Steering. Review the 454 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 294 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electronic Stability Control (esc). Review the 227 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 reports14 fire reports35 injury reports

Power Train complaints

132 reports

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65,505 miles · Nov 27, 2017

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power Train

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. AFTER A COMPLETE STOP WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED DUE TO NO WARNING SENSORS. A DAY LATER, AN UNKNOWN INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT AUTO SHOP WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC RECOMMENDED THE VEHICLE BE TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION INDEPENDENT DEALER. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (DON BROWN CHEVROLET, 2244 S KINGS HIGHWAY BLVD, ST. LOUIS, MO, 63110) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 8-3433690388. THE DEALER COULD NOT ASSIST AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 65,505.

NHTSA ODI #11048602

80,000 miles · Nov 25, 2017

Power Train

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I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2010 CHEV MALIBU 2LT SEVEN YEARS AGO. IT'S AUTOMATIC, HAS LOW MILES, WELL SERVICED, AND EXCELLENT UPKEEP. SINCE OWNERSHIP, I'VE NOT HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, RECENTLY, WHILE DRIVING, AND GOING FROM LOW TO HIGHWAY SPEED, I NOTICED THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY "JERKED". IT SEEMED ALMOST AS IF GEARS WERE SLIPPING AND GETTING STUCK. I THOUGHT, THIS COULDN'T BE SAFE. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD TO GET MY TOWED FOR SERVICE AFTER THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T CHANGE GEARS. AFTER HAVING THE DIAGNOSED, I WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO SOME "INTERNAL DEFECT" IN IT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! ABSOLUTELY UNCONSCIONABLE! I DID SOME RESEARCH AND LEARNED GM HAD SOME RECALLS BETWEEN 2008 - 2010 DUE TO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. I LOVED MY MALIBU 2LT PRIOR TO RECEIVING THIS NEWS ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION. IT APPEARS, GM NEEDS TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT THE SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE ON THE TRANSMISSIONS OF THE 2010 MALIBU.

NHTSA ODI #11048357

153,000 miles · Nov 18, 2017

Power Train

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WHILE IN MOTION ON THE FREEWAY, MY VEHICLE BEGAN WOULD NOT SPEED UP WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS. THE CAR REVVED UP BUT IT WOULD NOT SPEED UP. I CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN AS CARS APPROACHED ME FROM BEHIND. I WAS AFRAID THEY MIGHT HIT ME SO I MOVED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TRIED TO ACCELERATE WHILE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BUT IT WOULD ONLY REV UP AND NOT MOVE. I SWITCHED THE GEARSHIFT SEVERAL TIMES BETWEEN PARK, NEUTRAL, REVERSE AND DRIVE. I COULD ONLY GO A FEW FEET AT A TIME. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MY PARENTS HOUSE AND SITS THERE TODAY BECAUSE MECHANICS SAID THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI #11047193

140,000 miles · Nov 8, 2017

Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

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I HAVE 2010 CHEVY MALIBU I LOVE MY CAR IT HAS NEVER GIVEN ME ANY PROBLEMS THE WHOLE 3 YEARS OF OWNING IT JUST THE NORMAL MAINTENANCE. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING AT A SPEED OF 25 MPH AND I CROSSED OVER AN INTERSECTION AND AS SOON AS I DID SO I PUSHED TO GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE A LITTLE AND I NOTICED THAT IT WASN'T GOING. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE I HAD MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR AND ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME AND COULD HAVE CAUSED A CAR CRASH. I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THE CAR HAD SHUT OFF BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS STILL WORK RADIO WAS ON , LIGHTS WERE WORKING. SO I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR COMPLETELY OFF AND WHEN I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON IT WOULDN'T START. THE ENGINE JUST KEPT TURNING OVER AND NOT GETTING A GOOD SPARK. AND IT ALSO CAUSED THE BATTERY TO FAIL SO I HAD TO GET A NEW BATTERY. I CHANGED THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR, THE CRANKSHAFT SENSOR AND THE CAR IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. THIS IS A HUGE INCONVENIENCE FOR ME BECAUSE NO ONE CAN FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BECAUSE THE BATTERY DIED O LOST ALL DIAGNOSTIC CODES. NOW WHAT?

