general problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

Steering locks while driving.

On [xxx] around 1pm me and my mom were in a bad accident we were driving on [xxx] through columbus ohio to go down to kentucky we were at least 50 feet from the truck that was pulling a camper when all of sudden the camper had no brake lights and was not moving my mom pushed the brake all the way to the floor you could feel the car trying to stop but it wasn’t stopping we were only going 25 and should have been able to stop . But we didn’t by till we were in the camper bumper driver side airbag went off but mine in the passenger seat didn’t forcing my head to fly forward then back my seat belt locked to hard I felt I couldn’t breath and I had just had my appendix removed two days before the accident I was screaming in pain I was later on took to the hospital to make sure I was not bleeding on the inside I now sit in my bed feeling hopeless in so much pain . Since I was been laying in bed I kelly blue booked our 2011 chevy Malibu to see what I could possibly get from it but then found out there was not one but three recalls airbag, brakes, and seat belts but I was never notified I did some more digging and found out these are all new my question is why was I never notified about this we have had this car five years and I found all these recalls going all the back to 2020 and we have had it since 2021. I blame chevy for my car accident they failed to tell me something major was wrong with my brakes and airbag. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Air bag, supplemental restraint system failure caused by a faulty electrical connector under the driver's seat. Gm is aware of this issue and may have issued a TSB. A recall and repair at gm's expense would be a better way to address this issue as some people might not be willing or able to pay for the one hundred plus dollars repair cost and continue to drive the car with repairing the supplemental restraint system.

Airbag light and esc power steering light on at the same time. Service esc on and of on the screen and after awhile the steering wheel locked and I lost control of my direction while I am turning left on a traffic light. I end up in a ditch. I took it to chevy service dealership and they find out a diffect on steering torque sensor shaft and they recommend me to replace it. They ask me $1024. 00 for labor and part.

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the "service air bag" warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Headlights keep going out and service airbag light keep coming on.

I bought my first car from a small dealership and within the last 35 days the alternator, battery, shocks, fuel pump and now the engine light is on. . . . When you are driving it seems like the car don't want to go into gear. And when it finally goes into gear it jerks you. Also the electrical and temperature gage, the lights on dash board go in and out you can hear a faint noise coming from the dome light. Temperature gage stayed at cold when driving the vehicle around. Took car for a ride the next day and right away when driving it went about a quarter above cold???.

The esc lights, traction control lights and abs lights are on. Took it to the dealership in January and they �fixed� it by replacing the hub assembly. Worked ok for a month. Lights are back on as well as randomly while driving the speedometer, gas gauge, temp gauge, and rpm's will drop to 0 then back to normal and this will continue for the a whole trip. Then the next day or few days it will be fine then do it again. All the lights are on continuously.

When I first purchased the vehicle the engine light would constantly come on and go off but now the engine light is always on. I just recently started having issues with the airbags on the passenger side not being engaged and the engine esc comes on whenever it pleases, even when the weather is good outside. Last weekend, my battery died for the first time, I'm just glad that I had someone to jump me off. My primary concern is my headlights. I have gotten pulled over by the police 3 times due to my intermittent headlights. The first time my right side headlight went out, a officer pulled me over and informed me of the issue, so I got it fixed the very next day. A week goes by and I get pulled over again and the officer informed me but this time I informed the officer that I just changed the bulb a week ago and he mentioned that it could be the wiring. After the officer left, I got out my car and hit the headlight with my fist and it came back on just to go back out the next day. I went to my local mechanic and he changed the light bulb socket. That only lasted 3 or 4 weeks and now I literally have to ride with my headlights on bright or can't be out at night. After going to multiple auto shops, they all says that it's the wiring, which I already knew because the gages on my dashboard lights up like christmas lights every other day.

My power steering keeps going in and out while I'm driving. The service esc light appears and then will turn off when I turn my car off.

These are recalls that I was never made aware of and have not been repaired.

My car suspension system is bumpy and shakes very bad when I am driving it in the city streets and brake is poor does not have a light brake to step easy for a slow stop I am having a problem driving my car its not smooth ride I am afraid of my car its going to give me a problem.

I was recently involved in a very bad car crash and I am injured from the air bag . It hit me very hard in the head causing me to look consciousness .

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that later in 2020, the electronic stability control (esc) and low traction warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where she was informed that both front rotating assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 19v019000 (air bags) and 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

Intermittently the service airbag warning comes up and at other times it is not on. Have been told it could be linked to drivers side seat belt. The clip has been changed and still does it.

The airbag comes on and off all the time. It's very scary. It comes on sometime when I start the car and sometimes while I'm driving. It doesn't matter if I stop fast or move or turn. It's random.

Tl-the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while stationary and driving various speeds, the "service air bag" light illuminated without warning. The vehicle was taken to john thornton Chevrolet of lithia springs, georgia where the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000. Ad.

