The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu ECO. The contact stated while at a stop light, the power steering was difficult to turn, and the vehicle stalled. The Service battery charging system displayed and the check engine and battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was repaired by the contact. The contact stated that the alternator and the starter had failed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.
The worst 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical49
- Engine23
- Steering16
- Driver assistance12
- Airbags10
- Brakes9
- Transmission8
- Fuel system6
- Acceleration4
- Visibility4
- Lights2
- Seats1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco
Stalling 22Check engine light 17Loss of power 9Won't start 9Power steering loss 5
Recalls 1
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2012 and 2013 Buick LaCrosse and Regal, and model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco vehicles equipped with eAssist. These vehicles may have a condition in which the Generator Control Module (GCM) may not function properly. This could cause a gradual loss of battery charge and the illumination of the malfunction indicator light.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is continued to be driven, the engine may stall and/or the vehicle may not start. In addition, there may be a burning or melting odor, smoke, and possibly a fire in the trunk.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners and dealers will test the GCM and replace it, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 11, 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1‑800‑521‑7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13136.
Recall number 13V173000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco
Defect investigations
Sands Chevrolet/Hybrid System Fire/Stall
the federal safety agency opened AQ14-001 to determine whether Sands Chevrolet of Surprise, Arizona complied with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 49 U.S.C. Chapter 301 (Safety Act) and its implementing regulations. The Safety Act requires, among other things, that a manufacturer notify its dealers of defects related to motor vehicle safety and non-compliances with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and, in turn, that a dealer not sell and deliver a new vehicle subject to a recall unless the recall remedy has been performed (49 U.S.C. ?? 30112(a), 30120(i)).the federal safety agency issued an information request (IR) letter to Sands Chevrolet on May 5, 2014.Sands Chevrolet responded to this request on May 22, 2014.To ensure the federal safety agency?s information request encompassed all possible reference codes for General Motors recall 13V‑173, the federal safety agency issued another IR letter to Sands Chevrolet on June 8, 2015.Again, a response letter was received on June 9, 2015.the federal safety agency?s investigation indicated that Sands Chevrolet did sell and deliver recalled vehicles that did not have the recall remedy completed at the time the vehicles were delivered to the customers.the federal safety agency therefore concluded that Sands Chevrolet was liable for civil penalties for violations of the Safety Act, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. ? 30165.Under a Settlement Agreement dated March 24, 2016, Sands Chevrolet represented that it improved its processes to verify that it checks every vehicle for recalls prior to delivery to the purchaser and that it has not sold and delivered any unremedied new motor vehicles since June 9, 2015.Sands Chevrolet also represented that it now also checks for open recalls on every customer vehicle brought in for service, and that it checks for open recalls on every used trade-in vehicle, regardless of make or model, and takes steps to have all used trade-in vehicles repaired prior to retail sale. Sands Chevrolet admitted to violating the law and must pay civil penalties in the amount of $40,000.This Audit Query is closed.
