206 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu based on all problems reported for the 2012 Malibu.
My electric steering motor and torque sensor is going out. I first noticed it starting to go out about 2 months ago in November. I was turning to pull into a parking spot at the grocery store and all of a sudden my wheel locked up and check esc flashed across my dashboard. I almost side grazed the car on side of me on my way turning in. I had to turn the wheel really hard to straighten it up. . So when I got into the parking spot and turned the car off and turned it back on it was working again and didn’t do it for a while. So fast forward 2 months later in January it started back doing it again. I was backing out of my driveway and all of a sudden the steering got really hard and again service esc flashed on the dashboard and I almost backed up into a car that’s parked on the street behind my driveway. I had to turn really had and in the middle of the street I had to turn the car off and back on to reset itself . The next day was driving and and when I stopped at a stop sign my steering wheel started shaking left to right uncontrollably and ever since the the steering wheel just shakes even while sitting still so I made an appointment with the dealership that I got the car for checked it out and did a diagnostic test and the mechanic told me I needed a torque sensor and steering motor. I have the papers saying that’s what’s wrong with it and after doing research I found that that car model had a recall with the exact same thing my car is doing but when I put in my VIN number it’s not listed as a recall and my car isn’t drivable and I think it should be recalled . As of now it has only been looked at by the dealership. And it’s available for inspection upon request.
I been having the same problem for a year now. . Constantly putting it in and out the shop and no one can find out what’s wrong with it. . The engine will loss it control and stop working in the middle of traffic which almost caused me a wreck several times. The Chevrolet dealership hasn’t done anything to help but charge me to look at it and they didn’t fix the problem. I have three kids and it has been a safety issue which is our only way to work and school. The car will skip constantly in the middle of traffic and several times someone almost ran into the back of my car. It will say engine power reduced, service traction and service sec I have spent ton of money trying to fix the issue and I have read several people have had the same problem.
Several electrical problems have occurred with my 2012 chevy Malibu. First the horn would not stop beeping which caused me to jump and almost run into a telephone pole. I parked the car and the horns kept beeping I got home and the horn cap beeping. My husband cleaned off the battery cables and that seemed to stop the problem for a while then they started beeping again. Then my door lock started unlocking and locking by itself causing me to lock my keys in my car. So I disconnected the horn I disconnected the locks. Now my trunk is popping open by itself. Even when the trunk is open the electrical supply keeps going to it and making a clicking sound trying to open it. I have had many electrical problems with this car.
I have a 2012 chevy Malibu I bought it in 2014. I have had the esc light come on in 2016 but no problem with it untill now of this year in 2022. Not knowing the problem I have already put alot into it. I took it to a machanic they told me it was the rack and pinion. So got that done . Apparently it wasn't it took it to another machanic they told me it was struts got that done too n still nothing so I looked it up online got cv joint, inner ,tie rod, wheel alignment. All those done n still nothing fix it. I didn't know what else to do until I made more scratch on my vehicle and I found that it could be a recall .
The contact owned a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 10 mph, other drivers alerted her that there was a fire underneath the vehicle. The contact's wife was able to safely exit the vehicle. There was no injury and no medical attention was necessary. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire. The contact's wife was informed that there might have been an electrical short that caused the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact left a voicemail for the dealer notifying them of the failure and was awaiting a callback from the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.
The bcm and fuel pump relay over heats burns the wire causing stalls at traffic lights and normal driving then won’t start back up. If you’re lucky you can hit the bcm or take the fuel relay out and reinstall and it may start back up.
Gm tech bulletins say there is a ghost problem with elect. Stability controller. Gm mentions there is no recall or known cure for this. . Components/contacts were cleaned at serv. Shop but " serv. Esc-esc off" keeps appearing in "driver display" when hitting bumps -turning car. . I will mail service sheets. This option was available on 08-09-10 models of Malibu but std. On my 2012 car. It is worthless when there is thick snow. . I will send , by mail, serv. Records on this unsolvable problem. . . It continues to happen ,at slow speed - not just one time. . . I believe you can read the g. M. -tsbs, as it was shown to me. . . .
