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

What owners actually said

712 reports

150,000 miles · Jul 15, 2019

Electrical SystemSteering

Read full complaint

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM SCHOOL AND AT THE INTERSECTION THAT I TAKE EVERYDAY ON A BUSY ROAD (BOULEVARD). WHEN I TRIED TO TURN RIGHT AT THE INTERSECTION THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE CAR WENT STRAIGHT IN THE OPPOSITE LANE WHERE A SEMI TRUCK WAS COMING MY WAY. IF THE SEMI DIDN'T BRAKE FOR ME I WOULDN'T BE ALIVE TODAY. IT WAS ICY AND I SOMEHOW GOT MYSELF BACK IN MY LANE AFTER USING ALL MY STRENGTH TO TURN THE WHEEL. THIS WAS MY CLOSET TO DEATH EXPERIENCE TO THIS DAY AND I HAVE NOT BEEN IN THE CAR EVER SINCE THEN. THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE WINTER AND HAS NOT ONLY THREATENED MY SAFETY BUT HAS COST MY POCKET BOOK A LOT OF MONEY. I FIND IT SUSPICIOUS THAT THE PREVIOUS YEAR MODELS WERE RECALLED FOR ELECTRONIC ASSIST POWER STEERING FAILURE YET MY 2009 WAS NOT AND IS EQUIPPED WITH THE SAME POWER STEERING OPTION. I'M HOPING YOU GUYS WANT TO MAKE IT RIGHT AS IT WOULD BE SIMPLER AND LESS DRAMA THAN A WRONGFUL DEATH LAW SUIT.

NHTSA ODI #11232080

Mileage unknown · Jul 3, 2019

Air Bags

PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING COMES ON.. HAD IT REPALCE NOW IT HAS TO GO TO A GM DEALER THE HAVE CLEARED... VERY EXPENSIVE.. I THOUGH AIRBAG ISSUES WERE WARRANTIED FOR LIFE OF CAR... G8 HAS 99K ON IT... GM SHOULD HELP PART # 92231137

NHTSA ODI #11229295

129,000 miles · Jun 25, 2019

Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC G6. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO PARK. WHILE IN A PARKING LOT, THE GEAR SHIFTER WOULD NOT MOVE INTO PARK. THE CONTACT CALLED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURE…

Read full complaint

NHTSA ODI #11222444

100,000 miles · Jun 20, 2019

Air Bags

Read full complaint

"AIR BAG FAULT" MESSAGE IS DISPLAYED IN THE INFO CENTER ON THE DASH AND AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED ON MY 2009 PONTIAC G8 GT. CODES U0170 AND B0081 WERE READ AT DEALERSHIP. PARTS #92225595 (MODULE) AND #92220398 (SENSOR) ARE REQUIRED AT AN INSTALLED COST OF APPROXIMATELY $1100. ENTIRE AIR BAG SYSTEM IS DISABLED DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION. RESEARCH OF NHTSA COMPLAINTS INDICATES THIS IS A VERY COMMON MALFUNCTION ON THE PONTIAC G8 AND THERE HAVE BEEN SOME ACCIDENTS. I AM EXTREMELY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS WARNING MESSAGE AND THE USE OF THE CAR HAS BEEN LIMITED KNOWING THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT BE DEPLOYED IN AN ACCIDENT. I NOTICED THAT THE PART NUMBER HAS CHANGED TO A HIGHER/DIFFERENT NUMBER THAN THE ORIGINAL MODULE PART NUMBER. THIS INDICATES THAT NOT ONLY DOES GM KNOW WHICH PART TO REPLACE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE, BUT THEY CREATED A NEW AND UPDATED MODULE TO SOLVE THE ISSUE; WHICH MEANS THAT GM DID ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ORIGINAL MODULE WAS A FAULTY PART. WHY WASN'T A RECALL ISSUED? AIR BAG NOT FUNCTIONING AS DESIGNED IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. I SEE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE NHTSA COMPLAINTS FOR THE PONTIAC G8 AIR BAG MODULE, SURELY THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR OTHER GM VEHICLES WHICH USE THE SAME PART AND HUNDREDS MORE CASES THAT WERE NEVER REPORTED. MANY OF THE PONTIAC G8 MODELS HAVE PASSED ON TO YOUNGER DRIVERS NOW, MAYBE YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER. THESE YOUNGER DRIVERS MAY NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES ($1K) TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THERE WILL BE MORE ACCIDENTS AND PEOPLE WILL DIE, HOW MANY DOES IT TAKE TO GET GM TO ISSUE A RECALL?

