2010 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 1,363 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2010 reports, 41 involved a crash and 14 involved a fire. 47 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleJan 16, 2019
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.
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.
Campaign 19V019000 on NHTSA.gov
SteeringJul 21, 2014
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6, and 2007-2009 Saturn Aura vehicles. The affected steering shafts may have a yoke that inadequately supports the u-joint bearing resulting in a premature failure.
A joint bearing that fails prematurely may cause separation of the u-joint resulting in a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service at 1-800-523-2492.
Campaign 14E044000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringMay 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.
Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 14V252000 on NHTSA.gov
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 12V460000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
1,363 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Jun 20, 2023
Brake lights come on as soon as you start the car.Go off when press the brake pedal.Its like they are reversed or something.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Jun 10, 2023
Passenger side low beam headlight wiring harness connector keeps melting even after replacement. Noticed online that many owners are experiencing the same issue. Replaced harness multiple times and same issue reoccurs after two to three weeks of use.
Electrical system, Air bags, Service brakes, May 30, 2023
Air bag light randomly pop on . Electrical system is so bad that I only have 1 head light and it’s very dangerous driving at night like that .
Service brakes, May 16, 2023
Brake lights stay on when not even pressing the brake pedal. This causes cruise control to shut off too. Sometimes "Service ESC" and "Traction Control" light will come on randomly too. Had taken it to Chevy dealership multiple times to have this issue fixed but problems seems to come back after a few months.
Steering, Electrical system, May 13, 2023
after starting car, orange triangle indicator light came on (traction control I believe) and Message: "eng reduction loss of power steering, drove to Midas for oil change a couple miles away with manual steering(more difficult that my 61 Pontiac Tempest). I turned car off and immediately restarted and power steering was restored, car was fine driving home after oil change. In addition, I've owned the car about two months and have put on around 4,000 miles(Drove it back from Arizona), I've already had the thermostat replaced in S. Dakota, fuel pump replaced in Wisconsin and exhaust manifold in Michigan.
Steering, Electrical system, Air bags, Apr 19, 2023
First off the power steering goes out and can only be fixed by applying dielectric grease to the bcm but that will fix it. second the airbag light will randomly go on but this can also be remedy by fixing the yellow connection under the passenger seat try jiggling it if that doesnt fix it just cut the two wires off the connector's and splice with crimp connectors. hope this helps you as much as it did me :)
Air bags, Seat belts, Apr 9, 2023
Was driving down highway at approximately 70 to 75 miles per hour when my drivers side window airbag and seat airbag deployed. It hit my face shoulder and arm. There was no collision and I was able to keep control of the vehicle for the most part. I swerved a little but regained control quickly. My seat belt is locked and is no longer usable
Steering, Mar 22, 2023
Power Steering and ESC light on
Latches/locks/linkages, Mar 17, 2023
Front Driver and Passenger door can not be opened from the inside or outside. Locking mechanism doesn't work. I've tried Unlocking the door with remote, button in the car, manually in the car and sticking the key in the actual door itself. When I pull on the handles nothing happens. You can hear the actuator working inside the doors, and the manual door lock knob goes up and down, but neither front door can be opened. The passenger side had the issue first, but I rarely have passengers in my car so I left it alone. Now, the driver side does the same thing. I've tried everything I can think of to get the door opened, but it does not work. I can not even get the inside of the door panel off to look and see what's wrong because the door is closed. This is a serious safety issue because I would not be able to get out of the car in an emergency. As of right now, the only way to get into and out of the car is climbing out through a back door.
Power train, Mar 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 126,000.
Steering, Mar 16, 2023
Hello I am very upset I was driving down the street normal day then all of a sudden my steering wheel got hard to turn... Then esc/power steering light came on. My steering wheel does shakes a little because it's dangerous to drive. I called to the Chevy dealership they said that they couldn't fix the problem because it was pass the due date. But there's a big problem with this because there were recalls for this problem and I know about the special coverage but there's no way I should have to come out of pocket for this failure that Chevy knows about! Please help it's very dangerous to drive this car the way it is... Really my only transportation back & forth to work
Steering, Feb 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel had become very difficult to turn to the left or right. The contact stated her son was able to pull off the road and stop the vehicle. The steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering failure was intermittent, but eventually became constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering column torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB Number: 15356 (Steering). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,643.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Feb 26, 2023
Brake lights stay on while driving but turn off when braking, engine and traction control lights come on, car acts like it's going to die. This happens intermittently and sometimes without any warning lights. I noticed this again most recently within the last week and several times on 2/25/23. Vehicle has not yet been inspected but was previously taken in for the same issue in 2020. Dealership stated that since the lights weren't staying on and no codes were stored, they weren't required to make repairs. It goes without saying that driving with faulty lights can cause an accident and is also illegal. It is highly irresponsible of GM not to repair this known issue and of NHTSA not to issue a recall.
