Chevrolet Malibu

Issue: On certain vehicles, the protective coating on the rear suspension toe links may chip away. If this happens, the metal can rust and the toe link could break. A broken toe link can affect vehicle stability and could cause a loss of directional control. Note: This recall is an expansion of Transport Canada recall 2020-615. This recall only affects vehicles that were originally sold or ever registered in areas of heavy road salt usage (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador). Safety Risk: A loss of vehicle stability could cause a loss of control and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: General Motors will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners.

Issue: On certain vehicles equipped with a 1.5 L turbo engine, a software error in the engine control module may disable the fuel injectors. This could cause the engine not to start. In rare cases, this could also cause the engine to suddenly stall without warning. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to reprogram the engine control module.

On certain vehicles, the driver-front airbag inflator could produce excessive internal pressure during an airbag deployment. If the driver-front airbag inflator ruptures during deployment, the airbag may not fully inflate, and the release of high-pressured gas may propel pieces of the inflator and airbag module into the occupant compartment. This could create or increase the risk of injury to occupant(s) in a crash. Correction: Dealers will replace the driver-front airbag module.

On certain vehicles that had the front passenger presence system (PPS) replaced, the replacement parts may have been incorrectly calibrated. This could cause the PPS not to properly identify certain children and small adults seated in the front passenger seat. If the vehicle was involved in a crash, this could cause the airbag to deploy when it should not, or could cause the airbag not to deploy when it should. Either of these outcomes could increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will replace the front PPS.

On certain hybrid vehicles, the manual service disconnect (MSD) may not have been properly installed and may not be locked in position. This could cause the MSD to become loose and disconnect while driving, which could cut off all high-voltage power to the vehicle. The loss of high-voltage power could cause the vehicle to stall without warning, which would result in lost propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will inspect and seat the MSD connector properly. The dealer will also install an updated calibration to monitor if the high voltage interlock loop is incomplete.

Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 126 - Electronic Stability Control Systems. The memory chip in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may fail and cause the loss of electronically controlled brake systems, including anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). As a result, the vehicle could be more difficult to control in situations where these brake systems would normally be engaged, which could increase the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install a replacement EBCM. Note: This condition does not affect the primary braking system; the service brakes will operate normally.

On certain vehicles, the second stage of the driver frontal airbag may not deploy properly in certain high speed crashes. If the vehicle were to be involved in a high speed crash that triggers the second-stage deployment of the driver frontal airbag, the second stage of the inflator may not fill the airbag as completely and as quickly as designed, which could increase the risk of injury to the driver. Correction: Dealers will replace the driver frontal airbag module.

Certain vehicles equipped with power-operated sunroof systems may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 118 - Power-Operated Window, Partition and Roof Panel Systems. The roof panels could close automatically when the non-recessed portion of the “Slide” or “Tilt” switches are pressed and the roof panel is open, which is contrary to the standard. The switch could be more susceptible to an inadvertent actuation, which could result in unintended auto-closure of the roof panel, increasing the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM), which will remove the "one touch" (momentary actuation) feature for certain switch positions.

On certain vehicles, a defect in the ignition switch could allow the switch to move out of the "run" position if the key ring is carrying added weight or the vehicle goes off-road or is subjected to some other jarring event. If this were to occur, engine power, power steering and power braking would be affected, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. The timing of the key movement out of the “run” position, relative to the activation of the sensing algorithm of the crash event, may also result in the airbags not deploying in a subsequent collision, increasing the risk of injury. Correction: For each key, dealers will install two key rings and modify the key ring opening shape. Note: Until the correction is performed, all items should be removed from the key ring.

Certain vehicles equipped with a 2.5L engine and Auto Stop/Start fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 135 - Light Vehicle Brake Systems. If the vehicle experiences a complete loss of brake vacuum assist, the hydraulic boost assist can be disabled, which would cause the vehicle to fail to meet the requirements of the standard. This would also increase brake pedal effort and vehicle's stopping distance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will update recalibrate the electronic brake control module.