NHTSA ODI #11221611

62,000 miles · Jun 20, 2019

Steering

Read full complaint

STEERING WHEEL STARTED TURNING / SHIMMYING BY ITSELF JUST WHEN STANDING STILL, RANDOMLY. STARTED DOING IT WHILE DRIVING A FEW WEEKS LATER. SHIMMY/TURNING WHEEL HAPPENED MORE OFTEN AS TIME PASSED, WHILE PARKED, DRIVING, BACKING UP, DRIVING SURFACE STREETS AND FREEWAYS, AND NOW MY POWER STEERING LIGHT IS ON!?! IT TURNS LOOSLY TO THE RIGHT AND TIGHT TO THE LEFT. I AM BEYOND PERTURBED, AS THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED WITH OTHER YEARS THIS MODEL WAS MADE THAT DID HAVE RECALLS. ALL GM OFFERED WAS A $100 VOUCHER TO USE TOWARD DIAGNOSTIC FEE. THEY TOLD ME THAT ANY EXTENDED COVERAGE I HAD THAT COULD HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH THIS REPAIR/FIX EXPIRED THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH, BUT MAYBE I COULD GET A DEARLER-ASSISTED REPAIR??!?! I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE ANYWHERE, LET ALONE THE FREEWAYS. I'D LIKE TO ADD, I ONLY HAVE JUST OVER 62K MILES ON THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR HAVE STEERING FAILURE, EVER., LET ALONE IMAGINE THIS AT SUCH LOW MILEAGE! I SWEAR, THAT IF THEY DON'T RESOLVE THIS AND FIX IT IT'LL BE MY LAST GM CAR. SAD, AFTER MY DAD POURED HIS BLOOD SWEAT AND TEARS INTO THIS COMPANY FOR SO MANY YEARS. SMH. MAYBE A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT? HOW CONVENIENT TO CUT OFF A RECALL OF THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM BY MANUFACTURING DATES, WHEN THIS RECALL WASN'T EVEN ISSUED UNTIL 2014!! MY MECHANIC IS FINDING THROUGH HIS RESEARCH THAT 'AFTER MARKET' PARTS ARE NOT NECESSARILY FIIXNG THE ISSUE EITHER. WHAT THE HECK?! 62K MILES ON A 10 YEAR OLD CAR AND I NEED A NEW CAR? THIS ISN'T RIGHT!

NHTSA ODI #11221564

154,000 miles · Jun 11, 2019

Steering

154K POWER STEERING IS COMING AND GOING AS OF THIS MORNING. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. I AM THE SECOND OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE AND WAS NEVER NOTIFIED.

NHTSA ODI #11219211

69,000 miles · Jun 5, 2019

Power Train

THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT ABOUT 3RD GEAR AND HAS NO REVERSE, I HAVE RESEARCH THIS AND HAVE FOUND OTHER GM TRANSMISSIONS HAVE BEEN RECALLED. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER MULTIPLY TIMES WITHOUT ANY RESPONSE.

NHTSA ODI #11217979

180,000 miles · May 21, 2019

Steering

Read full complaint

WHILE DRIVING THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WILL RANDOMLY CUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THIS MAKES STEERING HARD AND ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IN SOME CASES, DEPENDING ON THE DRIVER. ALSO DEPENDING ON IF THE VEHICLE IS IN A CURVE WHEN THE POWER STEERING QUITS, WHEN THIS IS THE CASE IT ALMOST CAUSES A WRECK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND KEEPS OCCURRING. I HAVE READ LOTS OF MANY OTHER OWNERS'S ACCOUNTS OF EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. SOMETIMES YOU CAN STOP THE VEHICLE AND TURN IT OFF AND BACK ON AND IT'LL BE OKAY BUT NOT ALWAYS. THIS HAS HAPPENED LOTS ON MANY DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. I'M GOING TO PUT THE FIRST INCIDENT AS THE DATE OF WHEN IT HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #11208984

180,000 miles · May 7, 2019

Steering

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING RECALL FROM THE SAME MODEL YEAR ( JAN - AUG). LOSS OF POWER STEERING, STEERING WHEEL SHAKES BADLY. DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHEN IT HAPPENS. CONTACTED GM AND NO HELP.

NHTSA ODI #11206048

177,722 miles · May 1, 2019

Power Train

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 PONTIAC G6. WHEN THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO DRIVE FROM REVERSE, THE VEHICLE REMAINED IN REVERSE. THE TRANSMISSION INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN IN REVERSE AND WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS CHECKED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN AN UNKNOWN RECALL. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 177,722.

NHTSA ODI #11205035

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)