This car will not start!!!! it starts when it feels like it. I’ve been stranded after work so many times for unknown reasons. Multiple mechanics have inspected car and cannot find the issue. Go on youtube and search for this year car and you’ll find so many people in the same situation as me. The car has battery but the engine will not start. Gm cars have this issue in common and it’s ridiculous gm cannot stand behind their brand. Please help us!!!.
While parked or driving this vehicle shuts down on its own, sometimes on the freeway going 65 mph. The fuse located in the trunk has a faulty connection and a wire that isn’t efficient for heat from fuel pump so it shuts down while driving and sometimes won’t start. This is gonna kill someone when it shuts off on the freeway in traffic. I’ve read up on this being a regular problem with the Malibu.
My vehicle fail to restart vehicle, but vehicle was running good before. Once I turn off the vehicle for couple of minutes when I returned back to my vehicle and tried to turn vehicle on it would not allow me to turn on lights on vehicle would stay on when taking key out of ignition. I kept trying couple of time until I open the hood to check battery move battery cables tried again until vehicle turn on. Once vehicle had turn on and put vehicle in reverse dashboard lights started turning on check engine a service warning message display and speed meter would go up and down. When going forward the steering wheel became hard to control while vehicle would go toward slowly then stop go fast and slowly again until I got home turn vehicle off. Didn't drive it anymore until two days later. The second time I was on the freeway when my vehicles speed started to significantly reduce speed very quickly. I became concern with my safety until I was able to pull over on the side of freeway car turned off. When trying to restart vehicle would fail to turn back on had to tow vehicle back home. I tried turning vehicle back on failed at first on the last try vehicle turned on but when putting on reverse or drive vehicle became undriveable thier was no movement on vehicle and speed meter would not move . I just purchased this vehicle only had 8 months with it I payed $5000 plus $600 on plates. I do make my vehicle available for inspection it is very dangerous going through this specially on highway. I checked my onstart vehicle report but it does not show that anything is wrong on the report. My insurance provider geico car details only show it needs and oil change. I also notice that in the vehicle history shows it has an oil leak. I can not afford to pay for a mechanic at this moment my vehicle is just park at home now.
I have an ongoing issue in which the power steering on my 2012 Malibu locks up and it's extremely hard to rotate the steering wheel to make turns. . . . It has happened on numerous occasions from being parked from a cold start to recently actively happening while driving on the road/highway. The computer dash display pops up saying power steering then says service esc.
Tl the contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning, the vehicle was unable to be restarted. The contact stated that the service esc warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to suburban Chevrolet Cadillac collision of ann arbor (3515 jackson rd ste b, ann arbor, mi 48103, (734) 663-3321) where it was diagnosed with needing battery, and negative battery terminal to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Having issue with passenger side low beam light after replacing it still see the light goes in and out I looked up the issue online and see many people are having the same issue on the same side of the vehicle with the passenger side light and everybody experiencing the same problem the light will go in and out even after you replace the bulb.
Power steering light comes on and my steering wheel is twitching and jerking.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the passenger's air bag occupant sensor had become defective and would not recognize any occupant under 130 pounds seated in the passenger's seat. The contact took the vehicle to wally edgar Chevrolet service (3805 s lapeer rd, lake orion, mi 48360) where a diagnostic test was performed and the contact was provided an estimate to replace the occupant sensor. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The center brake light doesn't work. I put in a new led light assembly in and it still doesn't work.
Esc warning light comes on and traction control. Brake light stays on while driving and when you brake goes out. Didn't have any brake light on at red light and was almost rear ended multiple times. Just an fyi I notice this has been a problem on other Malibu's and was recalled why not this one with the same problem.
I've changed my passenger side low beam headlight 3 times and it keeps going out. I've had this done 3 times since September 2020. Also, my lock and unlock buttons do not work, except for on the passenger side, only the unlock side of the button works. I've had this car since September or October I believe of 2018. It's very frustrating and I've waisted over $500 getting it replaced.
