The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH and taking her children to school, there was an abnormally loud banging sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that several air bags deployed. The steering wheel air bag struck the contact, and she was knocked unconscious. The vehicle drove across the street and crashed into a divider. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact sustained minor bruises on the nose. Medical attention was provided by the emergency personnel on the ambulance. The manufacturer was contacted over the phone after the issue. A product allegation was filed, and the contact was informed there would be a response within four business days. The failure mileage was approximately 194,000.
2016 Chevrolet Malibu airbags problems
18 complaints (2% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 45,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 45,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 4
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Malibu airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.
Recall number 18V400000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured November 18, 2015, to June 7, 2016. The fabric of the side-impact air bag cushion may tear during deployment.
- Risk
- If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 27, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 16079.
Recall number 16V781000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Malibu vehicles manufactured February 16, 2016, to March 5, 2016. The two weld studs that mount the front and rear side impact air bags may fracture and separate from the air bag during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, "Side Impact Protection."
- Risk
- Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 31820.
Recall number 16V151000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
- Risk
- An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, and GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
Recall number 16V125000 · Recall details
What 2016 Chevrolet Malibu owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
URGENT Complaint: NO RESPONSE to Demand for Rescission - Odometer Fraud, Deceptive Practices - Banner Ford of Monroe, LA
My airbag light comes on intermittently and will show a passenger is not in my front seat when they are. I took my car to the dealer and they got a current and past code B0074 for the passenger presence module. There was a recall (18208) for this on certain 2016 Malibus but my vin was not included.
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag light was illuminated and there was a message displayed "Service Air Bag". The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.
The contact owned a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle was involved in a rear collision. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The contact's friend sustained rib, back, and neck injuries. The vehicle was towed to a salvage lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,537.
UNKNOWN the air bag on my dash board come on and off ALL THE TIME even if I have no one sitting in my passenger seat.I got this vehicle for the winter thinking it was going to help me save gas and be a good reliable car for my daily routine to work, school, and my kids school. But it’s definitely the opposite. I’m struggling financially and In a hole now the engine light is on and I can’t get to my destination without going more then 30-40mph because “engine speed reduce” appears on my dash board and reduced the speed and not only is this inconvenient and annoying but also dangerous I dam almost got into accident because of this I was driving in the highway about 65-70 mph when this happen with a 18-wheeler behind me not only was my daughter’s life and mine put in danger. But the person driving the 18-wheeler. He definitely lost somewhat the control to swerve my vehicle it was a miracle of god no other cars where next to us and that nothing happened.their is so many 2016 Chevrolet malibu like this that I hope from the bottom of my heart that their is some compassion for this issue where they can make the issue get recalled. To help people like me I’m struggling to make ends meet day to day and I have forcefully have to keep using my car on the daily. I have no other transportation. And like i said not only for my safety but everyone around I am not the only one with this issue if the make in model. Their is hundreds of us !
Purchased vehicle from Car Key Autoplex at 13546 Method St, Dallas TX 75243 (214) 210-9998 in March 2020. Vehicle was involved in previous wreck and owner purchased this vehicle and made repairs. Repairs were verified cause the air bag light stopped coming on. In December 2021 vehicle was involved in a wreck. Auto body shop looked into replacing seat belts. Noticed that seat belts had deployed, one of the seat belts was the wrong one for the vehicle as well as an incorrectly installed bolt for the SRS. Had to replace both seat belts and pretensioners and airbag control module installed ($2,250). Then the auto body shop noticed that pigtails were missing and spliced together. Had this fixed at a dealership for $1,800 along with programming of the airbag control module to the vehicle. Owner of Car Key Autoplex said that vehicle was repaired 100% when it wasn’t. He committed fraud and sold us a vehicle that was unsafe for the road and cost me over $4,000 to fix all of this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, smoke seeped into the cab of the vehicle. The contact stopped close by and the vehicle was checked by her son and saw there was a very small amount of antifreeze left in the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the dealer riverside chevrolet (707 w 51st st, tulsa, ok 74107 918‑446‑7700) while it was running hot. The vehicle was serviced by the dealer with an oil change and fluid checks two months earlier. The dealer suggested to leave the vehicle overnight. The vehicle was later diagnosed that the heater coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Im getting an alert of air bag problem and I received a letter about an airbag problem recall. Also the brake pedal which my husband fixed and a roof water leak which my husband also fixed.
My car just stopped cranking and its like I have all the power turned off, I was in my yard. I thought it was the battery, changed it still no change. My airbag repair light keeps coming on and my car had been running fine all day fine until I parked it and everything stopped.
Questions about the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu airbags
Does the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 18 complaints about the airbags of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, 2% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2016 Chevrolet Malibu airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 45,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu airbags?
Yes, 4 recalls: 18V400000, 16V781000, 16V151000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu have bad airbags?
The Chevrolet Malibu model years with the most airbags complaints are 2010 (144 complaints), 2012 (101 complaints) and 2011 (93 complaints).
Other 2016 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Engine 305Electrical 222Transmission 166Acceleration 152Brakes 104Driver assistance 84Fuel system 55Steering 42Body 40Lights 19Suspension 19Visibility 15Wheels 12Seat belts 9Seats 6Tires 3Locks 1
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