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

What owners actually said

1,509 reports

85,343 miles · Feb 3, 2014

Electrical SystemSteering

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WITHIN A WEEK OF OWNING CAR ERROR CODE P0011 CAMSHAFT ALIGNMENT?CAME UP. DEALER GOT LIGHT TO GO OFF. SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH CAR. ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH POWER LOCKS ALSO, NOW MY COMPLETE STEERING COLUMN IS GONE.5 ERROR CODES C0545/C0561, NON FUNCTIONING ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. I AM LUCKY THAT I DIDN'T DIE IN THIS CAR OR WORSE KILL SOMEONE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS CAR. PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE. ARE WE WAITING FOR PEOPLE TO DIE???? SERIOUSLY. MY CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP TODAY AND GM DISTRICT SPECIALIST IS DEALING WITH THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. I THINK THIS WILL BE THE LAST CHEVROLET THAT I EVER PURCHASE. UNSAFE. I HOPE PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO COMPLAIN ON HERE BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE. 2008 WAS RECALLED FOR SAME ISSUES. MAYBE THEY USED SOME OF THEIR OLD PARTS IN MY CAR FROM 2008. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10562721

85,434 miles · Feb 1, 2014

Steering

STEERING WHEEL SHAKING, UNABLE TO TURN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10562464

77,500 miles · Jan 25, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN TWO YEARS THE PASSENGER HEADLIGHT HAS WENT OUT. THE FIRST TIME WAS THREE WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE. NOW AGAIN, THIS CAN NOT BE A SIMPLE HEADLIGHT JUST GOING OUT ON THE EXACT SAME SIDE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10561434

45,000 miles · Jan 15, 2014

Service Brakes

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THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON MY 2009 CHEVROLET MALIBU LTZ COME ON FOR NO REASON EVEN WHEN I REMOTE START MY VEHICLE AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE NEVER BEEN ENGAGED. WHEN I AM DRIVING MY BRAKE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON AND IF I TAP MY BRAKES THEY WILL GO OFF BUT 5 - 6 SECONDS LATER THEY WILL COME BACK ON AND STAY ON. WHEN I THEN NEED TO STOP AND APPLY MY BRAKES MY BRAKE LIGHTS WILL GO OFF ONCE I ENGAGE THE PEDAL BUT WILL NOT COME BACK ON UNLESS I SLAM ON MY BRAKES. IT SEEMS TO BE WORSE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS OR WHEN IT RAINS. ALSO, WHEN I AM IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE ON MY DASHBOARD SERVICE LIGHTS BEGIN TO COME ON. MY CAR WITH FLASH "SERVICE ESC" THEN FLASH "SERVICE TRACTION". I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND HAVE THE PAPERWORK THEY PROVIDE ME STATING THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE I HAVE AN INFANT CHILD AND I TRAVEL A VERY CONGESTED INTERSTATE WITH HIM IN THE CAR EVERY DAY. I HAVE ON MANY OCCASIONS HEARD TIRES/BRAKES SCREECHING FROM THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO WARNING I AM STOPPING. I FEAR THAT I AM GOING TO BE REAR ENDED EVERY DAY. I AM NOT SURE OF THE EXACT START DATE OF THE ISSUE BUT I KNOW THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR AT LEAST 50,000 MILES AND MY DEALERSHIP KEEPS STATING THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE. I FEAR FOR MY FAMILIES SAFETY. PLEASE HELP IN ANY WAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10560049

64,000 miles · Jan 11, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

THE BRAKE LIGHTS WILL COME ON RANDOMLY. THIS ALSO CAUSES THE CRUISE CONTROL TO KICK OFF. THE LIGHTS WILL STAY ON FOR VARYING LENGTHS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10559448

57,000 miles · Jan 7, 2014

Air Bags

START CAR UP FOR WORK AT 6:15AM AN SERVICE AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT WAS ON NEVER WAS ON BEFORE. AS OF JAN5 2014. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10558956

3,000 miles · Jan 6, 2014

Suspension

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PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BRAND NEW FROM DEALER IN JUNE OF 2009. 1ST TIME I HEARD CLUNKING NOISE FROM FRONT SUSPENSION ONLY WHEN THE TEMPS DROP BELOW 50 DEGREES. ONCE CAR WARMED UP, THE NOISE WOULD GO AWAY. SOUNDED LIKE A BROKEN STABILIZER LINK. RETURNED CAR TO DEALER AND HAD TO LEAVE OVERNIGHT SO THEY CAN HEAR THE NOISE, ONLY PROBLEM WAS THAT THE DEALER COULD HEAR THE NOISE WHEN COLD, BUT SOUND NOISE WOULD BE GONE BY THE TIME THEY GOT THE CAR ON THE LIFT. ONCE THE SOUND WAS GONE THEY HAD NO CLUE AS TO WHERE THE NOISE STARTED FROM. RETURNED TO THE DEALER ROUGHLY 7 TIMES OVER 3 YEAR PERIOD, NOW THE WARRANTY IS OVER. DEALER DID REPLACE LINKS, STRUTS, STEERING RACK, STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT AND A SLEW OF OTHER PARTS WHICH I HAVE DOCUMENTED. NOW I HAVE THE CAR FOR 5 YEARS AND YES THE NOISE IS STILL THERE EACH WINTER MORNING BELOW 50 DEGREES. ONCE THE WARMER WEATHER ARRIVES, IT NEVER MAKES A SOUND. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A LOT OF GM CARS ALL HAVE THE SAME "CLUNKING" SOUND IN FRONT SUSPENSION. ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF IS THAT THE DEALER PARTS ARE ALL DEFECTIVE AND MAYBE AN AFTERMARKET PART MAY BE UPGRADED TO HELP ELIMINATE THE NOISE. AS FOR NOW, I JUST LIVE WITH IT AS I FEEL NO WOBBLY EFFECTS OR UNSAFE CONDITION. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10558716

