YearToAvoid

2013 Chevrolet Malibu Electrical System Problems

NHTSA lists 378 Electrical System complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 45% of all complaints filed for the year, with 6 fires and 6 crashes reported. Median mileage at failure is 77,452. Four related recalls cover wiring, turn signal bulbs, the sensing module, and the park lock lever.

Electrical System complaints
378
45% of 835
Crashes reported
6
Fires reported
6
Injuries reported
5
Median mileage
77,452 mi
Related recalls
4

Typical electrical symptoms owners report

  • Owners report fires starting in or near the tail light area, in some cases spreading close to the fuel tank.
  • Some describe fires beginning at the power seat adjustment switch, accompanied by a clicking noise and burning smell before flames spread through the wiring.
  • Several report smoke or flames coming from the hood or trunk after the car stalled at low speed or while accelerating from a stop.
  • Owners describe the reduced engine power warning illuminating along with sudden stalling while driving on the highway.
  • Some report the instrument panel showing an overheating warning while the heat activated on its own without input from the driver.
  • Dashboard warning lights and gauges are described as flickering, going dark for days, or bouncing and clicking even with the car off and the key removed.

When 2013 Chevrolet Malibu electrical complaints were filed

First complaint Feb 7, 2013, latest Jul 24, 2026.

2013 Chevrolet Malibu electrical system complaints: complaints filed per quarter282013 Q12015 Q32017 Q22019 Q12020 Q42022 Q32024 Q32026 Q3
378 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2013 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2019 Q3 (28).

Electrical System recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

  1. NHTSA 16V502000Jul 5, 2016Electrical System8,367 vehicles

    Electrical system:ignition

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 13V566000Nov 13, 2013Electrical System14,909 vehicles

    Electrical system:wiring

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 12V484000Oct 4, 2012Electrical System120,426 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:turn signal

    General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Buick Regal and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with two turn signal bulbs in each front turn signal. If one of the two front turn signal bulbs burn out in either front turn signal lamp, there is no indication to the driver. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

    Risk: If the driver is not aware that a turn signal is not functioning properly, the driver may continue to drive the vehicle. If half of a front turn signal is not illuminating, other driver's may not be aware that the affected vehicle is turning, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: GM will notify owners, dealers will update the body control module software, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Buick at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 12212.

  4. NHTSA 12V224000May 18, 2012Electrical System4,304 vehicles

    Electrical system:software

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

Electrical System complaints by Malibu model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 2010419 (31%)
  2. 2011327 (33%)
  3. 2012407 (45%)
  4. 2013378 (45%)
  5. 201489 (25%)
  6. 201571 (26%)
  7. 2016235 (28%)
  8. 2017174 (25%)
  9. 2018198 (28%)
  10. 201963 (33%)
  11. 202058 (29%)
  12. 202129 (33%)
  13. 202233 (34%)
  14. 202312 (17%)
  15. 202417 (44%)
  16. 20254 (36%)

Frequently asked questions

How common are electrical problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has logged 378 Electrical System complaints for the 2013 Malibu, which is 45% of all 835 complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for electrical issues on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?
Yes. NHTSA lists four Electrical System recalls tied to the 2013 Malibu, covering the power seat wiring harness (13V566000), turn signal bulb software (12V484000), the sensing and diagnostic module after hard braking (12V224000), and the ignition key/park lock lever (16V502000).
Have electrical problems caused fires or crashes in the 2013 Malibu?
NHTSA data shows 6 fires and 6 crashes linked to Electrical System complaints on the 2013 Malibu, with 5 injuries reported.
At what mileage do electrical problems typically show up on the 2013 Malibu?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for Electrical System complaints on the 2013 Malibu is 77,452 miles.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.