2011 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 978 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2011 reports, 40 involved a crash and 17 involved a fire. 41 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleJan 16, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.
If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.
Campaign 19V019000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat beltsMay 8, 2015
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.
If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 15V269000 on NHTSA.gov
SteeringJul 21, 2014
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6, and 2007-2009 Saturn Aura vehicles. The affected steering shafts may have a yoke that inadequately supports the u-joint bearing resulting in a premature failure.
A joint bearing that fails prematurely may cause separation of the u-joint resulting in a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492.
Campaign 14E044000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringMay 14, 2014
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.
Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 14V252000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
214 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Jan 21, 2024
Power steering stops working while driving at highway speeds. Power steering light illuminates on the dashboard. When this happens, it is barely possible to steer car to the side of the road to prevent accident or injury. Other than brakes defects, this is the most serious safety concern there is.
Steering, Nov 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel pulled to the left independently. The contact pulled to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The steering control warning light was illuminated after the vehicle was restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty electronic steering assist motor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Steering, Oct 27, 2023
Torque sensor and my steering column and as I did research GM new that it was faulty
Steering, Apr 21, 2023
While driving, my vehicle will abruptly lose power steering and the wheel will lock up. I am unable to turn my steering wheel. I have to stop my vehicle and turn off the ignition in order to the power steering to work properly. This only last for a few minutes and then it will happen again. This is dangerous and I have had to pull over on the highway to stop and start my vehicle. This first happened in March 2023. Also, my vehicles shows a SVC notification on the dashboard. And the tire pressure sensor is always on even with inflated tires. Lastly, my auto start does not work.
Steering, Apr 9, 2023
Power steering keeps failing. Steering wheel shakes. Power steering light with the ESC Service light come on. If I turn the vehicle off and back on again, Sometimes the power steering will work again.
Steering, Mar 2, 2023
The power steering light came on on my car after driving on the highway. Pulled over turn car off and on then sign went away. Two days later the power steering and esc light came on and then it went away. Took it to Holm dealership and they requested I change the outer tie rods and lower control arms. Made them changes and the power steering still twitches. This can be a deadly situation if this aint figure out. I don't feel like I should pay all these fees to try to figure the cause of this. Everything I read come up with this electrical power steering sensor.
Steering, Mar 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently stopped without depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a sharp left or right turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The power steering assist warning light, the check engine warning light, the ESC warning light, and the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Napa Auto Parts to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Steering, Structure, Feb 11, 2023
I have bought multiple Chevy Malibu manufactured in the 2008-2012 year range and I have experienced the same problems on all of them. The first one is almost everytime I remotely start the car and begin to drive the electric power steering feature goes out until I park the car and restart it. Another problem I’ve been experiencing is the the passenger door malfunctions and does not open from The inside or outside even though the locking system is working properly. Upon looking online I have also seen there’s been a good amount of people reporting the same problem
Steering, Feb 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel started to jerk. The contact stated that the electric stability control (ESC) off warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the electrical pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Feb 6, 2023
I was driving on 2/5/23 when my car started making a ding sound and the steering wheel locked up. This begin on 1/20/23. There has been 4 incidents with the steering locked while driving. Once results in someone almost getting hit on the side walk as I was turning in the back parking lot. Twice turning left on to my street and once driving around a curve almost hit another car in the other lane.
Steering, Jan 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist intermittently failed to operate as needed. The contact also stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that a diagnostic test needed to be performed to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
Steering, Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle as having a steering torque sensor failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Jan 10, 2023
2011 Malibu LS 2.4 power steering keeps going out. Service ESC and traction control keep coming on. Very dangerous
Steering, Electrical system, Dec 26, 2022
Power steering failed and locked up the steering wheel. Had to stop car mid road to restart car. Car no longer has any power steering. This is a very dangerous issue!
