Engine. Review the 302 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 222 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 166 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

23 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports

Steering complaints

42 reports

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70,000 miles · Feb 17, 2019

Steering

THE CAR STEEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE SOMETIMES. THE CAR STEERING WHEEL LOCKS DURING A TURN AND SAYS AUTO STEERING TURNED OFF WHILE BEING LOCKED UP. WHILE DRIVING MY CAR I CAN BE STOPPED AT A LIGHT WHEN I LET GO OF THE BRAKE THE STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK IN PLACE SOMETIMES TURNING THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11180652

75,000 miles · Feb 14, 2019

SteeringVisibility/wiper

NOTICED SHAKING IN THE STEERING WHILE DRIVING. HAD ALIGNED 3 TIMES ONCE AT A DIFFERENT SHOP. HAS NEW TIRES. TIRES ARE NOW CUPPED AND WILL WEAR UNEVENLY. STEERING WHEEL STILL SHAKES AND CAR FEELS LIKE IT'S BEING PUSHED FROM SIDE TO SIDE. HEATER CORE IS NOW BAD AND IT'S NOT EVEN 3 YEARS OLD. ALL WINDOWS FOGGED UP INCLUDING FRONT W…

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NHTSA ODI #11180144

Mileage unknown · Jan 11, 2019

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

WHEN I STOP AT LIGHT WAITING FOR THE STREET LIGHT TO CHANGE A MESSAGE POPS UP THE DASHBOARD SAYS STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENT DRIVE WITH CAUTION AND SHUTS MY CAR DOWN AND SOMETIMES IT FLASHES STABLETRACK.BUT THIS MESSAGE BEEN POPPING UP THE DASHBOARD FOR WEEKS AND SHUTS THE CAR OFF AND STARTS UP AGAIN BUT TODAY IT SHUTS IT OFF AND …

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NHTSA ODI #11166527

43,601 miles · Dec 31, 2018

Power TrainSteering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVE AND STATIONARY, IT STALLED AND THE DRIVE ASSIST WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MAN…

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NHTSA ODI #11164238

21,000 miles · Oct 28, 2018

Electrical SystemEngineSteering

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VEHICLE HAS BEEN STOPPED OR DURING TURNING OR DRIVING ON CITY STREET OR HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF ENGINE, ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND HAD RESTART IN TRAFFIC ALSO RADIO SCREEN MISSES UP AND ON STAR DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WHEN IT HAPPENS. CAN'T STEER VEHICLE WHEN IT SHUTS DOWN. ABOUT CAUSED ME TO WRECK 4 TIMES. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE FOR ME OR MY PASSENGERS IT HAS LOW MILES AND STILL UNDER BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY AND CHEVY DEALERS HAVE NO CLUE THE CAUSE. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE INFO I BE GLAD TO SHOW U ISSUES WITH IT AND I LOVE SOMEONE TO HELP ME FIX THE UNKNOWN ISSUES BEFORE IT GETS ME OR MY CHILD OR SOMEONE ELSE HURT.

NHTSA ODI #11143514

27,600 miles · Jun 11, 2018

Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineSteering

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IN FEBRUARY 2016 I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP OF PURCHASE THE NIGHT BEFORE I WAS DRIVING ON A PUBLIC STREET I CAME TO A STOP AT A RED LIGHT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDDLE AS THE CAR BEGAN TO MOVE FORWARD THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD BEGAN FLUTTERING THE CAR THEN CUTS OFF A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD READ INSTA LINK STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE CAREFULLY ALSO THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ON AFTER GETTING THE CAR TO DEALERSHIP AND THE ALLEGED PROBLEM BEING FIXED TWO WEEKS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM TOOK CAR BACK DEALERSHIP STATED THEIR IS NOTHING WRONG THEY CLEARED THE CODES THE STOP ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF ABOUT 3 WEEKS LATER SAME PROBLEM AGAIN THEY STATED AGAIN NOTHINGS WRONG NOW HERE I AM AGAIN FOR THE FIFTH TIME SAME PROBLEM NOW THAT MY WARRANTY IS DONE THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME 700 TO 1000 DOLLARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM I IMMEDIATELY CALLED GM THEY HAVE ALLEGEDLY RESOLVED THE PROBLEM I HAVEN'T GOT THE CAR BACK YET THEY SAY MAYBE TOMORROW

NHTSA ODI #11101259

Mileage unknown · Apr 20, 2018

Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineSteering

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TAKATA RECALL: I'VE BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2016 MALIBU IT WILL STOP AND TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO START UP. WHILE DRIVING IT WILL GO IN SAFETY DRIVING MODE AND I CAN'T GO ON FASTER THAN 20 MILES. I HAVEN'T HAD MY CAR FOR A YEAR BEFORE IT START GIVING ME PROBLEMS. I DIDN'T MAKE IT ON TIME BEFORE MY WARRANTY EXPIRE. RIGHT AT THIS TIME I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY TO GET IT FIX 380... AFTER CALLING THE DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER HE STATED THAT MY CAR IS THE 3RD COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. I HAVE 4 SONS AND I REALLY DON'T LIKE WHEN IT SHUT DOWN ON US WHILE I'M DRIVING. THIS ISSUE HAPPEN ATLEAST 3 TIMES A WEEK...

NHTSA ODI #11089060

16,034 miles · Apr 6, 2018

Steering

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR LOST ASSISTENT STEERING WHEN I WAS DRIVING LIGHTS FLASHED AND LCD SCREEN SAID STEERING ASSIST REDUCED ON MY LCD SCREEN LOST ALL ASSISTED STEERING WHEN I CAME TO A STOP STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO STEER.

NHTSA ODI #11083718

68,000 miles · Dec 19, 2017

Steering

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND WAS UNABLE TO TURN. THE WRENCH WARNING ICON ILLUMINATED AS THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PUTNAM CHEVROLET CADILLAC (198 CALIFORNIA DR, BURLINGAME, CA), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 68,000.

NHTSA ODI #11055546

17,504 miles · Oct 8, 2017

Electrical SystemSteeringUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING ALERT ON PANEL SHOWED SERVICE POWER STEERING DRIVE CARE WHEN THIS HAPPENED CAR LOST TRACTION AND BRAKES NOT WORKED PROPERLY. 3 X MY CAR IS BEEN ON DAVIS MAUS SANFORD SERVICE LAST SERVICE AUGUST MY CAR WAS RETURNED 8/5/15 MANAGER ASSURED ME IT WAS FIXED AND SINCE 3 WEEKS AGO STARTED AGAIN NOW WHILE IS PARK AND TURN…

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NHTSA ODI #11032286

Official recalls

21V649000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners; Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

Aug 20, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Seat Belts:critical Fasteners

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

18V400000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Jun 14, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

16V781000 · Air Bags:side/window

Oct 26, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured November 18, 2015, to June 7, 2016. The fabric of the side-impact air bag cushion may tear during deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 27, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16079.

16V502000 · Electrical System:ignition; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Jul 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

16V272000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc)

May 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured March 7, 2016, through March 12, 2016. The memory chip in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may fail and cause the loss of electronically controlled brake systems including anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the EBCM fails the primary braking system will still function, however, the loss of ABS and ESC increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a replacement EBCM, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020). GM's number for this recall is 39440.

16V151000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 11, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Malibu vehicles manufactured February 16, 2016, to March 5, 2016. The two weld studs that mount the front and rear side impact air bags may fracture and separate from the air bag during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 31820.

16V125000 · Air Bags:frontal

Mar 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.

16V084000 · Electrical System:software

Feb 11, 2016

Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection", and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15808.

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

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.