general problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2011 Chevrolet Malibu LS related to the electronic stability control (esc), traction control, and electric power steering systems. My vehicle is currently experiencing the following problems: * “service esc” warning message * “esc off” displayed * traction control disabled * electric power steering warning * airbag warning light illuminated these issues occur while driving and directly impact the vehicle’s safety systems and handling. I am aware of a prior safety recall issued by general motors under recall number 13036, which involves electrical wiring, the body control module (bcm), and brake assist system (bas). According to the recall, this defect can result in the loss of electronic stability control, traction control, and other critical safety features. My vehicle is experiencing the exact same symptoms described in recall #13036, including the disabling of esc and traction control systems. However, I have been informed that my VIN may not be included in this recall, despite the identical safety-related failures. This presents a significant safety risk because: * electronic stability control and traction control systems are not functioning * steering assist may be compromised * crash avoidance and braking support features may be disabled I am requesting that this issue be investigated and that consideration be given to expanding recall #13036 to include additional affected vehicles like mine, as this appears to be a widespread defect. This condition poses a serious risk to driver and passenger safety, thank you so much you can contact me back via email [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked under a carport in her driveway, she had been warned by neighbors that the rear end of the vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that she saw that flames were issuing from both rear light housings. The contact stated that by the time her husband and a neighbor attempted to extinguish the flames with garden hoses, the light housings and the rear bumper were on fire and melting. The fire department and the police were called. The contact stated that by the time emergency services arrived, the flames had been extinguished. The contact stated that the fire department opened the trunk, and the interior of the trunk and the matting were not damaged. The only damage was to the rear light housings and the rear bumper. The fire department had not issued a report, however the police had. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

This car will start and as you are driving, the car shuts off. No power, no steering. . . Nothing. I was out driving to work and the car died right in the middle of the road in rush hour traffic. I have takent he car to the shop and they had it for over a month, changed the fuel pump and it was still doing the same thing. The mechanic said he can not fix it, that it is an electrical issue. Several people have posted online that this is a manufacture issue and the year of the car is known to have this problem. I own three chevy vehicles and there is something wrong with all three. Absolutely ridiculous! no one stands behind their work. You pay money for a vehicle and the makers want spend a dime to recall something that can kill someone.

While driving down the road my power steering went out , driver side head light and it was like my breaks tried to lock up on me when I would press on them. I was driving down the interstate and pretty much had zero control of my car . Very scary. While trying to slow down and get off the interstate it's like it all just turned back on I had power steering back but my head light stayed out. So I went and purchased a new one put it in worked drove 2 miles up the road head light right back off. Something is going on with my esc control system and power steering. I could have been really hurt or could have hurt someone.

My electrical power steering is going out. A “power steering” flashes on my dash. I turn off my car and turn it back on and is able to be steered. However, my steering wheel read only moves/jiggles on its on at idle and in park. When I drive I feel the steering wheel jiggling on it’s on requiring to constantly correct so I stay in the lines.

I'm having to replace the low beam headlight in my car more times than a lil bit! I hate that I'm constantly spending $60+ everytime on headlights cause of I replace one side imma replace the other! I have brought the replacement harness for the lights and the low beam still blows!.

Two months ago while driving on the highway at 60 mph at night my headlights shut off with no warning leaving only my running lights, turn signals, brake lights and hazards lights functioning. Neither hi or low beams would function. Yet no warning or service lights appeared on the dash. Local mechanic replaced both the headlights bulbs and connectors on both sides. 3 weeks later it happened again, this time when I started my car the headlights failed to turn on. So I contacted a local chevy dealer (rob eck chevy) who said there was no recall or investigation. . . So I took it back the mechanic and had him fix it again. Just a few minutes ago today when I went to go to work yet again the headlights won't turn on. Checked through a plethora of forums about the Malibu both fan sites and manufacturers sites and have found that this is an extremely common issue for 2008-2014 Malibus, as this is an extremely dangerous failure/malfunction for both the driver and everyone else on the road I am stunned that there's no recall or at least an investigation into this as with this many occurrences with so many owners it's virtually impossible to be owner fault ergo it must be a product defect or a manufacturer defect. . . . Please do what's right for the safety and well being of others not what's right to protect the rich lining their pockets.

