2013 Chevrolet Malibu Electrical System Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Oct 2, 2026 · 376 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 376 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 45% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 76,904 miles. The words owners use most often: “instrument cluster” (5% of reports).

What owners describe

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

  • Instrument cluster: mentioned in 20 of 376 complaints (5%)

At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?

Based on 276 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles17 · 6%
10k–25k miles10 · 4%
25k–50k miles36 · 13%
50k–75k miles69 · 25%
75k–100k miles63 · 23%
100k–150k miles69 · 25%
150k+ miles12 · 4%

How serious are the reports?

Of 376 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 5 a fire, 3 an injury.

Chevrolet Malibu electrical system complaints by model year

Peak: 2013, with 376 complaints
1997: 8719971998: 1301999: 1442000: 19920002001: 2852002: 2592003: 28920032004: 1512005: 1802006: 14220062007: 1132008: 2332009: 36820092010: 2952011: 2352012: 29120122013: 3763762014: 862015: 6820152016: 2222017: 1612018: 19220182019: 622020: 572021: 3020212022: 332023: 122024: 1820242025: 4

n = 4,722 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearElectrical System complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2025 Malibu436%—
2024 Malibu1842%—
2023 Malibu1217%31,000
2022 Malibu3334%15,901
2021 Malibu3033%53,100
2020 Malibu5729%22,324
2019 Malibu6232%43,500
2018 Malibu19227%46,560
2017 Malibu16123%50,000
2016 Malibu22226%51,650
2015 Malibu6825%54,000
2014 Malibu8625%64,550
2013 Malibu37645%76,904
2012 Malibu29132%87,830
2011 Malibu23524%80,000
2010 Malibu29522%85,000
2009 Malibu36824%90,000
2008 Malibu23324%82,000
2007 Malibu11312%118,850
2006 Malibu14213%97,980
2005 Malibu18018%102,500
2004 Malibu15113%90,000
2003 Malibu28951%80,000
2002 Malibu25946%78,000
2001 Malibu28540%88,000
2000 Malibu19922%80,000
1999 Malibu14418%86,000
1998 Malibu13013%91,500
1997 Malibu8720%88,500

When owners reported it

Peak: 2019, with 71 complaints
2013: 4201342014: 162014162015: 142015142016: 512016512017: 362017362018: 532018532019: 712019712020: 452020452021: 252021252022: 172022172023: 112023112024: 9202492025: 112025112026: 13202613

n = 376 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (3)

Electrical system:ignition; power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)Jul 5, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V502000 · 8,367 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Risk: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Seats:front assembly:power adjust; electrical system:wiringNov 13, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V566000 · 14,909 vehicles

Problem: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured October 25, 2011, through June 29, 2012 and equipped with the 8-way power adjustable front seat feature. The wiring harness for the power seat may contact the seat frame which may chafe the harness.

Risk: If the harness is chaffed enough to expose the wires, a short circuit could occur, resulting unintended movement of the seat, the seat to become inoperative, sparking under the seat, flickering lights, smoke, or possibly a fire.

Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the wire harness and repair and secure it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13342.

Electrical system:softwareMay 18, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V224000 · 4,304 vehicles

Problem: General motors (gm) is recalling certain model year 2013 chevrolet malibu vehicles manufactured from october 24, 2011, through march 31, 2012. After an event of hard braking, the sensing and diagnostic module (sdm) may reset itself.

Risk: If this occurs during an aggressive turning maneuver, and then afterwards a potential vehicle rollover event is sensed, the roof rail airbag may unintentionally deploy. Additionally, the air bags and/or seatbelt pretensioners may not deploy during a severe crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the sdm. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on june 13, 2012.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

My high Voltage cable has melted into the generator of my 2013 Chevy Malibu Eco hybrid. This causes my front battery to drain really fast. I seen online that there was a recall on the generator control module my battery control module was changed but I keep like five batteries with me at all times…

Received Oct 2, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11768573

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the electrical system failed inside the vehicle, causing the air conditioning system to fail to operate, and the window control buttons failed to roll the window down. The battery saver active warning light was…

Received Jul 24, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11752683

My battery warning light on the dash is illuminated with the notification saying "service battery charging system." I've researched online and found out that more vehicles of the same year make and model of my vehicle have been recalled for the same issue, but when putting in my vin number my…

Received May 5, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11735733
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 electrical system problems?

No. NHTSA has 376 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu (45% 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 electrical system?

Yes: 3 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do electrical system problems start?

The median reported mileage is 76,904 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?

The most frequent phrase is “instrument cluster”, in 20 of 376 complaints.

Other 2013 Chevrolet Malibu problems

See all 2013 Chevrolet Malibu problems or electrical system problems across all Malibu years.