Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1G1ZD5E05CF••••••2012 Chevrolet MALIBU
That is about average for the 2012 Chevrolet MALIBU — 6 complaints per build across 127 builds.
5on this build
816on the model
127builds in total
Most reportedSteering 2Seats 2Electrical System 1Electronic Stability Control (esc) 1
What owners of this build wrote
SteeringJan 2019
POWER STEERING light shows on indicator panel sometimes without any problems steering. Sometimes it appears along with SERVICE ESC and some times power steering is lost. Turning the car off and back on usually resets the problem. It is extremley difficult to steer the car when…
SeatsFeb 2018
I was driving and the right side of the driver seat collapsed. After parking the vehicle I became aware that the seat was loose. I began to inspect it and noticed that a bar broke in the seat frame. Since the seatbelt is attached to the seat this is a huge safety issue
Exterior LightingOct 2016
Passenger side headlight (low beam) has had to be replaced 4 times in the last 2 years
SeatsJan 2017
Tamara recall my driver seat has broken welds on the frame where it bolt to the floor and pulls forward and backwards. And there no recall on it the car only has 130k miles and it seems like im not the only on with the issue and it all seems to be happening right around the same…
SteeringSep 2016
Several systems have been affected. The systems affected are the radio controls on the steering wheel, the power steering, the traction control and the rear defrost. There seems to be a short that goes from system to system. Modern chevrolet in winston salem, nc said it was a…
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 127 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1G1ZD5E05CF257165 · decoded Sep 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.