Multiple times while driving this vehicle, get the message loss of engine power, abs light displays, and steering becomes difficult. Will be calling the dealership for repair. Once it resolved itself enough to drive over 100 miles after changing the battery, but the issue occurred again. Many searches online point to abs, or wheel issues. There are youtube videos but this is a safety issue that should be recalled and fixed. As a loyal chevy owner, I would love to have chevy back their vehicles and recall when there are some many instances of this widespread safety issue they would prioritize the safety of their vehicles.

While driving my steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. My dashboard then flashed “esc” then “power steering” then the traction control issue came on. I eased over turned the car off then on again. The issue cleared until I turned my car off again. My steering wheel started rocking back and forth/side to side. Then I stopped to get gas turned it off then when I turned it back on the issue resumed. This time it took 10 mins for the issue to clear. I drove home and the car made noises and etc. I made it home safely but have not attempted to drive the car since.

About 8 weeks ago first my driver side speaker in the front went out then my passenger low beam light had went out and I had replaced twice then my ac quit working. I thought it was a fuse or battery or alternator issue even checked if it was it a relay fuse and it was not. Then my dash lit up esc off and then my back driver side brake has been locked up and squealing really bad than my power steering light came on and it’s really hard to turn all of this happened within three weeks and when I looked up recalls and special warranties, my car had a few so I called gm and a couple of dealerships a few times and they have been extremely rude and unhelpful because this is not a wear and tear issue or it being 10 years old. This is clearly a sensor issue that was recalled and had a special warranty for. And I just want my steering, break and heat to work and that’s all I care about but I cannot afford $3000 to fix it when the car is only worth 2000 and I highly doubt that right now. But this is a safety issue for myself and other drivers and I need my car to take my kids to school and to care for my household.

2008 to 2012 Chevrolet Malibu's have a confirmed problem by mechanics about the fuel system regarding the electrical components going bad. The fuel pump relay will overheat the wiring behind it, and will shut the car off, regardless of if it is driving or not.

Passenger side low beam headlight bulb connector melted/burnt. Caused low beam to go out on occasion - hit a bump and it switches on/off.

Headlight wiring harness connector has melted multiple times leaving me without low beam headlights while driving at night with my children in the car. This has left me having to use my high beams to drive and this poses as a safety hazard for not only me and my family but other people on the road. This also poses a fire hazard if the plastic connector is getting hot enoughto melt. I have requested warranty replacements for this part through ac delco and made them aware of the on going problem and informed them that this is a well known issue with this car and that it is extremely dangerous. I have not had the part inspected by a mechanic, insurance company or law enforcement but have the failed part and would be willing to have it inspected by law enforcement or anyone else but can not afford out of pocket expenses to do so. There was no prior warning to this happening any of the times it happened it would be working when I left my house I would stop somewhere turn the car off and when I got back in and started the car they wouldn't turn on. Another time they quit working while driving down the road. The date below is the date that I ordered the first replacement wiring harness it lasted less than 3 months and I had to have it replaced and currently I am dealing with not having low beams again this is the 3rd time I have dealt with this issue and it has been on going since January 2025.

Car started having issues with electrical had to put in a new fuel pump then a new ecm. Then car malfunctioned again with electrical issues relating to the wiring harness. There is a recall for my exact model and year but supposedly my car is not affected. I find this rather strange.

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.

I was driving on 2/5/23 when my car started making a ding sound and the steering wheel locked up. This begin on 1/20/23. There has been 4 incidents with the steering locked while driving. Once results in someone almost getting hit on the side walk as I was turning in the back parking lot. Twice turning left on to my street and once driving around a curve almost hit another car in the other lane.

2011 Malibu LS 2. 4 power steering keeps going out. Service esc and traction control keep coming on. Very dangerous.

It started out as a minor intermittent problem, alerting that I need to service traction and service esc. When this problem occurs, the car hesitates to accelerate from stop. Problem has gotten to the point that the vehicle is trying to die when idling for more than a minute or so and is struggling to accelerate. From doing research, I have found that this problem is very common in this make and model, with years varying. This is an issue that needs to be addressed as many people have experienced this and filed complaints and are spending lots of money out of pocket to try to find the issue.

