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

Exterior Lighting complaints

190 reports

Clear category filter

40,006 miles · May 20, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

LEFT / DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT CONNECTIONS BURNING AND CAUSING THE HEADLIGHT TO NOT WORK. WIRING HAS BEEN REPLACED 2 TIMES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10592809

53,600 miles · May 18, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

Read full complaint

THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT HAS BEEN FIXED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. THE LIGHT CONTINUES TO BURN OUT WITHIN WEEKS. THE CONNECTORS ARE BURNING OUT ALSO. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE AT NIGHT BECAUSE I AM NOT SURE IF THE LIGHT WILL GO OUT. I AM THE 1ST AND ONLY OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE. THE INTERIOR LIGHTING IS ALSO MALFUNCTIONING. THE LIGHTS GET LOW BY THEMSELVES WHILE DRIVING. THE RADIO MONITOR GOES BLANK. THIS IS ALL ELECTRICAL. PLEASE HELP! THANK YOU *TR UPDATED 12/1/2014 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10592216

72,000 miles · May 16, 2014

Exterior Lighting

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH HEADLIGHTS EITHER ONE OR THE OTHER GOES OUT WITHOUT WARNING SOMETIMES BOTH. HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS SEVERAL TIMES BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE OTHER NIGHT TRAVELING HOME IN THE DARK BOTH LIGHTS WENT OFF I HAD TO PULL OVER AND "SMACK" THE LENSES TO GET THE LIGHTS TO COME BACK ON. I SEE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM…

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #10588875

Mileage unknown · May 16, 2014

Exterior LightingService Brakes, Hydraulic

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY AND DID NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE CONTACT WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. INSTEAD, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE WHEN THE CONTACT WAS NOT APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V252000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI #10588839

106,000 miles · May 15, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior LightingVehicle Speed Control

Read full complaint

2009 PONTIAC G6 GT SEDAN. INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE FOLLOWING FOR THE LAST YEAR: BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON WHEN ACCELERATING AND TURN OFF WHEN BRAKING (DOING OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD BE DOING). CRUISE CONTROL AND TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM BOTH KEEP GOING OUT. SOMETIMES IT'S JUST THE CRUISE CONTROL, OTHER TIMES THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM TURNS OFF FIRST WHICH IN TURN DISABLES THE CRUISE CONTROL. WHENEVER THE CRUISE CONTROL STARTS GOING OUT, THE BRAKE LIGHTS START MALFUNCTIONING SOON AFTER. I SUSPECT THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH THE BCM (BODY CONTROL MODULE). FRONT DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT KEEPS GOING OUT, BUT THE BULB ISN'T BURNED OUT. REPLACED BULB TWICE. IF I SMACK THE PLASTIC HEADLIGHT COVER, THE LIGHT COMES BACK ON. THE WIRES DON'T LOOK DAMAGED, SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10588663

90,000 miles · May 15, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

MY HEADLIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF MY CAR CONTINUALLY GOES OUT EVEN WITH A NEW BULB. NEW BULBS LAST MAYBE TWO WEEKS AND THEN THE LIGHT SHUTS OFF, AND WILL TURN ON ONLY IF I HIT THE LIGHT. I HAVE SPOKEN TO SEVERAL OTHER G6 OWNERS AND THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT. I HAVE A 2009 G6 GT WITH A…

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #10588529

60,000 miles · May 8, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

Read full complaint

THE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT, COULD NOT REPLACE IT, TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE AND THE REPAIR WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. THE DEALER FIXED IT ABOUT A $180.00. THE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT AGAIN IN MARCH 2013, AT FIRST IT KEPT CLICKING AND COULD BE PUT ON AGAIN BY HITTING THE LIGHT COVER BUT THEN FINALLY WENT OUT. THAT LIGHT WAS NEVER FIXED AGAIN UNTIL MAY 2014 WHEN THE STATE INSPECTION WAS DUE, THE FIX LASTED LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND NOW THE CAR IS BACK TO HAVING ONLY ONE HEADLIGHT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10587340

Mileage unknown · May 5, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

THE LOW BEAMS SAY ON ANYTIME THE CAR IS MOTION BECAUSE OF THE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHTS AND THE WIRES FOR THE H11 BULB CONNECTOR MELT FROM OVER HEATING. THE WIRE IS NOT HEAVY DUTY ENOUGH TO BE DAY TIME RUNNING LIGHT. I'VE REPLACED BOTH HEADLAMP BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM AND SOON I WILL HAVE TO AGAIN . IT IS RIDICULOUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10586480

