Steering. Review the 454 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 294 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 227 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

41 crash reports14 fire reports35 injury reports

Unknown Or Other complaints

63 reports

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22,117 miles · May 8, 2016

Unknown Or Other

CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING! EVERYTHING DIES. CANNOT RESTART. HAPPENED TWICE. DEALER REPLACED SENSOR. WORKED FOR A WEEK, THEN DIED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC. TOWED BACK TO DEALER, WHO HAS NO IDEA WHY THIS HAPPENS. NO RECALL NOTICE EVER RECEIVED FROM CHEVY. BUT I FOUND PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS BY OTHER OWNERS AS FAR BACK AS 2003 WHILE R…

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NHTSA ODI #10863792

120,000 miles · Feb 14, 2016

Unknown Or Other

DRIVING APROX. 55 MILES AN HOUR, WHEN SUDDENLY A SERVICE ESC LIGHT APPEARED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED ALSO AT THIS TIME I LOST ALMOST ALL ENGINE POWER AND WAS ALMOST UNABLE TO MAKE IT HOME.....

NHTSA ODI #10826076

118,000 miles · Sep 14, 2015

StructureUnknown Or Other

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I WENT TO OPEN MY FRONT, DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR (FROM THE OUTSIDE) AND IT WOULD NOT OPEN. I CLIMBED THROUGH THE PASSENGER FRONT AND TRIED TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR FROM THE INSIDE...IT STILL WOULD NOT OPEN. USING THE PALM OF MY HAND, I BUMPED THE EFFECTED DOOR ON THE OUTSIDE DOOR PANEL, BY THE HANDLE AND IT OPENED. I LUBED THE INSIDE DOOR CATCH AREA AS MUCH AS I COULD AND IT SEEMED OK. 48 HOURS LATER, I WAS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. ADDITIONALLY, THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW TIMES DURING THIS TIME FRAME WHERE I WENT TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND IT BOUNCED BACK OPEN AGAIN. IT SEEMS THAT THE DOOR LATCH NEVER CAUGHT THE POST ON THE FRAME. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. AN ELDERLY OR DISABLED DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO GET OUT IN THE CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. NOT EVERYONE IS PHYSICALLY CAPABLE OF FOLDING THEMSELVES UP AND CLIMBING OVER THE ARMREST INTO THE PASSENGER SEAT. ALSO, IT STANDS TO REASON THAT IF THE DOOR MAY NOT LATCH SHUT, IT MAY OPEN WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI #10763610

66,880 miles · Sep 4, 2015

Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

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WE GOT UP THIS MORNING, WENT TO GET INTO OUR CAR AND AS I TRIED TO UNLOCK IT I NOTICED MY KEYLESS ENTRY WOULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOOR. I ASKED MY BOYFRIEND IF HIS WAS WORKING, AND HIS WOULDN'T OPEN THE CAR EITHER. SO I UNLOCKED THE DOOR MANUALLY AND NO ALARM SOUNDED. THE DASH DIDN'T LIGHT UP AS IT USUALLY DOES EITHER. I TRIED STARTING MY CAR, THE IDIOT LIGHTS CAME ON AS DID MY STEREO, BUT THE CAR NEVER TRIED TO TURN OVER. WE HAD NO INTERIOR LIGHTS, NO HEADLIGHTS, AND NOT EVEN HAZARDS!! I THOUGHT HAZARDS WE'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK IN EMERGENCIES BUT APPARENTLY I WAS MISTAKEN. THANK GOD WE WEREN'T BROKE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROAD OR FREEWAY. I'VE NOTICED OTHER YEARS OF THIS PARTICULAR CAR HAVE A RECALL FOR AN IGNITION SWITCH, WHY NOT THIS ONE? BECAUSE THEIR STORIES SOUND JUST LIKE MINE. THIS CAR IS BEING TOWED TO THE SHOP TOMORROW MORNING. IF IT IS THE IGNITION SWITCH, CHEVY WILL BE HEARING FROM ME.

