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2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Critical

154 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.23 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical13V173000

Electrical System

If the vehicle is continued to be driven, the engine may stall and/or the vehicle may not start.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

154 this model-year 9 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

8Crashes
1Fires
4Injuries
0Deaths

Across 154 complaints. Severity Index 0.23.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Electrical System47 · 31%Engine22 · 14%Steering16 · 10%Electronic Stability Cont…12 · 8%Air Bags10 · 6%Service Brakes9 · 6%Power Train8 · 5%Unknown Or Other8 · 5%
  1. Electrical System — 47 reports
  2. Engine — 22 reports
  3. Steering — 16 reports
  4. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 12 reports
  5. Air Bags — 10 reports
  6. Service Brakes — 9 reports
  7. Power Train — 8 reports
  8. Unknown Or Other — 8 reports
  9. Fuel/Propulsion System — 6 reports
  10. Vehicle Speed Control — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

2013 · 2014

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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