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2.9

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,110 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 accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

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2010 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #13

Mar 172023

Malibu

  • miles

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

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.

- Rockford, MI, USA

problem #12

Jul 062016

Malibu

  • 67,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was parked, the driver side door would not unlock. The failure occurred while pushing the lock/unlock button inside of the vehicle or while inserting the key in the door lock. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 67,000. The VIN was not provided.

- Bethel Park, PA, USA

problem #11

Oct 262016

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles
"takata recall": the door lock does not work at times. The door will not shut as well as the door's lock assembly not disengaging. The locking assembly will either not unlock or will not allow the door to stay latched. It happens without warning when moving, stationary, driving on any type of road or parking area. We had davidson Chevrolet in watertown, New York on March 7, 2016 for a seat belt problem and had the door looked at that day. We were informed it would cost over $500 to replace the part. This is very dangerous and I have almost fallen out of car while driving when this has happened. The car was not in an accident and nothing caused this to happen. The last date this happened was 10-27-2016. The first it happened was last year.

- Alexandria Bay, NY, USA

problem #10

Aug 032016

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 30,197 miles

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

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was parked, the front driver side door failed to unlock from the interior or exterior of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the key fob also failed to unlock the driver's door. The contact was able to use other doors to exit the vehicle. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was operated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the driver door lock assembly failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,197. Updated 09/29/16

- Wauwatosa, WI, USA

problem #9

Dec 012014

Malibu

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that it took several attempts to unlock the front interior passenger door. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- New Carlisle, IN, USA

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problem #8

Dec 162014

Malibu

  • miles
Dec 16. I have been having issues opening and closing my driver side door. The latch won't hook correctly. I have the door close, because if I open it won't close. It's difficult to open from the inside and out side. Right now I have to climb over to the passenger side to be able to get out of my car. Apparently this is a common problem with my make and module of car. Its definitely a hazard.

- Cleveland , OH, USA

problem #7

May 102014

Malibu

  • 59,865 miles

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

Upon arriving at my destination I attempted to exit vehicle but the driver's door would not open. It could not be opened from either the inside or the outside. Tried locking and unlocking the door from the key remote, from the buttons on the door and manually and tried the key in the door but nothing would allow the door to open. Ultimately had to climb over the console to the passenger side to exit vehicle. Fortunately I was able to do so, some people (due to age, health, size, etc.) would not have been able to. If I had been in a situation where I needed to exit the vehicle quickly I would not have been able to do so and no one would have been able to open the door to help me. I consider this to be a safety issue, especially if there had been a fire. GM is aware of the problem as they have issued a tsb. A quick search on the internet shows thousands of reports of the same problem from owners of many different GM vehicles, not just the Malibu, dating back at least six years. I hope there doesn't have to be a fatality due to this before GM issues a recall to fix the problem.

- Gorham, ME, USA

problem #6

May 012014

Malibu

  • miles
2010 Chevy Malibu passenger door will not open. The door lock is in the unlock position but the door will not open. I have unlocked the passenger door from the door unlock button, the key remote and the physical key. The lock itself goes up and down when the door lock/unlock button is pressed and key remote button is pressed, but when the door handle is pulled from the inside or the outside the door will not open.

- Va, VA, USA

problem #5

Mar 302014

Malibu

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the brake lights illuminated independently without the contact depressing the brake pedal. The contact also mentioned that all of the door locks would independently lock and unlock while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Grandview, MO, USA

problem #4

Jan 152014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 56,000 miles
The 2010 Chevy Malibu ( and other vehicles similarly equipped) were manufactured with defective door lock actuators. This has been experienced by thousands of GM vehicle owners. These defective actuators will fail and begin cycling without any input by the vehicle operator. A typical vehicle will be locked by the operator using the key fob and when the operator returns, the doors will have been unlocked essentially by themselves. This is a serious safety issue for persons traveling through high crime areas thinking the door is locked and the door has unlocked by itself. Carjackers are not deterred by an unlocked door. Also, it places the driver and passengers in danger of being partially ejected in a roll-over accident due to the unlocked condition of the door which has unlocked itself, again, without any action by the operator or passenger. These defective parts were installed at the time of manufacture and GM dealers are more than happy to charge $300 to $500 per door to replace the defective actuators. This is unconscionable regarding an integral part of the overall vehicle safety which should last long after the purchase of the vehicle. My vehicle has only 56,000 miles on it and the defective actuators are already malfunctioning. There are many thousands of GM consumers who are dealing with the same problem. GM should be required to recall all gen 7 Malibu and any other GM vehicles which were equipped with these defective actuators. GM should be required to replace these defective factory actuators with non-defective replacements at no cost to the consumer.

- Canyon, TX, USA

problem #3

Jul 262013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 88,203 miles

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

Driver side door latch stuck in locked position, I could not exit the vehicle.

- Tewksbury, MA, USA

problem #2

Apr 132013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,863 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated and the driver's side door failed to close. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air bag harness and the drivers door lock actuator needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 77,863...updated 07-05-13 updated 07/12/2013

- Sun Prairie, WI, USA

problem #1

Mar 252013

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 39,300 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the key fob failed to unlock the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician stated that the solder joint needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 39,300. Updated 05/23/13 updated 05/29/2013

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

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