NHTSA ODI #10761729

89,421 miles · Sep 2, 2015

Electrical SystemService BrakesUnknown Or Other

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AS I WAS DRIVING A LIGHT CAME ON THAT SAID ESC, TRACTION, SERVICE ESC AT ONE POINT IT SAID TRACTION OFF. IT HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES SOMETIMES I GO TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE LIGHT IS ON AND THE CAR WILL NOT BUDGE FROM PARK AND I WAS STRANDED FOR OVER AN HOUR IN THE EVENING ALL ALONE. OTHER TIME I WAS DRIVING AND THE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON THE WHOLE TIME AND PEOPLE WERE HONKING AT ME. MY WORST TIME WAS WHEN I WAS DRIVING GOING ABOUT 55 ON A VERY DARK ROAD WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 40 MILES TO DRIVE TO GET HOME AND THE LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS DRIVING AND APPARENTLY THEN I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS AT ALL ! ALL THE WAY HOME NO BRAKE LIGHTS I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS UNTIL A CAR DROVE UP ON ME ALMOST HITTING ME FROM BEHIND BECAUSE HE COULD NOT SEE ME UNTIL HE WAS RIGHT ON ME AND I HAD TO SWERVE OVER TO THE NEXT LANE TO AVOID BEING HIT THIS WAS A VERY SCARY AND TRAUMATIC INCIDENT FOR MY DAUGHTER AND I! THIS IS BEYOND DANGEROUS AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE, WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEIR WAS A RECALL BUT THAT THEY HAD FIXED IT DURING MY LAST OIL CHANGE WHICH I WAS NEVER MADE AWARE OF BUT CASE BEING IF IT WAS "FIXED" THEN WHY AM I STILL RIDING IN A DANGEROUS VEHICLE?! ONE DAY ITS OKAY AND THE NEXT DAY I MAY BE ON THE EXPRESS WAY DOING 55 HOPING NOT TO DIE DUE TO A FAULTY SYSTEM SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT! I AM DISAPPOINTED IN THE WAY THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IS JUST BRUSHING THIS OFF AS YES IT WAS A RECALL BUT WE TOOK CARE OF IT SUPPOSEDLY SO NOW THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM IN THEIR WORDS IT'S NOW YOUR PROBLEM! I CAN SAY THAT BY THE WAY I HAVE BEEN TREATED AND GETTING THE RUN AROUND AND BEING SCARED TO DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN HAS REALLY REALLY CAUSED ME TO DISLIKE CHEVROLET!

NHTSA ODI #10761090

86,641 miles · Jul 17, 2015

Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

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I WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED WHILE GOING ABOUT 15-20 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE VEHICLE. THE ABS HAS ENGAGED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. UNTIL GIVING GAS AND LETTING VEHICLE REV UP TO 4,000 RPM IT JUMPED INTO GEAR AND BEGAN TO DRIVE NORMAL AGAIN. NOW THE VEHICLE DRIVES BUT REVS AT 2-3 GEAR AND THEN JUST SLOWS DOWN, THERE WERE 13 FAULT READS FROM CPU WHICH WERE ALL TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE FAULT AND CPU MALFUNCTION. THIS HAPPENED OUT OF NO WHERE AND STANDARD MAINTENANCE DOES GET PERFORMED. I AM TOLD MY WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS AGO BECAUSE THEY SAID THAT'S THE MONTH IT WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I THOUGHT IT WENT OFF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN OFF THE LOT. I AM DUE TO PCS IN 56 DAYS TO A NEW DUTY STATION AND NOW MY FAMILY AND I ARE IN A BIND, I LOVE CHEVROLET BUT I AM AT A LOSS RIGHT NOW WITH A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE THAT WILL DRIVE FINE AND OUT OF NO WHERE REV UP AND JUST STOP.

