Problems with 2010 Chevrolet Malibu EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Owner was driving car was informed that tail lights were not working by another motorist. stopped at shop. repair shop unplugged light harness and customer left then approximately 20 mins. later smoke and fire was noticed coming out of the left rear trunk area at location of wiring harness area. this is the second wiring harness trunk fire this investigator has investigated on a chevy malibu in the last 6 months. a second fire was investigated with the same scenario on a 2006 chevy malibu that occurred on 8-11-2014. *tr

One night i was leaving work and i realized that my passenger side blinker was not working, indicating that my bulb was out. but by the time i made it home it was working again. a few days later i noticed that my blinker was not working on the driver's side. i found that when my lights are on the park light or blinker does not work on the passenger side of the car. when the lights are off the blinker or brake light does not work on the driver's side. also when the lights are on the temperature gauge on the console flashes with numbers then with the lines. i found that there was a recall on the 2010 malibu with the bcm body control module. that the brake lights luminate with out you stepping on the brakes. what needs to be known is that is also affects the blinkers, brake and park lights. it can also burn out your bulbs. it is a very dangerous situation because i take a chance on making a left or right turn and changing lanes without getting hit. i have small children and i pray every day that we make a safe journey. that is my only means of transportation.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that headlights failed and only the high beams were working properly. also, the contact mentioned that the air bag light continuously illuminated without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 84,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the parts needed to repair the vehicle were unavailable. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control) and stated that the parts needed were unavailable to perform the recall repair. the manufacturer was not notified. the contact had not experienced a failure.

2010 chevrolet malibu. consumer writes in regards to brake system recall notice and consumer seeks a loaner vehicle until parts become available. *smd recall# 14v252000. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the parts needed to repair the vehicle were unavailable. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

I received a recall notice 1 week prior to this incident. recall #13036. i was almost rear ended when my brake lights failed. i was on my way home from work and watched my stability control and traction warning lights come on. i contacted gm and was told that no replacement parts are available. gm also stated that they are not responsible for towing or a rental even though it is a defect in the design and/or manufacture of the body control module. i have been without a car for 4 days at this point and gm stated that no replacement parts are yet available. my car is a shiny peice of junk that i can pay for yet cannot drive because of the defect. i am a veteran and i am absolutely disgusted. all of the above problems are directly related to the defective part. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. while driving 25 mph in a heavy rainstorm, the hazard lights failed to operate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

2010 chevrolet malibu applied brakes and car continued to travel and not stop. *cw on july 16, 2014, the consumer was involved in an accident, due to the above mentioned statement. the vehicle was totaled. the consumer referenced recall # 14v252000. *jb

Rear exterior brake lights stayed on while driving. lights would go off when brake was slightly depressed and would come back on when pedal was depressed more firmly. *tr

I was on my way to work and my cruise control cut off by itself then i noticed by brake lights were on. so i pulled over to the shoulder of the road and turned my car off then turned it back on and proceeded to work. my brake lights came back on. when i came home later that evening my brake light were working again, when i tried to use my cruise control it went off again by itself and i haven't been able to use it sense. now my brake lights stay on all the time i just hope nobody runs into the back of me. when i press the brake my brake lights go off. my inside light doesn't work with this happening to my car. the traction control light stays on all the time have tried numerous things to try and fix the problem. its getting to be a headache buy a car and now its dangerous i just hope i can get it taken care of before i get into an accident.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the brake lights remained illuminated. in addition, when the brake pedal was depressed, the brake lights failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to a dealer on multiple occasions, but the contact was unsure of which part was replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 56,000.