AQ14001
Generator Control Module Fires
On July 5, 2013 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-003 to investigate whether the service procedures utilized in recall bulletins 13136 and 13142 for safety recall 13V‑173 were sufficient to identify the safety defect in the subject vehicles.These safety recalls were issue on May 3, 2013 to address the improper function of the Generator Control Module (GCM) in certain model year (MY) 2012-13 Buick LaCrosse and Regal and MY 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco equipped with eAssist.This condition may result in a loss of battery charge, engine stall and/or inability for the vehicle to start.In severe cases it may also lead to odor, smoke and possibly a fire in the trunk.During discussions with General Motors (GM), ODI was informed that the subject vehicles could be separated into 4 distinct build populations, or groups. Group A contained vehicles built from the start of production through 3/19/2012.Group B involved vehicles built from 3/20/2012 to 8/20/2012, group C from 8/21/2012 to 12/31/12, and group D from 1/1/2013 onwards.Bulletin 13136 instructed dealers to inspect and, if necessary, replace the GCM for vehicles in groups A or C.Bulletin 13142 instructed dealers to replace the GCM of any vehicle in group B.Group D vehicles were not recalled.All eAssist vehicles have a Powerpack which contains a BAS (belt alternator-starter) Power Inverter Module (BPIM)/Accessory Power Module (APM) and a 115-V Lithium-Ion battery.The Powerpack is known by GM's Part Description System as the GCM and Battery Module. The BPIM/APM contains 3 multi-layered printed circuit boards (PCBs) comprised of conductive layers separated by isolating layers.Vehicles built within the time periods of groups A and B had PCBs using single isolation layers.Vehicles build in group C had dual isolation layers on 1 of the 3 PCBs, and group D had all 3 PCBs built with dual insulation.Adding dual insulation to a PCB makes it more robust to material and manufacturing variations, and ultimately less susceptible to an electrical short circuit and subsequent failure.Through initial analysis of the GCM failures, GM identified that vehicles within group B contained PCBs that were contaminated during production due to increased production volumes that resulted in inadequate quality control.GM also noted that GCM failures occurred early in the life of the vehicle (typically <1000 miles).Therefore a service procedure was developed to replicate early life failures by subjecting the GCM to high current loads which would cause the identified failure mechanism (copper migration) to occur quickly and reveal any underlying PCB defect.Although groups A and C were built with PCBs containing single layer PCBs, they were built using better quality control, and as the data supports, experienced significantly lower failures.GM advised that for these reasons the two different service procedures were used in the Recall 13V‑173 population.In response to ODI's Information Request (IR) GM submitted 234 unique reports related to the alleged problem. It was noted that 197 (84%) of the received reports fell into the group B population.The 2 fire incidents noted were events in which flames were evident and/or damage was experienced outside of the GCM. Both of these incidents involved group B vehicles. One hundred four warranty claims were also submitted in response to the IR, with 96 claims (92%) from group B.It was also noted that none of the claims from groups A or C occurred after the service procedure was conducted, and that the majority of the A or C incidents occurred during the service procedure.Given the data, ODI believes the ser
RQ13003
Technical service bulletins for the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco 404
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Unknown or other
- This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH
- This Warranty Administration service bulletin provides Lithium-Ion battery Exchange Process and...
- Unknown or other
- This service bulletin provides information on Tire Sidewall Irregularities.
What 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
2013 chevrolet malibu eco. Consumer writes in regard to electrical issues with vehicle. The consumer stated that while driving the vehicle would shut off, losing all power. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The consumer stated the battery light illuminated, displays battery saver activated, and then the vehicle loses power.
Stereo/navigation intermittent always default to one radio station and settings, passenger seat had a crackling sound a few times no odd smells or smoke, turns signals won't work when stereo is inoperative.
Takata recall . My car just died out off nowhere while I was just parked and when it finally got jumped the 'service airbag' light came. I've done some research and this has been happening to everybody and the repairs is up to $1000
I was sitting at a red light, with my foot firmly on the brake. Suddenly it started to move and suddenly took off and hit the car in front of me (the car had moved up significantly, but I hadn't, so it had a lot of momentum when it hit)! After the accident report was filed, I tried to start the car to leave, but the car wouldn't start. Additionally, a ton of error messages were flashing, as well as all indoor and outdoor lights flashing, even the decorative panel blue strip lights. I was terrified. I had to have it towed from the scene. At first, the officer didn't believe me, that it was the car's fault, not mine, but once she saw what was happening, she believed me. The tow truck driver said the car was possessed, he had never seen anything like this before. The car had almost 53,000 miles on it, one year to go with payments, and I had been planning to keep it once it was paid off, until this happened. It could have been so much worse. What if it hit pedestrians crossing the street? I was at a complete standstill. When my mechanic evaluated it, a bunch of error codes printed out, one of which was u0121 multi-axis acceleration sensor lost communication with electronic brake control module. I'm pretty sure this was what caused the accident, but both general motors and my chevrolet dealer say this means nothing. I sold the car and bought a mitsubishi mirage. I will never buy a chevy again. All over the united states, electrical problems are happening to other chevy's (my make, model and year alone) - so far about 167 that I've read about, but no one's doing anything about it.
