Steering. Review the 295 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 190 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

25 crash reports20 fire reports17 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

178 reports

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49,566 miles · Mar 17, 2014

Electrical SystemFuel System, Gasoline

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WAS ON THRUWAY GOING 65MPH CAR SHUT OFF FOR THE THIRD INCIDENT IN APPROXIMATE OF A YEAR FROM OTHER 2 INCIDENTS. THIS TIME WAS OR COULD OF BEEN KILLED DUE TO THIS PROBLEM DUE TO RATE OF SPEED AND WHERE I WAS DRIVING ONTO AN ON RAMP WHERE I BROKE DOWN.CAR DEALER REPLACED ENGINE CONTROL MODULE #12612397. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR BECAUSE I KNOW THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I THINK THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALLS GOING ON WITH GM BECAUSE THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING TO MY CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10572926

55,000 miles · Mar 16, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

CONNECTORS ON HEADLIGHTS BURNT OUT, SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ON FORUMS AND MESSAGE BOARDS. LOW BEAM LIGHTS ARE INTERMITTENTLY WORKING, PASSENGER LIGHT STAYS OUT, CONNECTOR BURNT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10572711

125,000 miles · Mar 11, 2014

Electrical SystemService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

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I SEE THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS VERY ISSUE FOR YEARS THRU 2008. MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE ON WHEN NOT BRAKING AND OFF WHEN BRAKING AND OF COURSE THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK DURING THIS ISSUE. I SEE MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS AND I FIND IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS CANNOT BE A SAFETY ISSUE AND RECALLED TO FIX. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REARENDED MANY TIMES AND AM WONDERING IF SOMEONE HAS TO BE INVOLVED IN A FATAL ACCIDENT BEFORE THE NHSTA FORCED THE EXPANSION OF THE RECALL TO INCLUDE ALL YEARS THAT ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #10568337

52,654 miles · Feb 16, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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I HAVE 2009 PONTIAC AND I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT LIKE FIVE TIMES STILL DOESN'T WORK WERE I LIVE I SEE ALOT OF THE SAME CAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I ALREADY HAD THE LATCH FOR SHIFTER REPLACED CAUSE IT WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING SEEING ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG AS THE POST OF EVERYBODY WITH HEADLIGHT BRAKES THE ENGINE I THINK THE WHOLE CAR SHOULD BE RECALL BEFORE ALOT OF PEOPLE GET HURT ITS A DEATH TRAP ALL KIND OF THINGS WRONG WITH THIS CAR AND IN THIS DAY AND TIME PEOPLE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO KEEP FIXING A CAR THAT HAS SO MANY PROBLEMS NOT BY WEAR AND TEAR BUT BY NOT PROPERLY PUTTING IT TOGETHER MY CAR WAS 16,000 DOLLARS AND TO PAY THAT MUCH AND HAVE SO MANY PROBLEMS IS RIDICULOUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10564563

Mileage unknown · Jan 21, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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LOW BEAM LIGHT ON BOTH THE DRIVER & PASSENGER SIDES KEEP GOING OUT. I KEEP REPLACING AND IMMEDIATELY THEY GO OUT. BULBS WERE NOT BURNT OUT. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, WHILE DRIVING MY HEADLIGHTS WILL RANDOMLY COME ON AND GO OFF AGAIN. THE METAL IN THE CONNECTORS ARE FRIED. I HAVE RESEARCHED AND READ MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THE SAME ISSUE THAT THIS IS A WIRING PROBLEM AND A FIRE HAZARD. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR THERE IS A FATAL ACCIDENT. NOT ONLY IS THIS A FIRE HAZARD, BUT INTERMITTENTLY WORKING HEADLIGHTS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENTS IF RANDOMLY GOING OUT. IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY HAZARD AND PONTIAC SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10560773

70,000 miles · Jan 13, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

HEAD LIGHT HARNESS BURNS OUT AND HAVE REPLACED 2 TIMES AND CAN NOT GET IT TO STOP BURING OUT SO I HAVE NO HEAD LIGHTS WITH THIS CAR PLEASE HELP IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE ON THIS CAR. REPLACED H11 H 9 WIRE HARNESS H11 BULB H9 SOCKET H9 SOCKET. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10559541

28,000 miles · Dec 19, 2013

Electrical SystemService Brakes

WHILE FOLLOWING MY WIFE IN OUR 2009 G6 I NOTICED THAT SHE WAS RIDDING THE BRAKES. WHEN I ASKED HER WHY SHE SAID SHE WASN'T USING THE BRAKES AT ALL. THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE COMING ON AND STAYING ON EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10556645