Power steering failed and locked up the steering wheel. Had to stop car mid road to restart car. Car no longer has any power steering. This is a very dangerous issue!.

To begin with cd player stopped working the service tire light stays on the seat adjuster went out this is used to support your back while driving while driving on a residential road the car would not go in drive. The car just suddenly stopped while in drive. It goes in reverse and stays in park but the other gears do not work. It was a good thing that I was on a residential road and not the freeway. I keep having to repair the headlights left and right they keep burning out for some reason. Gets frustrating. And I have been pulled over for a burned headlight but the officer was aware the the make and model of my car have defects with headlights. He didn't site me but said to get it fixed.

My 2011 Malibu has approx 170000 miles. Was driving on the highway when one by one, low fuel range, tire pressure, and antitheft lights illuminated blinking in dash. The radio flickers like loosing power, the car jerks pulling hard to right side and the power steering goes out and the car literally shuts down in drive on the highway not even giving me time to get off road. Pushed car to side of road. When I try and restart engine turns but sputters like out of gas. Again and again I try until the battery is dead but car wouldnt stay running. I check battery terminals and fuses, a friend brings gallon of gas and jumps car. Same result. I have towed home. I put battery on charger put battery back in car and it starts immediately and stays running. Again I try to go to town. The same thing happens 2 miles further from where it previously did, this time the esc was added to the others illuminating on dash. I tried the same things I did before getting same result. I take battery call a ride and go home to put battery on charger. When I return 48 hours later and put battery in, it cranks right up.

Warranty policy 15356 on torque sensor steering wheel. Replaced and repaired by Chevrolet dealership in 2018. Reocccured problem started again on April 13th, 2022. Code esc power steering started may 6th, 2022 but shaking, vibration, and "twitching" started April 13th, 2022. When turning on the vehicle now the code will show and the steering wheel will lock not allowing power steering. In 2018 this code would show up during driving and lock up not allowing you to use power steering.

I drove my car to a store and parked, when I returned and proceeded to backup, the steering wheel locked and I couldn’t drive and was stuck in the road. Finally after a while I turned the ignition off and back on and was able to drive home. There was no advance warning that the power the steering needed to be serviced.

Esc off shows up on dashboard and after driving I get "engine power reduced".

Map sensor was physically broken and replaced during a particularly cold snap (below -10 degrees f), but the check engine light and "service esc," "service traction," and "esc off" messages continued to appear in the following weeks. Acceleration repeatedly dropped off for a split second, and would continue to dip and return until I let off the accelerator and tried again. This acceleration problem always coincided with the three esc/traction messages listed above, and happened multiple times every time I drove it. During a second trip to the mechanic, some "frayed wiring" was replaced and the throttle relearned, but the symptoms continued as before, prior to the map sensor replacement and the wiring repair. The symptoms progressed to delayed, pulsing acceleration, not just dropping out. The following week, the power steering went out while driving, preceded by a gentle automated jerking on the steering wheel upon startup. The mechanic confirmed that it was electrical, nothing wrong with the physical components.

Power steering went completely out as I'm driving down the road! it's only got around 65k miles maybe 66k,not that many miles at all for this to have happened. And they were aware of the issue as well. Now I'm out my car,I am in-between jobs at the moment,no money,and no transportation for my wife and I!! no way to go to job interviews,her very important medical appointments,and everything else!! I do not have the money to take to the shop,I don't have the knowledge either to do such a major task like that,not do I even have the space to work on it myself or anyone else for that matter. Its winter time,and this car is my home,soo now what are we supposed to do? it's unsafe to drive,and will probably just make it worse,more wear and tear on other parts by driving it the way it is now.

