Steering. Review the 768 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 368 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 255 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

41 crash reports9 fire reports31 injury reports

Steering complaints

768 reports

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35,000 miles · Jun 6, 2014

Electrical SystemSteering

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MALIBU HAS HAD A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. WHILE DRIVING THE ELECTRICAL PANEL INCLUDING WARNING LIGHTS WOULD FLICKER ON AND OFF ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE LOSING POWER. MULTIPLE TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO ULTIMATELY TOLD ME A GROUNDING WIRE HAD SOME PROBLEMS AND THEY FIXED THE ISSUE. THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED WITH THAT FIX. SINCE THEN THE VEHICLE HAS HAD ISSUES WITH THE STEERING. WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING WHEEL WILL MOVE ITSELF BACK AND FORTH. THE PROBLEM IS NOT ALL THE TIME, AND VERY RANDOM. THIS USUALLY HAPPENS WITHIN THE FIRST FEW MINUTES AFTER THE START OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL WILL WOBBLE BACK AND FORTH EVEN WITH BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL.

NHTSA ODI #10597172

118,000 miles · Jun 3, 2014

Steering

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHTS FOR THE TRACTION SERVICE AND POWER STEERING ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL FUNCTION. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,000. UPDATED 10/7/14*CN

NHTSA ODI #10595788

170,000 miles · Jun 3, 2014

Steering

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING AND THE TCS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE SENSOR ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 14V153000 (STEERING) BUT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

NHTSA ODI #10595748

50,000 miles · Jun 2, 2014

Steering

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT AFTER A COOL DOWN PERIOD OF 35-45 MINUTES, HE RESTARTED THE ENGINE, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V153000(STEERING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT LISTED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. UPDATED 08/12/14*LJ

NHTSA ODI #10595541

92,000 miles · May 28, 2014

Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ESC WARNING LIGHT. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHI…

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NHTSA ODI #10594628

Mileage unknown · May 23, 2014

Steering

I WAS DRIVING AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE POWERING STEERING ALERT SOUNDS. I LOST POWER STEERING AND THE ESC IS TURNED OFF. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10593595

59,000 miles · May 17, 2014

SteeringTraction Control System

POWER STEERING MOTOR FAILURE WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON DASH, TRACTION CONTROL DISABLED WARNING APPEARS. HAPPENS VERY OFTEN AT STARTUP, MAKING STEERING DIFFICULT AND DISABLING TRACTION CONTROL. HAS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING DIFFICULT STEERING. IF VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, WORKS PROPERLY APPROX. 50% OF THE TIME. …

