Electrical System. Review the 290 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 202 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Steering. Review the 191 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

50 crash reports13 fire reports27 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

65 reports

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17,000 miles · May 8, 2014

Service Brakes

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ON TWO SEPARATED OCCASIONS I HAVE HAD TO MAKE A HARD STOP. AFTER THESE STOPS MY BRAKES BECOME VERY SOFT AND LOW. I COULD NOT DRIVE ON FREEWAYS OR HIGHWAYS BECAUSE MY BRAKES WERE TOO WEAK AND TOO LOW TO STOP THE CAR AT THOSE SPEEDS.. AFTER THE FIRST OCCASION IN MARCH, THE BRAKES WERE UNABLE FOR A WEEK BEFORE THEY RESET TO NORMAL USE. AFTER THE SECOND OCCASION (HAPPENED FIRST WEEK IN APRIL 2014) THE BRAKES WERE UNABLE AND DID NOT RESET TO NORMAL UNTIL MAY 5TH 2014. THE FACT THAT MY BAKES ARE DEFECTED PUTS ME AND MY PASSENGER, AND OTHER DRIVERS AT RISK, AND NOT KNOWING WHEN AND WHERE THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN MAKES ME VERY NERVOUS KNOWING I MAY BE IN HARMS WAY AT ANY TIME. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR RESOLVING THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10587274

6,000 miles · Jun 9, 2013

Service Brakes

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I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WITH MY WIFE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND UPON APPROACHING A RED SIGNAL AT AN INTERSECTION I FELT A VIBRATION UNDER MY FOOT AS I CAME TO STOP. I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN UNEVEN ROAD CONDITIONS OR SOMETHING IN THE ROAD AND DISREGARDED IT. LATER THAT DAY, I FELT THE SAME VIBRATION AS I HAD STOPPED AND HEARD A NOTICEABLE GRINDING NOISE. I WENT TO THE DEALER WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE IT INSPECTED AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, NOR COULD THEY FIND A ROOT CAUSE. OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT 8 MONTHS, THE VIBRATIONS HAD GOTTEN WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED 5 TIMES FOR THE ISSUE AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS WORSE THAN EVER. ONE DEALER, WHICH I HAVE RETURNED TO ON MULTIPLE INSTANCES FOR THIS PROBLEM, WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, SMELL A NOTICEABLE AROMA OF BURNING BRAKES, IDENTIFY I HAD A SERIOUS BRAKE PROBLEM, BUT WERE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE, THUS NOT CORRECTING ANY FAULTS. IT HAS PROGRESSED TO THE POINT WHERE THE PEDAL WILL GO ALMOST DOWN TO THE FLOOR BEFORE THE BRAKES WILL ENGAGE. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. THE MILEAGE OF THE FIRST FAILURE WAS ABOUT 6000 MILES AND IT CURRENTLY HAS 16,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE WITH NO RESOLUTION. SEVERAL ONLINE SEARCHES YIELD THE SAME ISSUE ON THE 2008-2012 CHEVY MALIBU AS WELL AS THE 2008-2010 SATURN AURA WHICH SHARE THE SAME PLATFORM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10515848

1,100 miles · Jan 30, 2013

Electrical SystemService BrakesSteering

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VEHICLE (2012 MALIBU) WAS PURCHASED APRIL 2012 - STARTING JULY 2012 VEHICLE WOULD STALL GOING DOWN THE ROAD, WITH LOSS OF ENGINE, POWER ASSIST STEERING AND POWER ASSIST BRAKES. DEALER REPLACED NUMEROUS MODULES, BUT IT OCCURRED AGAIN IN SEPT 2012 (3 TIMES) THEN AGAIN IN JANUARY 2013. TWO BODY CONTROL MODULES HAVE BEEN REPLACED, ENGINE CONTROL MODULES, TWO POWER STEERING MODULES, ONSTAR MODULE, TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, ETC. UNINTENDED POWER STEERING ASSIST OCCURS SUCH THAT WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, POWER STEERING COMES IN AND OUT AS MODULE FAILS (ALONG WITH ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION). VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE VEHICLE AND GM STATES THEY STAND BY LAST REPAIR. IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED 6 TIMES NOW, BUT WE REFUSE TO DRIVE VEHICLE, AS WE BELIEVE THERE MUST BE A SHORT SOMEWHERE. THEY KEEP STATING IT IS DEFECTIVE MODULES AND THEY JUST KEEP REPLACING THEM. PLEASE SEE YOUTUBE VIDEOS: "2012 CHEVY MALIBU - UNINTENDED POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE MODE?" "2012 CHEVY MALIBU DANGEROUS ELECTRICAL PROBLEM - ANY IDEAS?" *TR

NHTSA ODI #10495304

1,800 miles · Nov 13, 2012

Service Brakes

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 15 MPH, HE TRIED TO APPLY THE BRAKES AT WHICH TIME AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF EFFORT HAD TO BE APPLIED AND A LOUD CRACKING NOISE COULD BE HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT END. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE REPLICATED. SEVERAL REPAIRS HAD BEEN MADE TO DIFFERENT COMPONENTS OF THE VEHICLE BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1800 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,100. UPDATED 2/15/13 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE FAILURE WAS REPLICATED AROUND 10/3/12 BY SERVICE MANAGER AND THEIR MECHANICCOULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE. THE GENERAL MANAGER ADVISED THE VEHICLE WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. AS OF 1/17/2013 THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. UPDATED 02/20/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10484508

2,255 miles · Aug 7, 2012

Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FOOT LEVER FAILED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT WHEN THE FOOT LEVER WAS DEPRESSED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LEVER. THE REMEDY FAILED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE …

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NHTSA ODI #10469556

Official recalls

15V269000 · Seat Belts

May 8, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured April 8, 2010, to October 11, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the flexible steel cables that connect the seat belts to the vehicle at the outside of the driver seat and the front passenger seat may be bent from being sat on while entering the vehicle. This repeated bending may result in the cable breaking.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the cable breaks, the seat occupant may not be properly restrained in the event of a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the outboard lap anchor mounting bracket and inspect the flexible steel cable, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on November 16, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15031.

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)