Excessive oil consumption regarding the ecotec 2.4l engine (luk). I had purchased my vehicle in september of 2018 with 87,932 miles. The vehicle was inspected and serviced. Prior to reaching the recommended 7500 mile oil change interval and before the 'change oil soon' notification, my check engine light illuminated. I had the vehicle towed to a certified gm dealership to be diagnosed on december 14th 2018. It was noted the vehicle was 3 quarts low on oil at 94,530 miles. I continued to monitor the oil levels there after until my next servicing at 97,063 miles, again the oil was low but within margin as I had topped off as needed. Now with my vehicle at 100,134 miles and still losing oil I am concerned that the engine is plagued by the same problem as found in the 2.4l (lea) found in the equinox and gmc terrain. It is my understanding there was a manufacturers defect with the piston rings combined with the oil spray cooling that lead to gm issuing a special warranty coverage to the lea variant however no coverage was extended to the luk variant. It is also to my understanding that there is no discernible difference internally between both variants with the luk engine slightly modified to support the (bas) belt alternator starter mild hybrid drivetrain. Both still contain the same pistons, piston rings, and oil jet spray technologies. At this point I have raised my concerns with gm and have scheduled a oil consumption test to be done (ruled to be unreliable in the lawsuit regarding lea type engines). I am also raising my concerns here as well as I believe this to be a safety issue as a result of manufacture defect and I believe gm intends to skirt the issue by only addressing the type of engine involved in the original lawsuit and only those vehicles for which they were equipped. I appreciate taking your time to review this case and hope to see a resolution.
Takara recall I had my car in multiple times in a dealership bergstrom like five times and every time they work on it there's something else wrong . The car has electrical issues the radio turns on and off by itself . The temperature thing became on for high temps when the AC is off.I had replaced multiple sensors replaced like the crankshaft sensor. My car shut off on me through the drive-through . It has a rough time is starting sometimes and stalls . Now it's saying something about an oil pressure sensor o2 sensor. Couple times I heard the car backfire so I got a new cadillac converter. I've even have smelled some smells like burning. I hear a clunking noise in the front when I go over a little bumps or when I turn really sharp not going fast. Been having multiple issues with this car and would like some help figuring out what's going on with t and would like some help figuring out what's going on with it! I don't feel safe sometimes and I'm afraid my car siri might go out or something and it won't run or start for me when I'm driving. Please help.
I was driving and started hearing a loud alter he and then the car seemed to have shut off and started back up the engine light came on I pulled over turned the car off to see if the engine light would go back off it didn't now it keeps making the skreeching sound and still shuts off while driving and on a stop
Have been having issues with the battery since I got the car back in 2017. Replaced the battery 3 times with a year thinking it was just a dead battery. After the third time it happened took it to the dealership and was told that the battery cables needed to be cleaned and battery needed to be replaced paid 400 dollars for that . 6 months later same problem happens. I'm in my car battery light comes on , battery voltage starts to get low, car losses all power and I am stranded. Had it towed to the deal ship because I just had this same problem 6 months ago . After a week in the shop I was told it was the belt and the repairs would be 400 dollars again. I went ahead and agreed to have them work on the car for a call a day later saying something else's was wrong and repairs were now 1550 dollar. Went ahead and agreed to get it fixed asked is this going to fix my problem I'm having with the battery was told yes. Got my car out the shop and had the same issue with the battery light and car stalling in less than 24 hours of having the car out of the shop. I searched recalls and did see one for this car about the gcm causes the battery light to come on. Where I searched my VIN number recall did not show up for my car. What am I to do now the description of what's happening with my car fits the description of a recall with this make model and year of my car.
When stopped at light, car shut down, would not restart. (had stall one other time in parking garage but vehicle restarted). No electrical, no flashers. Took to dealership. Replaced battery and generator control module due to malfunction. Asked about 2013 recall. Was told it didn't apply.
Compare the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco
Other model years
20132014
Questions about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco
Is the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco reliable?
Owners have filed 87 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, close to a typical Malibu Eco model year.
What is the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco year score?
The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco scores 74 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Chevrolet Malibu Eco: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco?
Electrical system, with 49 complaints, typically around 76,000 miles. Next is engine (23).
How many recalls does the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco have?
1 recall, covering electrical system.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco electrical?
Yes, 1 recall: 13V173000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
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