Certain 2013 Chevrolet Malibu’s are being recalled for the possibility that the drivers side roof rail airbag may unexpectedly deploy, possibly causing injury to the driver.
In the event of a situation in which the brakes must be heavily deployed, the sensing and diagnostic module in the car may reset. It takes three seconds for the system to reset, and in the span of those three seconds, the car may falsely sense a rollover if a turn is taken aggressively. This will cause the roof rail airbag to deploy. This situation is fairly unique, but General Motors did have one documented case of this in a test vehicle, so the company thought it best to issue a recall.
This announcement comes just one week after the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco was placed on to the IIHS’s top safety pick list.
4,304 Malibu’s are affected by the recall, and owners will be notified by the company and have there sensing and diagnostic module reprogrammed by a GM dealer. For more information you can contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.