Steering. Review the 419 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 243 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 225 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

37 crash reports19 fire reports19 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

243 reports

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87,000 miles · Jan 3, 2013

Electrical SystemExterior LightingFire

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I KEPT HAVING MY HEADLIGHTS BLOW OUT AND CONTINUED TO REPLACE THEM. FINALLY BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY FATHER (WHO WORKS AS A FIREFIGHTER/ FIRE INVESTIGATOR/ FIRE INSPECTOR) WHO NOTED A POST ELECTRICAL TYPE FIRE IN THE HARNESS OF WHERE THE BULB PLUGS INTO. THE HARNESS AND BULB WERE SINCE REPLACED AND THEN AGAIN 4 DAYS AGO THE SAME THING HAPPENED, MY BULB BLEW OUT AND WENT TO LOOK AND THE HARNESS WAS AGAIN MELTED WITH A STRONG ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE CONNECTOR. ANOTHER BULB WAS PLACED WITHOUT REPLACING THE HARNESS 2 DAYS AGO AND TODAY IS AGAIN BURNT OUT. STRONG ELECTRICAL ODOR COMING FROM THE HEADLIGHT AREA. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10490853

71,358 miles · Dec 29, 2012

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT (DRIVER SIDE) GOES OUT RANDOMLY. HAVE REPLACED BULBS AND IT HAPPENS AGAIN A FEW DAYS LATER. AFTER A FEW MORE DAYS IT GOES OUT AGAIN AND THEN A FEW MORE DAYS IT COMES BACK. I HAVE REMOVED HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY AND USED ELECTRIC TAPE TO HOLD WIRES TOGETHER TIGHTLY BUT IT STILL OCCURS. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH G6S BASED ON ALL THE PROBLEMS POSTED ON THE INTERNET. LAST TIME THEY DECIDED TO GO OUT WAS ON THE HIGHWAY IN A SNOW STORM. DEFINITE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10490479

Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2012

Exterior LightingService Brakes

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, HE WAS ALERTED BY A DRIVER IN ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS CONTINUOUSLY REMAINED ILLUMINATED EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE FAULTY STEERING COLUMN SENSOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 2/4/13 *CN UPDATED 02/20/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10487427

990,000 miles · Dec 4, 2012

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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THE WIRING IN MY HEADLIGHT IS EITHER BURNING OR SHORTING OUT MY LIGHT BULB. THERE IS THE CONNECTOR TO ATTACH THE HEADLIGHT TO THE CAR THAT IS GET HOT ENOUGH TO MELT THE PLASTIC. IT CHOOSES WHEN IT WANTS TO WORK AND WHEN I PUT IN A NEW LIGHT BULB (I AM AWARE NOT TO TOUCH THE LIGHT BULB) IT WILL WORK FOR ABOUT 2-3 WEEKS AND THEN CONTINUE NOT TO WORK. SEEING AS THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM AND FRIENDS OF MINE WHO ALSO OWN THE SAME CAR HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS NOT JUST A COINCIDENCE. THIS IS BECOMING A HUGE PAIN IN MY REAR!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10487332

73,000 miles · Nov 3, 2012

Exterior Lighting

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THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT WENT OUT. IT WAS REPLACED, AND THEN 2 DAYS LATER NEITHER HEADLIGHT WORKED. THE AUTO OPTION STILL RAN MY HIGH-BEAMS, MY TAIL LIGHTS AND MY PARKING LIGHTS. THEN 1 WEEK LATER WHEN MY AUTO OPTION WAS ON, NOTHING WORKED, NO TAIL LIGHTS, NO HEADLIGHTS, AND NO PARKING LIGHTS. WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE IN THE "ON" POSITION I GET TAIL LIGHTS, AND PARKING LIGHT, BUT STILL NO HEADLIGHTS. I AM BEING TOLD IT WILL BE $140 TO LOOK AT IT AND THAT THIS IS NOT COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY. IN SEARCHING ONLINE I SEE THAT MULTIPLE CARS SEEM TO HAVE THIS DEFECT IN THE LIGHTING. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT THIS DEFECT SHOULD GO UNDER A RECALL AND GM NEEDS TO FIX IT AT THEIR EXPENSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10483263

