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2013 Chevrolet Malibu: jerking or lurching

37 of the 837 complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu describe jerking or lurching.

owner complaints
37
of this car's complaints
4%
typical mileage
60,917
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 107 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Jerking or lurching by model year

What owners say

Filed Dec 1, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · VA

Without any warning and while driving the MALIBU 2LT goes into engine reduced power mode and will not excel over 50mph. NEXT, the Service stable track warning light would come on intermittently and disable traction control. This is very dangerous. Also the MALIBU 2LT will jerk at the wheel without warning when the power steering warning comes on. Additionally, power steering fluid does not have a measuring device to see when it falls below the required amount needed. It’s basically a guessing game that costs over $120.00 to have checked with no real resolve .

Filed Sep 11, 2024 · Electrical · 72,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 30-45 MPH, the instrument cluster and the infotainment system screen display were flickering. Additionally, the steering wheel was jerking to the left and to the right, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 5-6 minutes and continued driving; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the failure could not be replicated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer several times. The vehicle remained at the dealer, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Filed Aug 22, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · TX

Car randomly goes into engine reduced power mode and won't go over 50mph. Power steering either won't turn the wheels and will start working again without warning while driving and jerks wheel to the right. Service stabilitrac warning would come on intermittently and disable traction control. Service stabilitrac warning is on now everytime I crank the vehicle and traction control is never working. I have pictures where it has went in limp mode and videos of the gauges doing crazy things after this warning has come up. Very dangerous. Car will jerk the wheel without warning when power steering warning comes on.

Filed Mar 22, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · SC

Car starts idling up and down while stopped at light. When the car is given the gas to go it will not pick up speed it stalls and car completely turns off in drive. While parked in parking lot I put the car in reverse and it would not move and that has happened 5 times. The engine light comes on and I have taken it to 4 different mechanics to put the diagonstic test on it and it comes up with idle sensor, change it and 2 days later car starts jerking and will not go over 35mph and finally dies. While driving 55mph on the hwy the car looses speed and wont go over 35 mph. Nobody is allowed to drive this car until chevy fixes it, and it will sit in my yard until then because my family is more important than a piece of metal. I wont sell it because of this danger either. I crank it up every month but it has not been driven in 2 years.

Filed May 11, 2021 · Brakes, Electrical · 110,000 miles · GA

On numerous occasions, vehicle has shut completely off. Because it is an eco engine, I assumed it was simply idling down, while stationary a traffic light or stop sign, as usual but that was not the case. The first couple of times the vehicle shutoff was at traffic lights, and drive through lanes. And then the vehicle shutoff while on the interstate at 70 miles per hour. Shortly after that incident, the check engine light came on. I replaced the battery but the car has still had to be jumped off three times since the replacement. And when I had those codes repaired, now the vehicle drives as if it isn't getting gas and then all of sudden it will jerk and accelerate quickly. Lastly, when the brakes are used on several occasions, the pedal will suddenly go all the way to the floorboard, then come and tighten to point I can barely press the brakes. I have replaced the brakes on three separate occasions and the mechanics do not understand what is causing that issue to occur.

Filed Dec 11, 2020 · Electrical, Steering · 117,000 miles · MI

The dash screen goes black and cuts power, disconnecting calls and blue tooth connection, and power steering. When this happens I am unable to turn the wheel. The wheel jerks back in place. This happens while the car is in motion. This has happened to me while on the freeway. It only cuts power for a few seconds and it comes back on but I am unable to control the car when this happens. I am also unable to move the steering wheel at all when this happens. This happened a few months back a few times and I contacted the dealership and they didnt know what to do with it because it wasnt happening at the time. It most recently happened yesterday on 12/10/2020.

Filed Jun 3, 2020 · Engine · 38,385 miles · MI

My service engine light came on and my car has been jerking and has issues with accelerating. It acts like it wants to cut off but doesn't it just jerks repeatedly. I'm nervous to drive my car because I'm worried that it will cut off in traffic and cause an accident.

Filed Jun 1, 2020 · Engine, Steering · 60,917 miles · KY

While in the middle of traffic at a stop light the car shut completely off where my steering went out, the key was locked in the ignition and I had to get someone to help push the car into a parking lot for safety. The car has been jerking, will not pick up speed and if sitting at a stoplight too long, the car will shut off. When I put the car in reverse, the car either jerks or shuts off but then starts back up.

Filed May 22, 2020 · Transmission · MO

My car jerks when slowing sometimes like im dropping it down in first gear.

Filed Sep 9, 2019 · Steering · 147,000 miles · IA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 chevrolet malibu. While driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the entire instrument panel warning indicator illuminated. The contact mentioned that the vehicle jerked while the failure occurred. An independent mechanic was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle would not be able to be diagnosed unless the failure occurred in their presence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 147,000.

Filed Aug 10, 2019 · Engine · 78,825 miles · NY

Car was jerking while accelerating happened for about 5 mins then check engine light came on

Filed Jul 23, 2019 · Engine · 70,000 miles · AL

The A/C blows out hot air. Since I've been consistently blowing it or trying to because it is summer, my car starting jerking. It might work every now and again. Sometimes, once I'm slowing down and the air is supposedly blowing, my car cuts off on me while I'm in drive. This has happened while parking the car as well as coming to a stop at a red light or stop sign. I needed to defrost my windows, it cut off on me a red light.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)Reported April 24, 2015 · 3,690 vehicles affected
What is wrong
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured April 10, 2012, to August 2, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the console transmission gear selection indicator may not illuminate the shift position selected. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect."
Risk
If the console shift indicator does not illuminate the transmission gear selection, a driver could inadvertently select a transmission position other than the position the driver intended, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the transmission gear selection control module, free of charge. The recall began on April 20, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 12162.

Recall number 15V245000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu jerking

Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?

37 of 837 owner complaints about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu (4%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2008.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu?

There is 1 recall and 107 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu

Stalling 105Check engine light 101Loss of power 82Power steering loss 43Steering lock-up 41Airbag light 28Engine failure 23Screen failure 23Won't start 23Overheating 21Warning lights 20Fire or smoke 16Headlights 16ABS 13No deployment 11Hesitation 9Adaptive cruise 8Battery drain 8Brake failure 8Fuel gauge 8Key fob 6Wipers 6Backup camera 5Door locks 5Fuel pump 5Pulling 5Won't shift 5

All model years of the Chevrolet Malibu

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