Problems · by component
2012 Chevrolet Malibu seats problems
36 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu cite seats, 4% of all 907 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
36
4% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
What owners say about the seats
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“Car has 161,848 miles and the seat frame broke on the drivers side of my 2012 Chevy Malibu. It had a slight tilt to the right. It was taken to the Chevrolet Dealership and they inspected and verified that the frame welding was broken. I have a video from the service tech showing the broken frame. I took a screen shot of the video and attached it to this incident repot. I would be happy to share the video but it won't allow me to share on this page. I asked the dealership if there was any recall because I find it hard to believe that a seat frame would just break. I have gone online and read that multiple people have had this issue however, Chevrolet has done nothing about it. A few people have at least gotten somewhat of a compensation for having to replace something that should last the life of the vehicle. I was not one of them. I had to pay over a thousand dollars for a USED frame and labor. What is to keep this frame from cracking too? I think Chevrolet should do better.”
“The catalytic converter and exhaust manifold are suspected to be malfunctioning. These components are part of the vehicle’s exhaust system, and their failure is believed to be contributing to hesitation and skipping during operation. Both components are available for inspection upon request. The hesitation and skipping reduce the vehicle’s responsiveness, creating a safety risk in traffic. This issue could hinder safe merging, overtaking, or maintaining consistent speeds. Additionally, malfunctioning exhaust components may lead to increased emissions and pose a risk of toxic gases entering the cabin if leaks are present. Check engine light displays. The problem has been confirmed by a professional auto mechanic during their inspection and diagnosis. The components have been inspected and diagnosed by an independent service center (the auto mechanic). They have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No warning lamps or error messages were displayed on the dashboard prior to the diagnosis. The symptoms, including hesitation and skipping, began approximately [insert timeline, e.g., two weeks ago] and have been recurring…”
“Driver seat frame bar broke. Is weld and the weld broke when I was on the road. Safety concern when I turn left or right driver seat moves a lot. I can’t drive my malibu like that, Im putting myself in risk and other drivers. First time happens to me this kind of situation. I had other oldest vehicles and driver seat never broke. Not good for a 2012 malibu with a broken frame bar driver seat. GM should fix this problem that comes from manufacure. I did a research about this and Im not alone there is a lot of people complaining about this safety concern issue that chevy malibus from 2009 and 2012 had and dealers dont want to pay attention to this problem.”
“Driver side seat is broken and the frame is cracked on the right side which makes it lean towards the middle console. Which causes my seat to be crooked and definitely feels unsafe and worries me that the airbags may not deploy if ever in an accident.”
“The driver side seat bottom portion left side caved in it says if the webbing underneath the seat that holds it up it broke and I just wanted to see if it was cause do the recall that was fixed on it or what not because I did read other complaints with the exact same issue I just want to know if there is a investigation or a way to be fixed”
“I HIT A DEER ON THE DRIVE SIDE AND SEAT BROKE. IT MOVES WHEN I SIT IT IT AND THE INSURANCE WON'T BUT TO HAVE IT FIX BECAUSE THEY STATE IT IS A PROBLEM THAT THE MALIBU'S HAVE.”
Showing 6 of 36 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.