2012 Chevrolet Malibu Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 101 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 11% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 67,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (50% of reports).
- 101air bags complaints
- 67,000median miles at failure
- 28mention a crash
- 18mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 28%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 50 of 101 complaints (50%)
- Bags failed: mentioned in 8 of 101 complaints (8%)
- Medical attention: mentioned in 7 of 101 complaints (7%)
- Seat belts: mentioned in 7 of 101 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 75 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 101 complaints, 28 mention a crash, 18 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Malibu | 7 | 10% | 29,000 |
| 2022 Malibu | 4 | 4% | 90,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 6 | 7% | — |
| 2020 Malibu | 4 | 2% | 78,537 |
| 2019 Malibu | 6 | 3% | 21,898 |
| 2018 Malibu | 14 | 2% | 22,494 |
| 2017 Malibu | 14 | 2% | 55,000 |
| 2016 Malibu | 18 | 2% | 45,000 |
| 2015 Malibu | 49 | 18% | 48,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 16 | 5% | 74,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 59 | 7% | 74,863 |
| 2012 Malibu | 101 | 11% | 67,000 |
| 2011 Malibu | 93 | 10% | 60,822 |
| 2010 Malibu | 144 | 11% | 55,000 |
| 2009 Malibu | 62 | 4% | 71,500 |
| 2008 Malibu | 64 | 6% | 85,000 |
| 2007 Malibu | 75 | 8% | 97,000 |
| 2006 Malibu | 33 | 3% | 114,690 |
| 2005 Malibu | 25 | 3% | 121,000 |
| 2004 Malibu | 26 | 2% | 95,500 |
| 2003 Malibu | 27 | 5% | 93,000 |
| 2002 Malibu | 18 | 3% | 103,000 |
| 2001 Malibu | 21 | 3% | 116,750 |
| 2000 Malibu | 31 | 3% | 110,000 |
| 1999 Malibu | 40 | 5% | 132,681 |
| 1998 Malibu | 40 | 4% | 88,500 |
| 1997 Malibu | 25 | 6% | 91,751 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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
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 catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicleâs 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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Chevrolet Malibus have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 101 owner complaints about air bags for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu (11% of the 907 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 67,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 50 of 101 complaints, followed by “bags failed” (8).
Other 2012 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2012 Chevrolet Malibu problems or air bags problems across all Malibu years.