general problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

The engine light came on, later while driving the car shuts down engine reduced speed, engine power reduced. I have to restart the car and sometimes that dont help. Also the (abs) light came on service stabilitrak, my anti brakes went out.

There is a recall on the brake booster on the 2014 Malibu manufactured in 2013 my car is a 2013 and I have the same issue. I have had multiple things wrong. I was driving and had no brakes at all I had to push hard and it finally stopped. Hazardous to drive now until fixed. I feel it should be covered as it is the same issue on the 2014.

My instrument cluster isn't working correctly. Some days I go out to start my car and the instrument cluster works. As I'm driving down the road my instrument cluster just stops working. My speedometer doesn't work, my rpms, the lights, temperature gauge and gas gauge just stops working. It's very scary and my transmission doesn't want to shift and my engine power is bogging down. This is really dangerous and I feel like my life is in danger. I pull off the road and shut my 2013 chevy Malibu off and restart it and sometimes it comes back on and instrument cluster works but start driving and the instrument cluster stops working again. I have had my mechanic try to figure it out but so far I haven't been able to find out where the issue is so I haven't been able to fix it. My brakes have also been not engaging properly. I have had to replace my brakes 3 times so far after I got the brakes fixed for the 3rd time I haven't had very many problems. I also had to replace all my hubs as well as the brakes. Also something electrical isn't functioning correctly and when I shut my car off it makes a clicking noise right after I turn my car off. I'm a member of a chevy Malibu group and there are thousands of people from all over the world with the same issues that I'm having with my vehicle. No warning lights have came on for any of the problems I'm having with my car. Please look into this and help me,us that are having these issues thank you for your time. The next question of what date I can't really answer because it's been multiple dates. The question below about what mph I was going I can't answer because my mph wasn't working.

Without any warning and while driving the Malibu 2lt goes into engine reduced power mode and will not excel over 50mph. Next, the service stable track warning light would come on intermittently and disable traction control. This is very dangerous. Also the Malibu 2lt will jerk at the wheel without warning when the power steering warning comes on. Additionally, power steering fluid does not have a measuring device to see when it falls below the required amount needed. It’s basically a guessing game that costs over $120. 00 to have checked with no real resolve .

One day the car didn’t want to speed up and we almost had a car wreck.

The instrument cluster temporarily shorts out or goes blank and them comes back on and resets in a different display mode. There are various display modes having different information such as mph, fuel efficiency, etc. Several repair shops tell me that in order to diagnose the problem, the cluster has to be exhibiting the problem when they look at it. In other words, it has to be a continuous short out. It's not continuous, it's temporary and sporadic or random. This is a direct safety issue in that the driver has no reading on the vehicle speed and when the short out becomes long term or permanent the car will have to be driven with no reading of speed or engine monitoring parameters such as temperature and oil pressure. New clusters are no longer available and rebuilt requires shipping the existing cluster for exchange. This is a common problem, as documented through google search. Concerning the vehicle speed question below, anywhere from 0 to 70 mph.

While driving down the road the check engine light comes on and a warning message comes across the screen saying "engine power reduced service stability trac now" the car then goes into limp mode. This has happened 3 times since I bought it in March of 2023. If I shut the car off and it sits for 45 minutes to an hour and start it back up the check engine light is still on but the stability trac light is off and she drives fine. I have taken it into the shop 5 times. Everytime it's been in the shop a part has been replaced but it is still happening. It drives great with no problem until that light comes on.

This car stop on the middle of the highway with my kids in the car we we’re almost crashed it’s un safe and they need too recall the chevy Malibu it’s very dangerous to stop out of nowhere and cut off I can kill somebody one day everything has been replaced and it’s still cutting off I shouldn’t be responsible for paying for this lemon.

In July 2023, my husband was driving on the highway when the car suddenly decelerated itself. A system error message came up saying service stabilitrak and reduced engine power - he couldn't go more than 40 mph. We took it to the repair shop and they determined the high pressure fuel failed and the engine was running off the lift pump. They replaced the high pressure fuel pump with gasket and pressure line. Then, in late September 2023, the car turned off while my husband was driving (while he was stopped). He was able to turn it back on and drive it home. There were no warning lights/messages. We took it to the repair shop, but there were no error codes and they were unable to determine the issue. Next, at the end of October 2023, when coming to a stop the vehicle shut off again - almost every time my husband would come to a stop. When this happened, it still had power (because the radio was still on), but he had to shut vehicle off completely and restart it each time. There were no warning lights/messages. We took it back to the repair shop. Again, no codes were stored in ecm/tcm. This time, they test drove it while monitoring the data. They determined that the torque converter clutch was hanging up. They also experienced some long shifts and occasional slippage and determined that the transmission would need to be replaced. The issues above are just the most recent issues. Aside from regular brakes, tires, and oil changes, other work I’ve had done on the car includes the repair/replacement rear suspension toe link recall (three times), water pump, brake booster vacuum, a/c compressor, timing chain, guides, tensioner, cam actuators, intake and cam actuators, exhaust cam solenoid, exhaust manifold bolts with associated hardware and gaskets, thermostat (twice), battery (twice), spark plugs, and back left hub assembly. I have still have the documentation for all of the above.