NHTSA ODI #11044654

250 miles · Oct 17, 2017

Power Train

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY GOING 60 AND THE CAR STARTED REVVING REALLY HIGH UNTIL I GOT MY SPEED DOWN TO FORTY AND IT WOULDN'T GO MORE THAN 40. WHEN I STOPPED TO LET CAR COOL AND I RESTARTED IT, I DROVE IT AROUND THE BLOCK A FEW TIMES AND IT STARTED THE SAME REVVING AND NOT GOING FASTER TNAN 40. I TRIED TO BACK THE CAR INTO MY DRIVE…

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NHTSA ODI #11034129

76,633 miles · Oct 2, 2017

Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LACKED FORWARD MOMENTUM. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE WAVE PLATE IN THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,633. *LN CONSUMER STATED ON 9/17/11 CAR NOT GETTING POWER. MADE LOUD NOISE DROVE APPOX. 15 MILES. TOOK CAT TO MENKE MOTOR, TRANSMISSION FAILED HAD ENGINE REPAIRED FOR $2300.00 UPDATED 7/24/18*JB

NHTSA ODI #11030773

57,268 miles · Oct 1, 2017

Power Train

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TRANSMISSION COMPLETLY WENT OUT WITH NO WARNING CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION. NO LIGHTS CAME ON, NO NOISES, WOULD BARELY GO THEN JERKED AND EXCELLERATION NOISE AS IF I REVED ENGINE UP BUT I DIDN'T THEN PULLED INTO PARKING SPOT AND IT WOULDNT GO INTO GEAR AND WOULD NOT MOVE. WHEN STARTED LATER THAT DAY IT RAN FINE AND 2 MINUTES FROM HOME IT DID THE EXACT SAME THING BUT NOW WILL NOT MOVE AT ALL AND JUST WHINES. I READ THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL CAR AND GM WILL NOT COVER BC WARRANTY RUMS OIT BEFORE THE 5 YEAR 60,000 MILES. SOMETHING NEEDS DONE ABOUT THIS. MY CAR ONLY HAS 57000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI #11030733

52,000 miles · Sep 15, 2017

Power TrainSteering

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POWER STEERING FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2017. I HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN IN NOVEMBER 2016 FOR THE SAME CONDITION. THERE IS A RECALL FOR CHEVY MALIBUS UP UNTIL THE 2009 MODEL YEAR AND CLEARLY THERE IS A WEAKNESS IN THE 2010. THIS FAILURE WAS WHILE I WAS PARKED IN A TIGHT SPOT AND COULDN'T GET OUT. I RESTARTED THE CAR UNTIL IT RECALIBRATED, BUT IT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY GO AGAIN. REPEAT OF PREVIOUS PROBLEM. ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AFTER COMPLETE FAILURE AT 48,000 MILES IN JANUARY 2017. THAT WAS A MERE $4600. IT FAILED WHILE IN MOTION, BUT FORTUNATELY I WAS UPHILL FROM MY HOME AND I WAS ABLE TO ROLL IT TO THE CURB.

NHTSA ODI #11023678

86,000 miles · Aug 28, 2017

Power Train

TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE CAME LOOSE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. PLACED THE CAR IN PARK BUT IT CONTINUED TO MOVE. CABLE IS MISSING CENTER PIECE (CLIP?) THAT HOLDS IT TO TRANSMISSION LEVER. THIS CAR WAS RECALLED AND "FIXED" FOR THIS CONDITION LESS THAN 4 YEARS AGO. OBVIOUSLY THEIR REPAIR IS INFERIOR......IF INDEED IT WAS DONE AS THEY…

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NHTSA ODI #11020060

152,000 miles · Jul 27, 2017

Power Train

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT WARNING AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF AND THE CONTACT WAITED FOR FIVE MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND OPERATED NORMALLY; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ANOTHER DAY. IN ADDITION, WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JOLTED AS IF IT WERE GOING TO STALL. THE CONTACT OBSERVED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (FELLERS CHEVROLET, 715 MAIN ST, ALTAVISTA, VA, 24517) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN AN OPEN RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V460000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 152,000.

NHTSA ODI #11010924

Official recalls

19V019000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Jan 16, 2019

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.

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)