2012 Chevrolet Malibu Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 907 owner complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu.

Recalled components: seat belts and electrical system. Most-described problem: headlight or exterior light problems (134 complaints, 15%). Most-reported area: electrical system (291 complaints, 32%; median mileage when it happened: 87,800).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

2 safety recalls for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA also lists 1 equipment recall for parts sold for this vehicle, not the vehicle itself: Steering (Dorman Products, Inc., 14E-044).

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu.

What owners report

Owners have filed 907 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Malibu. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Headlight or exterior light problems134 · 15%
  Median 99,500 miles at failure, from 88 reports with mileage
• Power steering problems or locked steering106 · 12%
  Median 113,000 miles at failure, from 82 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off73 · 8%
  Median 74,000 miles at failure, from 62 reports with mileage
• Wiring, fuse or short-circuit problems55 · 6%
  Median 93,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration52 · 6%
  Median 91,000 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
• Won't start50 · 6%
  Median 80,600 miles at failure, from 43 reports with mileage
• Check engine light43 · 5%
  Median 81,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode42 · 5%
  Median 98,000 miles at failure, from 35 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Electrical system291 · 32%
  Most named: wiring (3) · Median 87,800 miles at failure, from 197 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting202 · 22%
  Most named: headlights (7) · Median 99,800 miles at failure, from 118 reports with mileage
• Steering191 · 21%
  Median 103,800 miles at failure, from 141 reports with mileage
• Stability control129 · 14%
  Median 93,400 miles at failure, from 104 reports with mileage
• Air bags101 · 11%
  Median 67,000 miles at failure, from 75 reports with mileage
• Engine99 · 11%
  Median 81,000 miles at failure, from 73 reports with mileage
• Brakes74 · 8%
  Median 46,800 miles at failure, from 50 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other51 · 6%
  Median 92,000 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Chevrolet Malibu recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Malibu drew the most (220) and the 2012 drew 109.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2012 Malibu MPG

Questions