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

Latches/locks/linkages complaints

23 reports

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56,000 miles · Jan 13, 2015

Exterior LightingLatches/locks/linkagesSteering

I OWN A 4 DOOR SEDAN G6 WITH POWER DOOR LOCKS - THE LEFT REAR POWER DOOR LOCK HAS QUIT CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO REACH ACROSS THE SEAT TO LOCK / UNLOCK THE DOOR = NOT IDEAL IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. MY INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT IS CLICKING AND GRINDING INSIDE THE COLUMN AND THE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS CONTINUES TO MELT CAUSING THE …

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NHTSA ODI #10672142

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2015

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

REAR PASSENGER DOOR DOES NOT LOCK/UNLOCK WHEN USING THE REMOTE. HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK/UNLOCK DOOR. ALSO, THE REMOTE LOCK BUTTON DOES NOT WORK CORRECTLY. I HAVE TO PUSH THE BUTTON SEVERAL TIMES FOR IT TO WORK OR SOMETIMES I JUST GIVE UP AND LOCK DOORS FROM INSIDE THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10670915

40,000 miles · Jul 17, 2014

Latches/locks/linkages

THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR LOCKS FAIL TO UNLOCK THE DOOR. THE DOOR CAN NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE OR THE OUTSIDE AT ALL. I VERIFIED THAT IT IS AFFECTING BOTH THE RIGHT REAR AND THE LEFT REAR DOOR LOCK MECHANISMS. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE, AS IN A CRASH, THE REAR PASSENGERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, NOR WILL THEY BE…

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NHTSA ODI #10611329

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2014

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

DOOR LOCKS STOPPED OPENING BACK DOORS OR ON OCCASION WOULDN'T LOCK OR UNLOCK. IF I AM IN A SITUATION AND SOMEONE IS IN BACKSEAT THE DOORS WOULD REMAIN LOCKED. I WOULD HAVE TO ROLL DOWN WINDOWS TO UNLOCK THE BACKSEAT DOORS, BEFORE I COULD GET AN INFANT PASSENGER AND REMOVE FROM CAR SEAT. LORD FORBID I'M ON TRAIN TRACKS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10606620

60,000 miles · May 7, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior LightingLatches/locks/linkages

THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS ON THIS CAR KEEPS GOING OUT. THE HARNESS CONNECTORS ARE MELTED AND REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES. WE HAVE RECEIVED NUMEROUS TICKETS FOR A HEADLIGHT OUT. THE REAR DOORS WILL NOT LOCK WITH THE POWER LOCKS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10587071

60,000 miles · Apr 2, 2014

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

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THIS IS A 4-DOOR VEHICLE DESIGNED WITH ONLY ONE EXTERIOR KEYED DOOR LOCK AT THE DRIVERS DOOR, HAS ELECTRIC DOOR ACTUATORS THAT ARE OPERATED INDIVIDUALLY AT EACH DOOR WITH A MASTER CONTROL AT THE DRIVERS DOOR FOR "ALL DOORS UNLOCKED OR LOCKED" + MANUAL LOCK KNOBS ON EACH DOOR. BOTH REAR DOORS ARE LOCKING/UNLOCKING ERRATICALLY FROM THE DRIVER SEAT MASTER CONTROL. SOMETIMES THE PASSENGER DOOR WON'T UNLOCK OR LOCK AND OTHER TIMES THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR WON'T WORK. THE RESULT IS YOU CAN'T UNLOCK THE BACK SEAT DOOR(S) AND WOULD NEED TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW FOR THE LOCKED DOOR FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT MASTER WINDOW CONTROL AND REACH IN FROM THE EXTERIOR TO UNLOCK/LOCK THE INTERIOR DOOR LOCK KNOB MANUALLY FROM THE OUTSIDE OR CRAWL INTO THE BACK SEAT TO OPERATE THE LOCK KNOB MANUALLY. IF THE WINDOW CONTROL GOES BAD THE ONLY OPTION WOULD BE CRAWLING INTO THE BACK SEAT TO MANUALLY OPERATE LOCK KNOB. DOESN'T SOUND THAT BAD UNTIL YOU CONSIDER DRIVERS NEW TO THIS PROBLEM, AN ELDERLY, INVALID OR BABY IN THE BACK SEAT/CAR SEAT CAN'T BE ACCESSED WITHOUT A DELAYS. SINCE THE BACK DOORS DON'T LOCK CONSISTENTLY YOU HAVE TO GO TO EACH DOOR IF IT DOESN'T LOCK AND LOCK IT MANUALLY AT THE LOCK KNOB WHICH MEANS IT PROBABLY WON'T UNLOCK LATER WITHOUT USING THE MANUAL KNOB THROUGH THE WINDOW FROM THE EXTERIOR OR CRAWLING INTO THE BACK SEAT, I'M NOT A SAFETY EXPERT BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ITS ALWAYS BEEN A GOOD PRACTICE TO SHUT AND THEN LOCK ALL THE DOORS WHEN DRIVING, DOESN'T THAT ADD A SAFETY FUNCTION TO THE LOCK MECHANISM? THE MECHANISM ISN'T RELIABLE ON THIS VEHICLE, DOESN'T FUNCTION AS DESIGNED OR HAVE A BACKUP KEYED LOCK AT EACH DOOR FOR EMERGENCIES. I ALSO FOUND AN '08 CHEVY EQUINOX OWNER THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. ON THE INTERNET THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH EVEN A HIGHLY TECHNICAL U-TUBE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE THE REPAIR. AND NO END TO SUPPLIERS OF THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR PARTS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10576991

80,000 miles · Oct 3, 2013

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

2008 G6 SEDAN. REAR DRIVER SIDE POWER LOCK INOPERABLE. THE LOCK MUST BE MANUALLY LOCKED AND UNLOCKED BY THE 2ND ROW PASSENGER. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE WITH A SMALL CHILD OR DISABLED PERSON IN THE BACK SEAT WHOM CANNOT UNLOCK THE DOOR IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. THE LOCK IS POSITIONED TOO FAR REARWARD FOR FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS TO UN…

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NHTSA ODI #10546585

65,000 miles · Aug 27, 2013

Latches/locks/linkages

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR DOORS COULD NOT BE LOCKED OR UNLOCKED FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE DOOR ACTUATORS IN BOTH DOORS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WA…

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NHTSA ODI #10537520

63,000 miles · Jun 21, 2013

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

BOTH THE RIGHT AND LEFT REAR ELECTRIC DOOR LOCK SOLENOIDS OPERATE ERRATICALLY MOST OFTEN NOT LOCKING THE DOORS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10521067

28,000 miles · Jun 11, 2013

Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

REAR DOOR LOCKS STOPPED WORKING WITH REMOTE ENTRY, THEN EVENTUALLY STOPPED WORKING WITH FRONT DRIVERS/PASSENGER SIDE LOCKING MECHANISMS. TOOK TO DEALER WHO REPLACED LOCK ACTUATOR (?) UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY (AFTER MULTIPLE BREAK-INS BECAUSE REAR DOORS WEREN'T PROPERLY LOCKED!) *TR

NHTSA ODI #10516259

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