There are 11 stored owner reports matching the lighting leading-label group for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 11 of 11 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)The third break light above the rear windshield doesn't have proper rubber seals which cause water to leak into the housing and the break light to short out, and also water to leak throughout the upper interior and into the truck causing rust and mold.
On March 18, 2024, I noticed that water began to enter the car when it was in the carwash. I opened a claim with the insurance company and an investigation was carried out that lasted approximately 3 months. On June 11, the body shop received my car to diagnose and provide a quote to the insurance company for the necessary repairs due to this water damage. The workshop considered it to be a problem in the upper rear brake light and mentioned that this is a Chevrolet recall on these cars. The insurance company called me and told me that I had to go directly to the dealer to have the necessary repairs made to my car that were caused by this water problem. However, I cannot find information about this recall online.
I noticed some staining in my vehicle head liner and a nasty musky smell about an hour after I washed my vehicle. I do know there is a recall on the third brake high stop lamp for same model different Vin associated. My vehicle has the same problem and this can cause malfunctioning to the rear of the vehicle due to the water leaking into the car and on the wiring ov the vehicle. Seats get wet, headliner is stained and gets wet, rear deck gets soaked as well. 3 of my bolt fasteners have broken and I have a temporary fix on it.
I notice water leaking inside the trunk and roof, after carefully checking the outside car i have found a cracked 3rd brake light( rear), no accident , no impact nothing happened.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon cleaning her rear windshield, she noticed that the third rear brake light plastic housing had cracked on both sides. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the third brake light needed to be replaced to avoid future water intrusion that might enter through the roof of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
My car should be included as part of special coverage since my car is leaking also: GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS DCS5111 URGENT - DISTRIBUTE IMMEDIATELY Date: August 7, 2019 Subject: N192210570 - Special Coverage Center High Mount Stop Lamp Water Leak Models: 2016 – 2017 Chevrolet Malibu To: All General Motors Dealers General Motors is releasing Special Coverage N192210570 today. The total number of U.S. vehicles involved is approximately 252,825. Please see the attached bulletin for details. Customer Letter Mailing The customer letter mailing will begin on August 21, 2019. Global Warranty Management (GWM) The Applicable Warranties section on the Investigate Vehicle History (IVH) screen will be updated August 7, 2019. Please hold all warranty transactions until IVH has been updated. END OF MESSAGE GLOBAL SAFETY FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
THERE IS WATER COMING INTO THE TRUNK. UPON LOOKING ONLINE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM CAUSED BY THE LOOSENING OF THE NUTS SECURING THE 3RD BREAK LIGHT.
THE NUTS USED TO FASTEN 3RD BRAKE LIGHT ARE NOT LOCKING NUTS THEREFOR LOOSEN CAUSING THE 3RD BREAK LIGHT TO FILTER TO LOOSEN AND BREAK. THIS ALSO CAUSES FLOODING IN THE TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE. I HAD 2 INCHES OF WATER IN THE SPARE TIRE COMPARTMENT ALONG WITH A SOAKED TRUNK WHICH CAUSED A TERRIBLE SMELL. YOU WILL SEE IN THE PICTURES I HAVE TRIED TO REPAIR THE BROKEN PLASTIC ON THE BREAK LIGHT WITH AN EPOXY MIX. REPLACEMENT WOULD BE BETTER. I THINK BREAKAGE IS CAUSED BECAUSE THE NUTS LOOSEN.
THE BACK REAR WINDOW LEAKS AROUND THE TOP/THIRD BRAKE LIGHT. THE DRIVERS SIDE LOWER FOG LIGHT/DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT DOESN'T WORK RANDOMLY AND THERE IS CONDENSATION IN THE INSIDE OF THE LENS.
I HAVE NOTICED A FUNKY SMELL ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST 2017. THE SMELL WOULD GO AWAY SO I NEVER LOOKED INTO IT. AFTER A BAD RAIN STORM, THE INTERIOR SMELLED AGAIN. I WENT INTO THE TRUNK A DAY LATER AND THE TIRE WELL COVER WAS WET. I FOUND WATER UNDER THE COVER AND SAW THAT IT RAN IN FROM UNDER THE DRIVER SIDE REAR WINDOW AREA. I ALSO FOUND WATER TRAILS DOWN THE REAR WINDOW SIDE PLASTIC CASING INSIDE THE CAR. I RESEARCHED AND FOUND MANY MANY COMPLAINTS FROM 2016 THRU 2019 VEHICLES ABOUT THE 3RD BREAK LIGHT LEAKING DUE TO LOOSE SCREWS. SOUNDS TO THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GM. A SIMPLE FIX OF TIGHTENING THE SCREWS OR USING LOCK TYPE SCREWS. WHY DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND REPAIR FOR SOMETHING GM IS NOT DOING
THE HEADLIGHTS ARE VERY POOR AND EVEN UNSAFE ON DARK WET NIGHTS. AS PURCHASED THE LIGHTS WERE TOO HIGH. WITH THE LIGHTS AIMED LOWER, IT IS BARELY OK ON MOST NIGHTS BUT UNSAFE ON WET, DARK NIGHTS. I HAVE PURCHASED AFTERMARKET BULBS BUT THEY WERE ONLY SLIGHTLY IMPROVED. THE HIGH BEAMS ARE STILL TOO HIGH TO LIGHT THE ROAD, BUT THEY DO ILLUMINATE THE TREES. A EUROPEAN CUTOFF BEAM PATTERN WOULD HELP TOO.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.