Air Bag Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

Driver going 60+ mph hit metal guardrail, spun and slammed into concrete side of bridge. No airbags deployed.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

My airbag warning light and notification have came on and sometimes seat belt lights come on unexpectedly and will not go off I feel like this is a safety issue.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I haven’t been in an accident or even tapped anything with my vehicle but a system warning stating the airbags may be malfunctioning continuously flashed on the driver dashboard and now my “check engine” warning light is continuously lit.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

On December 24, 2025, the contact's 2023 Chevrolet Malibu was involved in a severe side-impact collision. The vehicle was struck on the rear passenger side by a full-size pickup truck traveling at high speed (est. 60 mph) that failed to stop at a red light. The impact caused the contact's vehicle to spin approximately 180 degrees and strike a concrete median sideways, generating high lateral g-forces. Failure 1: airbag non-deployment. Despite the severity of the impact and the violent spin into a curb (rollover trip point), the side curtain airbags and front seat-mounted side impact airbags failed to deploy. The failure of the restraint system caused the driver to be thrown against the driver-side door structure, striking their head on the window and b-pillar. The driver sustained a concussion, cervical strain, and lumbar strain. Medical records confirm the injuries are consistent with impact against the vehicle interior due to non-deployment. Failure 2: emergency telematics malfunction. Immediately post-collision, the driver attempted to manually activate the onstar/sos emergency buttons. The system failed to connect to an advisor. Instead, the vehicle's infotainment screen malfunctioned, opening a voice-to-text transcription application. The system then bypassed the vehicle's internal telematics module and attempted to route the emergency call to the owner's personal cell phone, indicating a complete failure of the vehicle's emergency communication hardware. This resulted in a 34-minute delay in coordinating professional assistance. Contact notes; while this vehicle currently shows 0 open recalls, the failure mechanism (sensor non-response during side impact) mimics the defect described in NHTSA campaign 22v923000 (gm recall n222392300), where improper welding of the front impact bar causes crash sensors to fail. The vehicle is available for inspection. Police and medical reports confirm the incident details. No warning lights were illuminated prior to crash.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owned a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving down the road at 35 mph, he switched lanes into a blind spot and was t-boned by another vehicle traveling at the same speed. The contact stated the impact occurred on the driver's side, left front, and passenger doors, which caused the vehicle to spin out. The contact stated the passenger side then struck a light pole during the spin. The contact stated the driver's side windows were broken, and the entire passenger side of the vehicle was smashed. The contact stated that not a single air bag deployed during either impact. The contact stated no warning lights appeared on the dashboard prior to or during the incident. The contact stated a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was later moved to a body shop, where it was declared totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

When I was in a car accident I was hit on the rear passenger side of my vehicle, right near where my side air bags are supposed to be located. I was hit at 50 mph and the airbags did not deploy.

Urgent complaint: no response to demand for rescission - odometer fraud, deceptive practices - banner Ford of monroe, la.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 30-35 mph, another vehicle collided with her vehicle on the rear end of the vehicle as well as the rear passenger side. The contact mentioned that the seat belt did retract during the impact. The air bags on the front driver and passenger sides deployed partially. The vehicle was still drivable. The insurance company informed the contact that they are waiting for a response from the auto body shop.  the vehicle was not deemed a total loss.  the contact stated she did not sustain any injuries. No medical attention. A police report was filed, however the police report was unknown. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.

Was in a bad wreck, other drivers car deployed airbags, mine did not but engine shut off and hazards stayed on. Crash was about 30 miles an hour or so at impact.

Service airbag light goes on and off. Also passenger air bag keeps turning on and off.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

My instrument cluster is failing.

To whom it may concern, I am writing to report a serious issue concerning the recall history of my vehicle and to request an investigation into what appears to be unresolved and inaccurately closed recalls. Vehicle information: •make/model/year: 2018 chevy Malibu hybrid •date of purchase: 2018 (I have been the sole owner since) several safety recalls were previously listed for my vehicle on your website and through the manufacturer, but I recently checked again and now it states there are zero open recalls. I have never had these recalls repaired, and no dealership has performed or contacted me regarding these repairs. Furthermore, my vehicle is currently displaying check engine lights related to the same issues previously associated with the recalls. This suggests the issues were never addressed, yet they no longer appear in the recall system. I am concerned that: •these recalls may have been falsely marked as “completed” •there may be an internal data error causing safety risks to be hidden •I am being denied free repairs due to incorrect closure of these recalls please investigate this matter as I believe it affects not only my vehicle but possibly others. I can provide any documents, error codes, or additional details upon request. Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent safety concern. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving down the highway when the passenger side curtain airbags deployed for no reason. Air bag deployment stunned the driver, but fortunately did not cause accident.

See all problems of the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

My vehicle is experiencing a sudden loss of power steering assist.