Steering, Nov 30, 2022
Power steering fails when driving. Upon restart of the vehicle, power steering comes back and will go off randomly at a later point. Symptom is felt more frequently at lower speeds and less often at high speeds, but still happens. My car is available upon request for inspection. My safety and other's safety was put at risk because it occurred a few times while driving on highways. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center because I refuse to pay out of pocket for an issue that should be covered under a recall. However, a quick YouTube search will show that the symptom is wide spread and the public is not aware that it is a known issue to GM. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Symptoms have been identified as part of a GM Special Coverage 15356. The issue is that mass dissemination of this information has not reached the public. Owners of this vehicle, who are now just experiencing this issue, are not included in the special coverage because it expired at 150,000 or May 10, 2021. As an active duty service member, if any letters were sent, they were delivered to my home address and not my physical address, therefore if any attempt was made to contact me or my family would have been futile. Just like many consumers, I only track recalls and not special coverages.
Steering, Sep 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel felt loose and unstable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering). An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Steering, Aug 19, 2022
When I cranked my car, the power steering immediately went out. I had no previous issues and the car uses an electrical power steering component that does not allow me to add fluid.
Steering, Power train, Electrical system, Jul 16, 2022
My 2011 malibu has approx 170000 miles. was driving on the highway when one by one, low fuel range, tire pressure, and antitheft lights illuminated blinking in dash. The radio flickers like loosing power, the car jerks pulling hard to right side and the power steering goes out and the car literally shuts down in drive on the highway not even giving me time to get off road. Pushed car to side of road. When i try and restart engine turns but sputters like out of gas. Again and again i try until the battery is dead but car wouldnt stay running. I check battery terminals and fuses, a friend brings gallon of gas and jumps car. Same result. I have towed home. I put battery on charger put battery back in car and it starts immediately and stays running. Again i try to go to town. The same thing happens 2 miles further from where it previously did, this time the ESC was added to the others illuminating on dash. I tried the same things i did before getting same result. I take battery call a ride and go home to put battery on charger. When i return 48 hours later and put battery in, it cranks right up.
Steering, Jun 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud cracking sound coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, the wheels failed to respond while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was similar to the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Steering, Power train, Electrical system, May 6, 2022
Warranty policy 15356 on Torque Sensor Steering Wheel. Replaced and repaired by Chevrolet dealership in 2018. Reocccured problem started again on April 13th, 2022. Code ESC power steering started May 6th, 2022 but shaking, vibration, and "twitching" started April 13th, 2022. When turning on the vehicle now the code will show and the steering wheel will lock not allowing power steering. In 2018 this code would show up during driving and lock up not allowing you to use power steering.
Steering, Electrical system, Apr 9, 2022
I drove my car to a store and parked, when I returned and proceeded to backup, the steering wheel locked and I couldn’t drive and was stuck in the road. Finally after a while I turned the ignition off and back on and was able to drive home. There was no advance warning that The power the steering needed to be serviced.
Steering, Mar 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure multiple times. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,719.
Steering, Air bags, Mar 1, 2022
Airbag light and ESC power steering light on at the same time. Service ESC on and of on the screen and after awhile the steering wheel locked and I lost control of my direction while I am turning left on a traffic light. I end up in a ditch. I took it to Chevy service dealership and they find out a diffect on steering torque sensor shaft and they recommend me to replace it. They ask me $1024.00 for labor and part.
Steering, Feb 14, 2022
Chevy is aware that around 90k miles the ESC light comes on indicating that the torque sensor has gone bad and indicating you are about to lose power steering. My car is 93k miles, this light came on and the power steering is completely out. My 16 year old son drives this car. This is a major safety issue and Chevy/GM say the special coverage expired in 10/2021 so they will not pay for the repair. Chevy/GM is allowing customers to drive like this without helping.
Steering, Feb 12, 2022
While I was driving in the freeway steering wheel became hard . The dash said service ecs , ecs off. Pulled over turned car off and once turned on again car was driving perfectly fine. The dashboard no longer indicated any issues or messages.