My 2013 Chevy Malibu has been experiencing an electrical issue randomly over the last few months. When driving. the touch screen radio module and dash lights would briefly shut off and then come back on. Unfortunately yesterday (12/8/16) while I was reversing into a parking spot the electrical issue happened, but for the first time my power steering locked up on me as well. I couldn't get my wheel to turn and my car felt like it had lost all power. When the screen module and lights came back on my cars power seemed to return, but I didn't have full turning radius of my steering wheel it would just lock up and then release repeatedly. While driving home on the freeway the same night the electrical shutdown and the power steering locked up on me twice, both times only briefly. It's freaking scary to lose your ability to steer while driving 60mph. I'm just thankful I wasn't in the middle of my morning commute which consists of icy/windy roads when my steering decided to go tits up. With all that said, I don't have a death wish, so my car is currently being serviced with a Chevy dealer and I'm interested to hear what the root cause/issue is and how they are able to fix it, if they are even able to.

With how many other Chevy Malibu owners are experiencing this same exact issue I am surprised and frankly disappointed with Chevrolet for not having this extremely dangerous defect on their recall list. Come on Chevy, do the right thing and get this defect on your recall list. Protect your consumers.

In September 2016 I contacted GMC because my daughter was driving my 2013 Malibu and the cars lights begin to flicker, radio blinking on and off and finally the car shut down and she could not steer it. My daughter was terrified, I told her to park it and GMC had a tow truck to pick it up the next morning.

The lady at GMC said that they would give me a rental at the dealership, but when I got there according to them, they could not, due to the miles on the car. GMC Hailey in Richmond was very honest about the car, I showed the mechanic the video of the car jerking and radio flashing..but he could not get it to replicate itself. The diagnostic test showed nothing, the computer did not record any activities from this car (So the little "Black Box" is definitely not working). The mechanic said he tighten the ground wires, but he didn't know what else to do. My son picked the car up; said it was driving just fine (October 2016).

December 2016 my daughter called me screaming mom this car is going to kill me...Again, she was driving and the lights starting blinking, radio started flashing, and the car shut down...Almost hitting another car and pedestrian this time....I have been screaming to GMC that this car is not safe and it is going to kill somebody....To be such a big company they don't give a crap about their customers and everybody I come in contact with I warn them about GMC. They leave no alternative other than to surrender the vehicle, VIN # 1G11C5SA6DF251079, Gold Chevrolet Malibu, and I pray that this car does not kill anybody.

2013 Chevy Malibu LT1 with 41k miles. All incidents listed were intermittent at best.

Initial symptom was power to the radio cutting out. At first I thought it might be a fuse or a loose link. Then the entire instrument cluster would lose power along with the radio. Always for a brief moment (1-3 seconds max). Next thing that happened was all power was lost when I parked it. I would park it and lock it, then when I would come out to unlock it the remote unlock failed. I unlocked with the key and when I turned the key in the ignition nothing happened. No lights, no bells, nothing at all. This is when I took it in the first time. I was charged a diagnosis charge, but nothing was found or fixed.

Just a couple days later, the symptoms continued, only this time I lost all power when driving. Turning left at a busy intersection the power went out completely, including the power steering. For three seconds I had only manual control over steering. This was the SECOND time I took it in. This time I wasn't charged for diagnosis because they found the advisory about this electrical problem, but again nothing was fixed.

I logged all of the power loss incidents for a week, including the steps I took to diagnose the issue. At first I just tapped on the fuse block next to the battery. Parked power loss would return after a few minutes. Finally I started wiggling the thick power cable connected to the positive battery terminal and restored power in a matter of seconds. I shared all of this information with the dealer and they were finally able to make a repair. Two cables, Chevy p/n 20781417 and p/n 13293804. Each cable was double the cost of what you would pay at a parts store, and labor was $365, bringing the total repair cost to $607.

This should be addressed as a safety issue because total power loss at 70mph on a busy interstate IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I can only hope it turns into a recall so I can get a refund for my costs. This cannot be considered normal wear and tear, car cables have been manufactured for better than a century. Has quality gotten so bad that a simple copper cable is only expected to last 3 years?

