2012 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 202 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 99,750 miles. The words owners use most often: “low beam” (41% of reports).
- 202exterior lighting complaints
- 99,750median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 41%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.
- Low beam: mentioned in 83 of 202 complaints (41%)
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 21 of 202 complaints (10%)
- Keeps going: mentioned in 20 of 202 complaints (10%)
- Side headlight: mentioned in 14 of 202 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 118 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 202 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 6 a fire, 2 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Malibu | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2022 Malibu | 2 | 2% | 1,900 |
| 2020 Malibu | 1 | 1% | 61,000 |
| 2019 Malibu | 4 | 2% | 16,180 |
| 2018 Malibu | 9 | 1% | 800 |
| 2017 Malibu | 21 | 3% | 51,888 |
| 2016 Malibu | 19 | 2% | 41,500 |
| 2015 Malibu | 4 | 1% | 39,346 |
| 2014 Malibu | 5 | 1% | 35,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 28 | 3% | 70,000 |
| 2012 Malibu | 202 | 22% | 99,750 |
| 2011 Malibu | 130 | 13% | 103,000 |
| 2010 Malibu | 194 | 14% | 96,573 |
| 2009 Malibu | 172 | 11% | 94,236 |
| 2008 Malibu | 106 | 11% | 90,000 |
| 2007 Malibu | 29 | 3% | 105,000 |
| 2006 Malibu | 63 | 6% | 72,759 |
| 2005 Malibu | 153 | 16% | 76,500 |
| 2004 Malibu | 84 | 7% | 66,000 |
| 2003 Malibu | 28 | 5% | 80,000 |
| 2002 Malibu | 143 | 25% | 61,000 |
| 2001 Malibu | 108 | 15% | 63,600 |
| 2000 Malibu | 241 | 26% | 67,000 |
| 1999 Malibu | 58 | 7% | 60,000 |
| 1998 Malibu | 79 | 8% | 45,000 |
| 1997 Malibu | 40 | 9% | 74,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Electronic stability control (esc); vehicle speed control:cruise control; exterior lighting:brake lights:switch; electrical system:wiring
Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Was driving home on the parkway and the headlights shut off on their own had to call for roadside assistance to get my vehicle home they will work on dim but brights will not work and if I drive for more than an hour and a half they will not work at all the speed sensor keeps going bad after having…
Passenger side headlamp burned out took off bumper to inspect and the wiring pigtail to the headlight has melted causing it to malfunction so now in order to make it work you have to disconnect the daytime running lights so that the melting stops this is supposedly happened to a lot of Malibu's why…
Passenger and or driver side low beam headlight continues to go out. Mechanic has found connector keeps burning out the socket. Light is burnt out on bott sides. but connector is shorting out. Fire and safety issue. This issue is on a lot of chevrolet malibus and needs a recall initiated to correct…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Chevrolet Malibus have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 202 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu (22% 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 exterior lighting?
Yes: 1 safety recall list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems start?
The median reported mileage is 99,750 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “low beam”, in 83 of 202 complaints, followed by “wiring harness” (21).
Other 2012 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2012 Chevrolet Malibu problems or exterior lighting problems across all Malibu years.