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 the car the radio panel, air conditioning, control panel and power steering goes out. When driving over 45 MPH on the highway, the engine will not stop. However, when driving 45 MPH or below on city streets, the car will shut completely off and I will have to restart the car. Everything goes complete off. This has been an ongoing issue for several months now. The car has had this issue while in traffic and I was hit from behind. Fortunately, we were pulling off from a stop light and the impact was not enough to cause an injury. I have researched on youtube and online and there are several other consumers with this exact same issue. Also, the check engine light never comes on but it does say service power steering and service stabili trak. Sometimes when the car is not moving (parked) it will also cut off. …
Takata recall the lights on my dash kept going in and out while I was driving and while stationary. While my car was off, with no key in the ignition, the gauges would make clicking sounds and bounce up and down about an 8th of an inch. The lights on the dash would stay off for days at a time, making it impossible for me to see how fast I was going or how much gas was in the car. Sometimes the lights would click on for about 30 seconds and then the speedometer would be stuck at the last speed I was going at, for days, without showing anything on the digital speedometer. When I took it to get looked at, no codes were found. My car kept dying while I was driving, went and had my battery and alternator tested and they were 100% fine. Car dash lights started flashing on and off while I was going around a curve. …
So I have a 2013 Malibu lt which I had took to the dealer for a check engine light and ended up being that the cam shaft had to be replaced. Now that I got my car back 2 weeks later with 33,000 miles it keeps coming up with service stabilitrak. It stalls out on me so I take it back in and they can't find anything wrong with the car because the check engine like is not on. So I have my car back and it's the same problem...at a stop the car will show service stabilitrak and then shortly after it will just shut off!! Tonight driving home from work I got scared because it did it to me about 6 times and mind you its a 20 minute drive. As I turns on my lights while driving about 35 miles per hour the car did it again and seemed like it was about to just shut off in the middle of me driving it. …
Vehicle moving on city street, lost power to radio, navigation system, etc., then lost steering. Lost steering while making u-turn. Lost steering in forward and reverse while parking vehicle. Power to control panels shut down during both incidents. Occurred briefly on highway while traveling at high rate of speed. The loss of power and steering has become more frequent and lasting for a longer period of time. Vehicle is now at dealership for same issue. I purchased vehicle 3 months ago. My 17 y/o son uses this vehicle and I am concerned about his safety. I looked into this problem on the web and discovered that this has been an ongoing problem with this make and model. I received a phone call from the dealership where my car is being serviced. They cannot find a problem. This was expected based on what I have read. …
My 2013 Chevrolet Malibu lost power and shut off while driving on five different occasions to date. The first two times I had come to a complete stop and the key could not be removed from the ignition. I had to wait for 10 to 30 minutes before the power returned and could remove the key or restart the vehicle. On the third occasion, I was driving on the highway and the radio and air conditioning lost power and the car was threatening to shut off but regained power. The steering wheel briefly locked up during this event. I later turned off on the nearest exit making a complete stop at the light and the vehicle lost complete power and shut off in the middle of traffic.the steering wheel locked up, the radio and all lights went black and the air shut off for a few seconds and then came back on. I had to put the car in park and was then able to restart it. …
While driving my 2013 Chevy Malibu on the highway & turnpike, I was driving approx 60-70 miles and hour and then out of nowhere the vehicle decreased speed down to 30 MPH and also had me cause an accident with the drivers behind me. The check engine light then came on and a message "engine power has been reduced". I was able to pull the car over; however, this is a danger and should be resolved as still this continues to occur since I have contacted general motors and advised of the safety issue. Still have not seen a recall on this issue yet which I was shocked. I asked the gentleman if there have been other complaints and he stated yes. So I am very shocked that this issue has not been resolved. My vehicle now is out of warranty and still mechanics do not know what is wrong and can not fix this issue. …
Drove to appointment with no issues or indications of anything wrong. Finished appointment and started vehicle, the check stabilitrak warning came on. Pulled into lane & vehicle immediately reduced power, unable to accelerate rapidly and almost causing an accident. Warning light for engine overspeed came on. Engaged cruise control, would not disengage when braking, or by steering wheel control without several attempts. Was able to slowly increase speed to 50 MPH, made it home via hilly secondary roads (max 50 MPH) and stopped vehicle (brake; still in drive), engine tried to go to the engine rest mode prior to shifting to park. Shifted to park, engine tried to re-start and wouldn't automatically disengage attempting to turn over. Shut off the engine and pulled key. Would not re-start, but would crank. …
My 2013 Chevy Malibu lt1 eco is a hybrid. One day driving to work my power steering started going out. As I kept driving, because I was close to work, my car would gradually start dying. Suddenly while driving my car died on me and my power steering was completely gone. I had to struggle just to get off to the side of the road. I almost got hit trying to pull over. Seeing how its a newer vehicle and well maintained I don't see how this isn't a mechanical problem with a faulty part. Calling around to the Chevy dealership mechanic shops they are saying its the alternator generator that comes with hybrid vehicles. After looking online I've seen a lot of people are having this same issue with faulty parts and even some were recalled, I don't see why Chevy is not recalling this vehicle to get this problem fixed. It's just putting drivers at risk. …
Problem 1: driving car at 40mph (on a city street) it begins to overheat, the steering wheel seizes then stalls out repeatedly. Take vehicle to Chevrolet dealership, technician says need to replace parking brake control module (water intrusion) GM pays 50/50 payment assistance, I paid $417.23. Within a week's time several issues arise as indicated below. Problem 2: while car is in motion driving the city streets the dash lights and touch screen radio (entire electrical system shuts off) for about 5 seconds then comes back on. The brief box pops up for a few seconds, indicating check power steering, stabilitrak warning light on and parking brake says it's on. All this happened, eight times in ten minutes. Then I proceed to make a right hand turn and my steering wheel locks up and I nearly hit a vehicle that was stopped at a stop light. …
On numerous occasions my 2013 Malibu has lost power causing a steering issue. It could be while driving, turning, stopping or accelerating. The car will lose power to the touch screen radio causing the screen to go black, then I lose the steering momentarily and then everything will come back on. This can happen once or sometimes it continues to happen which causes the service stabilitrack warning light to come on or the service power steering light to come on. This has also LED to the car stalling and losing all electricity and then starting back up right away. The more electronics you use such as the blinker causes the problem to get worse and usually ends up in the car stalling. I have taken it to the dealer four separate times for this issue and nothing has been fixed. I have not had my car more than a week since August 22,2016 because I refuse to drive the car until it is fixed. …
Traction Control complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 72 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, 9% of the model year's 837 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 10 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 2013 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.