Your vehicle report
2007 Chevrolet Malibu
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 977
- Received Oct 2006 to Jun 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving245 complaints · 25% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly242 complaints · 25% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed59 complaints · 6.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V064000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured April 1, 2006, to June 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured April 18, 2006, to June 30, 2006. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
- Recall #14V252000General 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 37 crashes, 2 fires, 34 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly
- Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
1 more problem
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
1 more problem
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 12 |
| 2008 | 8 |
| 2009 | 15 |
| 2010 | 55 |
| 2011 | 60 |
| 2012 | 48 |
| 2013 | 62 |
| 2014 | 209 |
| 2015 | 188 |
| 2016 | 55 |
| 2017 | 56 |
| 2018 | 70 |
| 2019 | 47 |
| 2020 | 33 |
| 2021 | 15 |
| 2022 | 12 |
| 2023 | 15 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 6 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 3 |
| Total | 977 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 245 | 25% | 40.4× | NHTSA recall #15V064000 |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 242 | 25% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 59 | 6.0% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 51 | 5.2% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 31 | 3.2% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 24 | 2.5% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 21 | 2.1% | – | |
| Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning | 21 | 2.1% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 16 | 1.6% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 13 | 1.3% | – | NHTSA recall #14V252000 |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 11 | 1.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 10 | 1.0% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 10 | 1.0% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 9 | 0.9% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 9 | 0.9% | – | |
| Power steering rack leaks fluid | 8 | 0.8% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 7 | 0.7% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 5 | 0.5% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 5 | 0.5% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 0.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V064000February 4, 201569,633 vehicles affected
steering: electric power assist system
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured April 1, 2006, to June 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured April 18, 2006, to June 30, 2006. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
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 replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14772. Note: This is an expansion of recall 14V-153 to cover additional vehicles built between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.
NHTSA recall #14V252000May 14, 20142,440,524 vehicles affected
electrical system: wiring; electronic stability control (esc); exterior lighting: brake lights; exterior lighting: brake lights: switch; vehicle speed control: cruise control
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #14V224000April 30, 20141,131,113 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission; power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN