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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,449 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Chevrolet Malibu brakes problems

brakes problem

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2010 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #180

Apr 222023

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

-?? Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. -?? The failure of the power steering system made it extremely difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower speeds, which put my safety and the safety of others at risk by increasing the likelihood of an accident. It would turn on and go off by itself at random spurts, which was very unusual. -?? No, the problem has not been reproduced by another dealer. -?? The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer-??s service department. As well as, not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. -?? No it just randomly had a warning light one day when I got in it to crank it like a normal day. But never warned me before hand, but when it did come on, But it appeared on the dashboard indicating a power steering issue, and abs and brake warning light. The abs and brake warning light first appeared about two weeks before the complete failure of the system. Which I became without a vehicle for about 3 months because of it.

- Farmerville, LA, USA

problem #179

Jan 052024

Malibu

  • miles
My 2010 Chevy Malibu randomly started having electrical problems a few weeks ago. My gauge cluster lights will not turn on and I cannot see my blinkers or other information I need in the gauge cluster. The gauge cluster lights wont come on so I cannot see how fast i am going at night. The brake lights illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed. The car is difficult to get out of park. After researching the problems I found that GM has issued recalls for the BCM on Chevrolet Malibus recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012. I then contacted my local chevy dealership and they told me my vehicles VIN does not fall under the recall they issued so I would have to pay to have the problems addressed. I explained to the dealership that this is a well known issue and how unsafe that it is and they then told me -??There is nothing we do about it.-??. I do not feel safe driving the vehicle and I feel that these issues that it is having will put my life at risk and others because these malfunctions will obviously increase the risk of a crash. I feel that it is wrong to have a customer pay for repairs on a part of a vehicle that has recalls and is a crucial safety component.

- Louisiana, MO, USA

problem #178

Dec 182022

Malibu

  • miles
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.

- Galion, OH, USA

problem #177

Apr 122022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Euless, TX, USA

problem #176

May 122023

Malibu

  • miles
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.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #175

Feb 252023

Malibu

  • miles
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.

- Danville, IN, USA

problem #174

Oct 262022

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving the car safely as always and within the speed limits and an officer was heading the same direction, The brake lights got me cited for mechanical repairs. I have noticed the brake lights work yet they do not work with light pressure on the brake pedal. The officer gave a warning about brake lights and it has to be repaired ASAP. What explanation might there be for the brake light" What should I ask the mechanic to look for"

- Deforest, WI, USA

problem #173

Aug 052022

Malibu

  • miles
The brakes are doing the same thing that was recalled and repaired back in 2014. They are illuminating while driving down the road and turn off while I hit the brakes. I have been pulled over several times and cannot get my car inspected without getting this corrected. I have bought several parts trying to repair this but the parts are not correcting the problem. Cruise control, stability control and sever other functions are not working either all of them are related to the same recall issued back in 2014. Is there any kind of warranty on the recall that was repaired?

- Brady, TX, USA

problem #172

Apr 012022

Malibu

  • miles
I purchased the car for my mother on 10/20/2015 from Mike Savoie Chevrolet in Troy, MI. At the time I had a concern because there was a message being displayed on the car -??Service ESC-??, I was informed by the dealer that it was a false message and there was no issue with the car, we should just disregard but if we had any problems to let him know moving forward. At that time we did not have issues with anything else. There was about 80,000 miles on the odometer when we bought it, there are only about 95,300 now. Recently the brake lights have been coming on when the brakes are not applied, we have taken the car to a mechanic three times for this issue but he has been unable to duplicate it, as a result he felt that the brake pedal sensor was at fault and replaced it, but the issue still exists, a wasted $200! My 17 year old grandson is now using the car, the issue occurred again today and I discovered that this issue may be associated with a recall which also includes the -??Service ESC-?? message which has been on the car since I bought it. However, when I enter the VIN it shows no open recalls. Apparently it was not fixed and the dealer should have fixed it before I bought it or I should have been notified of the recall. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT MY GRANDSON-??S SAFETY AND WILL NEED TO SWITCH MY CAR WITH HIM SO THAT HE CAN BE AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE! Not only do the brake lights come on when not applied, but you need to tap the brake to turn them off at that point other drivers are not aware that the brake is being applied. Taking the car back to the repairman today. Please help. Thank you very much for your time and attention to this matter.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #171

Dec 102021

Malibu

  • miles
My 3rd brake light works intermittently. I have bought my car just over a year ago from a pre-owned dealership.