On certain vehicles equipped with 4 speed automatic transmissions, the shift cable could fracture without warning. If this occurs, the driver may not be able to select a different gear position, remove the key from the ignition, or place the transmission in the PARK position. If the driver cannot place the vehicle in the PARK position and exits the vehicle without applying the parking brake, the vehicle could roll away, which could result in a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will install a revised shift cable and mounting bracket.

Certain vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions may fail to conform to Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 102 - Transmission Control Functions and CMVSS 114 - Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention. The shift cable adjuster may have been damaged at time of assembly and could disengage, causing the transmission to remain in a gear position different from the one indicated in the instrument panel. If the shift cable were to disengage while driving, upon stopping the vehicle, a driver could move the transmission range selector lever to the PARK position and remove the key, without the transmission being in PARK. If the parking brake is not set, the vehicle could roll, potentially resulting in a crash increasing the risk of injury and/or property damage. Correction: Dealers will inspect and install a revised adjuster and clip if necessary.

Certain vehicles equipped with electric power steering may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving. If the power steering assist is lost, a message is displayed on the Driver Information Centre and a chime sounds to inform the driver. Steering control can be maintained, as the vehicle will revert to a manual steering mode, but requires greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds. Unless a driver compensates for this additional steering effort, loss of power steering assist may increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Vehicles will receive a special extended warranty coverage for a period of 10 years/240,000 km, whichever occurs first, from the date the vehicle was originally placed in service, regardless of ownership. Under this special coverage program, for 2005 & 2006 model year vehicles, dealers will replace the steering column. For 2008 model year vehicles, dealers will replace the power steering motor control module.

Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 102 - Transmission Control Functions. The indicator light of the PRNDM provided to identify the transmission shift position is not activated under certain circumstances when the ignition key cylinder is in a zone between the ignition “OFF” detent and the accessory “ACC” detent when the engine is off. This condition can occur if the vehicle operator rotates the key cylinder toward the “OFF” detent while the engine is running and the shift lever is in a position other than “PARK”. This will result in the key cylinder hitting a stop which prevents it from being fully turned to the “OFF” detent position. At this key position, electrical power has been disconnected from the shift lever position indication light because the key cylinder has been rotated beyond “ACC” detent and the electrical switch contacts have opened. If this sequence of operator actions were to occur, the shift lever position indication light would not be illuminated and the vehicle transmission would not be in “PARK”. If this condition were present, the key cannot be removed from the vehicle because the transmission is not placed into “PARK”. If the operator exited the vehicle in the condition described above (leaving the key in the ignition), an audible warning to the driver would activate whenever the driver's door is unlocked and opened. Correction: A production change has been undertaken to remedy the technical non-compliance. No corrective recall action is required as the technical non-compliance is deemed to be non-safety related.

On certain vehicles, in hot ambient conditions, the accelerator pedal arm may stick at the attachment to the bracket and not return to the engine idle position when the operator removes the actuating force from the accelerator pedal. If the accelerator pedal does not return to the engine idle position, the throttle valve will not close, which may result in an increased stopping distance. Correction: Dealers will inspect the accelerator pedal arm and, if necessary, replace the accelerator and brake pedal assembly.

On certain vehicles, analysis of a side impact test indicated the outboard anchorage of the driver's seat belt could disconnect because of contact between the seat trim and the anchorage connector when the seat was adjusted to its lowest position. If this occurred in a crash, the driver could receive greater injuries. Correction: Dealer will install a retainer between the latch spring and the latch spring guard on the anchorage - driver and passenger side.

On certain vehicles, the hazard warning switch may experience solder joint cracking if subjected to rapid temperature transition. If solder joint cracking occurs and results in an open circuit, the turn signals/hazard lamps become intermittent or inoperative. Correction: Dealers will replace the hazard warning switch.

Certain vehicles do not comply with the requirements of CMVSS 208 - Occupant Restraint Systems in Frontal Impact. Vehicles were built with an English only sun visor air bag label. Correction: Dealers will install an English /French label over the existing English label.