77,000 miles · Oct 31, 2012

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

THE CONNECTOR TERMINAL WAS BURNT OUT AND EXTREMELY CORRODED. MY PASSENGER HEADLIGHT IS BURNT OUT AND THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES SINCE JANUARY, IT IS CURRENTLY OCTOBER. THE LAST TWO WEEKS HAS RUINED TWO BULBS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ISSUE AND SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING ON A PROPERLY MAINTENANCE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10482812

79,465 miles · Oct 28, 2012

Exterior Lighting

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DUE TO POORLY DESIGNED HARNESS ASSEMBLY WITH INFERIOR MATERIALS, THE HEADLIGHT HARNESS CONNECTOR ON THE PONTIAC G6 CORRODES AND MELTS AND THE HEADLIGHTS WON'T WORK. GM SHOULD COVER THE REPAIRS UNDER WARRANTY SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THE LIGHTS (PRIMARILY LOW BEAMS) GO ON AND OFF RANDOMLY, AND STANDARD BULB REPLACEMENT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THERE ARE MANY POSTINGS ON THE PONTIAC G6 OWNERS FORUM THAT IS AN ONGOING SAFETY ISSUE AND OWNERS SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING REPAIRS AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10482477

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2012

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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I HAVE HAD MY CAR FOR LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY HEADLIGHTS STAYING ON/WORKING. MY FIANCE WENT TO CHANGE THE BULB AND WHEN HE DID HE NOTICED THAT THE WIRES WERE MELTED. APPARENTLY ITS GETTING SO HOT THAT THE WIRES ARE MELTING AND MY HEADLIGHTS STOP WORKING. WE HAVE TRIED REPLACING THE BULBS AT LEAST TWICE AND THEY STILL WILL NOT WORK. THIS IS HAPPENING ON BOTH SIDES AND I'M AFRAID IT MIGHT CAUSE A FIRE. SINCE THE DEALER DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING ON RECORD THEY WILL NOT FIX IT AND THE PARTS ARE SO EXPENSIVE THAT I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED. PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. THANKS! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10481365

52,000 miles · Oct 8, 2012

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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RIGHT LOW BEAM QUIT WORKING, REPLACED HEADLIGHT, WORKED FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. FOUND WIRING HARNESS BURNT AT BULB. CONTACTED DEALER TO REPLACE HARNESS, THEY SAID I HAD TO BUY THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOR $160.00. I FEEL THIS IS A GM DEFECT, AND GM SHOULD PLACE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. THEY HAVE A BULLETIN ON THIS ISSUE, BUT WANT TO SELL YOU THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY. BULLETIN # SB-10-08-42-001A. WHY CAN'T WE JUST GET THE HARNESS? IS REPLACING THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY GOING TO SOLVE THE ISSUE? I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER 2 TIMES OVER THIS ISSUE. GM NEEDS TO PAY FOR THIS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10479272

62,000 miles · Oct 8, 2012

Exterior LightingService Brakes

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BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHEN BRAKES NOT APPLIED, TURNED OFF WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED (ACCORDING TO FAMILY MEMBER WHO WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME). PROBLEM SEEMED TO RESOLVE ITSELF, BUT HAS RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. SUBSEQUENT OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT - BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATE WHEN BRAKES NOT APPLIED, THEN TURN OFF BRIEFLY AND COME BACK ON WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED. WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED, BRAKE LIGHTS TURN OFF FOR ~5-10 SECONDS BEFORE COMING BACK ON. OCCURRED AGAIN THIS MORNING - ATTEMPTED TO RESOLVE BY DISCONNECTING NEGATIVE BATTERY TERMINAL AND RECONNECTING AFTER ~15 MINUTES TO SEE IF THE SYSTEM WOULD RESET ITSELF, BUT IT DID NOT. INCIDENTS SEEM RANDOM - HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY A COMMON THREAD (SUCH AS HARD BRAKING, VEHICLE MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES, WEATHER, OTHER LIGHTING ISSUES, ETC). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10479221

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)

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

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

Electrical System:wiring

Consequence: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.

14V224000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission; Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift

Apr 30, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift

Consequence: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.

