Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 56 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 56, in the owner's own words
Vehicle will intermittently not start, have to tap on trunk fuse box to get the Malibu to start, the wire is too small and burns up, can’t find anyone to replace it, is a big issue with this generation of Malibu. Vehicle has shut off while on highways and stoplights on MULTIPLE occasions
I’m having recalled issues in my car, but the car has no recall on it
Vehicle has intermittent periods where it won’t start. After replacing fuel pump relay it started after a week vehicle stalled while driving tested relay worked perfect after reading online forums found that this model car has an issue with the wiring to the fuse/fuse block in the trunk after pulling the fuse block out the wiring to the block is loose and very thin after adjusting the wires the car will start and run with no issues for several days to week where it will be fine the the wires will come lose again causing a crank. I start issue and stalling while driving.
Vehicle repeatedly shuts down due to wiring issue for fuel pump. Wire in rear fuse panel (in trunk) shows signs of overheating (discoloration). Vehicle shuts down without warning while driving. This causes an unsafe condition especially when travelling on busy roadways and highways. This seems to be a common problem with this model and year.
To Whom It May Concern: My 2012 Chevrolet Malibu LS HASN'T been involved in an accident but I feel it necessary to report it! Due to issues involving my electrical system and other components of the vehicle that aren't working properly, the vehicle is inoperable! Beginning in April 2022, I have experienced issues with the vehicle starting (one day it will start and drive normally, another day it might not). Then it started stalling unexpectedly. Granted, I've had the car 10 years but I've never had these problems! It's been serviced and the problems still exist! These problems could easily cause an accident; I'm grateful I've been spared from tragedy! These issues need to be addressed and I'd greatly appreciate hearing from NHTSA!
I had been out running errands and I picked my mother up from church. Pulled up to the stoplight, light turned green, I pressed the gas pedal and nothing. I'm sitting at a major intersection and my car won't move I just put the pedal to the floor and my car creeped forward. Which if someone had been coming up behind me that wasn't stopped just driving up, I mean that could have been a very serious accident probably involving more than just my vehicle and the person behind me. The error codes that showed up on it after a reading was done (mind you there were no warning lights, there was nothing indicating a problem, there was no hint that there was a problem, an engine light came on AFTER the fact. ) the p0207 faulty fuel injector 7 and a p1607 serial communication problem with Device 7 and a p0700 transmission control system malfunction. In looking this up online there have been a lot of people who've had the same problem that have posted online. And there's a great many more posting in different places online and many that are not posting anything online about it. It's common and I would say a very common problem for owners of the Chevy Malibu.
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
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
CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE DRIVING POSING HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS.
VEHICLE IS STALLING OUT WHILE DRIVING, THEN WHEN SHUTS OFF IT WILL NOT START BACK UP. FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED, WORKED GREAT FOR 1 WHOLE DAY THEN DID THE SAME THING, LEFT ME STRANDED. FUSE BOX WAS THEN REPLACED. RAN GREAT AGAIN UNTIL RECENTLY IT STALLED OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF A VERY BUSY STREET CAUSING ME TO ALMOST BE HIT. PINS IN THE FUSE BOX WERE REPLACED, BUT I'M STILL HAVING ISSUES, IT SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE FUSEBOX WIRING ITSELF, BECAUSE I'M ALSO HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THINGS RAN OFF OF THAT FUSE BOX! THIS GETTING RIDICULOUS I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR 4 MONTHS AND IT'S BEEN THE WORST CAR YET I'VE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE LEAVE ME STRANDED. IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED
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 A LOT 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*DT*JB
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
CAR WOULD RANDOMLY NOT START UP. STARTER WOULD ENGAGE WITH KEY TURNED, BUT ENGINE WOULD NOT FIRE OFF AND RUN. NO CODES FROM DIAGNOSTICS. NEVER HEARD FUEL PUMP ENERGIZE WITH PROBLEM PRESENT. CAR WOULD EVENTUALLY SUCCESSFULLY START. BENCH TESTED FUEL PUMP RELAY WITH NO ISSUES. DISASSEMBLED FUSE BOX IN TRUNK AND FOUND THE BROWN WIRE CONNECTING THE FUEL PUMP TO ITS RELAY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HEAT STRESSED. THE BLACK PLASTIC WIRE HARNESS THAT HOUSES THE BROWN FUEL PUMP WIRE WAS ALSO STRESSED AND DEFORMED, AND WAS NO LONGER RETAINING THE CRIMPED CONNECTOR FOR THE BROWN WIRE. I HAD TO CLEAN UP THE METAL CRIMP CONNECTOR AND PINCH DOWN ON THE END SO THAT IT WOULD "GRAB" THE RELAY TERMINAL ONCE REASSEMBLED. CAR HAS YET TO REPEAT THE STARTING PROBLEM A YEAR LATER.
