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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
67,028 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 lights problems

lights problem

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2010 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #173

Jan 052024

Malibu

  • miles

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

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 #172

Oct 232023

Malibu

  • miles
The headlights will repeatedly stop working. I got both headlight bulbs replaced and two months later the passenger side low beam light was flickering. it would sometimes come back on if a bump in the road was hit or if it was tapped then it went out completely. This is very costly and unsafe to be driving at night with. It is most likely a problem with the headlight assembly. I have had the vehicle inspected multiple times and there was not anything reported to me. I can not afford to keep spending hundreds of dollars over and over again on the same issue. This is a continuous issue that I have seen in many other Chevy malibus and this needs to be fixed immediately.

- Harper Woods, MI, USA

problem #171

Jul 202022

Malibu

  • miles
The issue is that there are times when the brake lights kick on when I-??m not braking and they stay on and when I brake they turn off. I-??m at risk and so are the people who drive in back of me. The lights kick on and they don-??t know when I-??m actively braking. I took it to the Merle stone a year ago now and they -??fixed it-?? but it still occurred. No warning lamps/lights. It was my moms car before it became mine and she-??s told me that when she drove it, it was already happening before it was gifted to me so I can-??t pinpoint exactly when it started happening. I-??ve searched the internet and I-??ve came upon stories of other people with this same make and model have the same issue. I currently don-??t that the invoice of when they -??fixed-?? the issue but I could always contact the Merle stone and get a copy emailed (hopefully) if needed.

- Lindsay, CA, USA

problem #170

Mar 092023

Malibu

  • miles

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

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.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #169

Nov 242022

Malibu

  • miles
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.

- Sandusky, OH, USA

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problem #168

Oct 292022

Malibu

  • miles
Dealer not assisting in recall repairs that weren-??T corrected.

- Athens, AL, USA

problem #167

Aug 052022

Malibu

  • miles

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

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 #166

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 #165

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 #164

Oct 192021

Malibu

  • miles
Service electronic stability control light comes on and brake light comes on and off at times

- Howes Cave, NY, USA

problem #163

Aug 192021

Malibu

  • miles

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

The component that has malfunctioned or failed is the pigtail for the low beam headlight on the driver side. The safety issue is that I am driving with one headlight reducing the visibility of the road. The problem has been reproduced because this is the second time that I had to change the headlights. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police, or Insurance representative because the price would have been more than $300. There are no warning lamps or messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. It occurred two years ago. And once again this year.

- Columbus , OH, USA

problem #162

Apr 132020

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle brake lights would flash without depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the ESC and tcm service warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control). The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Lee's Summit, MO, USA

problem #161

Apr 112021

Malibu

  • 220,000 miles
While driving the cruise control will be set and all of a sudden turn off. The gauges on the dash would sporatically jump up and down and sometimes flatline as if the car was off. When braking the cruise control would engage if my hand pressed the button llocated on the steering wheel causing the vehicle to speed up while trying to slow down. The brake lights would be on while driving without pressing the brakes and would turn on once brakes were pressed. Recall work was reported to be completed January 2015 but problems still persist. There is also a bulletin for special coverage that is limited to 150,000 miles which I don't recieve because my vehicle is over that mileage but the dangers of the vehicle still persist. These problems have been present since I purchased the car 2 or 3 years ago. The last incident happened just 2 days ago. I cantacted Chevy and they said they couldn't cover it because of the miles.

- Washington, NC, USA

problem #160

Aug 212020

Malibu

  • miles
The headlights keep breaking. The right side more often. I see these Malibu's on the road all the time with a headlight out. It's expensive to replace and shouldn't happen as often as it does.

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

problem #159

Dec 242020

Malibu

  • 212,000 miles
Steering gets hard to maneuver while driving all lights come on on the dashboard and have to stop and reset vehicle, headlights work when they want to. I was driving on a highway when my steering got hard to use. I had to get on the shoulder and reset the battery, in order to get home safely

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #158

Dec 082020

Malibu

  • 147,000 miles
Exterior brake lights come on & cruise control shuts off. When in motion.

- Lennox, SD, USA

problem #157

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 #156

Oct 022020

Malibu

  • miles
The 3rd brake light comes on and off.

- Doverfoxcroft, ME, USA

problem #155

Oct 012020

Malibu

  • 158,958 miles
Low beam head lights keep going out, no matter how much I get them fixed. I can bang on the front end and sometimes they'll come on, but sometimes not. Tired if replacing and or fixing them, every few months! also my svc tire monitor light keeps coming on and say low tire pressure and my tires are not low......

- Swartz Creek, MI, USA

problem #154

Sep 062019

Malibu

  • 135,000 miles
My lights keep going out. As of now I dont have any headlights. And I keep having transmission kind of issues.

- Tupelo, MS, USA

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