Steering. Review the 207 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

Engine complaints

7 reports

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204,000 miles · Mar 11, 2025

EngineSteering

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The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering assist assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V064000 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 204,000.

NHTSA ODI #11647569

241,404 miles · Apr 20, 2021

EngineService Brakes

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK UPON DEPRESSION OF THE BRAKE PEDAL WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO JIM KERAS CHEVROLET (2000 COVINGTON PIKE, MEMPHIS, TN 38128) WHERE THEY PERFORMED SERVICES TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER, MASTER CYLINDER, HYDRAULIC BRAKE SYSTEM, LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AS WELL AS SEVERAL OTHER UNKNOWN SERVICES. THREE WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIRS, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE RESIDENCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 241,404.

NHTSA ODI #11413026

130,000 miles · Jul 24, 2017

Electrical SystemEngine

ENGINE GOES INTO ENGINE POWER REDUCED MODE WHILE GOING 55 ON A HIGHWAY AND SOON THE ENGINE BECOMES DISABLED WHICH DISABLES THE STEERING AND THE BRAKES. NO INJURIES AS I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE SITUATION, BUT THIS HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE AND MY CAR READS NO CODES FOR THE SITUATION.

NHTSA ODI #11010391

101,000 miles · Aug 13, 2014

EngineSteering

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MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE AT 55 MERGE SPEED AND AS ENTERING ONTO FIRST THRU LANE THE POWER STEERING DIED OUT AND ACCELERATION DROPPED ON ITS OWN. NEARLY HIT BY AN 18 WHEELER THAT HAD BEEN SAFELY BACK FROM MY ENTRY POINT BEFORE THE STEERING AND ENGINE BOTH FAILED. I PULLED AS HARD AS I COULD TO THE RIGHT AND A BELL RANG BUT THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE STEERING. WHEN I BRAKED, THE STEERING CAME BACK AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE RIGHT OUT OF HARMS WAY. THERE WAS NO OTHER CAR ON THE ENTRY RAMP OR I AM SURE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED AT HIGH SPEED THIS HAPPENS OFTEN IN ORDINARY TRAFFIC AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP WHEN I ATTEMPT TO CHANGE LANES AND SOMETIMES A BELL RINGS AND OTHER TIMES IT DOES NOT. I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE #13036 AND IT DESCRIBES SYMPTOMS INCLUDED HERE AND ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. THE PART IS NOT YET AVAILABLE AS GM HAS BEEN TELLING ME SINCE MARCH OF THIS YEAR. I HAVE DISCONTINUED DRIVING THIS CAR UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND IF THE DISTANCE IS LESS THAN 5 MILES BECAUSE IT HAS NOT YET WARMED UP TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AND WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN KILLED BY THE 18 WHEELER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10622096

82,860 miles · Jul 21, 2014

EngineFuel/propulsion SystemSteering

AFTER FOUR (4) MINUTES OF DRIVING CAR AT 6:30AM IN THE MORNING, TEMPERATURE WAS 58 DEGREE ON 7/21/2014, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. ALL POWERED FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED W/VEHICLE DID NOT WORK. ALL IDIOT LIGHTS FLASHED ON. THE MESSAGE IN DISPLAY WAS "ENGINE DISABLED." CAR WAS PULLED OVER AND SHUT OFF. AFTER 4-5 MINUTES OF REST, THE CAR WAS…

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NHTSA ODI #10614890

20,000 miles · May 16, 2014

Electrical SystemEngine

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SEVERAL YEARS AGO VEHICLE STARTED TO EXHIBIT IGNITION MISSES WHEN MAKING SLOW SPEED TURNS 10-20MPH. CONDITION WOULD CORRECT ITSELF WHEN COMING OUT OF TURNS OR ENTRANCE RAMPS MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. IN 2013 AND 2014 OCCURRENCE BECAME MORE FREQUENT (2-3 TIMES WEEKLY). CHEVROLET DEALER ADVISED ME TWO MONTHS AGO THAT IT APPEARS TO BE CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH AND ADVISED ME TO REMOVE UNNECESSARY WEIGHT FROM IGNITION KEY CHAIN. I IMMEDIATELY DID THIS AND PROBLEM HAS NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. HOWEVER, DEALER ADVISED THAT I COULD ADD MY NAME TO WAIT LIST FOR A NEW IGNITION SWITCH, BUT WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR SINCE MY 2006 IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST. SINCE MANY OTHER GM MODELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS SAME LATENT DEFECT I FEEL MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10588896

179,000 miles · Nov 15, 2013

Engine

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THE VEHICLE STOPS RANDOMLY IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR STOPS WITH NO WARNING. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES TO MY 21 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND HER 4 MONTH OLD BABY. THERE ARE NO CODES DETECTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM. THE CHEVROLET SERVICE REPAIR CENTER HAS HAD THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS AND ADVISED THAT THEY CANNOT LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE ON INTERNET FORUMS AND I AM SURPRISED NO ONE HAS BEEN CALLED. MY DAUGHTER HAS TO DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE TO ATTEND CLASS AND THE VEHICLE HAS STOPPED ON HER. THEY ARE NOW RELEASING THE CAR BACK TO ME WITH NO RESOLVE. CHEVY OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT CARE TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS IT IS A COMMON ONE WITH SEVERAL OF THEIR VEHICLES. IF I SELL THE CAR, I AM LITERALLY SELLING A DEATH TRAP TO SOMEONE ELSE. BELOW ARE LINKS TO NUMEROUS FORUM DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL HAVE TO DIE BEFORE CHEVY ADDRESSES THIS ISSUE? HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/MALIBU/2006/ENGINE/ENGINE_RANDOMLY_SHUTS_OFF.SHTML HTTP://WWW.FIXYA.COM/CARS/T3656645-GOT_CODE_P2176_CHANGED_OUT_TPS_STILL_GOT HTTP://CHEVROLETFORUM.COM/FORUM/MALIBU-15/ENGINE-POWER-REDUCED-20768/ HTTP://WWW.CHEVYMALIBUFORUM.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=10085 HTTP://WWW.JUSTANSWER.COM/CHEVY/6S938-CHEVROLET-MALIBU-MAXX-LT-2006-CHEVY-MALIBU-MAXX-LT-70000.HTML HTTP://WWW.FIXYA.COM/CARS/T11683460-ENGINE_POWER_REDUCED_2006_MALIBU HTTP://CHEVYFORUM.ORG/CHEVY-FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=20618 HTTP://CHEVY-MALIBU.AUTOFORUMZ.COM/REDUCED-ENGINE-POWER-MESSAGE-05-FTOPICT202902.HTML. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10552316

Official recalls

15V064000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Feb 4, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured April 1, 2006, to June 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured April 18, 2006, to June 30, 2006. 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 replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14772. Note: This is an expansion of recall 14V-153 to cover additional vehicles built between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.

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)