Tires go flat really fast. The electrical system is not ready my tires no more and don't show if there's an issue including airbags. The light was on for a month and wen tawau I got his in the front of my car and my airbags didn't not deploy.

Tl-test complaint. System down.

Air bag didn't deploy normally. Had an accident and driver bag deployed little. Passenger never deployed. Car was on highway. Involved with another car their's fully deployed.

The contact owned a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. The air bags fell out onto the floor of the vehicle and did not deploy correctly. The contact sustained injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

I was stop at a red light and my dash read service airbag. I started to drive off and the dash started flashing service airbag. When in motion and as I start ignition. Also my seatbelt sometimes lock or not lock and is very loose as I adjust seat.

I own a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The air bag warning lamp illuminates & says to service air bag. The vehicle was brought into a gm repair shop several month ago & they could not fix it. It went off for a while & now it's back on. It was not diagnosed or repaired.

Air bag service light remains on and will not reset!! started after 1525 miles on car. Car was undriven for 5 years. Dealer says not warranty problem!!!!.

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the air bag warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

Service airbag display message came on. The car has never been in an accident. Dealer said it needs a new sdm. $902 to fix. Dealer said it is a known problem but it is not covered under warranty.

My 2011 Malibu was recalled for a brake light issue. While the vehicle was at dealership, the air bag system developed a "malfunction. " dealer states that the sdm has failed. The dealer and gm are taking no responsibility for the issue. Their position is they did not cause the issue and it is just bad timing. A friend, who owns a 2010 Malibu, just had their car recalled for a recall regarding the sdm. More to the point, what incentive does a person have to bring a recalled vehicle in, when the vehicle can be returned in a far less safe condition. I think that any reasonable person would be doubtful that this is the appropriate response to this situation.

My daughter and I was stopped at a stop light and a lady rear ended us and her seatbelt never caught and she hit the dashboard head on and y seatbelt caught and released and I hit the steering wheel head on.

I was driving on the highway when suddenly the warning "service air bag" popped up on my dashboard message screen. I was not in an accident nor did I hit anything. With the recent recalls, I am very concerned.

My light keep coming on saying service airbag.

I was at a stop trying to make a left turn across traffic at 7pm. When I had a chance to go my car would not go forward. It would only rev. I threw it in park then to drive. . . Nothing. Tried manual. Nothing. Reverse was all that worked. Thankfully I was able to reverse out of intersection. Had wrecker take to the dealership. Friday night they tell me car is ready that the chip in transmission went out. Go Saturday to get it and when I turned car on it read "service air bag". They tried to clear code but failed. Said that there was a true problem and would look at it Monday the 20th. Just got a call saying the air bag chip shorted out and generally all in all is a 700. 00 fix. They allegedly spoke to gm who said just charge 100. 00 deductible. Due to some issues I had with dealership they said they would only charge me 50. 00 and they would cover the rest. I do not have my car back yet as they are working on it still. Glad I still had powertrain warranty so right now the only out of pocket cost with this whole ordeal will be the 50. 00. However I feel I nor anyone else should have to pay since I was told this is a "known &common" issue.

Hello I was driving my car ( chevy Malibu 2011) down the street and all of the sudden the airbag came on. I was not speeding I was going 30 mph. I took it to my local mechanic and he told me the airbag in the driver's seat has an error code b0014. I noticed it is a common issue with gm motors in general. The dealership wants me to pay for the diagnostic along with repairs. The car did not have a crash nor an airbag deployment.

Recently my 2011 Malibu with 32,000 miles on it has started to show the service air bag on the display. Took the car to the servicer and they told me my car is out of warranty. With me recently loosing my job out of pocket is not an option. After research online I found that the service air bag issue is very common among the 2010-2011 models. I located the service bulletin and contacted gm and they said that my car doesn't qualify with the VIN for the service bulletin. I did inform the representative that I contacted a chevy dealer a few weeks ago when the issue started occurring to make sure that I wouldn't have an air bag randomly blowing up in face while driving since the issue occurs randomly at speeds between 0-70 mph. The tech advised me that would not occur as when the light is on the air bag system is disabled. Advised gm this during our phone conversation that this would be a huge safety issue for there vehicles as they have corrected on VIN specific 2010-2011 in there words that I would think they would wanna make sure the problem isn't bigger. Needless to say I have to wait for a resolution.

I was going onto a exit an hit a guardrail on the drivers side, the car spun and I ended up sideways. The airbag deployed but did not inflate. I sustained broken ribs, a facial hematoma and multiple contusions. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time of the accident.

Tl- the contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while at a four way stop her vehicle was struck crashing it into another vehicle. No airbags deployed at the time of impact. A police report was filed and there were two injuries as a result of this crash. The vehicle was totaled and no investigation was done on the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 140,000. Sr.