104 complaints reported

2012 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior Lighting

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

Reports
104
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and driving over a pothole or an object on the roadway, the front driver’s side headlight became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that there was a failure with the electrical wiring inside the front driver’s side headlight. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness inside the front driver’s side headlight needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2024
Apr 2024

Passenger low beam keeps going out within a couple days charged wire harness and bulbs keeps happening.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2024
Jan 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the low-beam headlights failed to properly illuminate the roadway. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where both headlights were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic on two other occasions, where both headlights were replaced. After the repair, the contact stated that she became aware that the passenger’s side headlight again failed to properly illuminate. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2022
Mar 2022

Right (passenger side) lo beam headlight continues to go out. You must remove the bumper to change headlamps, so, time consuming and expensive labor. I have changed this bulb 4 times just for it to go out within a couple hours. There is an entire forum of this same complaint. When you make a large purchase such as a vehicle, you should be assured that you can use your vehicle as intended without the stress and worry of malfunctions that can lead to costly tickets.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2022
Feb 2022

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, his headlights would intermittently fail to operate as needed without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics and has had multiple headlight bulb replacements; however, the failure still persisted after each repair. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to diagnose the cause of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Oct 2021

Headlights (low beam)keep going out. Bulbs have been changed repeatedly but immediately go out. Sometimes it will go on when I drive over a bump but will be out next time I start my car. Researching message boards this is a known issue with this model.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2017
Oct 2021

I HAVE CHANGED MY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT 3 TIMES AND PIGTAIL ONCE AND IT STILL KEEPS GOING OUT CALLED CHEVY THEY KNOW ITS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNLESS I PAY NOT FAIR TO THE CONSUMER

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2021
Feb 2021

MY LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT EVEN AFTER I CHANGE THEM. THE DRIVER SIDE HAS BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES, EVERYTIME IT WENT OUT IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS. THIS LAST TIME IT WENT OUT WITHIN TWO HOURS AFTER CHANGING IT. IT DOESN'T HELP THAT I HAVE TO DO TAKE THE ENTIRE BUMPER OFF TO CHANGE THE HEADLIGHT; NOT MAKING IT THE EASIEST TASK.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2020
Jan 2021

I'VE BEEN SEEING MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT HEADLIGHT FAILURE.LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ON THE RIGHT SIDE ...PLUS YOU HAVE TO TAKE OFF THE FRONT TRIM PANEL TO ACCESS THE BULB. VERY BAD DESIGN.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2020
Dec 2020

THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON WHILE DRIVING OR THEY WILL NOT COME ON WHILE STOPPING THEN THE SERVICE ESC COMES ON ALONG WITH SERVICE TRACTION LIGHT IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AT RANDOM TIMES NOT ALWAYS AN ISSUE THERE WAS A RECALL PERFORMED ON VEHICLE IN THE PAST FOR SAME ISSUE BUT NOW CAN'T GET SERVICE ţO RELOOK AT THAT PROBLEM BECAUSE IT DOESN'T COME BACK BRAKE LAMP MALFUNCTION COMES BACK BRAKE APPLY SENSOR HAD REPLACED SAME ISSUE 2 HOURS LATER

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Oct 2020

THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT. I'VE CHANGED IT 4 TIMES IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2020
Oct 2020

THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT. I HAVE CHANGED THE BULB 6 TIMES IN TWO WEEKS. I HAVE CHANGED THE PLUG AND IT STILL KEEPS GOING OUT. IT IS THE LOW BEAM LIGHT BULB THAT MALFUNCTIONS. I HAVE CHANGED THE SWITCH FOR THE LIGHTS AND ALSO TOOK IT TO A CAR SHOP. NOTHING IS FIXING IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2020
Oct 2020

PASSENGER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BURNED OUT 6 TIMES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED EACH TIME. DRIVER'S SIDE LOW BEAM BURNED OUT TWICE AND REPLACED EACH TIME. BOTH HEADLIGHTS WERE REPLACED EVERY TIME ONE WENT OUT. THIS WAS DONE TO BE SAFE AS IT IS DIFFICULT AND TIME CONSUMING TO REPLACE. CURRENTLY DRIVER'S SIDE IS VERY DIM AND PASSENGER SIDE IS OUT AGAIN AND VEHICLE CANNOT BE DRIVEN AT NIGHT. LIGHTS HAVE GONE OUT AT RANDOM TIMES AND HAVE CAUSED VERY POOR NIGHT VISION. LUCKILY NO ACCIDENTS, BUT HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER TWICE BECAUSE OF THE ISSUE. A COUPLE INCIDENTS THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO ON AND OFF WHEN HIT BUMPS IN ROAD. I READ MANY REVIEWS AND BELIEVE THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE, GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAS NOT RECALLED THE VEHICLES TO FIX IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Oct 2020

HEADLIGHTS REPEATEDLY GO OUT, EVEN AFTER CHANGING THE LOW BEAM LIGHTS ALMOST EVERY MONTH. LOW BEAMS WILL RANDOMLY GO ON AND OFF, STATIONARY OR IN MOVEMENT. I LIVE IN THE CITY, MOST TIMES DRIVING IN DARKNESS. VERY DANGEROUS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Oct 2020

PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT INTERMITTENTLY GOES OUT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE VEHICLE COULD BE STATIONARY OR IN MOTION AND IT DOES NOT MATTER. SOMETIMES THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT AND BACK ON WHEN MOVING OVER A BUMPY ROAD. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jul 2020
Aug 2020

