Your vehicle report
2010 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
- 1,363
- Received Nov 2009 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving203 complaints · 15% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly132 complaints · 9.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Brake lights fail or stay on127 complaints · 9.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #19V019000General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.
- 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.
- Power steering cuts out while drivingFirst signal: Jan 2014
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenlyFirst signal: Dec 2010
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 41 crashes, 14 fires, 47 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
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Power steering cuts out while driving
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
- Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 42 |
| 2011 | 18 |
| 2012 | 29 |
| 2013 | 87 |
| 2014 | 212 |
| 2015 | 161 |
| 2016 | 145 |
| 2017 | 129 |
| 2018 | 156 |
| 2019 | 138 |
| 2020 | 99 |
| 2021 | 41 |
| 2022 | 33 |
| 2023 | 32 |
| 2024 | 13 |
| 2025 | 11 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 15 |
| Total | 1,363 |
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 | 203 | 15% | 10.4× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Jan 2014 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.7% |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 132 | 9.7% | 6.4× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Dec 2010 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.5% |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 127 | 9.3% | – | NHTSA recall #14V252000 |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 73 | 5.4% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 56 | 4.1% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 48 | 3.5% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 45 | 3.3% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 42 | 3.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 33 | 2.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 28 | 2.1% | 10× | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 26 | 1.9% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 22 | 1.6% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 21 | 1.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 20 | 1.5% | – | NHTSA recall #12V460000 |
| Alloy wheel rims crack and lose air | 17 | 1.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 15 | 1.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 15 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 14 | 1.0% | – | |
| Windshield wipers work intermittently or fail | 12 | 0.9% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 11 | 0.8% | – |
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 #19V019000January 16, 20191,145 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.
If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.
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 #12V460000September 18, 2012426,240 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (prndl)
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.
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.
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 2010 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