2012 Chevrolet Malibu Airbags Problems

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

NHTSA ID

11725989

Incident

Mar 4, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11634893

Incident

Jan 8, 2025

Mileage

113,000 mi

The catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicle’s exhaust system, and their failure is believed to be contributing to hesitation and skipping during operation. Both components are available for inspection upon request. The hesitation and skipping reduce the vehicle’s responsiveness, creating a safety risk in traffic. This issue could hinder safe merging, overtaking, or maintaining consistent speeds. Additionally, malfunctioning exhaust components may lead to increased emissions and pose a risk of toxic gases entering the cabin if leaks are present. Check engine light displays. The problem has been confirmed by a professional auto mechanic during their inspection and diagnosis. The components have been inspected and diagnosed by an independent service center (the auto mechanic). They have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No warning lamps or error messages were displayed on the dashboard prior to the diagnosis. The symptoms, including hesitation and skipping, began approximately [insert timeline, e.g., two weeks ago] and have been recurring during normal driving, particularly during acceleration or at lower speeds.

NHTSA ID

11633324

Incident

Mar 8, 2022

The contact called on behalf of her daughter's boyfriend who was driving alongside her daughter in a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that her daughter's 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 contact vehicle began to spin out of control until it came to a stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was totaled. The air bags 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 driver's seat, and the contact's daughter seated in the rear passenger seat were both injured, and the infant in the rear driver's seat in a car seat was not harmed. No other individuals outside of the vehicle were injured. Medical treatment was needed for the daughter's boyfriend and the daughter. The boyfriend injured his nose on the steering wheel, and the daughter's shoulder was injured. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11626387

Incident

Nov 15, 2024

Mileage

100,000 mi

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)

NHTSA ID

11623319

Incident

Nov 2, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while a passenger was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light intermittently illuminated while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an inoperable passenger’s side air bag sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

NHTSA ID

11621232

Incident

Jul 1, 2023

Mileage

146,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11567700

Incident

Jan 24, 2024

POWER STEERING light shows on indicator panel sometimes without any problems steering. Sometimes it appears along with SERVICE ESC and some times power steering is lost. Turning the car off and back on usually resets the problem. It is extremley difficult to steer the car when this happens. It began intermittently about 3 years ago when a local mechanic looked at it but he couldn't find anything wrong. It's failing much more frequently (every other trip) now. It has about 62000 miles on it. So far, no accidents but a few close calls. Another problem is that the SERVICE AIR BAG indicator comes on when someone sits in the passenger seat and the car is started. It can be reset but it's an scary situation. I don't think this is related to the steering problem but not sure.

NHTSA ID

11566825

Incident

Jan 21, 2019

I just purchased this 2012 chevy malibu from someone used 184,000 miles decent condition. Air bag sensor keeps coming on and I'm not sure why, don't say which one. Headlights have a mind of their own and are already burnt out after just changing them. The stereo screen glitches, bad. The electric seats don't work. There's absolutely no working E brake. I think there's something wrong with the steering or maybe the u-joint or something. I'm about to look into the recalls on this car.

NHTSA ID

11458731

Incident

Mar 24, 2022

Service Air bag warning/notice displays at every vehicle start. Car has multiple air bags and I don't know which one(s) don't work now.

NHTSA ID

11455464

Incident

Aug 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while a passenger was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light would not illuminate. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the seat cushion pad needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11420410

Incident

May 24, 2021

Mileage

115,000 mi

Vehicle air bag service light activated. Vehicle checked by licensed mechanic and showed a code indicating a shortage in left airbag side. Exact location of short not yet identified.

NHTSA ID

11418408

Incident

May 24, 2021

TL* 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.

NHTSA ID

11390226

Incident

Jan 1, 2021

Mileage

100,000 mi

POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON AND MY STEERING WHEEL IS TWITCHING AND JERKING.

NHTSA ID

11388461

Incident

Jan 11, 2021

Mileage

180,000 mi

IN 2019, MY VEHICLE'S TAIL LIGHTS, BLINKERS, HEADLIGHTS, & INTERIOR LIGHTS WENT OUT. I BEGAN TO RECEIVE DASHBOARD NOTIFICATIONS FROM MY CAR ABOUT TRACTION CONTROL IN EARLY 2018 AND EARLIER THIS YEAR I STARTED RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS OF PROBLEMS WITH MY AIRBAGS. I BOUGHT NEW BULBS, BUT THAT DIDN'T SOLVE MY LIGHTING PROBLEMS. I TOOK MY CAR TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND WAS CHARGED/PAID A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO BE TOLD I NEEDED A NEW FUSE PANEL AND HEADLIGHT BULBS. I WAS TOLD THE PANEL WASN'T AVAILABLE DUE TO A STRIKE AT THE PLANT & TO COME BACK LATER TO HAVE THE PANEL INSTALLED. I RETURNED LATER TO BE TOLD THAT THE TECH DIDN'T RECORD HIS FINDINGS ON MY PROFILE SO NO ONE KNEW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE AND WAS ASKED TO PAY OUT MORE MONEY. THEREFORE, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DOCUMENTED THAT MY VEHICLE REQUIRED A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF WIRING WHICH INCLUDES, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM), BODY HARNESS, A NEW FUSE BLOCK, LABOR, ETC., THE PRICE TAG IS IN THE THOUSANDS. I CONDUCTED ONLINE RESEARCH AND LEARNED OF RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON MY PARTICULAR VIN ALTHOUGH THERE IS A RECALL ON THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF MY CAR AND THERE WAS NOTHING CHEVROLET COULD DO TO ASSIST ME. HOWEVER, FOR EVERY SINGLE ISSUE I AM EXPERIENCING WITH MY CAR THERE IS A RECALL FOR IT. I AM UNABLE TO DRIVE MY FINANCED VEHICLE DUE TO SAFETY HAZARDS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING TICKETED BY THE POLICE OR WORSE. I RECEIVED NOTICE FOR ONE RECALL AFTER PURCHASING MY CAR AND THAT WAS FOR A SEAT BELT. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING 13036 IS THE BCM CHEVY RECALL NUMBER. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF MORE INFORMATION IS NEEDED.