Steering, Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and made abnormal sounds. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. Additionally, while the contact was steering to the left, the vehicle was going in the opposite direction. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number- 10058788-9690 (Electric Power Steering Assist). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,269.
Steering, Jan 30, 2023
steering failed. No power assist and steering wheel shaking. warning light for service power steering came on. Steering sensor torque? code c0545 ? The vehicle will suddenly lose power steering. Happens especially upon start up then have to turn vehicle off and sometimes power will come back on. Steering wheel visible shakes. Putting vehicle in shop for further evaluation. GM has a known issue with steering on these vechiles and there was a recall done but not for my year yet it is being widely reported online that there is an issue with other years as well.
Steering, Jan 28, 2023
When I turn on car Steering wheels locks in place unable to turn ,I hasn’t been inspected, and the dash says power steering.
Electrical system, Jan 24, 2023
Since sometime in 2016, these warning messages came on the dash periodically after hitting a bump - Service Traction, Service ESC, ESC off, Eng Power Reduced. The engine light stayed on. The car then ran slowly. After stopping and pulling off again, the car jerked forward. This could be dangerous in traffic! At first, I was told by a mechanic that my gas petal sensor needed to be replaced. After each of the 3 replacements, the problem seemed to be solved. But after a while, the warning messages would return after hitting another bump. The engine light would again stay on. Now, these warning messages come on every time I drive the car, with the engine light staying on. The same problems while driving still occur. A second mechanic advised me to put in this complaint, saying the problem was well-known to Chevrolet. He diagnosed it as being caused by water getting into a poor connection between the wire safety harness and the computer. The machine at AutoZone gave this assessment of the problem - "The ECH has detected that the APP sensor 1 and APP sensor 2 disagree more than 4.5 percent for less than 1 second. Probable cause: 1. Poor electrical connection. 2. Failed APP sensor." When I took the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer in July 2016, they were unable to fix the problem. It would be really wonderful if this serious problem was the subject of a safety recall and was fixed for all affected drivers!
Steering, Jan 15, 2023
The electronic power stearing and electronic stability control shut down while driving but would restart after key was cycled off. Dashboard would blink service esc and power stearing and the vehicle became very hard to turn and control. No there were no symptoms or warning messages prior to the incident. Yes it has been reproduced. My safety and the safety of everyone around me is put at risk becuase the car becomes almost impossible to controland stear. The car has not been inspected by anyone.
Engine, Jan 9, 2023
The contact's mother owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure was common and referred him to a dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the failure and provided the contact with an estimate for the repair. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
Steering, Dec 21, 2022
The power steering goes out while I am driving, and I find out I cannot make turns when the road curves or even to get off the road and be safe. Yes, the vehicle can be inspected anytime. This puts myself in danger of going off the road and others in danger if I cannot make a turn when going through an intersection. This is very dangerous in Michigan on the winter roads where I live. I have had to stop 1/2 through intersections almost in the ditch and then just wait for all cars to be gone to back up & finish the turn. A message appears on dash but it doesn't stay on. I had the steering torque sensor and motor replaced per warranty about July 2020 (at about 98,000 miles)and now the car is doing the same thing again! I haven't taken it in because I am afraid of what it will cost. They said it would have been about $1000.00 in 2020 if I had to pay for it. I called the dealership who fixed it to see if warranty would cover it the 2nd time and they said no. What good is it if they replace a faulty part with another faulty part?? The car has155,000 miles now as I am self employed doing food deliveries. Thank you.
Electrical system, Dec 19, 2022
Just Replaced Fuel Pump, Passenger Headlight Randomly Goes Out, Top Break Light Randomly Goes Out, Had To Replace Wiper Motor, & Fuel Pump Relay Wire Faulty. Wiring To Fuse Boxes Seem To Be Loose. Dealership or Any Other Certified Tech Will Listen or Touch To Fix The Car When Everything Is Working.
Traction control system, Engine, Dec 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving over rough roads, the vehicle displayed a Service Traction, Service EFC and EFC Off, and Engine Power Reduced messages. After coming to a complete stop and then the attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started to jerk. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who replaced the accelerator pedal twice however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the certified mechanic, and it was determined that water was leaking into the wiring harness and the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 265,000.
Steering, Dec 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while idling at a stop light and attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering torque failed and an unknown piece from the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the warranty was expired and to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 236, 574.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Other or unspecified, Dec 6, 2022
I drive down the road and the brake lights come on I hit the brake then they go off. Randomly when I drive service esc service traction come on but as soon as I turn the car off and back on it is gone. Cruise control stopped working as well.
Steering, Nov 22, 2022
The power steering system stops working. There are no warning signs prior to it malfunctioning, the power steering will just disappear, you have to stop shut it off and turn it back on. Does not matter how fast you are going, it just does it. This is unsafe because there is no warning, and it comes and goes with no consistency. I could drive for 30 minutes without a problem and then it stops working. This could easily cause an accident, if it would go out on the highway.