Mileage unknown · Apr 10, 2014

Exterior Lighting

Read full complaint

BLOWN HEADLIGHT PONTIAC G6 2009 PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT (LOW BEAM) HEADLIGHT BLEW OUT SEPTEMBER 2013. NEW BULBS WERE PURCHASED AND BOTH BULBS WERE INSTALLED. IN MARCH 2014, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT ON PASSENGER-SIDE WAS NO LONGER WORKING AGAIN. I CONTACTED THE BULB MANUFACTURER, THINKING IT WAS A DEFECTIVE BULB. I RECEIVED REPLACEMENT HEADLIGHT BULBS FROM BULB MANUFACTURER ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014. SECOND SET OF BULBS WERE INSTALLED ON FRIDAY, APRIL 4, 2014. BY MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014, THE PASSENGER-SIDE LOW BEAM LIGHT WAS NO LONGER WORKING AGAIN. IN SEARCH OF ANSWERS AS TO WHY THE BULB WOULD STOP WORKING SO QUICKLY, I CONTACTED THE BULB MANUFACTURER AND SPOKE WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. THEIR POSITION IS THE PROBLEM DOES NOT REST WITH THEIR PRODUCT. I ALSO CONTACTED AND SPOKE WITH THE MECHANIC AT AUTO SERVICE CENTER WHERE REPLACEMENT BULBS WERE INSTALLED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME THE HEADLIGHT BULB BLOW OUT MAY BE RELATED TO A PROBLEM WITH BULB "CONNECTOR". I TRIED TO CONTACT GENERAL MOTORS IN WRITING REGARDING THIS MATTER ON TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2014. HOWEVER, THE ONLY OPTION WAS VIA A FORM ON THEIR WEBSITE WHICH DID NOT WORK ONCE YOU HIT 'SUBMIT'. I WILL TRY AGAIN. I WOULD LIKE THIS MATTER REVIEWED AND RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I AM OUT OF MONEY FOR THE INITIAL PART AS WELL AS THE LABOR FOR THE INSTALLATIONS. ALSO, MY DRIVE-TIME IS PRETTY MUCH CONFINED TO DAYLIGHT HOURS (UNLESS I USE THE HIGH-BEAMS) TO AVOID GETTING A TRAFFIC TICKET; AND THAT IS ASSUMING IT IS NOT A STORMY DAY AT WHICH TIME HEADLIGHTS ARE NEEDED FOR SAFE DRIVING. THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10579054

30,000 miles · Apr 1, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior LightingSteering

Read full complaint

REAR PASSENGER DOOR WILL NOT LOCK/UNLOCK. HEATER ON FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WILL NOT WORK. TIRE SERVICE MONITOR COMES ON RANDOMLY. CRUISE CONTROL WORKS INTERMITTENTLY, BUT DOES NOT WORK MORE OFTEN THAN IT DOES. LOUD, RUBBING NOISE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN WHEN MAKING TURNS. LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WORK INTERMITTENTLY (GOT STOPPED BY A POLICEMAN AND WARNED OF A CITATION THE NEXT TIME I WOULD GET STOPPED). I HAD ONE BULB CHANGED. TWO WEEKS LATER IT WENT OUT, BUT THE BULB WAS NOT BURNT. THEN, IT STARTED WORKING AGAIN. A MONTH OR SO LATER THE OTHER ONE WENT OUT. I HAD BOTH WIRING HARNESSES CHANGED AND NEW BULBS PUT IN. RECENTLY, I WAS TOLD I HAD A BURNT HEADLIGHT (LOW BEAM AGAIN). I HAVE BEEN STOPPED ON THE INTERSTATE TO BE TOLD THAT MY BRAKES WERE FLASHING (WHILE DRIVING) AND THEN THEY WERE WORKING OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY SHOULD BE (BRAKE LIGHTS ON WHILE DRIVING AND OFF WHILE BRAKING). I HAVE SEEN OTHER PONTIAC G6'S WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE IN MY OPINION AS I COULD EASILY BE REAR-ENDED DUE TO FAULTY BRAKES. I HAVE READ SIMILAR ISSUES BY OTHER PONTIAC G6 OWNERS. WILL RECALLS BE ISSUED FOR ANY OF THESE ISSUES? I AM A SINGLE PARENT AND DO NOT HAVE MONEY TO POUR INTO THIS CAR SO MOST OF IT STAYS BROKEN! SAD CONSIDERING I PAID OVER $26K FOR THIS CAR AND STILL OWE OVER $10,000, YET IT'S WORTH PROBABLY $7,000. I CAN'T EVEN SELL IT WITH THESE ISSUES!!! I WOULD LOVE TO TRAVEL, BUT I DON'T EVEN FEEL SAFE IN THIS CAR ANY LONGER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10576227

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.