Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
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 called on behalf of her daughter's boyfriend who was driving alongside her daughter in a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that her daughter's boyfriend was driving on the highway at approximately 75 MPH in the left lane when a tractor-trailer in the right lane veered into their lane and the rear end of the tractor-trailer clipped the front end of their vehicle. The contact vehicle began to spin out of control until it came to a stop on the side of the road. The vehicle was totaled. The air bags were not deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow lot. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the crash. A police report was filed. The boyfriend seated in the driver's seat, and the contact's daughter seated in the rear passenger seat were both injured, and the infant in the rear driver's seat in a car seat was not harmed. …
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the temperature gauge began to indicate the vehicle was overheating after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket; resulting in damage to the engine, and ABS control module resulting in the air bag warning light. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who again diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket. The vehicle was repaired, but again the failure occurred for the third time. …
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while a passenger was seated in the front passenger's seat, the passenger's side air bag warning light intermittently illuminated while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an inoperable passenger's side air bag sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while a passenger was seated in the front passenger's seat, the passenger's side air bag warning light would not illuminate. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the seat cushion pad needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
The catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicle's exhaust system, and their failure is believed to be contributing to hesitation and skipping during operation. Both components are available for inspection upon request. The hesitation and skipping reduce the vehicle's responsiveness, creating a safety risk in traffic. This issue could hinder safe merging, overtaking, or maintaining consistent speeds. Additionally, malfunctioning exhaust components may lead to increased emissions and pose a risk of toxic gases entering the cabin if leaks are present. Check engine light displays. The problem has been confirmed by a professional auto mechanic during their inspection and diagnosis. The components have been inspected and diagnosed by an independent service center (the auto mechanic). …
POWER STEERING light shows on indicator panel sometimes without any problems steering. Sometimes it appears along with SERVICE ESC and some times power steering is lost. Turning the car off and back on usually resets the problem. It is extremley difficult to steer the car when this happens. It began intermittently about 3 years ago when a local mechanic looked at it but he couldn't find anything wrong. It's failing much more frequently (every other trip) now. It has about 62000 miles on it. So far, no accidents but a few close calls. Another problem is that the SERVICE AIR BAG indicator comes on when someone sits in the passenger seat and the car is started. It can be reset but it's an scary situation. I don't think this is related to the steering problem but not sure.
I just purchased this 2012 chevy malibu from someone used 184,000 miles decent condition. Air bag sensor keeps coming on and I'm not sure why, don't say which one. Headlights have a mind of their own and are already burnt out after just changing them. The stereo screen glitches, bad. The electric seats don't work. There's absolutely no working E brake. I think there's something wrong with the steering or maybe the u-joint or something. I'm about to look into the recalls on this car.
On [redacted], as I was leaving softball tournament in Poway Ca with my kiddos about 6 minutes into driving a message popped up on my dash "ENG PWR REDUCED & SERVICE TRACTION", I lost power to accelerate, I pulled over just before getting on the [redacted] freeway, turned car off and thought car would reset which it didn't. I was stranded with my kiddos.
My service traction control light was coming on ever since I bought my car and I took it to koons for service and I was told one wheel was moving faster then another not to worry about it then on 06/18/2014 iwas hit by a Chevy silverado that ran a light and I was doing 45 miles an hour I had my granddaughter in her safety seat in the back none of my air bags worked nor did my seat belts my grand daughter hit the back of the seats.now my car is flashing the codes again now that its fixed and shuts down while driving .its part of the GM recall for the upper wire harness but they are saying it isn't and they are not standing buy the warranty this defect almost killed us and still is almost killing us by shutting down while driving service traction control lights coming on plus air bag lights saying air bags are shutting down .so that means the air bags if we needed them would not help us …
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, a second vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. During the crash, the front end sustained extensive damage, but the air bags did not deploy. In addition, the contact indicated that both the driver and passenger side seat belts failed and separated from the seats during the crash. The driver sustained back and neck injuries and the passengers injuries were unavailable. A police report was filed and medical attention was received. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the failures were not determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 09/15/15
Airbag complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 101 complaints about the air bags of the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 11% of the model year's 907 complaints. The component named most often is srs malfunction warning lamp/light (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Chevrolet Malibu airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Chevrolet Malibu airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 28 crashes, 0 fires and 25 injuries to air bags 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.