Steering. Review the 295 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 190 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 178 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

25 crash reports20 fire reports17 injury reports

Exterior Lighting complaints

190 reports

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68,000 miles · Sep 18, 2014

Exterior Lighting

DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. INVESTIGATED SITUATION THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND FOUND SOCKET ON SAME HEADLIGHT SEVERELY MELTED. RESEARCHED ISSUE ON INTERNET AND FOUND MANY OTHER INSTANCES OF LIKE CONDITION. MANUFACTURER SHOULD ADDRESS BEFORE FATALITY OR FIRE OCCURS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10637234

98,554 miles · Sep 15, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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AS I WAS DRIVING TOWARDS MY HOME AFTER DARK, MY DRIVERS SIDE HEADLIGHT (LOW-BEAM) WENT OUT. BECAUSE I WAS ON A RURAL ROAD, I TURNED ON MY HIGH-BEAMS. IN LESS THAN A MINUTE AN I WENT BACK TO MY LOW-BEAMS DUE TO AN ONCOMING CAR AND I HAD NO LOW-BEAM LIGHTS AT ALL. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED MY HIGH-BEAMS BACK ON SO I COULD BE SEEN BY THE OTHER CAR. AFTER RETURNING HOME I INFORMED MY HUSBAND OF THE PROBLEM. THE NEXT MORNING HE CHECKED THE HEADLIGHT LAMPS AND FOUND THAT THE ELECTRICAL PLUG/SOCKETS TO BOTH LOW-BEAM LIGHTS WERE SHORTED-OUT, BURNED, AND MELTED. WHILE AT A LOCAL AUTO-PARTS STORE TRYING TO GET REPLACEMENT PIG-TAILS TO REPAIR THE LIGHTS I TALKED TO ONE OF THE SALES PERSONS WHO ALSO WORKS AT A LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY SEE 6 TO 10 CARS A WEEK THAT HAVE HAD THIS SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IT APPEARS TO BE VERY COMMON. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10633129

85,000 miles · Aug 28, 2014

Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC G6. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED, THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY DIM AND ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE LIGHT BULB WAS REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED BY A DEALER OR INDEPENDE…

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NHTSA ODI #10629013

55,000 miles · Aug 22, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

MY PASSENGER SIDE HEADLIGHT WENT OUT SO I REPLACED IT ONLY TO HAVE IT GO OUT AGAIN. I REALIZED THERE WERE SOME BURNT WIRES AND HAD IT INSPECTED. I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW WIRE HARNESS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10627613

123,000 miles · Aug 18, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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HEADLIGHTS ON 2009 PONTIAC G6 GT CONSTANTLY GOING OUT. THE WIRING HARNESS HAS TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE CONNECTION MELTS AND HAVE TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS. CALLED GM AND THEY SAID THAT IT IS NOT A CONCERN FOR THEM AND WILL NOT ASSIST IN FIXING THE ISSUE. THIS WILL BE THE 3RD TIME I HAVE REPLACED THE WIRING HARNESS TO THE HEADLIGHTS. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE WITH THE AMOUNT OF HEAT BEING GENERATED TO CAUSE THE CONNECTORS TO MELT.. ALSO HAVE TO DRIVE WITH THE BRIGHTS ON TO AVOID BEING PULLED OVER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10626152

41,000 miles · Aug 11, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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I PURCHASED MY USED PONTIAC G6 IN OCTOBER 2013. BEFORE I BROUGHT MY CAR OFF THE LOT THE DEALERSHIP HAD TO REPLACE THE LEFT LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT. NO BIG DEAL I THOUGHT. WE'LL WE HAVE CHANGED THIS SAME HEADLIGHT 3 TIMES. TODAY 8/11/2014 IT NEEDS REPLACING AGAIN . MY HUSBAND WENT TO CHECK TO SEE IF MAYBE IT WAS UNPLUGGED AS WE KNEW THE BULB SHOULD HAVE BEEN FINE. WELL WHEN HE TOOK THE BACK PLASTIC COVER OFF TO CHECK MY HEADLIGHT WIRING WAS SMOKING. HOW LONG THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON I DO NOT KNOW. WE HAVE UNPLUGGED THIS HEADLIGHT BECAUSE I HAVE TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE ABOUT 60 MILE EVERYDAY FOR WORK. WE'LL NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT. WHAT HAPPENS IF IT CATCHES FIRE WHILE ME AND MY GRANDCHILDREN ARE ON THE ROAD???? SO FAR I HAVE ONLY RECEIVED 1 RECALL NOTICE.# 13036. THAT ALONE IS ENOUGH FORMS TO STOP DRIVING IT. I HAVE READ SEVERAL OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE INTERNET. DO WE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THIS IS FIXED???? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10621555

Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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2009 PONTIAC G6. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS PROBLEM. CONSUMER HAS DIFFERENT VEHICLE AND ODI# COMPLAINT IN ARTEMIS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLIGHT WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE $150 TO REPLACE THE BULB. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER CHANGED THE BULBS HIMSELF. THE CONSUMER STATED IT APPEARED AS IF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FEEDING THE HEADLIGHTS HAD A DESIGN PROBLEM, WHICH RESULTED IN CUSTOMERS FREQUENTLY PAYING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS WITHOUT THE ISSUE BEING RESOLVED. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FREQUENTLY FAILING WAS DUE TO MELTED SOCKETS. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10619582

41,255 miles · Aug 8, 2014

Exterior Lighting

LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WAS OUT AND REPLACED IN APPROX. JUNE 2014. HEADLIGHT OUT AGAIN LESS THAN 2 MONTHS AFTER REPLACEMENT. DEALER FOUND THE HARNESS IN THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY WAS MELTED AND REPLACED IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10620822

89,000 miles · Aug 6, 2014

Exterior LightingFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHT SOCKETS WERE MELTED AND PREVENTED THE HEADLIGHTS FROM OPERATING. THE DEALER STATED THAT BOTH THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT SOCKETS WERE FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000…

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NHTSA ODI #10619279

15,000 miles · Jul 18, 2014

Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

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HEADLAMPS & TAILLIGHTS BURN OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. TECHNICIAN AT GM DEALERSHIP SAID IT IS OCCURRING IN NUMEROUS GM VEHICLES. IT IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THAT CAUSES THE BULBS TO BURN OUT. SINCE IT IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE THAT SENDS TOO MUCH POWER AND CAUSES BURNING WIRES, I AM AFRAID THIS WILL EVENTUALLY START A FIRE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO SWITCH THESE BULBS OUT CONSTANTLY. I AM ALSO SURPRISED I HAVE NOT BEEN PULLED OVER OR IN AN ACCIDENT YET DUE TO NON FUNCTIONING TAIL LIGHTS OR HEADLAMPS. NOR SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN IT IS CLEARLY AN ISSUE WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CAR. I AM CURRENTLY AT 45,000 MILES AND I AM NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. I SENT AN EMAIL TO GM (WHICH I CAN FORWARD YOU IF NEED BE) AND A WEEK LATER I SAW THAT A RECALL WAS ISSUED ABOUT HEADLAMPS/TAIL LIGHTS. A GM DEALER SEARCHED MY VIN NUMBER AND MY CAR DID NOT COME UP UNDER SAID RECALL. I TRIED TO CALL GM TODAY AND WAITED FOR 20 MINUTES ON HOLD AND THEN WAS DISCONNECTED. I REFUSE TO DO THIS AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10614633

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.

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.

09V073000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Mar 6, 2009

GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING 276,729 MY 2009 BUICK ENCLAVE, CHEVROLET COBALT, HHR, MALIBU, TRAVERSE, GMC ACADIA, PONTIAC G5, G6 AND SATURN AURA AND OUTLOOK PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLES SAFETY STANDARD 102, "TRANSMISSION SHIFT POSITION SEQUENCE, STARTER INTERLOCK, AND TRANSMISSION BRAKING EFFECT", AND FMVSS 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION". ON SOME OF THESE VEHICLES, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP MAY NOT BE FULLY ENGAGED. IF THE CLIP IS NOT FULLY ENGAGED, THE SHIFT LEVER AND THE ACTUAL POSITION OF THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT MATCH. WITH THIS CONDITION, THE DRIVE COULD MOVE THE SHIFTER TO "PARK" AND REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY, BUT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR MAY NOT BE IN "PARK".

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY AFTER THE DRIVER HAS EXITED THE VEHICLE, RESULTING IN A POSSIBLE CRASH WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND ENSURE THAT THE SHIFT CABLE ADJUSTMENT CLIP IS FULLY ENGAGED. IN THE EVENT THAT THE CLIP DOES NOT ENGAGE, THE SHIFT CABLE WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE MARCH 24, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668 AND SATURN AT 1-800-972-8876 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.

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

AQ10001 · Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

Opened Nov 18, 2010 · Closed Dec 28, 2015

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Unknown Or Other

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.