61 complaints reported

2011 Chevrolet Malibu Electrical System

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
61
Crashes
1
Fires
7
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Sep 2014 Fire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT SMELLED SMOKE INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FLAMES ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000. UPDATED 10/17/2014*LJ UPDATED 4/1/15 *JS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2014
Sep 2014

AT RANDOM WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE RADIO WILL SWITCH TO AUX. YOU CAN TOUCH THE DASH ON THE SIDE OR AROUND THE RADIO AND IT WILL GO BACK TO RADIO. IT WILL ALSO SWITCH SOMETIMES WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE, OR TURN ON WINDSHIELD WIPERS. YOU HAVE TO BUMP THE SIDE OF THE DASH OR THE AREA AROUND THE RADIO FOR IT TO SWITCH BACK. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2014
Aug 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V355000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE 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 HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2014
Aug 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH OVER A BRIDGE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FAILURE, THE SERVICE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL AND SAFELY COAST OFF THE BRIDGE. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WAS SUCCESSFULLY RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THERE WAS A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE HARD WIRING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 171,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2014
Jul 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V252000 ( ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , EXTERIOR LIGHTING , SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC , VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL ) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO SERVICE THE VEHICLE UNDER THE RECALL. THE DEALER WAS UNCERTAIN WHEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2012
Jul 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXHIBITING THE SAME FAILURE SPECIFIED ON RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VIN NUMBER WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,185.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2014
Jun 2014

3 TIMES MY SONS CAR HAS JUST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2014
Jun 2014 Fire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, BURNING FUMES WERE PRESENT INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND SMOKE APPEARED OUT OF THE FRONT BUMPER. AFTER INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE BATTERY CABLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2014
Apr 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL , EXTERIOR LIGHTING , SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC , VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL ) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE 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 HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Aug 2014
Mar 2014

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND ALL THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THE CAR SLOWED DOWN AND THE STEERING BEGAN TO SHAKE. I'M HAVING MY BOYFRIEND LOOK AT IT AFTER WORK BUT I FOUND THIS SITE SO I DECIDED TO POST THIS AS WELL. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Mar 2014
Sep 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WAS INOPERABLE AND HE WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE HOW FAST HE WAS TRAVELING OR HOW MANY MILES WERE ON THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER MADE THREE ATTEMPTS TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 10,900. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. WHEN DRIVING ALONG DASH BOARD LIGHTS AND GAUGES GO OFF AND ON DAY AND NIGHT NO SPEED INDICATION EITHER. UPDATED 11/03/2011 *LN *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Sep 2011

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2011 Chevrolet Malibu has 61 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.