Power Train:automatic Transmission

14V153000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 31, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.

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

EA13005 · Brake Light Switch/sensor Malfunction

Opened Jun 6, 2013 · Closed Jul 1, 2014

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:tail Lights

On May 14, 2014 General Motors (GM) announced a recall action (14V-252) involving model year (MY) 2004-12 Chevrolet Malibu, MY 2004-07 Malibu Maxx, MY 2005-10 Pontiac G6 and MY 2007-10 Saturn Aura vehicles.An increased resistance can develop in the Body Control Module connection systems and result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS, or brake light switch) circuit that can cause the brake lamps to malfunction.As a result, and according to GM, the brake lamps may illuminate when pedal application is not being applied or may not illuminate when pedal force is applied.Additionally, the cruise control may not engage or if it is engaged it may require increased pedal travel to disengage.Pedal application may not be required to move the shift lever out of PARK or additional travel may be required to move the shift lever out of PARK. Traction control, electronic stability control (ESC) and panic brake assist features may also become disabled. These failure conditions may increase the risk of a crash.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Engineering Analysis EA13-005 on June 6, 2013 to further investigate complaints alleging that the brake lights did not operate properly on MY 2005-08 Pontiac G6 vehicles.The BAS in these vehicles produces a single analog voltage output proportional to the brake pedal's position.The BAS signal is used by various systems to determine both pedal position and rate of displacement, so a failure or inaccuracy of the signal may affect multiple systems.ODI also received similar complaints on MY 2009 Pontiac G6, MY 2004-11 Chevrolet Malibu and MY 2007-09 Saturn Aura vehicles that use the same BAS.All of these above models were included in the subject vehicle population of ODI's Information Request (IR) letter to GM.Prior to the recall announcement date, ODI received 855 reports of brake light malfunction resulting in one or several of the failure conditions.Eight (8) of the reports alleged crashes, with 1 resulting in an injury. Of these crash allegations, 2 were roll-away incidents, in which the shift interlock was moved out of PARK without pedal application and the vehicle rolled into another object.Three (3) crashes involved rear-end hits, which were believed to be due to brake light reversal.ESC/Traction Control failures were the alleged cause of 2 incidents, which resulted in unresponsive brake application and in 1 case caused the vehicle to leave the roadway.One (1) crash allegation was not counted as the circumstances of the crash were not related to any of the failure modes.ODI notes that it is difficult to determine the actual cause of incidents where brake light reversal or ESC/Traction Control failures were the alleged cause.In response to ODI's IR, GM submitted 2,268 unique reports that related to brake lamp malfunction. Combined with the data submitted during Recall Query 13-001, a total of 4,664 unique complaints were submitted.Twelve (12) of the GM reports alleged a crash, with 2 reporting minor injuries and 4 alleging property damage.Of the 12 reports, 3 involved brake light reversal allegations, 4 involved roll-away incidents and 2 involved ESC/Traction Control malfunctions. ODI did not include three (3) reports that involved allegations inconsistent with the alleged defect. This investigation is closed on the basis of GM's announcement of safety recall 14V-252.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID, see the attached list for ODI numbers.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

Exterior Lighting

Exterior Lighting:tail Lights

RQ13001 · Brake Light Malfunction

Opened Feb 4, 2013 · Closed Jun 6, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:tail Lights

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query RQ13-001 on February 4, 2013 in response to complaints alleging that the brake lights do not operate properly on model year (MY) 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles. Complainants allege that the brake lights illuminate when the brake pedal is not depressed, and turn off once the brake pedal is applied. In addition the driver may have difficulty shifting out of PARK, or the cruise control may not engage properly. In response to ODI?s Information Request, General Motors (GM) submitted a significant number of warranty claims and over 1, 100 reports that potentially relate to the alleged problem. ODI is continuing its analysis of this data. One of the GM reports also alleged a vehicle crash. ODI has received a total of 314 complaints, one alleging a crash.Based on the agency's current analysis, ODI has upgraded its investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA13-005) to determine whether the subject vehicles present a safety related defect trend, and to further evaluate scope.The ODI complaints cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID, see the attached list for ODI numbers.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

Exterior Lighting

Exterior Lighting:tail Lights