My service esc/service traction control indicator was flashing. it caused my car to stall, then the engine died in the middle of the road with traffic approaching behind me. i have had this problem before and it caused my brake lights to illuminate when not depressed and go off when the brakes were pressed. i am not sure if this was happening also as it was light outside and i could not see. the car started afterward and still periodically stalls or dies when the service esc/service traction control indicator lights up. as of 6-13-14, i have not received notice that my vin is affected by the latest recall for the brake light problem. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the brakes lights failed to illuminate when the brake pedal was depressed. in addition, the brake lights illuminated independently. the contact also experienced difficulty disengaging the cruise control and the esc warning indicator illuminated. the failures recurred sporadically. there was a recall related to the failures under nhtsa campaign id number 14v252000 (electrical system , electronic stability control , exterior lighting , service brakes, hydraulic , vehicle speed control) however, the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure was 36,000.

Interior electrical problem with the lights in the dashboard---dash lights (driver information center) and radio lights occasionally do not come on and/or frequently go off while driving. radio will be working then aux imput device will appear and the radio stops working. also the radio lights will tile at times and then start rolling in rectangular lines. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. when the brake pedal was depressed, the tail lamp failed to illuminate. the traction control warning indicator illuminated. ourisman chevrolet of bowie (16610 governors bridge rd, bowie, md) repaired the vehicle per nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000(service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control); however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the brake light switch was replaced; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

So about 2 months ago the service traction light came on briefly and didn't come back on for a while. then about 2 weeks ago it started going off almost everytime i drove. i brought it to the dealership that i bought it in kannapolis, nc called classic chevrolet on 5/3/14. they said i could pay 98.00 to get it hooked up to the computer reader, but the light was off so i decided i didn't really have 98.00 to waste. as it had been hooked up to a code reader when the light was off before and didn't read anything. there is an option to turn off the traction control so i was driving with it off. we went to michigan on 5/8/14 it was driving fine. light never came on. when we were in michigan it started going on again, again driving with the traction control off. it was hooked up to a computer and no codes came up and light goes off when you turn it off and never came back on our whole way home. nothing felt or sounded different with the driving. driving fine to drop off our son at practice this morning 5/17/14, turned on car to go pick him up and couldn't reverse, but would go forward. i had my husband and his brother push us out of the driveway and it was driving fine for the first 3 blocks, then started to chug and wouldn't shift correctly leaving a stop light. i turned around on a circle drive. we live on a culdesac so i pulled ahead of our house, so we could push it back in the drive way. when my husband came back out it was like locked, we couldn't push it in reverse. then it wouldn't go forward. my husband unhooked the battery and was able to reverse with struggle and pull into the driveway with struggle. during all of this, the brakes have been illuminating when not being pushed and sometime they don't even work. *js

2010 chevrolet malibu brake lights stay on without brake pedal being pressed and go off once pedal is pressed...this is a serious issue that i have researched and found common among this model and other gm models. i believe that a recall should be issue immediately to fix this issue. *js

Low beam front passenger headlight out. had headlight replaced at dealership where vehicle was purchased only for the light to go out 1 week later. called dealership and they suggested i contact nhtsa/gm for this problem. afraid for my families safety when driving at night in rain/fog and so fourth, as well as a traffic fine for driving with one headlight. please refer to numerous forums online ( chevymalibuforum.com & mototrend.com/cars/2010/chevrolet/malibu with drivers complaining about the same issue. *tr

Drivers side low beam bulb needs to be replaced often. ive had this car for 4 years, since novemeber 2013, and ive changed the low beam bulb at least 6 times. ive used different lightbulb manufacturers. therefore, i believe its not the bulbs itself, but rather an electrical problem. ive also checked the low beam fuse each time the light had gone out, and the fuse was still good, but i changed it anyway. this happened when car was in motion, idling, and upon being started.

Tl* 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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the brake lights remained illuminated while driving and dimmed during braking. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or mechanic. the manufacturer was notified. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 65,000.

I was stopped at a stop light when my car stalled. the cabin started filling up with smoke. the lights would not work. the trunk would not open. the locks would not work. the smoke was coming from the trunk. i had the car towed to the dealership. it was determined that the fuse box in the trunk was melting the junction box and main body harness. my insurance company picked up the claim and made repairs. there is now a recall on these cars for this type of failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the passenger side headlight randomly illuminated. the bulbs were replaced on numerous occasions but the failure persisted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. while driving at various speeds, the service esc, traction control, and reduced engine power warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle independently lost power. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was not taken in for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 75,000.