61,000 miles · Dec 11, 2013

Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

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WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE, BRAKE LIGHTS WORK THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD. THEY ARE ON WHEN THE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED AND GO OFF WHEN THE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. I SPENT ~$300 HAVING THE BRAKE PEDAL POSITION SENSOR DIAGNOSED AND IT TURNS OUT THAT THE BCM (BODY CONTROL MODULE) HAS CORROSION AND REQUIRED DIELECTRIC PASTE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. APPROXIMATELY 14 MONTHS LATER THE PROBLEM RETURNED AND I HAD A MECHANIC CHECK FOR RECALL AND HE FOUND A TECH BULLETIN DESCRIBING EXACTLY THIS MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE. THEY PERFORMED IT AND THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED BUT THIS NEEDS TO BE 100% CORRECTED AS SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED. SEARCHING FORUMS ONLINE I SEE THAT THIS PROBLEM IS FAR MORE COMMON THAT ONE WOULD THINK AND THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10555559

58,000 miles · Nov 26, 2013

Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

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I HAVE A 2009 PONTIAC G6 GT. SINCE THE TIME THAT WE HAVE BOUGHT OUR CAR WE HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. WE HAVE REPLACED THE PIGTAILS AND ALL THE WIRING. WE REPLACED THE BULB EVERY FEW WEEKS FOR IT TO ONLY BURN OUT A FEW DAYS LATER. NO ONE CAN TELL US WHY THIS PROBLEM CAN NOT BE FIXED. THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS MAYBE THOUSAND OF COMPLAINTS ON ONLINE FORUMS ABOUT HEADLIGHT PROBLEMS AND EVEN FIRE AND MELTING OF THE HOUSING. I AM CONSTANTLY PULLED OVER DUE TO THE HEADLIGHT BEING OUT. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. WITHOUT PROPERLY WORKING HEADLIGHTS PEOPLE ARE GOING TO GET SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILL SOMEONE BECAUSE WE CAN'T SEE PROPERLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10553862

129,000 miles · Nov 8, 2013

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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LESS THAN A MONTH AGO I REPLACED MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. THIS WEEK IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE LIGHT ABOUT THREE TIMES. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW. I CHANGED THE FUSE FOR THE HEADLIGHT AND IT DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. TWO DAYS AGO MY TAIL LIGHT STOPPED WORKING. THE FOLLOWING DAY IT WORKED IN THE MORNING AND STOPPED WORKING IN THE AFTERNOON. AFTER FINDING SO MANY COMPLAINTS ON DIFFERENT FORUMS ONLINE I'M NOT SURE HOW GM CAN NOT BE RECALLING THESE VEHICLES FOR THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN PULLED OVER AND TOLD THAT I WOULD BE CITED THE NEXT TIME. I AM AFRAID THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WILL GO OUT BEFORE I CAN GET THE PASSENGER SIDE FIXED. OH YES AND MY LOCK CHAMBER ON MY PASSENGER SIDE BACK DOOR HAS GONE OUT. I HAD THE DRIVER SIDE BACK DOOR FIXED WHEN MY CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY HOWEVER, I AM ON A TIGHT BUDGET AND CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY OVER $300 FOR THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX THIS. APPARENTLY THIS IS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH THE G6. I AM NERVOUS TO DRIVE MY CAR (THAT IS NOT EVEN 5 YEARS OLD MIND YOU) AT NIGHT! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10551563

Official recalls

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)

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.

Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control

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

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

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

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

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

Electrical System:wiring

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

14V153000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 31, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.

12V460000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Sep 18, 2012

General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.

09V073000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Mar 6, 2009

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 276,729 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET COBALT, HHR, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, PONTIAC G5, G6 AND SATURN AURA AND OUTLOOK PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT POSITION SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT", AND FMVSS 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION". ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP MAY NOT BE FULLY ENGAGED. IF THE CLIP IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED, THE SHIFT LEVER AND THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT MATCH. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE DRIVE COULD MOVE THE SHIFTER TO "PARK" AND REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY, BUT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT BE IN "PARK".

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY AFTER THE DRIVER HAS EXITED THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP IS FULLY ENGAGED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE CLIP DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE SHIFT CABLE WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

AQ10001 · Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

Opened Nov 18, 2010 · Closed Dec 28, 2015

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Unknown Or Other

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.