There is a serious problem with the Malibu and it seems after making several calls to two different Chevy dealers and researching the issue online no one seems to know exactly what the problem is. My 2013 Chevy Malibu was just fine until last month when the engine randomly starting shutting down and then restarting its self while driving down the road. Of course my bumper to bumper warranty has ran out and the drivetrain warranty will not cover anything electrical (according to the two Chevy dealers I contacted) I refuse to pay over $100 for a diagnostic test which will reveal nothing or better yet have a service man tell me something is broke when in fact its not just to save his butt and make money for the dealership. Chevy needs to do a recall on this issue now BEFORE someone is killed. this is a serious safety issue and needs to be addressed by GM/Chevy. I have contacted the customer service department of GM but have yet to hear back from them.

The problem started last year. Started in stages. First radio dies and comes back on in count of 3-4. Then the radio and dash lights, then the radio, dash lights and head lights, then the car dies and comes back once again count of 3-4. I loose steering capabilities and it was scary. Dealership couldn't replicate and sent me home. Two months later it does it again and then completely dies with the windshield wipers doing a swipe and all the indicator lights blinking. I have to put the car in neutral and start it again.

Back to dealership. Nothing! A few months later does it again and dies completely again. Back to the dealership again. It just started doing it again this month and manager of service dept says he can't do anything but to keep making notes of what is going on when it happens. It's never consistent and it's always scary.

If anyone else has experienced this and the dealership has fixed it - please, please email me and let me know what your dealership found. kimannbeggs@hotmail.com Thank you and take care!

Update from Jul 13, 2016: As of yesterday the dealership found the problem by working with GM and a previous complaint filed. I provided that information to my dealership and they found three cables needed to be replaced due to low voltage. Now it's just a matter of time to see if this was the true fix.

Update from Aug 5, 2016: Please contact Lone Star Chevrolet in Houston Service Dept, 855-621-4823 and talk to James Costa the Service Manager about Kimberly Beggs - 2013 Malibu electrical fix.

My service bill did not say which cables.

One day, I turned left and as soon as I hit the turn signal, radio turned off and turned back on. Didn't think much of it until next day...Same problem, but the fan would speed up and slow down when the A/C was on...so I took it to the dealer. They couldn't replicate the issue. So nothing was done.

One week later, coming home from work, I turned into my driveway ( left turn ) and my radio turns off, A/C turns off, fan turns off and then everything turns back on again. Thought to myself, oh boy...

The next morning, I turn on car...It is June and my dash says "Icy conditions so drive safely" and it is 37 degrees outside based upon the interactive system...I am thinking not good. So I proceed to take my son to daycare and the first left turn, the radio turns off and turns back on. I get him to daycare. On my way leaving daycare, power steering fails. So I head for the dealership. I then pull into the dealership parking lot, reach over to hit the phone button, to call work, and the everything just stops. Engine dies, no lights on the dash, nothing on the interactive system, power brakes and power steering gone. Fun. I get the car stopped in front of the service doors, get out and didn't want to be in that thing after that much fun. I then told the kind gentleman at the service desk that it needs to be fixed and proven to me that it is or I am leaving it right here and will not take this car back into my possession ever again. If this would have happened while driving 25mph + or on the highway, I would not be here to write this complaint. I was lucky. I just hope GM takes the time to research this and do what they should...recall. Trust me, if my car isn't fixed, I will leave it at the dealer and then GM and I will have a real talk. Cars shouldn't be built that can just turn off for no good reason...If the ECM is so powerful and controlling, why isn't there a fail safe system in place. People's lives are at stake. Based upon my research of the issue, this is all based upon a cable. Fix it GM. Do a recall.

