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2010 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Malibu years

Owner complaints for the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than the model-year median of 310.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

1,071 reports with mileage · 289 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • 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

What owners actually said

1,360 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2022
Steering

Lost Electric Power Steering (EPS) Assist while driving during a turn. The dashboard Information Display acknowledged a failure in the Power Steering. The dealer found code C0545 which relates to power steering torque sensor assembly. GM issued a Safety Recall in October, 2014, Bulletin #16146B, for the Malibu 2009 model but n…

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Lost Electric Power Steering (EPS) Assist while driving during a turn. The dashboard Information Display acknowledged a failure in the Power Steering. The dealer found code C0545 which relates to power steering torque sensor assembly. GM issued a Safety Recall in October, 2014, Bulletin #16146B, for the Malibu 2009 model but not the 2010 model. The bulletin directs the dealer to replace P/S torque sensor module. The dealer replaced the torque sensor module and the P/S assist motor (remanufactured) at the customer cost of $989.63.

NHTSA ODI #11446364

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would intermittently fail to operate as needed with the power steering assist fault message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that excessive force was needed to operate the vehicle during the …

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The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would intermittently fail to operate as needed with the power steering assist fault message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that excessive force was needed to operate the vehicle during the failure. Occasionally, the power steering assist functionality would return upon restart. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11445575

Mileage unknown · Dec 13, 2021
Exterior LightingService Brakes

My 3rd brake light works intermittently. I have bought my car just over a year ago from a pre-owned dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11443678

Mileage unknown · Dec 10, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a parking lot and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the power steering functionality was restored. The vehicle was d…

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The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a parking lot and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the power steering functionality was restored. The vehicle was driven back to the residence and had not been driven since. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) as a possible solution however, the vehicle was not included. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11443356

Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2021
Electrical SystemLane DepartureSteering

Had test drove the vehicle everything was fine, picked the vehicle up and drove it home everything was fine, parked in the back of my house the car sat over night I go to pull it out the drive way, the power steering has gotten stuck and I mean it was STUCK!, the “power steering” light came on the dash so I tried my best to turn…

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Had test drove the vehicle everything was fine, picked the vehicle up and drove it home everything was fine, parked in the back of my house the car sat over night I go to pull it out the drive way, the power steering has gotten stuck and I mean it was STUCK!, the “power steering” light came on the dash so I tried my best to turn to just pull it back in the driveway. It was so hard to turn I thought I would brake the steering wheel. Another thing whenever I ride over a bump my radio changes stations or turns off.

NHTSA ODI #11439820

117,439 miles · Nov 4, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speed, the steering wheel felt abnormal including when making small turns. After continuing to drive, a few minutes later the power steering failed and the “power assist esp” warning message illuminated. The contact veered to the side of th…

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The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speed, the steering wheel felt abnormal including when making small turns. After continuing to drive, a few minutes later the power steering failed and the “power assist esp” warning message illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road, restarted the vehicle however the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the service control for the steering which is a function of the steering control module would needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,439.

NHTSA ODI #11439379

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2021
Electrical SystemExterior LightingVisibility/wiper

Service electronic stability control light comes on and brake light comes on and off at times

NHTSA ODI #11437361

Mileage unknown · Oct 7, 2021
Air BagsElectrical SystemEngine

The airbag don’t work, I just payed 1200$ to replace the computer pc because the car wouldn’t start and that didn’t solve the problem the check engine light is always on, the car have electrical problems; if I run the Ac it blows hot and then the car go to engine power reduces within 4 minutes. If I drive the car it will go on e…

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The airbag don’t work, I just payed 1200$ to replace the computer pc because the car wouldn’t start and that didn’t solve the problem the check engine light is always on, the car have electrical problems; if I run the Ac it blows hot and then the car go to engine power reduces within 4 minutes. If I drive the car it will go on engine power reduce after 6 minutes because the fan is not working due to the fact that that car has electrical problems and the fan is not getting enough power to warm the car up and the engine gets real hot and it go to making a loud rumbling noise and growling and I can only drive 10 mph and 40 mph the fastest but then the car go to shaking and wen I try to park the car it’s shaking Nd rumbling which can cause an accident

NHTSA ODI #11435855

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2021
Exterior Lighting

The component that has malfunctioned or failed is the pigtail for the low beam headlight on the driver side. The safety issue is that I am driving with one headlight reducing the visibility of the road. The problem has been reproduced because this is the second time that I had to change the headlights. The vehicle was not inspec…

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The component that has malfunctioned or failed is the pigtail for the low beam headlight on the driver side. The safety issue is that I am driving with one headlight reducing the visibility of the road. The problem has been reproduced because this is the second time that I had to change the headlights. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police, or Insurance representative because the price would have been more than $300. There are no warning lamps or messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. It occurred two years ago. And once again this year.

NHTSA ODI #11435188

Mileage unknown · Oct 1, 2021
Unknown Or Other

I was driving and the service traction control came across my car the the engine powering down notification appeared, and the check engine light. I took it to advance auto and they hooked up the machine which gave them the code DTC P2138. I took it to a mechanic who said the accelerator pedal sensor needed to be replaced. I rep…

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I was driving and the service traction control came across my car the the engine powering down notification appeared, and the check engine light. I took it to advance auto and they hooked up the machine which gave them the code DTC P2138. I took it to a mechanic who said the accelerator pedal sensor needed to be replaced. I replaced it and I'm still having the same issue. This time when it came on the pedal completely lost power until I turned the car off and restarted it.

NHTSA ODI #11435180

Official recalls

3

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)

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: 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

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: 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.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

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: 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.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

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: 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.

Electrical System:wiring

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: 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.

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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.