2012 Chevrolet MALIBU - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2012 Chevrolet Malibu has received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5, indicating above-average safety features and crash test results. In specific crash test categories, it has scored well with a 5-star rating for the overall side crash rating, side crash passenger side rating, and side pole crash rating. The front crash driver side rating is also high at 5 stars. Additionally, the Malibu comes equipped with electronic stability control, which is a key safety feature that helps prevent skidding and loss of control.

Unfortunately, this model does not feature forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems. In terms of complaints and recalls, there have been 858 complaints reported and 3 recalls issued for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. It's important for potential buyers to consider these factors alongside the safety ratings when evaluating this vehicle for purchase.

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Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

858

Recall Count

3

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

4/5

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Safety Features

2012 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2012 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 4 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 5 5 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 3 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 4 4 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated 4 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 4 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2012 Score 2024 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2012 Chevrolet MALIBU

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the low-beam headlights failed to properly illuminate the roadway. there was no warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where both headlights were replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the mechanic on two other occasions, where both headlights were replaced. after the repair, the contact stated that she became aware that the passenger’s side headlight again failed to properly illuminate. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 99,000."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2023-05-07
Complaint:
"right (passenger side) lo beam headlight continues to go out. you must remove the bumper to change headlamps, so, time consuming and expensive labor. i have changed this bulb 4 times just for it to go out within a couple hours. there is an entire forum of this same complaint. when you make a large purchase such as a vehicle, you should be assured that you can use your vehicle as intended without the stress and worry of malfunctions that can lead to costly tickets."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2022-12-03
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, his headlights would intermittently fail to operate as needed without warning. the contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics and has had multiple headlight bulb replacements; however, the failure still persisted after each repair. the dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to diagnose the cause of the failure. the vehicle had yet to be repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 140,000."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2020-01-02
Complaint:
"headlights (low beam)keep going out. bulbs have been changed repeatedly but immediately go out. sometimes it will go on when i drive over a bump but will be out next time i start my car. researching message boards this is a known issue with this model."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2017-01-09
Complaint:
"i have changed my passenger headlight 3 times and pigtail once and it still keeps going out called chevy they know its a common problem but can't do anything about it unless i pay not fair to the consumer"
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2021-04-03
Complaint:
"my low beam headlights keep going out even after i change them. the driver side has been changed 3 times, everytime it went out immediately afterwards. this last time it went out within two hours after changing it. it doesn't help that i have to do take the entire bumper off to change the headlight; not making it the easiest task."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2021-08-12
Complaint:
"i've been seeing many complaints about headlight failure.low beam headlight on the right side ...plus you have to take off the front trim panel to access the bulb. very bad design."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2020-10-12
Complaint:
"the brake lights stay on while driving or they will not come on while stopping then the service esc comes on along with service traction light it happens while driving at random times not always an issue there was a recall performed on vehicle in the past for same issue but now can't get service ţo relook at that problem because it doesn't come back brake lamp malfunction comes back brake apply sensor had replaced same issue 2 hours later"
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2020-01-12
Complaint:
"i've replaced low beam headlight bulbs 4 times (3 on passenger side) the past 13 months; the high beams 3 times (2 on passenger side). had to run on high beams only for approx 2 months cause both low beams went out a couple of months after replacing them. been buying the higher end bulbs and been careful to not touch them. had to replace yet other bulb tonight cause high beam went out. replaced 1 high beam and 2 low beams and the passenger side low beam went out on the way home about 15 miles."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2020-06-11
Complaint:
"the passenger side low beam light keeps going out. i've changed it 4 times in less than 2 years."
Components Involved: EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Date of incident: 2021-03-10

Recalls for the 2012 Chevrolet MALIBU

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"general motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 chevrolet malibu vehicles manufactured april 8, 2010, to october 11, 2012. in the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. this repeated bending may result in the cable breaking."
Consequence:
If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the outboard lap anchor mounting bracket and inspect the flexible steel cable, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 16, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15031.

Component(s) Involved: SEAT BELTS
Date of incident: 2015-05-08

CHEVROLET Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

CHEVROLET ranks 2 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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