My brake lights were staying on all of the time and I was receiving the messages: service ESC, ESC off, service Traction. This is now my third visit to the dealer to fix this problem What amazes me is I found online that some 2009 Chevy Malibus have been recalled for this problem. Sadly, my specific VIN number did not qualify. Thus I had to pay $336 out of pocket, not to mention the three various visits to the dealer to have the problem fixed.

Visit 1: Brought car in and reported the service ESC, ESC off and Service Traction messages. Also stated that witness reported my brake lights were staying on. Dealer scanned vehicle and found no codes. Said brake lights appeared to be working fine. Dealer did not charge me anything. I took car home and codes appeared the next day. Brake lights were staying on again.

Visit 2: Returned to dealer reported same problems as last time. This time they said they found the codes. Ordered a new Brake Pedal Switch and told me they would call me when the part came in. They said that they temporarily did something to fix the brakes but it most likely wouldn't last. Sure enough, by the end of the day, the lights were back to staying on.

Visit 3: Returned to dealer with a new problem that popped up as well as to have the new Brake Pedal Switch installed. New problem was Service Air Bag code coming up. Dealer scanned the vehicle and found codes for low voltage. Said I needed a new battery. (What great timing). I got the new battery and the new Brake Pedal Switch. This cost $798.96 for the computer scan, new brake pedal switch and new battery.

I picked up my car and drove it only 5 minutes before the codes: Service ESC and Traction were back!!!! I turned car around and went straight back to the dealer. I was so frustrated that I was almost in tears! They took the car right away and 30 minutes later came back and said they reprogrammed the computer and took the car for a drive for 15 minutes. Fortunately, I drove home and the problem with the brakes now seems to be resolved. But I have one major beef:

Beef : I looked online and there is a GM recall for 2009 Malibus regarding the brake lights staying on. Why is my car not part of the recall and covered like the others? The dealer said that I would have to complain directly to GM. I am now out over $300, not to mention I have had to go to the dealer three times to fix this problem.

Interesting Fact: I noticed an interesting post on this website in the brake light forum. One person posted that they had the service Air Bag code come up on the car and also realized the brake lights were staying on. Once he had his battery replaced, this fixed the brake light problem. He speculates that maybe the brake lights staying on is an indicator of a low battery.

Important Fact: I have grown up with GM cars my whole life and continued to buy them as an adult. I am afraid that due to this horrific and incredibly frustrating experience, I will not be purchasing a GM car in the future. This brake light problem is a hazard and shame on GM for not properly recalling their vehicles. It is a miracle I was never rear ended!

A motorist driving behind me indicated that my brake lights were staying on. After having a family member watch me as I drove by it seems that my brake lights are intermittently staying on.

On my way to the GM dealership I had service lights: Service ESC, No ESC and Service Traction pop up. I pulled over and restarted the car in which the warning lights stopped and never appeared again. The dealership saw the brake lights stay on when I dropped off the car; however, they reported to me later that they could not find the problem. There was no record in the computer of the warning messages and the brake lights seemed to be suddenly working fine!

Sure enough, it is a week later and the exact same problem has surfaced again. This time at night where I could see the third light staying on and going off when I actually needed to stop and apply the brake! I will be taking it back to the dealer "again" tomorrow. I must say, this had better be resolved properly this time or I will most likely never buy a GM car again.

It appears that there are TSBs for this problem online. I'll mention them to the dealership.

I own a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. When driving at various speeds, the service traction, service esc and esc off warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Guys GMC where the technician advised that the body control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. I have had it looked at three times so far it has cost me $500.00 to replace some parts that has not fix it.That is when they told me the body control module is bad and it would cost a couple of thousand dollars to fix. The failure mileage was around 65,000 and the current mileage was 67,000 plus. When I am driving and I get the service traction, with my foot is on the brake the brake lights go off. Upon taking my foot off the brake the brake lights stay on. I would think this is a major safety problem.

Well not really a beef, but a heads up. Problem first occurred as a ESC Service Traction error. when brought in for a code check notice that the brake light came on by itself. Originally the issue was a soft error, meaning one could not reproduce at will. Within a few weeks it became a hard error with the brake light, replaced the brake light switch with extremely care calibration and both issues disappeared. This by no means is the solution for every traction esc issue but just a place to look at. Especially since over all it is rather an inexpensive place to start.

I Bought a 09 Chevy Malibu LTZ and i took it for a test Drive before i bought it and i saw the AIR BAG light on. i ask the dealer to fix it and they said they drive the car. month later the AIR BAG light came on and BRAKE light stay on when not apply brakes, and the CRUISE control will shut it self out when on the freeway. the DRIVE DOOR LOCKs fail. all this thing happen in the same time i think this car gonna catch on fire one day, CHEVY NEED TO RECALL THIS CAR BEFORE SOMEBODY GETs HURT OR EVEN DEATH.

I owned an Infiniti which I loved but my son totalled out for me. So I decided to buy a GM product because I say firsthand the number of job losses, etc. But I will never buy another GM, Ford, etc. There is no honor or value placed on the products and service. I'm concerned about the employees who aren't concerned about me. Management makes 75,000+ a year and the workers 50,000+ and I make half of that. They make what $17 or more an hour but build these cars using $10 plastic parts. I owned that Infiniti(Nissan) for almost 5 years and the keyless remote never broke. Less than 6 months after I had my Malibu the remote broke and I have yet to replace it. I thought it was the battery but everyone in the parts department said, "Once you open it up it's not going to work", I was past pissed. Next, the wiring on the driver side headlight shorted and burned the wires. The bright lights worked, but not the dim. So I spent close to $200 on a headlight. I had problems at the dealership so I called the General Manager, it was a mess. Since then, I had to replace the other headlight so I found it online and found someone to put it in. It's all plastic! Oops, I forgot, the radio had to be replaced when I bought it. Next, the rear breaklight is on while driving, but goes off when I stop, WTF! While driving down the road the door locks, lock and unlock at random and now I can't lock the doors unless I walk around to all 4 and lock them. The button on the driver side stopped working so I had to reach over to the passenger side now it doesn't work. I bought this car because I loved the look and to help my neighbors and friends whose lives depend on this Company. But then I realized, whoever assembled the plastic light fixtures, didn't care about me. The worker at GM who installed the headlight assembly, didn't care if it caught on fire and hurt me or my children. The employee who does the electrical wiring doesn't care if the wiring lasts 6 days or 6 months. I'm sorry GM, but I pay a carnote and insurance and try to take care of my home, but I don't have money to constantly put into a new car. You push us to buy these cars but no one's pushing you to build a quality vehicle, something has to change. Before this and you can check with the DMV, I owned a 1990 Honda Accord and 2000 Infiniti I30. The battery in the Infiniti lasted close to 4 years. The Honda ran for 19 years until the timing chain broke. This is what working class people need, more value for our dollar. This is what's real, but then again, who am I?

After reading all the previous comments about this same issue of the tail lights staying on while driving, and nothing is fixing the problems, I'm kinda regretting buying a car from Chevrolet! I should've stuck with Ford, who I've never had a problem with that couldn't be fixed!

Update from Dec 28, 2011: Recently, my battery died, so I changed it. It just so happens, that it fixed the problem immediately. It was almost as if it was a warning that your battery needed to be changed. It's been a couple of months since I changed the battery, and the brake lights have been good ever since.

Update from Jun 30, 2014: Please please please know that all you have to do is change your battery! I can't believe people are still posting other fixes that cost so much more, and don't permanently resolve the issue. Just change your car battery. It will probably fix some other small problems you may be having!