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NHTSA ODI #10592103

40,000 miles · May 16, 2014

Steering

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I BOUGHT MY CAR NEW IN 2009 AND I ONLY HAVE NOW JUST A LITTLE OVER 40,000 MILES. I AM A SINGLE MOM AND MY CAR IS USED FOR DRIVING MY [XXX] YEAR OLD SON TO AND FROM DAY CARE AND MYSELF TO AND FROM WORK. ON FEBRUARY 3RD I NOTICED MY STEERING WHEEL FELT FUNNY LIKE SOMETHING WAS LOOSE, I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT UNTIL MY TRACTION LIGHT THEN SUDDENLY STARTED TO GO ON AND OFF IN THE MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK. BY THE TIME I PULLED INTO WORK THE POWER STEERING HAD GONE COMPLETELY OUT. I THEN PULLED ONTO A SIDE STREET IN FEAR OF GETTING INTO AN ACCIDENT, I'M SMALL AND WEIGH NO MORE THAN 115 LBS, SO IT WAS EXTREMELY ROUGH AND SCARY TO ME. I STOPPED THE CAR AND SHUT IT OFF AFTER LOOKING UP ON MY PHONE ABOUT SIMILAR PROBLEMS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HAVING. I SHUT IT OFF WAITED A FEW MINUTES THEN IT WAS FINE, UNTIL I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE THEN IT WENT OUT AGAIN. I DID THIS A FEW TIMES IN ORDER TO MAKE IT TO WORK. BY LUNCH TIME MY CAR WAS RUNNING FINE BUT STILL FELT FUNNY FOR THE NEXT 4 DAYS. FRIDAY 2/7/14 MY CARS POWER STEERING HAD GONE OUT FOR GOOD AND THE TURNING IT ON AND OFF DIDN'T HELP, I ENDED UP PAYING $840 DOLLARS TO GET THE ENTIRE COLUMN REPLACED.THAT WAS OUT OF POCKET BECAUSE OF COURSE THIS WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURES WARRANTY OR THE PT WARRANTY. A MONTH LATER I HEARD ABOUT THE RECALL, SO I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY HEARD NOTHING SO I CALLED GM, MY VIN WASN'T LISTED. I HAVE CALLED BACK SEVERAL TIMES SINCE AND CHECK THE "OWNER" SECTION ON GM'S WEBSITE AND STILL NOTHING, AND ALL THEY KEEP TELLING ME IS THAT ONLY SOME WERE RECALLED AND MINE MIGHT NOT BE APART OF IT EVEN THOUGH AFTER READING THE RECALL, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE. *TR PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #10588953

109,720 miles · May 15, 2014

SteeringTraction Control System

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS ALSO A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF; HOWEVER, SHE WAS ABLE TO RESTART IT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AND WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V153000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 109,720.

NHTSA ODI #10588500

110,000 miles · May 14, 2014

Steering

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WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROX. 75 MPH. (CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET), WITHOUT WARNING, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE. OVER A PERIOD OF APPROX. 30 SECONDS, THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT FLASHED AND ALL POWER STEERING WAS LOST. HE MANAGED TO SLOW THE CAR AND SAFELY GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. THE EPS MESSAGE WAS ALSO FLASHING ACROSS THE ACROSS THE ODOMETER. WE MONITORED THE NHTSA COMPLAINTS SINCE THERE WERE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BEING FILED REGARDING OTHER CONSUMERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME MECHANICAL FAILURE. WE WAITED UNTIL 03/27/2014 TO HAVE THE REPAIRS PERFORMED, WHICH CONSISTED OF THE REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING ASSIST MOTOR. GM THEN ISSUED A RECALL ON 03/31/2014 TO INCLUDE SELECT 2009 CHEVY MALIBU'S. HOWEVER, WHEN I CONTACTED GM, I WAS TOLD MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND I WILL NOT SUBJECT TO REIMBURSEMENT FOR MY REPAIRS (TOTALING $773.62). I SPOKE WITH NUMEROUS REPRESENTATIVES AT GM, AND WAS TOLD BY EACH OF THEM, THAT THE RECALL IS ONLY FOR SELECT VEHICLES AND DESPITE MY CLAIM THAT MY CAR EXPERIENCED THE EXACT MECHANICAL FAILURE AS LISTED IN THE RECALL, MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED AND ANY CLAIM I SUBMIT WILL BE DENIED. I AM APPLAUDED THAT DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN MY CAR (WHICH HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN TWO OTHER GM RECALLS SUCH AS THE IGNITION SWITCH AND THE SHIFT LEVER INDICATOR) AND GM IS REFUSING RESOLVE THIS SITUATION. I AM TURNING TO NHTSA FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION SO ALL CONSUMERS AFFECTED, INCLUDING MYSELF, BE PROPERLY REIMBURSED FOR THE EXPENSE INCURRED TO CORRECT GM'S ALREADY PROVEN DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT. THE EXTENT OF STRESS GM HAS CAUSED MY FAMILY BY NEAR TRAGIC ACCIDENT OF MY HUSBAND AND THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF PAYING TO CORRECT A PROBLEM THEY HAVE ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS A PROBLEM IS UNETHICAL AND CRIMINAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10588389

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)