See all problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I brought in my used vehicle to the dealership the same dealership that I purchased my car from due to another issue I was having with the car. Upon inspection from the dealership a diagnostic test was done on the vehicle, the dealership gave me a invoice stating "airbag malfunction needs the airbag on horn". I purchased this used vehicle from this dealership 4-4-25,. 6-10-25 I returned for the issue I was having and the dealership gave me this invoice with the information concerning the airbag. Yes it is available for inspection. My safety is in jeopardy if no airbag deploys for the driver if im in any type of accident. I was not made aware by the dealership of not having a airbag. No the vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance representative. No, there was no warning lamps, messages before finding out this information at the dealership . I did receive a acknowledgement of vehicle accident history stating " this vehicle is a used vehicle that has had prior structural body repair work, indicating that the vehicle has previously been in an accident. " no further information. I have no information as towhen this accident took place.

Steering locks while driving.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Service air bag notification is on. Which is a safety issue.

Service airbag.

The service notification for my airbag was coming on. I took it to a mechanic and they said the module under the passenger seat could be broken. They said to take it to the dealer because other 2017 Chevrolet Malibus have this issue and were recalled. My VIN doesn’t have a recall associated with it, but has the exact issue that the other Malibus with recalls do. I brought it to the dealer and they said it was not included in a recall, but are now charging me full price to get a new module under the seat.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the air bag warning illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and dtc: b101d – (air bag module failure) was retrieved. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 55 mph, the temperature gauge began to indicate the vehicle was overheating after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket; resulting in damage to the engine, and abs control module resulting in the air bag warning light. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who again diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket. The vehicle was repaired, but again the failure occurred for the third time. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving on an off-ramp at 20 mph, he rear-ended the vehicle in front where it was brought to a stop. No air bags were deployed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local collision repair center and informed that the air bags should have deployed due to the frame being braced however, an unknown component was not welded. The vehicle was repaired. No police report was filed. The contact stated that her son was the only individual in the vehicle during the crash and was not injured. The driver of the other vehicle was injured. However, the contact was unaware of the injury sustained and required medical attention. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the caller to the NHTSA hotline to be added to a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact called on behalf of her daughters boyfriend whom was driving alongside her daughter in a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that her daughters boyfriend, her daughter, and her infant grandchild were involved in a crash. The contact stated that her daughters boyfriend was driving on the highway at approximately 75 mph in the left lane, when a tractor trailer in the right lane veered into their lane and the rear end of the tractor trailer clipped the front end of their vehicle. The contacts vehicle began to spin out of control until it came to a stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was totaled. The airbags were not deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the crash. A police report was filed. The boyfriend seated in the drivers seat, the contacts daughter seated in the rear passenger seat were both injured, the infant in the rear drivers seat was not harmed due to the child seat. Nobody outside of the vehicle was injured. Medical treatment was needed for the daughters boyfriend and the daughter. The boyfriend busted his nose on steering wheel, and the daughter shoulder was injured. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

On [xxx], as I was leaving softball tournament in poway CA with my kiddos about 6 minutes into driving a message popped up on my dash "eng pwr reduced & service traction", I lost power to accelerate, I pulled over just before getting on the [xxx] freeway, turned car off and thought car would reset which it didn't. I was stranded with my kiddos. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Connector for airbags sensor wiring has a problem which is address in general motors document recall 13040a dated April 2014. There is a warning on the dash about the airbags not operational. We have never been contacted by general motors about this problem, but other Chevrolet Malibu owners are have the same problem.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the contact's daughter was driving at 65 mph, the contact's daughter was run off the road by another vehicle. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the vehicle was forced to crash into the guard rail. The contact's daughter was knocked unconscious and sustained a concussion due to hitting her head on the driver's door glass. The contact's daughter was transported to the local medical center. The contact stated that a police report was not filed because it was a single vehicle crash. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned total loss. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was 94,073.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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).

I was driving and lost power randomly it came back in less than a minute but just lost power could certainly cause an accident. . . And the service airbag light is on and seemingly has the same issues as the 2010 Malibu maxx which was recalled and replaced free of charge and frankly I don't have the 1200 $ to make sure it doesn't kill me I'm not sure why with as many 2007s that this is an issue in why it isn't recalled. . .

See all problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

My airbag light comes on intermittently and will show a passenger is not in my front seat when they are. I took my car to the dealer and they got a current and past code b0074 for the passenger presence module. There was a recall (18208) for this on certain 2016 Malibus but my VIN was not included.

My car randomly shuts off when but still says it’s on at a stop light which causes a lot of problems because I have to push the start button to turn off and turn on again. Something is wrong with the wiring, in order for me to turn my car off I have to unplug my battery otherwise my car safety alarm will activate and hazard lights will go off and trunk will open. Which also cause my horn to go out. Everytime I turn my car on it says service esc which I have no clue what that means and have asked multiple people . My air bag service light is on and it has no reason to be on as my car has not had any problems with my airbags. My car automatically brake while on the highway going 75 when a car swerved into my lane ahead of me and the hard activated the abs which caused my car to swerve uncontrollably and almost caused my car to flip.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag light was illuminated and there was a message displayed "service air bag". The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.

Unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the garage after two weeks, he started the vehicle and reversed onto the driveway. The driver's side and passenger's side air bags deployed without impact or warning. There were no reported injuries. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

Air bag disabled light came on got the code checked the connector for the air bag on the drivers side either came disconnected or is defective and it disabled all my air bags.

Air bag warning light stays on and will not reset. Driver power seat controls buttons out of plastic control cover and jammed in metal part of seat. Can not get seat control unjammed and no way to adjust driver seat.