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.
Safety risk
If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Manufacturer 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 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.
Safety risk
Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Manufacturer 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.
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
426,240
Reported to NHTSA
2012-09-18
Owners notified
2013-01-01
Defect description
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.
Safety risk
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.
Manufacturer 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.
Owner complaints
A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.
Component
Complaints
Median mileage
Steering
461
100,000 mi
Electrical system
294
85,250 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)
229
85,250 mi
Service brakes
186
73,000 mi
Exterior lighting
178
99,000 mi
Air bags
141
58,800 mi
Power train
120
80,000 mi
Engine
115
75,000 mi
Vehicle speed control
114
73,737 mi
Unknown or other
65
84,212 mi
Fuel/propulsion system
32
77,000 mi
Structure: body
31
78,000 mi
Wheels
31
64,000 mi
Traction control system
23
70,000 mi
Seats
22
82,000 mi
Visibility/wiper
19
70,000 mi
Seat belts
15
75,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic
15
54,000 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights
13
66,800 mi
Latches/locks/linkages
13
60,000 mi
Power train: automatic transmission
13
1,000 mi
Suspension
13
35,875 mi
Structure: body: door
10
67,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling
8
578 mi
Fuel system, gasoline
8
30,000 mi
Exterior lighting: headlights
4
24,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control
Steering: hydraulic power assist: power steering fluid
2
116,000 mi
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems
2
5 mi
Electrical system: wiring
1
84,000 mi
Electrical system: wiring: fuses and circuit breakers
1
69,700 mi
Engine and engine cooling: cooling system
1
—
Equipment: appliance: air conditioner
1
700 mi
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
1
100,000 mi
Exterior lighting: hazard flashing warning lights
1
60,000 mi
Interior lighting
1
1,006 mi
Lane departure: blind spot detection
1
—
Latches/locks/linkages: doors: lock
1
196,000 mi
Seat belts: front
1
19,803 mi
Seats: front assembly: head restraint
1
14,000 mi
Service brakes, air
1
2,000 mi
Steering: electric power assist system
1
118,269 mi
Steering: rack and pinion
1
236,574 mi
Suspension: front
1
700 mi
Tires: temporary/emergency spare tire
1
12,800 mi
Tires: tread/belt
1
150,000 mi
Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system
1
—
Visibility: power window devices and controls
1
23,555 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly
1
58,000 mi
Visibility: windshield
1
73,000 mi
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: linkages
1
—
Wheels: hub
1
2,300 mi
The 2009 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2011 model has about 1.5 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.
Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.