stall or anything tho I’m just scared to drive At night cause i goes totally black

NHTSA ODI 11438786

Oct 29, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact initially received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the parts for the recall repair were unavailable. The dealer was notified about the recall; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact then received another recall notice that stated that parts were now available. The dealer was notified again, and the contact was informed that parts were on backorder. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11438662

Oct 21, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated there were abnormal rattling sounds coming from underneath the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11437690

Oct 17, 2021Electrical systemEngineFuel system

I brought my 2013 Malibu LT in March of 2021. When I test drove and took it to autozone to get a diagnosis before buying the car nothing was wrong with it. After having the car for about 3 months the problems started. When I went to get it checked again it said that my alternator wasn’t working correctly how it should do I replaced the alternator. After getting the alternator replaced my car still stalls while driving and acts like it doesn’t want to go. When I try to start my car it barely turns over to start. While I’m driving I can’t turn on the radio or lights because it makes my car power go out. The radio lights turn on and off. When I put car in reverse it shuts off. When I’m driving the car shuts off out of nowhere and I have to put it in park and turn it back on. Sometimes it takes awhile to turn back on. When it first happened the engine reduced power popped up as a warning then the engine light came on the dashboard on and off. Everyone says they don’t know what is wrong with it so I feel that the manufacturer should be reliable to fix these problems for us customers. These problems put my child and I at risk by stopping out of nowhere in traffic. I’m currently pregnant and it happened with me and my kids in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11437052

Oct 15, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the passenger’s side rear wheel shifted out of alignment and locked up causing the vehicle to skid. The driver was able to control the vehicle while it was skidding to get to the side of the road and avoid other vehicles. Once the driver reached the side of the road, the vehicle was turned off and towed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the rear toe-link had failed. It was confirmed that the failure experienced was directly related to the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11436885

Oct 15, 2021Electrical systemLights

Both low beam headlights stopped working. Two days later the passenger side low beam headlight turned on again, but not the driver side. 2 months later both low beams again no longer working. I've replaced all 4 fuses (interior and exterior), headlight relay, and bulbs. None of that fixed the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11436889

Oct 14, 2021Suspension

Parts still unavailable to fix recall 20v764. How long is reasonable to wait for parts for an active recall? My recall letter is dated 1/2021, it’s now 10/2021 and parts are still back ordered? I realize there are supply issues but this is kind of ridiculous.

NHTSA ODI 11436770

Oct 14, 2021Brakes

The electronic parking brakes and the rear calipers on this car fail with regularity. Currently the parking brake cables were replaced, the two rear calipers were replaced under warranty and now that the car is out of warranty, the parking brake actuator has stopped working and displays “service parking brakes” . Dealer says it usually corrosion of the actuator assembly. The entire rear brake system and parking brake system is faulty.

NHTSA ODI 11436769

Oct 8, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle would bounce abnormally. The dealer was made aware of the recall but informed the contact that parts were not available. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11436005

Oct 4, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V633000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall the contact was informed that the part was available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts were available and repair done. *JB

NHTSA ODI 11435431

Oct 1, 2021Electrical system

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off with the key in the ignition, the vehicle started up independently. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. Additionally, whenever the air conditioner was activated, only hot air was coming from the vents causing the windows to become foggy. The contact’s husband was concerned with the stated failures along with other electrical failures within the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11435104

Sep 29, 2021SuspensionBody & structure

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact also stated she was informed at the State Inspection that the rocker panel of the vehicle was corroded, and the corrosion was originating from the inside of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to contact the dealer to schedule an appointment for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11434859

Sep 28, 2021Suspension

2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR TOE LINKS SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME COMPLETING THE RECALL REPAIR. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THE PARTS NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE RECALL REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REDIRECTED THE CONSUMER TO THE DEALER. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11434635

Sep 24, 2021Engine

Engine power reduced notification will come on, a part will be replaced as notified. The same notification will appear a month or so later after repair. This has happened on more than 1 occasion.

NHTSA ODI 11434168

Sep 23, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) several months ago however, the parts to do the repair was unavailable. The contact recently received another notice that stated that the parts were available however, the dealer stated that they did not have the parts. The dealer stated it would take several weeks to receive the parts. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure but was concerned if the vehicle was safe to drive. The contact stated that he was on hold for over an hour trying to speak to the manufacturer. The contact disconnected the call. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11434083

Sep 4, 2021Electrical systemLights

When driving my dash lights quit for days and then sometimes come back on. I am not aware of what speed I am going when driving. I am not able to accurately drive the speed limit that I am suppose to. I don’t know how much gas I have or if I am about to run out of gas. If my check engine light is on or not, and can’t see my turn signals. How can you obey the laws of driving when you can’t tell if you are going over the speed limit or not or using your turn signal.

NHTSA ODI 11431746

Aug 26, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was available. The contact stated recall has been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI 11430591

Aug 23, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who stated the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11430086

Aug 19, 2021SteeringEngineFuel system

Car cuts off and stalls and lights flickering

NHTSA ODI 11429686

Aug 18, 2021Engine

I have this vehicle for past five years few years ago I see the engine reduce power sign came up and the check engine light turn on I took it to the dealership they fixed it cost me over $1000 And then I moved back to Illinois and a few months later I had the same sign and light came back up I called the dealership they said my work is still under warranty so I can take it to any Chevy dealer and I took it to the one close to me another time they kept the car all day fix it and then I start driving a few months later same sign same light back up again and it seems like it’s an ongoing issue I have been looking around for resolution and I find a lot of people having this issue in Chevy Malibu’s

NHTSA ODI 11429562

Aug 12, 2021SteeringElectrical system

When driving this vehicle with ~111,000 miles on it. The infotainment center continually rebooted, causing drops of Bluetooth connection and pauses in the AC. The instrument panel stayed working, but lights turned off. This happened about 6 times in a 20 minute drive on the highway. After exiting the highway and executing a turn the reboot happened again, however the power steering locked up making the car unmanageable. Thankfully nothing was hit by the car! After this incident, driver was rightfully freaked out and won't touch the car again until this is resolved. One week prior the car rebooted once and the engine idled oddly, turned car off and on and worked fine for about a week, then the above incident happened.

NHTSA ODI 11428801

Aug 11, 2021Suspension

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11428645

Aug 9, 2021Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the vehicle would stall without warning. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,195.

NHTSA ODI 11428366

Aug 5, 2021Suspension

Received a notice about a safety recall for faulty rear suspension toe links. this was 8 months ago with no update on a remedy. This is completely unacceptable as this is deemed a safety issue and could cause a crash!

NHTSA ODI 11427826

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Working with the data? Download all 921 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 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco verdict →