Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
When driving my dash lights quit for days and then sometimes come back on. I am not aware of what speed I am going when driving. I am not able to accurately drive the speed limit that I am suppose to. I don't know how much gas I have or if I am about to run out of gas. If my check engine light is on or not, and can't see my turn signals. How can you obey the laws of driving when you can't tell if you are going over the speed limit or not or using your turn signal.
ALL ELECTRICAL INSIDE CAR GOES OUT OR ON AND OFF WHILE DRIVING. ALL DASH GAUGES, SPEEDOMETER, GAS GAUGE, RADIO, HEAT/AC, TURN SIGNALS, ETC. CAR STILL RUNS BUT NOTHING ON INSIDE WORKS. I do not know if this control outage effects the ABS or Steering. It only last for a few seconds. It has happened several time will drive 50 to 70 MPH. I've let off the gas and try not to panic. Everything comes back on and I continue home. I'm scared to drive my car
2013 Chevy Malibu LS Headlight found shorted and was causing other electrical issues. I found out the 8pin plug one of its pins showing burnt and its male mate same You can see this issue is not just one owner incident and it's a public complaint in this public forum link [redacted]
Dash lights flickering in and out and I can't see my speed but the car still runs n has blinkers. Eventually it will flicker and go all the way black. Also the radio still worked fine n reverse camera did too it don't stall or anything tho I'm just scared to drive At night cause i goes totally black
Both low beam headlights stopped working. Two days later the passenger side low beam headlight turned on again, but not the driver side. 2 months later both low beams again no longer working. I've replaced all 4 fuses (interior and exterior), headlight relay, and bulbs. None of that fixed the problem.
Dashboard light don't work majority of the time is started like month ago and before that started there was something on the dash I believe is said brake/stability trak And now the battery keeps dying
My instrument cluster isn't working correctly. Some days I go out to start my car and the instrument cluster works. As I'm driving down the road my instrument cluster just stops working. My speedometer doesn't work, my rpms, the lights, temperature gauge and gas gauge just stops working. It's very scary and my transmission doesn't want to shift and my engine power is bogging down. This is really dangerous and I feel like my life is in danger. I pull off the road and shut my 2013 Chevy Malibu off and restart it and sometimes it comes back on and instrument cluster works but start driving and the instrument cluster stops working again. I have had my mechanic try to figure it out but so far I haven't been able to find out where the issue is so I haven't been able to fix it. My brakes have also been not engaging properly. …
Neighbors woke us up at 3 am to tell us they just put a fire out on the car. 2013 Chevy Malibu purchased with 2 miles on it and had it for 8 months..went outside to check and first was smothering. Came in house, while calling insurance looked out the window and the car was on fire again. Called 911 and went out to spray water on it. Put the fire out and waited for fire department and police. Fire department opened the trunk and tore the carpet away from the light and sprayed the inside of the car. The car was towed to the dealer the next day. Now one month later they said it was the wiring harness. The dealer can not say why it happened but want to fix the car and give it back to us, even though themselves and the insurance company said they would not get back in it either. …
I have a 13 Malibu ltz but as I'm driving the car completely shuts off and comes back on in the middle of me driving. I had it sent to a shop they diagnosed it but found nothing said the key was possibly a problem. I went to the dealership and got a new key so for a month or so the issue was fine. I started driving again and as I have my blinkers on I'm getting ready to turn and the car shuts off again.. I'm in 5 pm traffic this is scary but as the car shut off the wheel lock it cuts right back on. I took it to the dealership and they said my battery since it wasn't changed in awhile so I have the battery replaced. The car was fine now two months later it did it all over again.. I'm getting ready to turn and again everything shuts off in the middle of driving then cuts back on. I'm very frustrated I pay a car note and insurance and I don't have money to get this problem fixed.. …
Steering ECU, instrument cluster, and center stack all reset while driving intermittently. These incidence have occurred numberous times and GM does not know the root cause. When an event occurs the driver looses power steering for a brief period of time. This has happened while making left hand turns, on the highway, and while stopped. GM released a technical service bulletin to check ground points on the negative battery cable this does not solve the problem and this is a serious safety concern. I have released production level software for numberous tier one suppliers that have gone into a variety of ecus. To me it seems like all of the body control modules have lost power. When checking car complaints this same behavior has been stated in over 40 reports and all reports state GM was unable to determine the cause. …
Related recalls
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.
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.
Headlight complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the lights of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 4% of the model year's 837 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Chevrolet Malibu headlight problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-484 (turn signal, Oct 4, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Chevrolet Malibu headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to lights 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.