The fuse box in the trunk (body control module or bcm) has completely melted the rear defrost fuse into the block. A central piece of the fuse was removed once the issue was identified preventing the system from continuing to send electrical current through the fuse and possibly sparking or shorting out other essential systems (such as the fuel pump which seems to be a common problem). I have not taken this to be seen by a dealer, but intend to replace the bcm so as to prevent the fuses from completely melting. Overall, there was no indication of the issue until I realized that the rear defrost wasn't working when there was a light frost on the windows. This is when I checked the fuses and found the issue.
I bought the car a year ago from a used car lot. Replaced the cam shaft positioning sensor as per diagnostic reading for check engine light. Since then, svc air bag light has stayed on. Traction control light stays on and is disengaged. When braking esc warning goes on and off and sliding occurs. The low beam headlights go on and off intermittently and no way of knowing when it will happen. When turning cruise control on or off, the car will accelerate on its own and will increase speed until brake is applied. Regardless of whether cruise control was turned on or off. I have had it looked at at my local mr. Tire and they cannot figure out what is happening.
While driving passenger side low beam stopped working, then came back on after a few days. Now both passenger and driver low beams are not working. High beams are fine. I always used the automatic lighting to have them turn on/off for anytime I drive. Low beams required new headlamps and melted relay, replaced that as well. Service esc and traction control lights come on dash, then turn off, then come back on. It is intermittent and won't ever stay on long enough to have checked. Usually it happens when stopped at a stoplight and then when you start to accelerate again it goes off.
When I get in my car I notice that my check engine light comes on in an are where certain people don't like me at like cuba mo there is a conspiracy going on out here ever sense they took my kids illegally it's been nothing but problems and I don't want to get hurt or hurt nobody please help my gas leaves quick also I know my car is being hacked because they do that alot out there and surrounding cities the engine light will come on while I'm driving and when I'm out the car it'll come on there is also a tracking device on it that I didn't put on there also I put gas in my car then all of a sudden it goes down to low fuel I just bought the car from the dealership at jd by rider in rolla mo.
While driving to school going roughly from idle to 10mph as started to get on the highway the esc services power steering light came on and I lost all power steering. Needless to say me being 5'3" and 98 pounds didn't help me much to control the vehicle. I slowly pulled over to the side of the road and gathered myself not knowing what just happened. I turned off the car and gathered my thoughts. Luckily I was on straight away with no turns when this happened. So I preceeded to turn the car on and noticed the message was gone so I checked the steering and the problem light was gone. Well with that said, that was the first this had happened. And now it has progressed during the winter. I don't know if the cold has anything to do with it. But this is scary and gm should try to address it. I believe there was a recall for this issue but my VIN doesn't show that recall. Can you please help. The problem is starting to happen when I start my car now.
Engine losses power shuts off wont restat.
The car had gm service bulletin 13036 (recall campaign 14v252) performed on September 19, 2014 and the car is experiencing the exact same conditions as described in the service bulletin[1] so the "fix" didn't resolve what is now an on going safety issue. It should be noted in the recall "why" section to owners the use of ". . . Over time. . . ". Therefore, the issue is known to be time dependent and the fix doesn't appear to fully resolve the issue into the future. 1: we are currently seeing the following conditions: - service brake lamps may not illuminate when the service brakes are being applied. - if cruise control is engaged, additional service brake pedal travel may be required to disengage it. - traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features, if equipped, may be disabled. - service esc and/or traction control tell-tales may illuminate with this condition.
The low-beam headlights keep burning out. A melted socket was the first issue. It was repaired a month ago and now the same problem is again at play. There must be an electrical short. This is a common problem with these vehicles that many have reported. It costs dearly to have a mechanic take apart the front of the vehicle and work on the lights since you must take off the whole front bumper to access the headlights. I have paid for repair and bulb replacement already in the past 2 months. To see it happening again is very discouraging.