NHTSA ID

11354148

Incident

Apr 20, 2020

I TURNED MY CAR ON THIS MORNING AFTER SITTING ALL NIGHT AND THE DASHBOARD SAID SERVICE AIR BAG. IT WAS HUMID AND HOT THE PAST FEW DAYS. I LOOKED UP ISSUES WITH 2012 CHEVY MALIBU'S AIR BAGS, THERE ARE RECALLS FOR THEM BUT NOT FOR MY VIN. MY CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN ANY ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ID

11350874

Incident

Aug 24, 2020

Mileage

122,500 mi

SINCE BUYING THIS VEHICLE, I'VE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE BRAKES, AIRBAG SENSORS, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, SEATBELT ISSUES AND ALSO THE AIRBAG LIGHT, HAD A MECHANIC REPLACE THE AIRBAG SENSORS IN THE REAR, BUT THE LIGHT STILL COMES ON. THE BRAKES ARE NOW SHUTTERING WORSE WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES AND IT FEELS LIKE THE WHEELS ARE GOING TO FALL APART. *TR

NHTSA ID

11329120

Incident

Apr 6, 2018

Mileage

120,000 mi

SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT ON ALL THE TIME CAR WAS IN PARK WHEN IT FIRST APPEAR

NHTSA ID

11290752

Incident

Dec 19, 2019

Mileage

49,000 mi

I BOUGHT MY 2012 MALIBU ABOUT 2YEARS AGO AND AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRATION I STARTED HAVING CODES SAYING TO SERVICE AIR BAGS BUT THE CODES WON'T STAY CONSTANT AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY FOR SOME ODD REASON. ON TOP OF THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE HEAD LIGHT HAS BEEN CHANGED 5 TIME IN LESS THEN A YEAR AND A HALF AND ONCE AGAIN NO ONE KNOWS WHY. I'M NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH CONSTANT ISSUES THE MANUFACTURER NEEDS TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR FAULTY EQUIPMENT

NHTSA ID

11276868

Incident

Oct 29, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V224000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT CALLED APPLE CHEVROLET (8585 W 159TH ST, TINLEY PARK, IL 60487, 708-429-3000) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11268969

Incident

Jun 15, 2019

Mileage

130,000 mi

WHEN TURNING ON THE CAR AND WHEN DRIVING A MESSAGE COMES UP SAYING "SERVICE AIR BAG". THE CLOCK TURNS TO MILITARY TIME WITHOUT US CHANGING IT. SEAT BELTS SIGN COMES WHEN SEAT BELTS ARE BEING USED. POOR PERFORMANCE.

NHTSA ID

11244460

Incident

Jun 1, 2019

Mileage

50,000 mi

ANTITHEFT SYSTEM IS CAUSING MY CAR NOT TO START. I HAVE CONTACT GM THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO HELP. I RESEARCH ONLINE LINE WHERE CHEVROLET KNOWS ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT WANT CUSTOMER TO FIX THE PROBLEM THEMSELVES. I WAS STRANDED FOR 4 HOURS IN THE HOUSTON HEAT WITH MY KIDS. THE CAR WILL STOP IN TRAFFIC AS WELL

NHTSA ID

11243397

Incident

Jul 23, 2019

MY CAR WOULDN'T CRANK THEN IT WOULD CRANK. TILL I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND IT JUST DIED ON ME GOING AROUND A CURVE LOST CONTROL OF STEERING AND BRAKES THANK GOD I DIDN'T WRECK SO I GOT IN LINE AND RESEARCHED AND COME TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH FUEL PUMP RELAY CONNECTION TO FUEL PUMP RELAY BOX. THE WIRES AWARE TOO LITTLE VOLTAGE FOR THE FUEL PUMP AND BURNT WIRES TO FUEL PUMP RELAY BOX. I SEE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON SAME CAR AS LINE. SO I'M FILING A COMPLAINT CUASE THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID

11233418

Incident

Jul 16, 2019

AIR BAGS LIGHT KEEP COMING ON HAD A RECALL TO HAVE IT REPLACE BEFORE BUT LIGHT CAME BACK ON

NHTSA ID

11230980

Incident

Jul 11, 2019

I WAS IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND WAS BIT ON THE DRIVER SIDE. THE IMPACT PUSHED IN THE DOORS AND THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS TRAVELING APPROX 30 MPH AND THE CAR RAN A STOP SIGN ON A CITY STREET.

NHTSA ID

11209217

Incident

May 20, 2019

Mileage

165,000 mi