I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED AND 2 WEEKS AFTER I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC FROM WORK BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T START. MECHANIC SAID IT WAS FUEL PUMP SO HE REPLACED IT $685 AND THE TOW WAS $125. DROVE IT HOME AND THE NEXT DAY WENT OUT TO START IT BEFORE WORK AND WOULDN'T START BUT HAD CRANK. CALLED MECHANIC HE HAD IT TOWED BACK TO HIS SHOP, CLEANED THE FUSE BOX IN THE TRUNK AND SAID THE BROWN WIRE WAS LOOSE. STARTED UP THE NEXT DAY BUT THE FOLLOWING DAY IT STALLED ON ME WHILE ME AND MY SON WAS ON OUR WAY TO GET SOMETHING TO EAT AND I HIT THE BOX IN THE TRUNK AND IT STARTED. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS IS NOT A RECALL YET FROM HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE WENT THROUGH THIS ELECTRICAL WIRING ISSUE. THIS WAS ALL ON CITY STREETS. HOW MANY TIMES AM I GOING TO HAVE TO BEAT ON THIS BOX TO GET IT STARTED AND HOW LONG WILL THAT LAST? THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
THE CAR SEEMS TO RUN FINE ONCE IT STARTS. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING IT TO START. SOMETIMES THE CAR STARTS WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS AND THEN SOMETIMES IT WON'T. IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED MULTIPLE TIMES. WE REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, WHICH SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN THE SAME THING STARTED TO HAPPEN. WE REPLACED A COUPLE OF FUSES. AGAIN THIS SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW DAYS AND THEN THE SAME THING STARTED TO HAPPEN. MY HUSBAND AND I NOTICED THAT THERE IS SOME WIRING THAT IS ALWAYS HOT LEADING FROM THE FUSE BOX TO THE FUEL PUMP. BASICALLY WE BELIEVE THAT CHEVROLET USED CHEAP CRAPPY THIN WIRING. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CAR WON'T START. WE DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND IT SEEMS THAT EVERYONE WHO OWNS A 2012 CHEVY MALIBU HAS HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM THAT HAS COST CONSUMERS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. WE HAVE ALWAYS OWNED A CHEVY AND THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE THAT WE HAVE EVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH. WE ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SWITCHING TO TOYOTA OR NISSAN SINCE CHEVROLET HAS BEEN RECEIVING COMPLAINTS AND THUS FAR HAS CHOSEN NOT TO DO ANYTHING. CHEVROLET MANUFACTURED THE 2012 CHEVY MALIBU AND WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE FUSE BOX, FUEL PUMP, AND THE WIRING. ONE OF THESE DAYS, THE CAR IS GOING TO CATCH FIRE BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY SYSTEM. IT IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING TO SEE ALL OF THESE CHEVY MALIBU OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE AND CHEVROLET DOES NOTHING. WE NEVER KNOW IF THE CAR IS GOING TO START; IT'S LITERALLY A GUESSING GAME. SOMETIMES WE TAP THE FUSE BOX, SOMETIMES WE KICK THE SIDE OF THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR, AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO SIT AND WAIT 15 MINUTES AND THEN THE CAR WILL START. CHEVROLET NEEDS TO HAVE A RECALL AND FIX THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE 2012 CHEVY MALIBU. EVENTUALLY THE WIRING IS GOING TO CATCH FIRE.
164,00 MILES. TEMP 34 F. DROVE CAR 3 MILES AND STOPPED AT INTERSECTION. PUT SIGNAL ON AND ATTEMPTED LEFT TURN. STEERING BECAME LOCKED. BREAK AND ACCELERATOR WENT TO LOWEST POSITION NEAREST FLOOR. ENGINE STAYED ON BUT CAR WOULD NOT MOVE EVEN AFTER LIFTED FOOT OFF BREAK AND ATTEMPTED TO PUSH ACCELERATOR. . PUT IN PARK. STOPPED ENGINE. RESTARTED. NO CHANGE AFTER START. AGAIN PUT IN PARK PUSHED ON BREAK TURNED IGNITION IT STARTED. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE AND STEERING BACK TO NORMAL. NO NOTICEABLE PROBLEM AFTER THAT.
MY CAR DIES WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. ELECTRICAL PROBLEM TO THE FUEL PUMP
GOT THE CAR FEW MONTHS AGO , CAR ONE DAY WOULDN'T START COULDN'T FIGURE OUT FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT, THE FUSE BOX IN MY TRUCK I CAN HIT IT AND THEN MY CAR STARTED JUST FINE IT HAPPENS ALOT TO WHERE I GOTTA HIT THE FUSE BOX IN MY TRUCK TO GET MY CAR STARTED THOUGHT IT WAS THE CRANK SENSOR BUT NOPE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FUSE BOX IN THE TRUCK & ALSO HEARD IT'S THE FUEL PUMP RELAY.