112,000 miles · Dec 31, 2013

Steering

AT FREEWAY SPEED THE CAR WANTS TO PULL TO LEFT WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT. STEERING WHEEL MAKES A CLUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT. HARD TO STEER WHEN MOVING SLOWLY. LOOSE SLOPPY STEERING FEEL. THE DEALER IS REPLACING THE ENTIRE STEERING GEAR RACK. VERY COSTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10557941

81,652 miles · Dec 19, 2013

Air BagsElectronic Stability Control (esc)

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RE-OCCURRENCE OF A PRIOR COMPLAINT. DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON A LOCAL HIGHWAY WHEN THE SERVICE TRACTION AND SERVICE ESC DISPLAYS CAME ON. CAR BEGAN TO SPUTTER AS THOUGH IT WERE GOING TO STALL. COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY, AND AFTER IDLING FOR A MINUTE THE DISPLAYS RETURNED TO NORMAL. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 2 MILES FURTHER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT CONTINUED TO HAPPEN THROUGHOUT THE REST OF MY DRIVE. THE NEXT DAY, IT RAN FINE FOR ABOUT 10 MILES OR SO, AND THEN BEGAN STALLING AGAIN AND BEGAN TO LOSE SOME BRAKING AND STEERING. LAST TIME THIS ISSUE OCCURRED, THE BRAKE LIGHTS ALSO LOCKED ON LEAVING THE DRIVERS BEHIND ME THINKING THAT I WAS BRAKING. LAST TIME THESE ALERTS WERE DISPLAYED MY VEHICLE DIED COMPLETELY AND HAD TO BE SERVICED. NOW, IT SEEMS TO BE PROGRESSING TOWARDS THE SAME RESULT. GM WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE, BUT HUNDREDS OF MALIBU AND HHR OWNERS SINCE 2008 SEEM TO DISAGREE. I ONCE AGAIN CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP THAT GAVE ME THE EXPLANATION OF IT REQUIRING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO DIAGNOSE. SEEING THAT THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT GM IS AWARE THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT ALWAYS SEEMS THAT IT TAKES THE DEATH OF SEVERAL DRIVERS BEFORE THERE IS A RESPONSE. ONE DRIVER IN A PRINTED CHAT WITH A GM REP STATED THAT THE ISSUE CAUSED HIS VEHICLE TO CRASH DUE TO THE LOSS OF ABS AND POWER STEERING, AND HIS AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. ISN'T A LOSS OF BRAKING, STEERING, AIR BAG, BRAKE LIGHTS AND ACCELERATION A SAFETY CONCERN? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10556596

69,747 miles · Dec 19, 2013

Electronic Stability Control (esc)

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DRIVING ON A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY AT 55MPH, MY SERVICE TRACTION AND SERVICE ESC LIGHTS CAME ON. IMMEDIATELY, THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, BRAKING, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STALL. VEHICLES BEHIND ME STARTED BRAKING. UPON GUIDING MY VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, IT STALLED OUT. WHEN I WALKED TO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, I SAW THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE LOCKED IN THE ON POSITION, SO DRIVERS BEHIND ME WOULD HAVE PERCEIVED MY VEHICLE AS STOPPING. AFTER A FEW MINUTES I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT IT STILL WAS VERY SLUGGISH AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ON. I CONTACTED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN BECAUSE IT COULD BE CAUSED BY MANY FACTORS AND COULD COST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO DIAGNOSE AND CORRECT DEPENDING UPON THE ISSUE. I LIMPED MY VEHICLE TO A LOCAL GARAGE THAT TOLD ME THE SAME THING, BUT WAS ABLE TO NARROW THE ISSUE DOWN TO A FAULTY MAP SENSOR. MY VEHICLE HAD TO BE PUSHED INTO A SERVICE BAY BECAUSE IT NO LONGER WOULD RUN AT ALL. THE MAP SENSOR WAS REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE HAS RUN FINE. MY CONCERN IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF THESE ISSUES WITH BOTH MALIBU AND HHR OWNERS SINCE 2008 THRU 2011, YET IT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED. LOSS OF STEERING, BRAKING, ACCELERATION AND LOCKED BRAKE LIGHTS ARE A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10556594

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)