2013 Chevrolet Malibu Air Bags Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 2, 2026 · 59 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 7% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 74,863 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (41% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Air bag: mentioned in 24 of 59 complaints (41%)
  • Service airbag: mentioned in 5 of 59 complaints (8%)
  • Passenger seat: mentioned in 5 of 59 complaints (8%)

At what mileage do air bags problems happen?

Based on 37 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles2 · 5%
10k–25k miles2 · 5%
25k–50k miles7 · 19%
50k–75k miles8 · 22%
75k–100k miles8 · 22%
100k–150k miles10 · 27%
150k+ miles0 · 0%

How serious are the reports?

Of 59 complaints, 13 mention a crash, 11 an injury.

Chevrolet Malibu air bags complaints by model year

Peak: 2010, with 144 complaints
1997: 2519971998: 401999: 4019992000: 312001: 2120012002: 182003: 2720032004: 262005: 2520052006: 332007: 7520072008: 642009: 6220092010: 1441442011: 9320112012: 1012013: 5920132014: 162015: 4920152016: 182017: 1420172018: 142019: 620192020: 42021: 620212022: 42023: 72023

n = 1,022 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearAir Bags complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2023 Malibu710%29,000
2022 Malibu44%90,000
2021 Malibu67%—
2020 Malibu42%78,537
2019 Malibu63%21,898
2018 Malibu142%22,494
2017 Malibu142%55,000
2016 Malibu182%45,000
2015 Malibu4918%48,000
2014 Malibu165%74,000
2013 Malibu597%74,863
2012 Malibu10111%67,000
2011 Malibu9310%60,822
2010 Malibu14411%55,000
2009 Malibu624%71,500
2008 Malibu646%85,000
2007 Malibu758%97,000
2006 Malibu333%114,690
2005 Malibu253%121,000
2004 Malibu262%95,500
2003 Malibu275%93,000
2002 Malibu183%103,000
2001 Malibu213%116,750
2000 Malibu313%110,000
1999 Malibu405%132,681
1998 Malibu404%88,500
1997 Malibu256%91,751

When owners reported it

Peak: 2020, with 11 complaints
2013: 1201312014: 6201462015: 5201552016: 3201632017: 5201752018: 8201882019: 7201972020: 112020112021: 2202122023: 2202322024: 2202422025: 6202562026: 120261

n = 59 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists air bags for the 2013 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.

Driver going 60+ mph hit metal guardrail, spun and slammed into concrete side of bridge. No airbags deployed

Received Mar 7, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11722735

I got sick and I split a utility pole. The airbags did not deploy

Received Aug 29, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11683959

My instrument cluster is failing

Received Aug 6, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11678651
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Malibu (E2XX). Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Benespit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2013 Chevrolet Malibus have air bags problems?

No. NHTSA has 59 owner complaints about air bags for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu (7% of the 836 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 2013 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 74,863 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?

The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 24 of 59 complaints, followed by “service airbag” (5).

Other 2013 Chevrolet Malibu problems

See all 2013 Chevrolet Malibu problems or air bags problems across all Malibu years.