2013 Chevrolet Malibu Suspension, Wheels & Tires Problems
NHTSA lists 92 Suspension, Wheels & Tires complaints for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 11% of all complaints for the year, with 7 crashes and 5 injuries. Four recalls cover rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, and one covers under-torqued rear suspension bolts.
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires complaints
- 92
- 11% of 835
- Crashes reported
- 7
- Fires reported
- 0
- Injuries reported
- 5
- Median mileage
- 69,950 mi
- Related recalls
- 4
Typical suspension symptoms owners report
- Rear suspension toe links or adjuster fasteners break or separate, causing the rear wheels to wiggle side to side and the driver to lose control, sometimes ending in a ditch or a tree.
- Owners report crashing before receiving recall notification letters for the toe-link issue, in some cases learning about the recall only after the accident occurred.
- A duplicate report describes the same rear toe link failure pattern leading to loss of control at highway speed.
- Several owners discovered their vehicle had no spare tire after a flat, leaving them stranded and reliant on a compressor and sealant kit that did not work with a sidewall blowout or unrepairable puncture.
- One owner reported a rear toe link breaking and leaving the car stranded roadside before a recall repair appointment could be arranged.
When 2013 Chevrolet Malibu suspension complaints were filed
First complaint Apr 26, 2013, latest Mar 25, 2026.
Suspension, Wheels & Tires recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu
- NHTSA 21V00F000Dec 22, 2021Suspension, Wheels & Tires4,271 vehicles
Suspension:rear
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recalls 20V-764 and 21V-633.
- NHTSA 21V633000Aug 12, 2021Suspension, Wheels & Tires32,894 vehicles
Suspension:rear
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 3, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N212330130.
- NHTSA 20V764000Dec 21, 2020Suspension, Wheels & Tires220,006 vehicles
Suspension:rear
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.
Risk: A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.
- NHTSA 13V024000Jan 23, 2013Suspension, Wheels & Tires8,519 vehicles
Suspension:rear
General Motors is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles, manufactured December 6, 2011, through January 15, 2013. One or more rear suspension bolts may not have been tightened to the specified torque. This may lead to sudden changes in vehicle handling.
Risk: Sudden changes in vehicle handling may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and retighten the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications have already begun and will be completed shortly. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Suspension, Wheels & Tires complaints by Malibu model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu have a suspension recall?
- Yes. Four related recalls exist: campaigns 20V764000 and 21V633000/21V00F000 cover replacement of rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, and campaign 13V024000 covers retightening under-torqued rear suspension bolts.
- How many suspension complaints does the 2013 Malibu have?
- NHTSA lists 92 Suspension, Wheels & Tires complaints for the 2013 Malibu, which is 11% of the 835 total complaints filed for that model year.
- Are the suspension problems dangerous?
- NHTSA data tied to this problem area for the 2013 Malibu shows 7 crashes and 5 injuries, with several complaints describing loss of control at around 30-35 mph before the recall repair was completed.
- At what mileage do suspension problems typically appear?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this problem area on the 2013 Malibu is 69,950 miles.
- Is the missing spare tire part of the suspension complaints?
- Yes, several owners in this problem area reported the 2013 Malibu was not equipped with a spare tire, leaving them stranded after a flat tire.