6.6
fairly significant- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 10,404 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
2013 Chevy Malibu 1ls manufactured 11/20/12, currently less than 7,000 mi. 1) chrome & radio glass - when sun shines on console it blinds driver & driver must cover area with a scarf or jacket; console is beautiful to look at, but not practical from a safety viewpoint since the driver is blinded & cannot see until the area is covered from the sun. 2) when air conditioning was turned on, a blast of very hot air came out; it took a couple of times of turning the settings off & on (at least 60 seconds or longer) before the hot air stopped & the air conditioning came on. The hot air could not be immediately turned off. Happened only once. 3) passenger side front fender/bumper loose - makes noise, can pop it back in, but on hot days, it pops out, vibrates and makes loud noise until popped back in. 4) rear windows - when down 1/2, 3/4 or fully, vibrates, makes very loud noise that sounds like tires are coming apart, causing driver to immediately pull over to check tires, the distraction & being on side of road could be a safety issue. 5) no spare tire - unable to locate a tire & rim (or donut tire) for purchase to insert in trunk tire area. No can of goop, also goop only lasts for 6 months & must be discarded & new can purchased. Not good when stranded in inclement snowy weather or out in the hot desert & must wait for tow truck. I like my Chevy Malibu very much, it has been able to handle rough gravel/dirt roads in inclement weather, snow, & highway travel. I plan to take it to the dealer shortly for an oil change & to take care of these issues. What I don't like is that I am unable to turn the driver airbag off (I sit less than 12 inches from the wheel & am concerned that if it were to deploy I would be killed) & that the vehicle is fairly low to the ground, making speed bumps & getting out of businesses where there is a dip onto streets difficult.
- Winona, MO, USA
I had an incident where the after the car was properly parked, the car settled and the front bumper caught the parking stopped. I immediately returned the car, and learned from the hertz agent that it was the undercarriage. I understand from other complaints that the car dealer will not even cover the defective flimsy front bumper lip. The other complaints are regarding the poor assembly quality....updated 11-06-13
- Gardena, CA, USA
Went to test drive 2013 Chevy Malibu. As always, I adjust mirrors before driving. I immediately noticed that because the roofline is so low-slung for aerodynamic reasons, that the rear view mirror is also very low. As a result, the mirror was blocking almost 25% of my view! I've heard of blindspots on vehicles but through the windshield? I'm only 5'10' tall, but I had to duck my head to see under the mirror. Didn't buy the vehicle for that reason alone. As a matter of fact, I never even went for the test drive as it was obviously dangerous.
- Rockdale, IL, USA
Purchased my vehicle in April 2012 and noticed after a week that my ac had a bad smell every time I turned on the air conditioner. Also noticed after about three days of purchasing my vehicle that the carpet was coming up on the passenger seat in the front.
- Amarillo, TX, USA
- Malvarn, AZ, USA