Esc warning on dash coming on will driving and turning forward or backward. Hvac controller not responding to commands, hvac resistor and blower motor wires getting very hot and not blowing fuses when driving with ac or heater running. Hvac resistor blowing out. High motor oil consumption , every 1000 miles its low a quart.
My 2012 chevy Malibu passenger side low beam has gone out for the second time in less than a year. After doing some research, I found this is a common issue for the chevy Malibu. Entries stating similar issues specifically effecting the same passenger side low beam, totaled more than 300 on carproblemzoo. Com this is not only a monetary issue, not only a resource issue, but a significant risk to operator and bystander safety. If gm does not acknowledge they have supplied a faulty product, as described by the hundreds of complaints listed online, they are complicit to any accidents or injury caused by their lack of action and concern. My own experience has been frightening, noticing a lack of power after I'm already on the road, only seeing one light from my car reflecting on another car or surface. The general public takes great care to make sure their vehicles can both safely operate and transport themselves and others. With this damaged part in chevy's Malibu, making great strides for a safe vehicle could be for nothing if the light does not do its job. With this in mind, please consider the climate we live in today. The difference between a faulty headlight, and a reliable light, could mean life or death not only for those on the road, but for poc, targeted by police, for a faulty headlight. In 2015, darrius stewart was a passenger in a 2009 chevy Malibu. He unjustly lost his life to a police officer after the driver was pulled over for what do you ask? a headlight out. Darrius stewart. General motors- recall. . Read more...
Vehicle has died on me 5 times while driving. In motion one moment and dead the next, so far it has died on city streets, ive gotten lucky with it not being on the highway as I travel that frequently for work. It has been in and out of repair shop for multiple repairs and still not corrected.
The vehicle have no check engine codes but won't start and cuts off I traffic and in highway. The fuse box in trunk gets got and the fuel pump relay gets hot. After the car stalls the only way to start is shake wiretap fuse box in trunk and tap on rear fuse box.
Doors keep unlocking and locking on their own. Does it constantly no matter what I do. . The alarm doesnt do anything and the doors just keep unlocking and locking back and forth all day and night even without the keys inside while parked.
Driving my vehicle with my 3 month old daughter in the car. Turned the wheel as I was taking a turn and the power steering completely stopped. This forced me to apply the brake because I almost wemt off the road!! I see this isn't the only incident involving the esc and power steering!! vehicle currently has "service esc" and "power steering" messages displayed in the info messages.
I was sold a car priced at $4,995 but when the initial contract was signed the car representative failed to keep the price the same and without consent overcharged me for the car $10,000 I called back a week later to notify them the car had went out, was in bad condition, wasn't driving, and put me and my family in harms way. Car shutoff twice in motion once while actually driving on the freeway. I asked to have it repaired due to the fact that I was forced into purchasing their warranty that he stated came with the car but put in the contract later that I would pay $1000+ dollars for it when it's an expired warranty from 2017 when the dealer first got the car so it's only a extended warranty and doesn't help with anything. He came once to repair the car by putting some fluid inside to make it run & instead told me he changed the battery which turned out to be false the car kept cutting off and going out I kept seeking help it was david and abn motors who refused to fix any mechanical issue I was having with the vehicle and in return the car put me and my family in harms way it is a danger to have or drive with my kids cops said so also it cut off on the highway while driving and leaked an extremely large amount of oil while me and my kids were inside the vehicle I was forced to merge over completely to get out the way of traffic as the car just stopped motion. Something under the hood popped and the vehicle was smoky state officials order me and my family out the vehicle in toledo a hour drive away from my home. They stated it was a safety hazard and that I could not enter my vehicle and took it away. I had even sent over a message to the dealer representative I purchased the car from a month earlier stating I was having problems he refused to respond or help he stated that I already signed the contract and I should deal with it myself.
Service air bag light on all the time car was in park when it first appear.
Passenger side low beam headlight keep going out I have replaced bulb and socket several times . . It work only for 2 weeks and problem keep coming . . This is fifth time I'm having to fix the issues.