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

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

52 reports

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13,000 miles · Apr 7, 2014

EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

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2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU WITH HORRIBLE SHIFTING - 1ST TO 2ND IS A HARD SHIFT AND 2ND - 3RD ISN'T A WHOLE LOT BETTER. WHEN IT DOWN SHIFTS WHILE COMING TO A STOP IT AGAIN SHIFTS HARD AND SOMETIMES ABRUPTLY. THE RPM GAUGE ALSO FLARES WHEN SHIFTING DOWN. I HAVE BEEN JUTTED OUT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN IT DECIDES TO SLIP SHIFT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH MY FAMILY. THE WORST PART IS THAT THE DEALERSHIP CANNOT FIND ANYTHING "WRONG" WITH IT OR TELL ME WHY IT DOES THIS BECAUSE THE POOR SHIFTING IS INTERMITTENT, NOT CONSTANT. NOT HAPPY! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10577863

53,400 miles · Mar 25, 2014

Vehicle Speed Control

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ON 12/26/13 MYSELF AND TWO OTHER LADIES WERE HEADING HOME EARLY MORNING WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE JUST SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HWY. WITHOUT WARNING, LUCKILY NO TRAFFIC WAS COMING BECAUSE WE HAD TO PUSH THE VEHICLE OFF THE HWY. AFTER IT SAT FOR AWHILE IT CRANKED BACK UP AND WE MANAGED TO GET IT HOME. I DROVE IT TO WORK 12/27/13 BUT IT DID THE SAME THING TWICE (ONCE BEFORE 8 A.M. WHEN I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION TO GET SOMETHING TO DRINK AND AGAIN AT 12:00 P.M. ON MY LUNCH BREAK) DURING MY LUNCH BREAK I WAS AT THE GAS STATION PUMPING GAS, I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE TO PAY FOR MY GAS. WHEN I RETURNED MY CAR WOULDN'T CRANK. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CONNECTED ME TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THE SERVICE MAN OFFERED TO COME TOW MY VEHICLE, BUT AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES IT, OF COURSE, CRANKED. NONETHELESS I GAVE THEM THE ADDRESS OF MY EMPLOYMENT AND TOLD THEM TO COME PICK IT UP SO THEY COULD FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IT. THAT SAME DAY THE SERVICE MAN REPLACED THE RELAY SWITCH AND SAID THE PROBLEM WAS TAKEN CARE OF AND I COULD PICK UP MY CAR. I PICKED UP MY CAR ON 12/30/13. ON MY WAY HOME ON THIS SAME DAY (12/30/13) MY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AT THE RED LIGHT WITH TRAFFIC BACKED UP BEHIND ME. I TOOK MY VEHICLE BACK TO THEM AND THEY KEPT IT ALMOST 2 WEEKS AND COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT BUT OFFERED TO REPLACE THE FUEL TANK, HOPING THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I CALLED THEM ON 3/24/14 BECAUSE MY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AGAIN ON 3/23/14, NO ONE HAS RETURNED MY CALL. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10574655

3,000 miles · Jan 31, 2014

Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

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VEHICLE HAS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND REDUCED POWER KICKS IN WITH NO WARNING. VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN AT SPEED ON HIGHWAYS WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND AUTOMATICALLY SLOWS TO 40 MPH. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND REPAIRS MADE THE FIRST 2 TIMES, VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN BACK 3 MORE TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE, NO CODES SHOWING IN THE COMPUTER. ISSUE ALSO REPORTED THAT IF AT A STOP, VEHICLE HAS NO RESPONSE WHEN YOU STEP ON THE GAS. THE DEALERSHIP IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO REPORT THIS AS A DIFFERENT ISSUE SO THEY CAN AVOID DEALING WITH THE LEMON LAW IN THE STATE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10562437

Mileage unknown · Nov 24, 2013

Power TrainSteeringVehicle Speed Control

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I PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARCH 2013. IT ONLY HAD 18,000 MILES ON IT. WHILE SLOWING, SUCH AS EXITING THE INTERSTATE, AS THE CAR DOWN SHIFTS, IT DOWN SHIFTS HARD. ESPECIALLY GOING FROM 3RD GEAR TO 2ND AND THEN 1ST. IT SEEMS TO HAVE A SLIGHT DELAY WHEN TRYING TO PICK UP SPEED. MORE SO WHEN YOU HAVE SLOWED AND THEN SPED BACK UP, LIKE WHEN SOMEONE IS TURNING AND YOU HAVE TO SLOW FOR THEM. THERE IS AN AWFUL NOISE IN THE DASH AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN. IF YOU ARE ON A GRAVEL ROAD, IT SOUNDS LIKE THE DASH/STEERING COLUMN IS GOING TO FALL ONTO YOUR FEET. ITS A RATTLE TYPE SOUND. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10553578

