RoadVitals

2010 Chevrolet Malibu

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1,359
+2 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
4
Latest Jan 16, 2019
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
55
47 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 1,359 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu, most frequently naming the steering, driver assistance and electrical categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 1,252 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

4 campaigns cover this model year

View all 4

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
19V019000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Jan 16, 2019
1,145 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The 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.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number N182206630View on NHTSA.gov
14E044000

STEERING

Jul 21, 2014
7,304 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: 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.
The remedy: 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.
Dorman Products, Inc.View on NHTSA.gov
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
2,440,524 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
The 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.
General Motors LLCManufacturer number 13036View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 1,359
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jul 23, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after driving for 5 miles, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, with the message "Service Traction" displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle operated as intended after cooling down; however, the failure recurred after driving 5 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with high resistance in the BCM harness. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC); which was previously performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the recall repair was a one-time free-of-charge repair. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ID
11752487
Incident
Jul 23, 2025
Mileage
160,000 mi
Steering
Filed Jul 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel was shaking and locked up, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. A dealer or an independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the warranty on the vehicle had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.

NHTSA ID
11751580
Incident
Jul 18, 2026
Mileage
146,000 mi
Steering
Filed May 16, 2026

Power steering has gone out.

NHTSA ID
11738341
Incident
May 16, 2026
Steering
Filed May 11, 2026

1.The ESC system and power steering lights come on and sometimes go off making it extremely unsafe to drive due to not having proper control of the steering wheel. It is available for inspections at any time. 2.Being able to turn and use steering wheel correctly puts me and my family at risk for collisions. 3.confirmed by a code reader. And personal Mechanic. 4. No inspections have been made at dealership u called and they said there was no recall. 5. No other than the steering wheel moving on its own when at a stop light.

NHTSA ID
11737052
Incident
May 3, 2026
Steering
Filed May 9, 2026

Power steering went out and I'm told it's a sensor that is in the steering column. Very expensive to have fixed due to location of the sensor. I seen a recall for this problem however it is only good for 150,000 miles or 10 years. I just purchased this car 2 years ago with 172,000 miles. This recall should still be valid if it hasn't been repaired. I almost wrecked the car not realizing this happened while driving.

NHTSA ID
11736746
Incident
Mar 1, 2026
Interior & seats
Filed Mar 23, 2026

The driver's seat bracket broke causing the seat to sag to the right and for the back of the seat to rise up. Pictures were taken and are attached. Available for inspection until fixed. The view is from the front. My finger points to the failed weld. In an accident, the seat might break off causing the driver to sustain serious injury. The sudden shift in the seat could cause the driver to panic resulting in an accident. I have not yet taken it into the dealer for review. This problem has been reported to your website as well as RepairPal and The Center for Auto Safety websites. No one has, as of now, inspected this failure. There are no warning lights or other sources avaliable to inform of this danger.

NHTSA ID
11726490
Incident
Mar 21, 2026
Steering
Filed Mar 4, 2026

The power steering goes out at times. When I start up or when I am driving my steering will get harder and I get a power steering warning on the dash. If I shut the car off, sometimes it goes away but most of the time it does not.

NHTSA ID
11722023
Incident
Feb 26, 2026
Steering
Filed Feb 13, 2026

In 2014 there was a recall issue on 2004 to 2009 Chevrolet malibus 2.4 l motors with the electric power steering assist motor. They were to be replaced with labor and free cost. A recall is a safety issue that has no expiration date. In 2015 GM issued a special coverage adjustment for 2010 through 2012 Chevy malibus. This special adjustment is for those vehicles 2010 through 2012 to have the power steering assist motor replaced for up to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original service date. The problem with that is I have a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu that has the exact same electric power steering assist motor that the 2004 through 2009 half but yet I only have a special coverage adjustment which is not even close to a recall where there is no expiration date on when the manufacturer would replace the electric power steering assist motor free of charge. The issue with the electric power steering assist motor was a malfunctioning of a bushing issues in the motor. I have the same electric power assist motor in my Malibu that all the recall Malibu's 2004 to 2009 have. So what made the difference after 2009 with this product the electric power steering assist motor? Today February 13th 2026 my electric power steering assist motor will only work when I reset the system. I almost had an accident because the power steering went out and I was driving. Took my Malibu to repair shop called Express pro in Indianapolis Indiana and they diagnosed it power steering assist motor failing. I do not fall under the special coverage adjustment although that's really for non-safety concerns a recall is first safety issues with no expiration date and my 2010 Malibu should be in the recall. I cannot afford $1,500 to get this motor replaced which I had no clue there was even a recall until today. The car will set until there is a recall issue which is the only fair thing to do when it was issued for 2004-2009 Malibu's since there was no change in the electric power steering assist motor.

NHTSA ID
11717933
Incident
Feb 13, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIT3271Q

This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.

PIP6104

This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.

PIP4902V

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIP4902U

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIT5214G

This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions without utilizing the support of General Motors Technical Assistance Center. If valid vibration frequency or Road Force Variation data has been collected and a repair attempt does not correct the customer complaint, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support. For any vehicles that remains unrepaired after being at the dealer for three days or more and a related bulletin or PI is not found, contact General Motors Technical Assistance Center for further support.

13598

New Vehicle Monitoring Programs Section in IVH

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Malibu by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025101051.5
2024342060.0
2023582062.9
2022911051.5
2021842054.7
20201941152.4
20191881045.4
20186946054.5
20176984049.9
20168359051.6
20152683054.8
20143496053.9
201383510053.2
20129053049.6
20119764050.4
2010Viewing1,3594049.1
20091,5096154.7
20089875048.8
20079776051.0
20061,1159051.9
20059756157.7
20041,1479460.1
20035693049.5
20025674152.9
20017214457.9
20009225760.0
19997893558.2
19989765658.5
19974436759.6
1989300—
1986100—
1983130—
1982230—
1981331—
1980561—
1979461—
1978281—
1977020—
1975210—
1974110—
1973010—
1964100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.