I HAVE A 2012 CHEVY MALIBU LT AND AT RANDOM TIMES THE CAR WILL SHUT DOWN, WHILE DRIVING, WHILE BEING STATIONARY, AND SOMETIMES IT DON'T EVEN START WHEN IT'S BEEN OFF I TOOK IT TO MULTIPLE MECHANICS AND THEY COULDN'T DETECT ANY CODES OR SEEM TO FIND THE PROBLEM THEY CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP, THE FUEL PUMP RELAY, THE FUSE, THE ECM STARTER IGNITION COIL, BATTERY, ALTERNATOR AND THE CAR STILL DOESN'T START RANDOMLY I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR TO THE ON POSITION THEN OFF MORE THAN 30 TIMES AND WAIT UNTIL I HEAR THE FUEL PUMP ACTIVATE THEN I KNOW IT WILL START I HAVE HAD THE CAR CUT OFF ON ME ON THE FREEWAY, IN THE MIDDLE OF MALIK A TURN ON BUSY STREETS I'VE BEEN OUT AT FAMILY EVENTS AND WHEN I TRIED TO GO HOME THE CAR WOULDN'T START I NEED HELP
MY CAR WILL RANDOMLY NOT START. I HAVE BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BATTERY. THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. A WEEK LATER, MY GEAR SHIFT WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAD TO STAY IN MY VEHICLE AND MISS AN APPOINTMENT BECAUSE OF THIS. I COULDN'T GET IT TO MOVE FROM DRIVE TO PARK. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES AND 30 MINUTES, IT FINALLY MOVED. IT'S GOTTEN STUCK A FEW TIMES TRYING TO MOVE IT FROM PARK TO DRIVE AS WELL. AND WHEN I'M DRIVING, THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY ILLUMINATE AND WIPERS WON'T WORK. I WAS DRIVING WHEN IT WAS POURING RAIN AND THE WIPERS WOULDN'T TURN ON WITH ALL EMERGENCY LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AS WELL. THIS CAN HAPPEN ANYTIME I'M ON A CITY STREET GOING FROM 25 TO 45 MPH. I HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED SEVERAL TIMES TO DIFFERENT SHOPS AND THEY CAN'T TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG.
MY CAR WON'T TURN OVER AFTER I TURN IT OFF SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES IT WILL BE MOST OTHER TIMES IT DOESN'T. THE BATTERY IS NEW, SPARK PLUGS ARE NEW, SENSORS ARE NEW. STARTER ISN'T THE PROBLEM. DON'T KNOW WHAT IT COULD BE? IT WAS STATIONARY WHEN THIS HAPPENS, WHEN I TRY TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON.
WAS DRIVING AND MY CAR STOPPED ACCELERATING. I PUSHED ON THE GAS AND IT WOULD NOT GO. I WAS ON THE FREE WAY AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. ALSO CAR WOULD NO LONGER START AFTER STOPPED. WOULD ACT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO START AND DOES NOT. I'VE HAD SEVERAL TOES WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE VEHICLE. A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN.
CAR WOULD TURN OVER BUT NOT CRANK. GO BACK A LITTLE LATER AND IT CRANK FINE. AFTER THIS HAPPENING SEVERAL TIMES HAD SOMEONE TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND THERE WAS NO CODES AND THE CAR WOULD CRANK FINE SO COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. THEN WHEN I WAS OUT SOMEWHERE IT WOULD CRANK AND RUN SLUGGISH AND GO DEAD AND AFTER A WHILE IT WOULD CRANK AND RUN. GOT TO RESEARCHING IT AND PEOPLE HAVING SAME PROBLEM. SAID THAT YOU COULD WIGGLE FUEL PUMP RELAY AND IT WOULD CRANK. SURE ENOUGH TRIED THIS AND IT WORKED. I'M PRETTY SURE THIS IS SAME PROBLEM. AND ALSO IF YOU HAD BEEN RUNNING THE CAR AND IT WOULDNT CRANK THE FUEL PUMP RELAY WILL BE HOT WHICH SUGGEST THE WIRING AND OR FUSE BOX IS PROBLEM. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT REPLACING FUEL PUMP , FUSE BOX , AND CHEAP LOW GAUGE WIRING FROM FUEL PUMP TO FUSE BOX. NOW I'M TAKING TO MECHANIC TO TRY TO GET THIS FIXED BEFORE IT CATCHES FIRE AND SOMEONE GETS HURT . TRY TO GET FIXED AND BUY A HONDA OR ANYTHING EXCEPT GM.
THE ECS LIGHT CAME ON AND SHUT MY CAR OFF. THE CHROME DEALER SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO ABOUT IT BUT PURCHASE ANOUTHER CAR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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