16,111 miles · Aug 16, 2013

Fuel System, GasolineVehicle Speed Control

I WAS TURNING ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND WHEN I PUSHED THE GAS PEDAL THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DELAY. I ALWAYS MAKE SURE I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME WHEN PULLING ONTO THE STREET BUT THIS COULD BECOME A MAJOR ISSUE WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE A 3 YEAR OLD SON AND I DO NOT WANT TO ENDANGER HIM IF THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH MY CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10535695

10,000 miles · Jul 15, 2013

Vehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD, NECK, RIB CAGE AND THE LOWER BACK. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 10,000. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10524978

3,800 miles · Apr 23, 2013

Vehicle Speed Control

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED AT 65 MPH, THE SPEED SUDDENLY INCREASED TO 73 MPH INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE INSPECTED. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THERE WERE NO FAILURES FOUND WITHIN THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,800 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,200.

NHTSA ODI #10509319

30,000 miles · Feb 5, 2013

Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

EXPERIENCING ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE TIME AND HARD TRANSMISSION SHIFTS. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED YOU DON'T KNOW IF THE RESPONSE WILL BE IMMEDIATE OR DELAYED. THE INCONSISTENT DELAYS IN THE THROTTLE RESPONSE TIME POSE A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10496551

12,600 miles · Dec 4, 2012

Vehicle Speed Control

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WHILE LIFTING OFF FROM FULL ACCELERATION, THE THROTTLE PEDAL HAD BEEN FULLY DEPRESSED, THE RIGHT SIDE TOE AREA OF MY RIGHT SHOE ( A TENNIS SHOE) BECAME WEDGED BETWEEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL AND THE SHARPLY CURVED RIGHT SIDE PANEL OF THE FOOT BOX, THE RESULT WAS THIS WAS STOPPING THE CAR FROM DECELERATING AS I WANTED IT TO DO. IN ORDER TO RELEASE MY FOOT I HAD TO FULLY DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THEN ROTATE MY RIGHT FOR COUNTER CLOCKWISE SO THAT WHEN I RELEASED THE PEDAL THE TOE AREA OF MY SHOE WOULD NOT BECOME TRAPPED AGAIN. I LOOKED AT THE FOOT BOX AREA AND THE SIDE PLASTIC PANEL HAS AN VERY ABRUPT CURVE SHAPE THAT ACTS AS A TRAP IF YOU HAPPEN TO ROTATE YOUR FOOT TO THE RIGHT UNDER FULL THROTTLE ACCELERATION. THIS WAS A CHEVROLET MALIBU 2012 RENTAL CAR FROM AVIS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10487305

13,000 miles · Oct 5, 2012

Air BagsVehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

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MY WIFE WAS DRIVING EAST DOWN HWY-40 TOWARD SALINA, KS. SHE HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET ON 60 MPH. SHE BEGAN TO HAVE A EPILEPTIC SEIZURE (SHE WAS CLEARED BY HER DOCTOR TO DRIVE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT) AT THAT POINT THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOWLY DRIFT OF TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR DROVE OVER A CULVER, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR STRUCK AT CONCRETE FORM AND SENT THE CAR ROLLING OF INTO A FIELD THE CAR ROLLED FOUR TIMES. AFTER THE FOURTH ROLL THE CAR ROLLED BACK ON TO ITS WHEELS AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE DUE TO THE CRUISE CONTROL STILL BEING ENGAGED AND DROVE 100FT BEFORE COMING TO REST ONCE IT STRUCK A CONCRETE FENCE POST. AT NO TIME DID ANY OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOY NOR DID THE CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGE. THE VEHICLE HAS A CRASH RESPONSE SYSTEM THREW ON-STAR, AT NO TIME DID THE CRASH RESPONSE ACTIVATE. THIS INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED TO ME VIA THE SALINE COUNTY SHERIFFS. MY WIFE ONLY SUFFERED MINOR CUTS AND BRUISES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10478702

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)