Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH and following a slight right turn on the highway, the ESC warning illuminated, and the vehicle slowed down without the brake pedal being depressed. The failure was intermittent but became a recurring failure. The contact stated that the vehicle also slowed down unintentionally while making a left or right turn at slow speeds. The contact stated that in the middle of the turn, the vehicle slowed to a stop without the brake pedal being depressed. The ESC warning light illuminated while the vehicle was still in drive(D) and running. The vehicle came to a stop, and the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle continued driving. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed with PSCM failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. …
Was driving home on the parkway and the headlights shut off on their own had to call for roadside assistance to get my vehicle home they will work on dim but brights will not work and if I drive for more than an hour and a half they will not work at all the speed sensor keeps going bad after having it replaced multiple times
ESC reduced power reads across my monitor's screen. It could be numerous of these that cause this. I've done what I can afford, but no luck. I've done research & it's very common for this to happen among these. Please help me out with at least pinpointing the problem, thanks!
The electric power steering and ESC systems. It is or was under recall for this type of vehicle. The steering becomes hard and vehicle shakes the tire rotation is being read wrong by computer. It doesn't want to stay 9n the road...the stability of vehicle is compromised.
The Instrument Cluster failed while driving. No gauges on dash work and the gear shift indicator light does not work. I have read online other owners with the same complaint. This should be on recall.
I was driving at 60 MPH in cruise control on a straight road. An ambulance was heading towards me so I stepped on the brakes to slow down and pull over and the car accelerated very quickly. This was a very dangerous situation because I was moving towards the shoulder of the road because of the oncoming ambulance. I had to turn off cruise control to be able to apply the brakes. The brake lights are also not coming on when I apply the brakes. The problem with the lighting happened previously and was repaired on 04/28/2015. I thought the problem was included in recall #13036 but I was told that it was a problem with the brake switch and was not part of the recall however when I look up the recall numbers on my vehicle this recall number does not show up as still needing to be done. …
I brought my vehicle into a Chevrolet center near me to have a 'manufacturers warranty fix' done to my vehicle on 04/17/2021, as the power steering had failed and I was able to get this fixed for free. When I turned my vehicle on and noticed the power steering notification on my dash, I tried to back my car out of where I was parked and move my wheel, but could not move the wheel. When the part was replaced, I was told that there were still sensors on my dash indicating that I needed the ESC and stability traction control serviced for my car. According to the Chevrolet dealership, this had 'nothing to do with the special policy fix' and not something they would be fixing for me. …
My wife was driving east down hwy-40 toward salina, ks. She had the cruise control set on 60 MPH. She began to have a epileptic seizure (she was cleared by her doctor to drive prior to this incident) at that point the car began to slowly drift of to the right side of the road. The car drove over a culver, the rear driver side of the car struck at concrete form and sent the car rolling of into a field the car rolled four times. After the fourth roll the car rolled back on to its wheels and continued to drive due to the cruise control still being engaged and drove 100ft before coming to rest once it struck a concrete fence post. At no time did any of the air bags deploy nor did the cruise control disengage. The vehicle has a crash response system threw on-star, at no time did the crash response activate. This information was provided to me via the saline county sheriffs. …
Car suddenly failed to accelerate as I pulled on the the interstate. Car filled with a burning smell. Dealer said the rear defrost malfunctioned and melted the fuse block located in the trunk damaging all wiring on the fuse block. I'm concerned that this bypassed the fuse and the relay with such a surge that it was hot enough to melt the entire fuse block. This could have LED to a very serious fire where I was trapped in the car. I was fortunate to be able to pull off the interstate, but if I were in the far lane, I could have been stuck in a high speed lane resulting in injury to myself or others. The car is very low mileage and garage stored, so it is in very good condition and maintained regularly. Was just in to the dealer less than 10 days prior (power steering ESC recall) with no indication that there was a problem. This is a very serious safety issue. …
The car had GM service bulletin 13036 (recall campaign 14V252) performed on September 19, 2014 and the car is experiencing the exact same conditions as described in the service bulletin[1] so the "fix" didn't resolve what is now an on going safety issue. It should be noted in the recall "why" section to owners the use of "...over time...". Therefore, the issue is known to be time dependent and the fix doesn't appear to fully resolve the issue into the future. 1: we are currently seeing the following conditions: - service brake lamps May not illuminate when the service brakes are being applied. - if cruise control is engaged, additional service brake pedal travel May be required to disengage it. - traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features, if equipped, May be disabled. …
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
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…
Remedy: 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…
Acceleration complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 52 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 6% of the model year's 907 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2012 Chevrolet Malibu acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-252 (cruise control, May 14, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Malibu acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.