The defect
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
The risk
The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2014 |
Components: VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM | VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM:WINDSHIELD:ELECTRICAL HEATING ELEMENT
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 2014 | 351 | 6 |
Other visibility recalls in 2013
16 of the 627 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2013 concerned the visibility; General Motors LLC filed 272 campaigns in all.
| 13V650000 26 Dec 2013 | Prevost Cars, Inc. |
| 13V574000 19 Nov 2013 | Spartan Motors, Inc. |
| 13V541000 30 Oct 2013 | McLaren Automotive Incorporated |
| 13V505000 17 Oct 2013 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing |
| 13V448000 23 Sept 2013 | Volkswagen of America, Inc. |
| 13V375000 20 Aug 2013 | Lion Bus Inc. |
| 13V331000 31 Jul 2013 | Jayco, Inc. |
| 13V330000 31 Jul 2013 | Entegra Coach |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2013