Intermittent problem, occurring at least five times since date above. one or more of the following conditions noted: 1. cruise control fails to engage, or stops engaging. indicator light on (/off wheel toggle switch), but no engage. 2. "service esc" and alternating "traction control" warning with alarm tone on speedo cluster. orange warning triangle illuminated, also. 3. brake lights constant on, with no foot on brake pedal. or, brake lights can go off when brakes are applied. confusing, possibly dangerous, to drivers immediately following. once aware of this, fashioned a reflector fitting just behind the rear top mount brake light that reflects into my rear-view mirror. these problems can clear after car is stopped for a time (over 45 minutes) and may not appear again for another unknown interval. already replaced (march 31, 2014) a brake position sensor switch ($186.60 - my cost) at local selling chevrolet dealership. this did nothing to fix the problem and when asked, dealer claimed no knowledge of any tsbs or of others having issues similar. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated the brake lamp would illuminate independently without the brake pedal being depressed. when the contact did depress the brake pedal, the brake lights would fail to illuminate. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

The brake lights do not come on when the brake pedal is pressed. they stay on as if i am always applying the brakes. when i press the pedal they go off. i understand there may be a recall but when i called local chevrolet dealerships there is no recall on my vin. basically the brake lights work in reverse order. i understand this is a problem with many of these vehicles, why is there no recall from the gmc to correct this hazard which could result is a serious accident. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the cruise control failed to engage and the brake lights failed to operate intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 58,000. the current mileage was 58,200. updated 11/13/13*lj according to the invoice, the brake lights illuminated when they were not needed and did not illuminate when the brake was applied. the dealer replaced the brake pedal position sensor. updated 11/14/13

The cruise control in my vehicle has stopped working as of 8/15/13. on 8/14/13, the cruise control stopped working but then about 20 minutes or so later, it started working again. i have tried resetting the cruise control by turning the control on and off however this was unsuccessful. i have also been experiencing a problem with my dash lights going on and off. it happens at random times so there is no specific incidents that cause this to occur. this has been occurring for about a year now. *tr

The brake lights do not come on when the brake pedal is pressed. they stay on as if i am always applying the brakes. when i press the pedal they go off. i understand there may be a recall but when i called local chevrolet dealerships there is no recall on my vin. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving various speeds, the brake lights erroneously illuminated. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 70,500.

Vehicle brake lights stay activated when brake is not applied. when brakes are applied, brake lights deactivate (opposite of what should occur). during this time cruise control does not work and warning indicator light "service traction control" appears. vehicle was taken to chevrolet dealership on 7/30/13 and dealer replaced brake sensor (part # 22666955) after finding that brake lights were faulty. reporting party has supporting documentation. *tr

After the cruise control stopped working on my malibu, i noticed that the brake lights were staying on while driving. the brake lights are on while driving normally, then when the brake peddle is pressed lightly the lights turn off. after the peddle is depressed quite a bit (while braking for stopping or to make a sharp turn) the brake lights will turn back on. after releasing the brakes all the way, the lights will turn off and then back on again a few seconds later. every time the brake lights turn on, the cruise control stops working. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving 55 mph, she was stopped by law enforcement and asked why she was depressing the brakes for such long periods of time. the contact determined that the brake light was illuminating when not depressing the brakes and would not illuminate when the brakes were depressed. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis where the contact was informed that the brake light sensor would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired however, one week later the failure recurred. the dealer replaced the brake sensor a second time and the failure recurred the following day. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle had not been further repaired. the failure and current mileage was 53,000.

