2011 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior Lighting Problems
- 91
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 91 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- passenger side · 23 records
- keeps going · 21 records
- side beam · 16 records
- keep going · 13 records
- headlight keeps · 9 records
- went again · 9 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 23 |
| 100–150k mi | 22 |
| 150–400k mi | 7 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
| 30–60k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting
The passenger low beam light keeps going out. I hit a bump and it comes back on sometimes. Replaced bulb and harness multiple times. This is very frustrating as you have to take apart almost the whole front end just to replace a bulb.
ODI 11221948
Exterior Lighting
Lowbeam constantly goes out. After restarting the computer the fuse has fire for about 30 seconds and then goes out again.
ODI 11120515
Exterior Lighting
My passenger low beam keeps going out. I have gotten it changed 4 times and the last 2 months. No one knows the problem and the bulbs are no t burning out it just stops working. I have spoken to a number of people that have the same year body and make that has been dealing with the same exact issue as me.
ODI 11164328
Exterior Lighting
Driver & passenger headlight keeps burning out or not functioning. I've replaced the bulbs 4 times within the last year. I've read on malibu blogs that a lot of other owners are experiencing same lighting issue on their malibu
ODI 11120101
Exterior Lighting
Year 2008-2012 models have a reoccurring headlight problem. The headlight bulbs / connectors tend to burn out at an accelerated rate. Causing removal of front bumper just to access headlight housing. Pricing ranging $100-$150 per hour just in labor.
ODI 11282910
Exterior Lighting
The headlights on the car continue to burn out every two months. The cost to replace is $200. This is a safety hazard when they both go out at the same time
ODI 11110168
Exterior Lighting
2011 chevy malibu headlight issue. Low beam headlights having some sort of power issues. Replaced bulbs several times before realizing the bulbs aren't burnt out. Lights go out while driving. You have to remove the entire front end of the car to access.
ODI 11103624
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes
Takata recall. Brake apply sensor fluctuates on and off also turning signal is not working on the left or right even though the bugs been changed and inside the vehicle it shows a turning signal, no rear brake lights when driving or at a complete stop. Even though fuses and new bulbs replaced, electrical shortage with radio and cigarette lighter, also replace bulbs and headlights and they continue to shorten out and…
ODI 11191603
Exterior Lighting
I have replaced the headlight on the drivers side 5 times. I always replace both when i take the car apart. I have purchased bulbs from the dealer, ask parts stores to order long life bulbs. This last replacement has lasted 4 weeks. All connections, wires are good, replaced relays, connections look good. Owned a shop over 20 years. Please, need help. Stupid design requires a couple of hours work to replace the…
ODI 11097838
Exterior Lighting
The passenger headlight keeps going out every couple months. I've changed it 4 times. I change the driver side too because it's so much work even though it works fine. Please investigate this problems, it has to be a malfunction of some kind.
ODI 11090805
Exterior Lighting
My malibu healight on the driver side is going out a lot i just changed it 2 times last month and had the socket replaced that connects to the light bulb.its only been 3 weeks and the light is cutting on and off! I can't get around at night and my job requires me to travel at night.its costing me money to keep ttakig this car to firestone and sucks because i love the car .
ODI 11083535
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The passenger side low beam bulb keeps going out. I've had this bulb replaced multiple times and had the wiring harness replaced because the bulb kept going out. After having the wiring harness replaced the bulb went out again.
ODI 11076931
Exterior Lighting
Takata recall my passenger side low beam light keeps going out i have had it changed over 10 times and each time the light bulb is not blown but won't come on
ODI 11196030
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Well first i seen that my driver side low beam light was out then later it went on then again it went out again so i repaired it then about a month later it went out again then i fix it again and the same thing happen again its a on going thing as i see online a lot of other people are having the same problem as me.i hope they can get to the bottom of this to fix ,it not right for me to keep buying headlights ,as…
ODI 11165816
Exterior Lighting
My passanger side low beam headlight is continually going out. It has been replaced over 5 times this year. Only having issues with passanger side.
ODI 11179860
Exterior Lighting
Right side headlamp went out needing immediate replacement in order to see the road properly and safely. In order to repair, the front bumper had to be removed only at a dealer costing 1.5 hours and $145.00 of cost to replace a simple low beam headlamp. Many people cannot wait the 2 days wait and the exorbitant cost for this obviously simple procedure that threatens driving safety with only one working headlight.
ODI 11073467
Exterior Lighting
The passenger side head lamp is constantly in need of repair. After replacing the dim bulb several times, i had the wiring replaced to fix in an attempt to fix the faulty lighting. This still did not fix the problem and the r.h. Passenger dim lamp is out again. This is a problem for all 2009 - 2011 chevy malibu vehicles. The lighting, once replaced, worked for a short period of time then it goes out. I am at the…
ODI 11277838
Exterior Lighting
Passenger side low beam light keeps going out, and i have replaced the pig tail. The light has gone out 2 times since i changed the pig tail. This is effecting my travel at night not being able to depend on my headlights.
ODI 11114399
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. While operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the rear brake light would not illuminate; however, the brake light would remain illuminated when the brake pedal was not being depressed. The vehicle was taken to apple chevrolet ([redacted], york, pa) where it was diagnosed that the electrical brake light wiring was faulty and corrosion was present. The…
ODI 11065712
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the headlamps failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the headlamps were defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to nhtsa. The failure mileage was approximately…
ODI 11045813
Exterior Lighting
I have replaced the driver's side headlight more than 5 times, the pigtail has been replaced and the wiring has been rewired. Headlight is out again but the bulb is not burned out, it's almost as if it's a shirt in the entire harness.
ODI 11204441
Exterior Lighting
The headlight bulbs have been replaced several times and continue to blow out intermittently within a few months of replacement. There is no issue with the factory installed high beam lamps only the low beam lamps are blowing out after replacement.
ODI 10957980
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The dashboard seat belt light goes on and off. The radio at times goes silent. The headlights keep going off and having to replace. The ecm or ecu has went out. And the check engine light is one. On this while the car is on, driving and stationary.
ODI 10978927
Exterior Lighting · Wiring
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. While attempting to use the low beam headlights, the contact noticed that the lights were not illuminated. The contact stated that the bulbs needed to be replaced more than usual. The contact also mentioned that the turn signal indicators were blinking erratically. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where the contact was informed that the bulbs needed to be…
Fire reported
ODI 11156527
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
In last 12 to 14 months to include today, the low beam headlight on passenger side has gone out. It has been repaired twice and now looking at a third time. I want to say this is an electrical issue as the last time it went out, sometimes it would come back on if i hit a bump. I will be getting it serviced again as not having a headlight working is a danger. The reason i am contacting nhtsa is i have talk to and…
ODI 11073049
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2011 Chevrolet Malibu.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.