The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal became inoperable and was difficult to depress, resulting in extended stopping distance. During the failure, the air bag warning light illuminated and an abnormal odor emanated from the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, and it was determined that the power brake booster failed and required replacement. The mechanic confirmed the failure and confirmed that the brake pedal felt spongy when depressed. The failure mileage was approximately 88,140.
Chevrolet Malibu airbag light comes on
353 of the 19,367 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Malibu describe airbag warning light, most of them for the 2010 model year.
- owner complaints
- 353
- worst model year
- 2010
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 76,234
Is there a fix? There are 9 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 16Headlights 13Stalling 11Power steering loss 7Loss of power 7No deployment 7Steering lock-up 6Engine failure 6
Trouble codes mentioned
B101D 4C0287 2C0196 2C0186 2B0012 2U0184 1P0341 1P0013 1B3902 1B0081 1
What owners say
I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2011 Chevrolet Malibu LS related to the electronic stability control (ESC), traction control, and electric power steering systems. My vehicle is currently experiencing the following problems: * “Service ESC” warning message * “ESC Off” displayed * Traction control disabled * Electric power steering warning * Airbag warning light illuminated These issues occur while driving and directly impact the vehicle’s safety systems and handling. I am aware of a prior safety recall issued by General Motors under Recall Number 13036, which involves electrical wiring, the body control module (BCM), and brake assist system (BAS). According to the recall, this defect can result in the loss of electronic stability control, traction control, and other critical safety features. My vehicle is experiencing the exact same symptoms described in Recall #13036, including the disabling of ESC and traction control systems. However, I have been informed that my VIN may not be included in this recall, despite the identical safety-related failures. This presents a significant safety risk because: * Electronic stability control and traction control systems are not functioning * Steering assist may be compromised * Crash avoidance and braking support features may be disabled I am requesting that this issue be investigated and that consideration be given to expanding Recall #13036 to include additional affected vehicles like mine, as this appears to be a widespread defect. This condition poses a serious risk to driver and passenger safety, thank you so much you can contact me back via email [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My airbag warning light and notification have came on and sometimes seat belt lights come on unexpectedly and will not go off I feel like this is a safety issue
When I accelerate and try to stop brakes goes down to the floor. I’ve had my rotors. Brakes changed and it’s impossible to stop at times. Purchase vehicle. 2018 and the check engine light came on shortly after I purchased it. It’s been on. I’ve got diagnostics. It’s unknown why! Tire sensors has been changed, including with new tires and none of them work and the airbag light is illuminated. I am concerned about my safety in this vehicle. I reported many times and I’m unaware of any recalls. Please help.
The contact owned a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while backing out of the driveway, the engine revved up and accelerated independently. The contact's vehicle accelerated independently in reverse(R) and clipped the tow hitch of a vehicle parked on the street, and that was where the vehicle came to a stop. No air bags deployed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was inspected. However, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while parking in reverse into the contact's assigned parking space, the engine revved up and accelerated independently. The vehicle accelerated in reverse(R) and hit a tree, where it came to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the back windshield was shattered, the rear bumper fell off, and smoke was emitting from under the hood. Â A police report was not filed. The contact was taken to the hospital by a family member later that day. The contact sustained minor injuries; a contact had a CT scan due to hitting the steering wheel. The contact sustained minor cuts from the flying glass from the back windshield. The contact stated that the day after the accident, her daughter turned on the vehicle, and the air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was left at the residence pending an inspection from a mobile independent mechanic. The contact stated that prior to the accident, the gear shift failed to function as intended. When the contact moved the shift lever to park(P) and the contact turned off the engine, the light on park(P) would stay on. The contact then turned on the engine and turned it off the engine, and the light on the gearshift turned off. The insurance company was not contacted. However, the contact did not have coverage for the accident. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Service airbag light goes on and off. Also passenger air bag keeps turning on and off.
Experiencing power steering issues, Power steering goes off randomly and airbag light has come on and won’t go off.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the temperature gauge began to indicate the vehicle was overheating after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket; resulting in damage to the engine, and ABS control module resulting in the air bag warning light. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who again diagnosed a failure with the oil pan gasket. The vehicle was repaired, but again the failure occurred for the third time. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while a passenger was seated in the front passenger’s seat, the passenger’s side air bag warning light intermittently illuminated while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with an inoperable passenger’s side air bag sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.
The passanger air bag light stays on and the radio lights up but no sound for radio or turn signals.
Related recalls
Air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.
- Risk
- If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
- Remedy
- GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1‑800‑522‑9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.
Recall number 19V019000 · Recall details
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 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.
- Risk
- Insufficient welds could cause the inflator to separate and propel air bag debris into the cabin during a crash. Also, the inflator could fail to inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.
Recall number 16V870000 · 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
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of one or both of the side impact air bags, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not properly inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Additionally, if the air bag does not properly inflate, the driver or passenger is at an increased risk of injury.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020, Cadillac customer service at 1‑800‑458‑8006, or GMC customer service at 1‑800‑462‑8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.
Recall number 15V666000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
- Risk
- If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment, a front passenger's level of injury may be increased.
- Remedy
- Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (gm) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in gm's letter to owners. The recall began on november 6, 2006. Owners should contact gm at 1‑877‑477‑1022 to begin the process of repurchasing their vehicle.
Recall number 06V417000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The fasteners that secure the passenger air bag module to the instrument panel tie bar were omitted.
- Risk
- If the air bag deploys, the module could separate from the instrument panel striking and injuring an occupant.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the air bag module for the presence of the fasteners and, if necessary, install any fasteners that may have been omitted.
Recall number 97V107000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Malibu airbag light
Why does the airbag light come on in the Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who report it most often also describe check engine light, headlights failing or too dim and engine stalls while driving, and the codes they mention most are B101D, C0287 and C0196.
Which Chevrolet Malibu years have airbag warning light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2010 (64 complaints), 2011 (49 complaints) and 2007 (45 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix airbag warning light on the Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 29 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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