The instrument cluster goes out. Can't see anything on the dash speed gas or anything while driving or goes out completely. Can not drive car. Not safe to drive don't know if I have gas or how fast I'm going or if I have any warnings on the car.

Loss of battery charge - inspect generator control module previous recall issued, chevy says car issue was resolved but is not.

The dash board goes out and you can not see speed or anything goes completely black and sometimes won't come back on for days. Unable to see information center.

My daughters 2013 chevy Malibu sporadically for no reason shuts off when she stop at a stop light or when she is idling. Then it requires her to turn the vehicle off and then back on. Some times it stars right up and she can go and other times it starts up and shuts right back off and other times she will have to do it twice. I find it to be pretty dangerous to for her to be stalled in the middle of a busy road. I also pray that it doesn’t just shut off while she is driving where a car may rear end my daughter. No it has not been verified by any one do to the sporadic times it happens. However as I do my research trying to find a solution to the problem it sound like it is a common occurrence with the 2013 chevy Malibu. So far there have been no warning lamps triggered. Like I said it is sporadic and there is no rhyme or reason it happens. This is definitely something that chevy should be forced to recall and fix because it definitely if a major safety issue. If you look up why is my 2013 chevy Malibu shutting off on the internet you will see that there definitely is a issue with this happening to others since it pops up right away telling you that it is a regularly searched topic. Please help. Thanks for your time.

Driving the vehicle it just shuts off, the will cause an accident driving down the road. It’s a major issue with shutting off an the ignition switch at that. I can’t drive it it’s parked. Along with the engine. My mechanic told me these are the troubles there should be a recall on these cars.

Under a slow acceleration doing highway speed say going up a incline the car will get a burning smell in the cabin its smell like burning electrical wireing so far now visible smoke.

No warm/hot air blowing to the front windshield to defrost during winter months. Hazard to drive especially in the winter months when I need to see out the window. Heater motor works. The heat also builds up inside behind the radio screen compartment causing the radio screen to turn off.

Gm reclassified a known safety defect affecting over 300,000 vehicles as a “special coverage campaign” instead of a recall. This has allowed them to deny timely repairs and loaner vehicles, leaving owners without safe transportation. I have been without my vehicle since August 2021. I began actively trying to repair it again in June 2025, and the dealer has had it for the past week with no resolution. Both benton Chevrolet and gwatney Chevrolet in arkansas have refused to coordinate a loaner despite gm’s ability to authorize one. My family is displaced, and this is a safety hazard. Gm case #75422001.

2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Consumer writes seeking reimbursement for vehicle repair.

Car is stuck in heat. Sometimes the controls come on by themselves and hard to turn off. Heat does not defrost the window it sometime make it worse and hard to see while driving. Was told that it is not the compressor but the wiring and programming of the control system. A recall for other years have been issued for similar issues. This is the third report filed.

2013 Malibu is shutting off on its own while driving, vehicle restarts on its own. This occurs randomly when driving down the road. Some times vehicle is turning, sometimes it is when the vehicle is going straight. This first happened about may 15, 2021. It happened 3 times may 22, 2021. Steering does not work while engine is off. This is a very dangerous. We noticed radio stops working. We took it to berger Chevrolet may 17,2021. They could not find a problem. They said a while guess would be to change the battery. We did not have battery changed.

My car was running in the drive when it died and would not restart. Everything went dead. I had to jump start it and after that the airbag light came on. The airbags will not deploy in the event of an accident with this light on. I took my car to a chevy dealer where I was charged $80. 00 to be told that the sdm airbag module needs replaced and estimated cost for this is $1100. 00. My car only has 108232 miles on it and to know that it could cost me either my families life or $1100. 00 everytime the battery dies is not a choice anyone should have to make. Airbags are supposed to be the most dependable part of a vehicle as it saves so many lives. How do I know if they are even working with the light off if it is this sensitive? I am afraid to drive the vehicle even if I get it fixed and since I just purchased the car recently I owe to much to try to buy anything else. How can part of the safety equipment fail so easily and not be on recall? what would have happened if it had died while I was driving down the road instead of in the driveway putting the car into gear? after leaving the dealership it now has a new code but I am afraid to drive it to find out what else is wrong.