I was heading home from a Sports Tournament with my 10 year old and my 6 year old in the back seat. I was turning left in a major intersection when the radio suddenly shut off, the air shut off and my power steering Locked up, the car shut off completely. I was in the middle of turning the car when it shut off and I couldn't steer it to keep turning, we were heading straight towards some trees. Kids were terrified, I was scared and white as a ghost. Right when we were about to head off the road, it suddenly turned back on and I was able to get control of the steering. I brought it straight to the dealership after this incident. The dealership has been EXTREMELY helpful with each issue I have had with the car, and they were concerned and sympathetic. They gave me a loaner vehicle and promised to look into the issue. On Tuesday, I received the call from the dealership that they could not replicate the problem. I told them that I would like them to keep driving it for awhile until they can replicate it, because I will not put myself or my children in danger like that again. So they agreed.. And yesterday they were finally able to Replicate the problem . I do not know what they will do to fix it yet, but they saw how serious this problem is and I know I can count on them to really make sure its fixed and reported to GM. I am not in a position to trade this car in or buy a new vehicle, thank goodness its still covered under bumper to bumper. Luckily we have two vehicles because I will not be using this car, even once its fixed, to drive my kids from events. If you don't have a warranty on this car and you are stuck in the same position I am without being able to trade it in because they aren't WORTH ANYTHING now, go get a warranty, because I have a feeling this is not the last of the problems.

So this first started when i was pulling into my drive way on my way home from work. The car completely shut off. I was thinking WHAT IN THE WORLD! So I put the car in park and restarted it. The next day I took the car to get it checked out, they hooked it to the machine and said nothing was wrong with it. Around 3 weeks later I was driving on the interstate and all the light in the car started flickering. Then they all cut off completely and my car jerked to the left. Thank God no one was beside me.

So after taking it again they told me that nothing was wrong with the car. I then began to realize the more i drove the car that if i pushed the brakes and mess with the windshield button or my signal lights or anything else electrical my car would flicker and eventually shut off. So now I just went ahead and brought the car to the Chevrolet Mechanic for a Diagnostics, I have not had this car a year and the trouble it is giving me is horrible.

I really like this car but its making me have second thoughts about Malibu's and Chevy cars all together, I hope they fixed the problem. I have been reading other reviews and saw that some people have had the same issues. Chevy needs to get to the problem of this.

Driving around 40-50mph, radio shuts down along with power steering for few seconds, then back to life. Now I have stabilitrac alert and AC acting weird...

Scary as hell (my wife's car). Have an appointment with the dealership on Monday. The guy on the phone didn't seem to ever heard of such a problem before. No more american cars for me.

Update from Jun 12, 2016: The problem seems to be gone after the dealer contacted GM and they admitted there are other cases reported for this (case# 8-2070578288). The positive cables from UBEC to underhood fuse block and positive cable on UBEC creates too much resistance which eventually causes loss of bus LAN communication.

Positive cables and UBEC were replaced and after $515.90 the car runs like a charm. Shame on GM to put the drivers in real danger and pass the cost of the repair to us, where there is clearly a problem with their electrical system.

My Chevy Malibu Started Randomly shutting off all electronics and power steering while driving, at first it would just flash off and with in seconds return to normal then it became worse and worse doing it more frequently, then died completely we took it to our local dealership and they advised us it was the solenoids so they repaired them under warranty, then gave us the car back and with in a few minutes it started again, we called them back immediately and they had us bring it back, they said they couldn't duplicate it that it must be a fluke gave the car back to us and the next Day it did it again in mid turn almost caused an accident made it 18 miles and it completely died wouldn't even give the key back. they said we will send a Tow truck not telling us we would have to pay for it till after we pi ked up the next day. They said it was just the battery not covered under warranty $420.00, for battery n tow, After giving the car back it was fine for a few weeks then started it again I had to drive the car it is my only transportation for my disabled son to his therapy 3 days a week , It was getting more frequent so I videoed it and took pictures they said they could not duplicate and gave it back once more then it started saying all kinds of things like Service Stability track Engine overspeed, Engine Power Reduced, I called immediately they got it right in and day later called me and said the issue was caused by a fuel pump and fuel line and gasket they repaired under warranty and gave the car back at mile 37.6 the car did the same thing as before All electronics shut down and power steering went out . They checked for recalls said there is non for my VIN number, They have the car again and say they can not duplicate even though I offered video and explained how scared I am to drive it.