- Vienna, WV, USA

problem #170

Sep 302021

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

brake lights sometimes they work sometimes they don't yes but they say the recall is 500 miles out of the recall miliage none of these have inspected it since i owned car yes service esc service transaction

- Saint Pauls, NC, USA

problem #169

Jun 042021

Malibu

  • miles
Recently I was almost rear-ended a few times and got curious as to why?? Well yesterday I was following my 2010 Chevy Malibu in another car and noticed that my brake lights stay on when I'm driving and go off when I brake. Very dangerous! I have read other complaints regarding this issue and I think a recall needs to be issued on these cars. It had also disabled my cruise control.

- Red Bluff, CA, USA

problem #168

May 142021

Malibu

  • miles
Brake lights illuminate without being pressed. Service ESC and Service Traction Control lights intermittently comes on. Dealer said recall issues has already been fixed.

- Woodhaven , MI, USA

problem #167

Jun 012017

Malibu

  • 65,000 miles
The brake pedal position sensor keeps failing intermittently while in motion, resulting in failed cruise control and reversing my brake lights. When the sensor fails, the cruise automatically turns off, like when the brake pedal is pushed. While actively in motion, the brake lights will turn on as if the pedal is engaged, however the brake lights turn off while actively braking the moving vehicle. The traction control light will be triggered and says "service ESC" when the brake pedal position sensor fails. My local chevorlet dealership has been aware of the issue since the summer of 2017, and will not fix it. A complaint was filed with chevorlet directly in July 2019, and was promptly disregarded. The brake pedal position sensor has been replaced over 5 times since 2017.

- Ashland, WI, USA

problem #166

Feb 192021

Malibu

  • 170,000 miles
Third brake light sometimes works often does not work

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #165

Dec 062020

Malibu

  • miles
The brake lights illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed. The brake lights fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is pushed. This has been an on going problem and we only realize it still exists when one of our family is following the 2010 Malibu in another car. We had brought the vehicle in to a Chevrolet service center in the past and were charged for a "repair". when we again noticed the problem we brought the vehicle into a Firestone service center and they charged us for a "repair". we just noticed the problem again and now are afraid to drive the vehicle. A search of the VIN shows no unrepaired recalls so we are not sure if the original owner had already brought it in (we are the second owner) or if this particular VIN was not thought to be affected. Regardless, it sounds like a known problem and we are hoping not to have to pay a third time and then still have an issue. Please let us know our options. Thank you in advance.

- Buellton, CA, USA

problem #164

Apr 132020

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 113,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the rear center brake light failed to illuminate while driving 40 mph. The contact mentioned that the center brake light was repaired twice. The contact also stated that intermittently the air bags and power steering warning lights were illuminated while driving. Additionally, after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and the vehicle regained steering functionality. The contact stated that occasionally two attempts at restarting the vehicle were needed before the steering wheel operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed however, the technician was unable to retrieve a failure code. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000. Consumer stated power steering module and motor has been replaced.

- Jensen Beach, FL, USA

problem #163

Aug 162011

Malibu

  • 57,131 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear brake light failed to illuminate but when the brake pedal was depressed the brake warning light illuminated. In addition, the service trac start warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (turner Chevrolet 1800 Alabama ave 14, selma, al 36703) who was unable to duplicate the issue. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake pedal position senor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control) as a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,131.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #162

Jan 142020

Malibu

  • 89,300 miles
My check engine, power steering, service ESC, ESC off, brake system (!), ABS system lights all flash, and all of my gauges fluctuate simultaneously. The same problem keeps occurring, and I have had my control computer nodule replaced, as well as my power steering module replaced at lynch Chevrolet in kenosha, wi. While driving my car shifts/jerks, and my steering wheel locks up, almost causing me to crash. When I come to a stop at a light or sign, my car does not want to accelerate, causing me to be in an intersection for longer than normal because my car won't take off. The vehicle also jerks into different gears while all of these service lights are flashing. This feels very dangerous to drive, and the problem cannot be resolved. It started in January and is continuing to happen despite replacing parts.

- Racine, WI, USA

problem #161

Jul 232019

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while his son was driving at approximately 35 mph when his brakes light were illuminated with the stability light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer (ron norris Buick gmc1350 S Washington ave, titusville, fl 32780) for a diagnosis and repairs. The diagnosis was a replacement stability control module. However the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of this failure. The contact's dad was referencing this failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, and electronic stability control). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Titusville, CA, USA

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