I got a recall notice stating risk: rear toe link can cause loss of vehicle control and worse case of a risk.

I was driving the vehicle when I heard strange noises. I then heard a loud noise and the car barely would move. When I got out of the vehicle, I saw the wheel was slanted. It was towed to a aaa repair facility where they discovered it was a broken toe link that had rotted. When it broke, it also bent a bar in the rear. The inspector said the same was happening on the opposite side and needed to be repaired.

There is a recall(from gm) regarding rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating corrosion protection which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. This can reduce the ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Got a safety recall notice n202308930 on January 2021 and still no info about parts to repair. I have a kid about to drive from indiana to connecticut and I'm a little concerned.

The dash screen goes black and cuts power, disconnecting calls and blue tooth connection, and power steering. When this happens I am unable to turn the wheel. The wheel jerks back in place. This happens while the car is in motion. This has happened to me while on the freeway. It only cuts power for a few seconds and it comes back on but I am unable to control the car when this happens. I am also unable to move the steering wheel at all when this happens. This happened a few months back a few times and I contacted the dealership and they didnt know what to do with it because it wasnt happening at the time. It most recently happened yesterday on 12/10/2020. ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.

I came to a complete stop at a stop sign and my car shut off. I turned it back on and it drove. I was at a red light and my car started to stall and shut off. This has happened a few times. I was on a local street. I searched this up on gm website and quite a few people have had the same problems with no resolution.

Code p2097 (post catalyst fuel trim system too rich bank 1) kept popping up I went to a aaa certified shop and they ran tons of tests on the car and they found that this code is common on chevy Malibu�s, chevy came out with a guide to try and fix the code but doesn't guarantee it fixes the problem I got car fully inspected (fuel pressure, fuel ratio, mass air ratio etc) and got both oxygen sensors replaced and crankcase breather hose replaced about 5 miles after I leave the shop check engine light came back on and it's the same code. Chevy needs to address this common problem so many people are having.

While driving the car will shut down unexpectedly, causing a panic situation!.

Bought the vehicle from merchants auto in oct 2019 and within a week the car stalled to start. I called around Nov 2019 to set up an appt to have it fixed. They couldn't duplicate it so it couldn't be fixed. I went back on 2/15/20 and 5/29/20 and recently on 6/29/20. They still could not duplicate our call stalling and then shutting off when coming to a stop. We would have to give it gas mostly to start it up. Last time I took it there they were able to come up with $700 worth of charges that were out of warranty so I had to pass because we don't have $700 and plus this was starting when we bought the vehicle. I wondered why they couldnt have come up with the same conlusion the first time that I brought it in or the 2nd time and the lady said she didnt know. I called quirk Chevrolet to ask about recall 13142 and the person I spoke to , informed me that since my VIN # doesn't fall under that recall that it cant be replaced. The recall describes what is happening to our vehicle and I don't understand why I cant have it replaced with the recall that is listed for my car. This is a known issues for 2013 chevy Malibu and my car is not eco so it shouldn't be doing that at all. Our vehicle stalls at stop signs and stop lights. . We have to put it in park. . Restart the car and then drive. Or we have to put it in neutral to not let the engine fail. It happens only when we come to a stop or when it idles. It is a safety issue and I am getting the run around. No one is willing to help or can figure out what is going on. Driving back from maine yesterday and after a 5 hour drive we come to an exit and have to slow down if no stop and the car shuts off. This last happened on 7/5 around 5pm et.

My service engine light came on and my car has been jerking and has issues with accelerating. It acts like it wants to cut off but doesn't it just jerks repeatedly. I'm nervous to drive my car because I'm worried that it will cut off in traffic and cause an accident.

The 2013 Malibu continues to die when coming to a stop at a stop sign/light or at low rate of speed. This poses a major safety risk as when driving down the interstate and coming to a low speed the car will die and at times struggle to restart. This increases the chances of getting hit by moving vehicles. The car has been to a mechanic and confirmed that the car continues to die when coming to a stop or low speed but no engine codes show. This has been a known problem of the 2013 Malibu with no known fix.

While in the middle of traffic at a stop light the car shut completely off where my steering went out, the key was locked in the ignition and I had to get someone to help push the car into a parking lot for safety. The car has been jerking, will not pick up speed and if sitting at a stoplight too long, the car will shut off. When I put the car in reverse, the car either jerks or shuts off bu then starts back up.

I took it to the dealership and they can't figure out why it does that just shut down while you sit there in drive.

When I was parked I was rolling the windows with the car running and all the lights and car was cutting off. While I'm driving I lose power all my dash lights go out and while making a turn the steering wheel locks up to where I can not correct myself from turning so I have to stop in the middle of the street until the power comes back on.