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

145,000 miles · Mar 31, 2018

EngineFuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

Read full complaint

THE FIRST TIME MY VEHICLE DIED WHILE DRIVING I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO TURN RIGHT. THE ENGINE DIED AND I TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE, TRIED TO RESTART AND IT WOULD NOT STAY STARTED. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM OR GET THE CAR TO GIVE THEM CODES SO THEY HAD ME PICK IT UP. THE 2ND TIME THE CAR DIED ON THE FREEWAY A WEEK LATER. I WAS GOING 60MPH TRYING TO KEEP ACCELERATION WHEN IT LOST POWER. THANKFULLY I WAS NEAR AN EXIT AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE EXIT. AGAIN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S CAUSING IT.

NHTSA ODI #11082306

85,000 miles · Mar 31, 2018

Steering

SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE CAR THE POWER STEERING SIGN WILL BE ON THE DASH, IT WILL ALSO SAY SERVICE THE ESC =. THERE WILL BE NO POWER STEERING. I CAN TURN OFF FOR AWHILE AND RE START AND THE PROBLEM WILL GO AWAY. THERE IS ALSO A SHACKING IN STEERING WHEEL WHILE I'M IN PARK OR STOPPED AT A LIGHT

NHTSA ODI #11082289

86,466 miles · Mar 30, 2018

Steering

2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU POWER STEERING SHIMMY STARTED YESTERDAY. TODAY POWER STEERING QUIT. AFTER RESTART POWER STEERING WORKS WITH HANDS OFF SHIMMY AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI #11082166

150,800 miles · Mar 26, 2018

Steering

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH ESC, AND SERVICE ESC. I COULD NOT STEER MY CAR AS USUAL. I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND WHEN I STARTED IT BACK UP IT WAS FINE.

NHTSA ODI #11081201

101,000 miles · Mar 23, 2018

Steering

Read full complaint

I WAS DRIVING IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WHEN SUDDENLY, MY POWER STEERING FAILED. I HAD TO USE A GREAT DEAL MORE EFFORT TO STEER THE CAR TO AVOID PARKED CARS, AS WELL ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HAD A COUPLE NEAR MISSES, BUT MADE IT TO MY DRIVEWAY. SINCE, I HAVE HAD THE SAME POWER STEERING FAIL 4 TIMES WHILE DRIVING IN NEIGHBORHOOD AND ON THE HIGHWAY EACH TIMEHIGHWAY. FORTUNATELY, I AVOIDED CONTACT WITH OTHER CARS WHILE MOVING, BUT ONLY DUE TO MY EXPERIENCED DRIVING. IF MY KIDS WERE DRIVING THIS CAR, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT! NOW, I LEARNED GM HAD AN EFFECTIVE RECALL FOR MY MODEL, BUT FOR EARLIER YEARS UP THROUGH 2009. HENCE, THEY HAVE CLOSED SAID RECALL AND LEFT ME WITH NARY AN OPTION. I AM TURNING TO YOU TO SEE IF A RENEWED RECALL CAN BE REOPENED!

NHTSA ODI #11081141

104,000 miles · Mar 22, 2018

Steering

CHEVROLET MALIBU 2010 4 CYLINDER ELECTRIC POWER STEERING HAVING INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING ISSUES BOTH WHILE STATIONARY AND MOVING IN OTHER WORDS AT TIMES DURING STARTUP IT WILL BE FUNCTIONAL AND SOMETIMES NON-FUNCTIONAL SAME WHILE MOVING. SUPPOSEDLY THIS VEHICLE IS NOT PART OF A POWER STEERING RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED IN 2014 AL…

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #11080942

178,000 miles · Mar 22, 2018

Steering

Read full complaint

JULY 2015, DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MILES AN HOUR, STEERING LOCKED UP ON ME AND HAD TO POWER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD WITH THE DASH SAYING, "ESC POWER STEERING". IN BETWEEN STARTS, THE WHEEL UNLOCKED AND THE DASH MESSAGE WAS GONE. I STOPPED AT A GM AGENT AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD ONLY HELP IF IT WAS STILL SHOWING ON THE DASH. THIS PROBLEM COUPLED WITH A CONSTANT TWITCHING OCCURRED OVER 10 TIMES IN 3 YEARS; AND IN JANUARY 2018 WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON THE HIGHWAY IT LOCKED UP AND THE POWER STEERING IS SINCE GONE, AND THE TWITCHING IS SCARY WORSE. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED AS THE WHEEL WILL NOT TURN. THIS PROBLEM IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE IF NOT FIXED SOON. I AM GLAD I GET TO LIVE ANOTHER DAY TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE.

NHTSA ODI #11080794

182,000 miles · Mar 21, 2018

Steering

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE SERVICE POWER STEERING AND THE ESC OFF INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. AFTERWARDS, A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING ABILITY CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO SEIZE. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE CONTACT HAD TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF TO RESET THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 182,000.

NHTSA ODI #11080626

109,000 miles · Mar 19, 2018

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

Read full complaint

THERE ARE ALERTS ABOUT THE POWER STEERING AND THE SERVICE ESC ON THE DASH WHEN I TURN ON THE CAR. SOMETIMES WHEN I START THE CAR THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND JERKS, WITHOUT MY CONTROL. THIS AFFECTS MY DRIVING ABILITIES AND IS A CLEAR DANGER. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES THE MOST WHEN I AM STOPPED, BUT IT SHAKES THE ENTIRE TIME I AM DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE OTHER TIMES I START THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING ALERTS COME ON AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING AND I HAVE TO STEER MANUALLY. THIS PROBLEM STARTED SLOWLY; ORIGINALLY THE WHEEL SHOOK BUT NOT AS VIOLENTLY AS IT DOES NOW. OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE, AND RECENTLY THE POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT WHEN I'VE STARTED. BEFORE I COULD JUST RESTART MY CAR AND THE POWER STEERING WOULD WORK, BUT NOW THE MORE I RESTART THE CAR THE LESS LIKELY THE STEERING WILL WORK PROPERLY. THIS PROBLEM STARTED IN JANUARY BUT INTENSIFIED IN MARCH.

NHTSA ODI #11080277

117,100 miles · Mar 19, 2018

Steering

Read full complaint

FOR THE LAST THREE DAYS MY 2010 MALIBU IS EXPERIENCING A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING. EVERY TIME I TURN MY CAR ON IT SAYS SERVICE ESC AND MY STEERING IS SUPER HARD TO WORK WITH. I CAN'T STEER MY CAR AT ALL. I HAVE TO SHUT MY CAR OFF AND RESET THE ENGINE UNTIL THE SERVICE ESC GOES AWAY. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK TODAY AND IT WENT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND I COULDN'T STEER MY CAR AT ALL. I HAD TO PULL OVER WHICH WAS TOUGH BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME TRAFFIC. I'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER ONLINE AND MOST PEOPLE SAY THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE STEERING COLUMN BUT MY CAR'S VIN ISN'T POPPING UP FOR ANY OF THE RECALLS. WHICH IS CRAZY BECAUSE MY CAR IS DOING THE SAME STUFF THE PEOPLE WHO GOT IT FIXED FOR FREE.

NHTSA ODI #11080252

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)