I have had my chevy Malibu since 2016. In the almost 7 years I have had this car I has had the same issue with both starting and stalling while driving. There has been many time it has completely shut off while on the expressway. I have had it looked at by an outside mechanic and the dealership. The back fuse box has been completely replacement 3 times twice of which were in the past year. There is a shot with the fuel pump relay causing the issue. The dealership will not acknowledge this issue. Each time I have been told it was the fuse box going out however a fuse box does not go completely bad every few years and now few month. I have same many many videos and comments from other owners of chevy Malibu 2011 with the exact same issue. I have been lucky that I have been able to pull to the side of the road without accident due to this issue. This issue should be recalled if the vast number of 2011 chevy Malibu's having the same issue.

Car unexpectedly died on the way home with 2 children in car. Car would crank, but wouldn't start up, and sounded like a typical fuel pump problem. We had the car towed to a shop and they showed the fuel pump as working within the normal ranges and then started up the next day just fine, but paid 750 for work. A few days later the car died again, so we had it towed to the same shop, by the next day when the mechanic said it started up just fine so he wasn't able to diagnose the problem. He and I don't want to spend a 1000 every week putting parts in it that don't fix the problem while getting towed each week at 150 dollars. This is a safety concern and leaves the consumer hopeless. We want to get rid of the car, but don't want to sell it to a person for them to have the same issues and then in return blame us. Gm needs to do something about this. I've read hundreds of forums of other people having the same problem with no actual fix.

Rear window brake light stays illuminated have to keep raising the brake pad up to get it to go off and in the daytime you arent able to see it. The alarm system is not allowing the car to start correctly. It is very frustrating to have to remove battery cables in many circumstances in order to operate the vehicle. These are all issues that occur many times for over a year. Not just an isolated account.

Engine starts but stalls shortly after. 89,000 miles. Never had any problems like this before. Dash display states "service ecm," "service traction control," "reduced engine power," etc. . A shop diagnosed it with a bad ecm, but that isn't the problem, as it didn't fix it. Based on the codes we're getting ready to swap out the app (accelerator pedal position sensor) this is a well known issue, that many other owners of various years have encountered, and reported. In fact, I just read that gm did a recall for newer Malibu's, for this exact same problem, (the app causing "reduced engine power" and therefore not running) so I'm really not happy. They left out all the older vehicles with the exact same problem!.

Power steering turned off. Lost all steering while driving.

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

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the contact avoided hitting a dog that was on the road, but the brakes failed and the vehicle crashed into a porch. None of the air bags deploy upon impact. The contact received medical attention after his head hit the steering wheel upon impact. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact replaced the cam sensor, intake, radiator, and front end body, and on three separate occasions, the brakes were replaced. However, the failure recurred. Additionally, the accelerator pedal would go to the floorboard and the vehicle would stall. The electronic stability control (esc) warning light and a "reduced power" warning message were displayed. 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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

I’ve had dash warning lights since purchasing my vehicle since 2017. I have taken it to multiple places for diagnostic and repair. (brake sensors, traction stability, throttle, and p010 and p011) my last repairs were over $2400 and after finally scraping money to complete the repairs was told the traction control warning light that had been coming on but coming on more often now was because I have one tire sensor that isn’t reading and that after fixing the accentuators the computer would stop going so crazy and triggering so many lights. On my recent trip to michigan, when using my cruise control a car pulled in front of me in heavy traffic. When I braked my cruise didn’t disengage. I remembered this happening before but didn’t realize it was my cruise control and thought don’t tell me I have transmission problems!! then when I was almost home during this same trip a car started honking at me and rolled his window down. He told me I had no brake lights. I then looked up recalls and found 13036, with all the problems my car has had except was told this was remedied/fixed on my car in 2017. I just now checked my car and I have brake lights. It appears the problem relates in conjunction to when the traction control lights are on and when there aren’t warning lights the brake lights work. My car has 20,000 since the recall repair and has had this problem the majority of this time except I didn’t understand. My car is not safe and I am very disappointed and concerned about gm product safety and remedies!.

The rear defrost stopped working. Had my auto mechanic review and rear fuse box had melted fuses which was effecting rear defrost. The rear fuse box needs replacing per mechanic. ($400) my concern is what is cause of the electrical issue in my Malibu and if not corrected by Chevrolet will it occur again?.