NHTSA ODI #10734739

Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2015

Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

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IT FIRST STARTED ON JUNE 8TH I WENT TO THE STORE AND WHEN I CAME OUT I UNLOCKED MY DOOR WITH THE KEY BUT THE DOOR WOULDN'T OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE ON THE DRIVER SIDE. IT APPEARED AS IF THE LATCH WEREN'T LATCHING ON IN THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR PANEL. I CALLED AROUND AND FINALLY SOMEONE WAS ABLE TO GET ME IN BY PRYING INTO MY DOOR AND PRESSING THE UNLOCK BUTTON TO UNLOCK THE OTHER SIDE. I CLIMBED IN FOR THREE DAYS THEN OUT OF NOWHERE IT OPENED TO MY SURPRISED. I WAS GETTING READY TO TAKE IT IN TO SEE ABOUT GETTING IT FIXED WHEN I WENT TO GET IN THAT AFTERNOON IT STOPPED WORKING AGAIN. GETTING FRUSTRATED I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT CHEVY BUT IT WOULD TAKE 3 WEEKS TO GET IN SO I LEFT THE VEHICLE PARKED AND USED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. A FRIEND OF MINE TRIED TO OPEN IT ON JULY 5TH 2015 AND IT STILL WONT OPEN. I HAVE AN NEW ALARM AND THE ONLY WAY I CAN DRIVE IT IS STILL BY CLIMBING OVER TO THE DRIVER SEAT ALMOST 2 MONTHS LATER. THERE'S A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUTH THE 2010 MALIBU DOORS NOT OPENING AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. I HAVEN'T REACHED THE 50000 MILE POINT YET ON THAT CAR AND I'M VERY FRUSTRATED BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING.

NHTSA ODI #10733058

125,454 miles · Jun 3, 2015

Unknown Or Other

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THE TRANSMISSION FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE. IAW GM DOC# 2894053 TECHNICAL BULLETIN THIS IS CAUSED BY A BROKEN 3-5-R APPLY (WAVED) PLATE (507). THE MECHANIC STATED THIS PLATE IS TOO THIN FOR THESE VEHICLES AND WHEN THEY BREAK DOWN, THEY TOTALLY DESTROY A GOOD TRANSMISSION AND THE DRIVER WILL NEVER KNOW UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS POWERING DOWN TO SAFE MODE (GOING FROM 65 TO 40 IN LESS THEN A MINUTE) AND THERE IS NO REVERSE. THE VEHICLE GAVE A FALSE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODES AND NEVER SHOWED THERE WAS A INSIDE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. CODES WERE P0776 AND PI0780. IF IT WAS NOT FOR THE FACT THAT IT WAS NOT A BUSY DAY. I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN REAR ENDED AND THEN THIS 3-5-R DEFECT WOULD HAVE BEEN BLAMED ON THE CRASH. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND THIS SHOULD BE REPALCE BY GM. THIS HAS COST ME $2,881.88, AND 3 LOST WORK DAYS. GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR SHODDY CHEAP PARTS.

NHTSA ODI #10723311

Mileage unknown · May 11, 2015

Unknown Or Other

EVERYTIME IT RAINS OR I GO THRU A CAR WASH WATER LEAKS IN THE CAR.. I'VE HAD THE SEAL REPLACED AND I'M STILL HAVING THE PROBLEM.. I'M CONCERNED THIS COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO OTHER PARTS OF MY CAR.

NHTSA ODI #10715665

41,000 miles · Mar 24, 2015

Unknown Or Other

WHEN TRIED TO PUT ON THE TURN SIGNAL FOR THE DIRECTION TO THE RIGHT, THE TURN SIGNAL ARM WOULDN'T ENGAGE AND HAD TO TRY SEVERAL TIMES TO GET IT TO SIGNAL. SINCE THEN, THE TURN SIGNAL ARM ONLY WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10701339

Official recalls

19V019000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Jan 16, 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.

14V252000 · Electrical System:wiring; Electronic Stability Control (esc); Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch; Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control

May 14, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Electronic Stability Control (esc)