HEADLIGHTS AND HIGH BEAMS KEEP GOING OUT GOT THE CHANGED 6 TIMES IN LESS THAN 4 MONTHS CAME BACK ON ONE TIME WHEN I HAD THE ANTI THEFT PROBLEM AND HAD TO JUMP MY CAR BUT THEN BACK TO BEING OUT AGAIN

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2020
Jul 2020

I'VE REPLACED LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS 4 TIMES (3 ON PASSENGER SIDE) THE PAST 13 MONTHS; THE HIGH BEAMS 3 TIMES (2 ON PASSENGER SIDE). HAD TO RUN ON HIGH BEAMS ONLY FOR APPROX 2 MONTHS CAUSE BOTH LOW BEAMS WENT OUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER REPLACING THEM. BEEN BUYING THE HIGHER END BULBS AND BEEN CAREFUL TO NOT TOUCH THEM. HAD TO REPLACE YET OTHER BULB TONIGHT CAUSE HIGH BEAM WENT OUT. REPLACED 1 HIGH BEAM AND 2 LOW BEAMS AND THE PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM WENT OUT ON THE WAY HOME ABOUT 15 MILES.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2020
Jun 2020

THE LEFT HEADLIGHT DOESN'T GET POWER. THE LOW BEAMS TO BE EXACT. BUT NOW BOTH LOW BEAMS AREN'T GETTING POWER. THE RADIO DOESN'T GET POWER EITHER. I BELIEVE IT'S A FAULTY WIRE HARNESS. PLEASE RECALL THIS VEHICLE. THE LIGHTS GO OUT AT RANDOM TIMES BOTH MOVING AND STATIONARY. IT'S UNCONTROLLABLE, ALSO VERY UNSAFE FOR WHO EVER IS IN THE VEHICLE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2020
May 2020

UPON STARTING MY VEHICLE, THE LEFT LOWBEAM HEADLIGHT WAS OUT, I TAPPED ON THE CAR NEXT TO THE LIGHT AND IT CAME BACK ON, THE NEXT DAY I STARTED MY VEHICLE IT WAS OUT AGAIN BUT WOULDN'T WORK AFTER TAPPING, GOT IT REPAIRED BUT LESS THAN A MONTH IT WENT OUT AGAIN ALONG WITH THE RIGHT SIDE, THEY REPAIRED IT BY INSTALLING MULTI PURPOSE CONNECTORS AND NOW THE LEFT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT IS OUT AGAIN, THIS IS GETTING WAY TOO PRICEY AND TIME CONSUMING. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
May 2020

REPEATEDLY FIXING LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT. PASSENGER SIDE FIRST NOW BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. SWITCHED TO LOW BEAM ON SECONDARY ROAD TO HAVE NO LIGHTS. PITCH DARK. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2019
May 2020

MY HEADLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 2 YEARS (TWICE IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS). I AM A SINGLE MOM AND CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUOUSLY PAY $180 TO HAVE BULBS REPLACED. I HAVE TO TAKE IT TO A MECHANIC SHOP BECAUSE THE FRONT BUMPER HAS TO BE REMOVED. THIS LAST TIME, THE LEFT LOW BEAM LIGHT, WOULD GO ON AND OFF AND THEN IT JUST FINALLY WENT OUT. IT DID NOT MATTER IF I WAS SITTING STILL OR IF THE CAR WAS IN MOTION, HOWEVER, I DID NOTICE IT HAPPENED MORE WHEN I WOULD HIT BUMPS. IT IS ALMOST LIKE THEIR IS A LOOSE WIRE SOMEWHERE. THIS VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED TO FIX THE FAULTY ISSUES THAT MYSELF AND OTHERS ARE HAVING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Apr 2020
Feb 2020

PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. BULB IS NOT BURNT OUT. HAVE REPLACED COMPLETE HARNESS, USUALLY SOLVES PROBLEM FOR A MONTH OR SO AND THEN LIGHT GOES OUT AGAIN. HAVE CHANGED GROUNDING ALSO BUT PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER BY POLICE FOR 'BURNT OUT' HEADLIGHT SEVERAL TIMES NOW AND HAVE TO EXPLAIN HOW IT IS A VEHICLE FLAW, NOT A BAD BULB. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, IT IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET WITH OTHERS HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2020
Jan 2020

I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR MONTHS NOW. MY HEADLIGHT (BOTH SIDES AT DIFFERENT TIMES) KEEP GOING OUT. I'VE PROBABLY CHANGED MY HEADLIGHTS AT LEAST 6 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. I'VE HAD THE HEADLIGHT HARNESS CHANGED AS WELL BECAUSE THAT BURNED OUT. 2 MONTHS LATER THE NEW ONE BURNED OUT!!! I'VE READ SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, CHEVY NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I'M SO SICK OF BUYING HEADLIGHTS, HARNESSES, AND PAYING FOR SERVICE!! ITS NOT LIKE YOU JUST POP THE HEADLIGHT IN ON THIS STUPID CAR.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2020
Jan 2020

THE HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT I HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS AND CONNECTORS SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY ARE CURRENTLY OUT AGAIN FOR THE 8TH TIME

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Feb 2020
Jan 2020

FRONT HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT LIKE IT IS BURNED OUT - BUT THEN RANDOMLY TURN ON LATER - CHANGE THE BULB AND IT WILL WORK FOR A FEW DAYS THEN SHUT OFF

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Dec 2019

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2012 Chevrolet Malibu has 104 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.