While driving vehicle, the brake lights will illuminate without pressing the brake pedal. once the brake pedal is pressed, the brake lights go out and will come back on approximately 5 seconds later. in an emergency stop, the driver behind me will not have warning that there is an emergency stop. additionally, the cruise control will turn off as the system believes the brakes are being applied when they are not. this will happen without warning while driving on the highway. *tr

Brake lights remain on while driving, turn off momentarily but then turn back on. service traction control notice appeared immediately after. *tr

While driving the service esc/service traction lights flash. when this happens the brake lights malfunction turning off when the brake pedal is pushed and on while i'm accelerating. updated 8/22/13 *cn

The brake light comes on when the brake pedal is not being pushed. it doesn't matter if the car is sitting in park or being driven on the highway, the brake light stays on when the pedal is not pushed. when the brake pedal is pushed, the brake light goes off. *tr

The brake lights do not come on when the brake pedal is pressed. they stay on as if i am always applying the brakes. when i press the pedal they go off. i understand there may be a recall but when i called local chevrolet dealerships there is no recall on my vin. basically the brake lights work in reverse order. i understand this is a problem with many of these vehicles, why is there no recall from the gmc to correct this hazard which could result is a serious accident. i have had 3 new brake sensors installed at the gm dealerships.. 2 of them.. it is not the brake sensor and the costs continue to rise each time i take it in for a new sensor. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the front driver's side low beam headlight failed to illuminate. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic where the failure was located at the low beam bulb. the failure was experienced several times. the bulb was previously replaced however, the failure was not corrected. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 24,000 and the approximate current mileage was 26,000.

The brake lights will go on for no reason while i am pressing the gas and then when i press the brake, they will shut off. as well as when i turn on the hazards, my traction light will switch on and when i turn them off the light stays on saying "service traction" and then the left tail light blinker shorts out and pretends like it is going out and will blink rapidly. then when the brake light issue is happening my cruise control will be faulty. there is a short or something happening with the wiring, it has been bad for a while now. i haven't gotten around to actually doing anything about it until i read this: [xxx] *tr parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

The brake lights on our 2010 chevy malibu, turn on while driving but turn off when the brake pedal is pressed. after tapping the brake pedal, the brake lights then stay off for approximately 4 seconds, then illuminate on their own again. when this occurs, the cruise control does not work and the service esc and service traction warnings are displayed. this problem occurs intermittently and for varying periods of time. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu lt. the contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the bcm and the brake pedal position sensor engaged in the opposite direction. when the brake pedal was depressed the brake light did not illuminate and when the brake pedal was not being depressed, the brake lights would illuminate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer however the vehicle was neither inspected nor repaired. the manufacturer was notified who offered no assistant. the failure mileage was 49,847.

1. difficulty putting car in gear need to put excessive brake pressure to change gears 2. "service esc" "service traction" light flash daily 3. brake lights are often engaged and or won't engage 4. cruise control won't engage effectively all of these things happen while driving and in a parked position

Brake light illuminate without pressing the brake pedal. when brake pedal is pressed then lights go off for a brief moment then go back on. while accelerating brake lights come on and stay on. i have nearly had several close encounters. i have had this issue twice already. first time the dealer repaired it and that lasted a year. it recurred and i have taken it to an independent mechanic in which he replaced the brake pedal sensor and had it diagnosed. i am still having this occurrence. this is absolutely ridiculous to have this recurring problem. every time they want a fee plus repair charge. they are making money both by car payment and repairs. what the hell??? frustrated with chevrolet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the brake lights failed and would illuminate without the brake pedal being depressed. the contact stated that he would depress the brake pedal and the light would remain illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 30,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. the contact was driving approximately 55 mph when the brake lights illuminated without the brake pedal being engaged. the failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation and when the contact was driving at any speed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

The headlamps provide poor visibility. the illumination of the low beams is only about 15 feet in front of the vehicle. this requires us to drive with the high beams on most of the time. however, when oncoming traffic are coming, we switch back to low beams. we have tried various light bulbs but that didn't fix the issue. my husband has physically tried to tilt the light bulbs, but that doesn't work either. there needs to be a redesign of the headlamps to provide better visibility. poor visibility can cause accidents. we purchased this vehicle as a used vehicle in april 2012. i have always had this problem, just decided it was time to report it. *tr