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.
The electric power steering in my vehicle is faulty. The steering wheel will move by its self while driving or in park. Also my power steering will go out without warning while driving at any speed. When the steering wheel locks up due to power steering I have a very hard time turning and controlling car. I have barely avoid several accidents because of this issue. I have taken car to dealership to see if can be fixed because when I called GM I was not eligible for the warranty that would have fixed issue but because it was past their recall time they would not assist me and the dealer wants $800 to fix and they say that even fixing the steering column and or the assist motor that I will more then likely have the same issues! my car is a 2004 with only 44,462 miles on it. I got the car used February of this year (2010) and didn't know that it would be a nightmare and a death trap for my family! I have video of the wheel moving by its self as well as video showing that when I loss power steering the car is hazardous. I am really afraid that I will not be able to keep up with this issue and will one day loss complete control of the car and hurt myself and possibly others! Chevrolet needs to fix this issue for good or replace the cars all together because its really only a matter of time before this issue bites them in the butt! I really like my Malibu but I really think that I should have never got it because of all the issues losing power steering, pulls bad to left and right, loose shifter knob, & the remote keyless entry doesn't work right. I hope by filing this complaint with you that maybe it will be resolved. I want to have piece of mind while driving my family in car not worried about the car being a death trap on 4 wheels that will loss control when it feels like it and kill my family and myself. I know that I am not the only one with these issues with the Malibu and Chevrolet really needs to step up and make these issues right for us the consumers fast!
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving 10 mph a chiming sound alerted her that the power steering light illuminated and within a few seconds the steering wheel was very difficult to control. The vehicle was turned off, back on and began to drive normally. After a few minutes the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted and the failure was not diagnosed. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while traveling 65 mph the vehicle lost power steering. The contact stated that after regaining control of the vehicle and starting the vehicle, the power steering began to function normally. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that they could not find a problem with the vehicle. The contact stated that this was the only time the power steering failed. The failure mileage was 100000 and the current mileage is 117,000. Updated 12/22/10 updated 12/29/10
2004 Chevy Malibu power steering goes out without warning and frequently. When turning the wheel locks up making turning impossible to do. I almost caused a head on collision due to this. Now when I turn the steering wheel tires do not move at all. There are hundreds of complaints on-line about this exact issue and GM wants to do nothing about it.
Almost daily, the wrench light turns on and the display in the center reads "power steering." Occasionally, this is accompanied by a complete loss of power steering, making it very difficult to turn at low speeds. Turning off the Malibu usually resets the light and error message; however, this problem usually recurs shortly after restarting the car. I was told by a dealership that the only way to correct this problem would be to have the steering column replaced at my expense.
- Wausau, WI, USA
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2004 Chevy Malibu standard clunking noise when steering. Steering wheel locked up on me when shifted in reverse. Power steering displaying on dashboard, vibration coming from steering at 65mph.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. While traveling 10 mph and attempting a right turn, the steering wheel suddenly became stiff and impossible to move. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileage was 87,000. Updated 12/14/2011 updated 11/28/2011
Sporadic power steering /service engine soon light coming on and no error codes in computer. Finally on July 31 I got in the car and service engine light and "power steering" came on but steering was fine until I went to take a left turn at a busy intersection and power steering quit working and had to turn the car by main force !! if my wife had been driving no way she could have controlled it !! GM needs to issue recall on this all too common problem before someone is killed !!!
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph the contact lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid a crash. The power steering locked causing the vehicle to crash into a guard rail and roll over. The contact suffered an injury to the arm. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact was taken to the hospital for further examination. Before the crash occurred the steering column was replaced twice. The contact was concerned that steering column caused the crash to occur. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 83,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the electrical power steering failed intermittently. The power steering light would illuminate and the wheel would become difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the steering rod was replaced; however, the failure occurred again. The vehicle was in the dealers possession when the complaint was filed. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 45,730. The failure mileage was approximately 45,365.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering failed while driving various speeds. The vehicle became extremely difficult to maneuver when the failure occurred. The failure occurred six times in the last two months. The check engine light started to illuminate before the steering failure occurred. The dealer had not been notified. The contact stated that there were numerous complaints related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 30,000.
I own a Chevrolet Malibu 2004 ls V6. Recently I have been noticing some repeated incidents of sudden loss of the power assisted steering, and the car all of a sudden becomes very difficult to steer in the desired direction, which makes is scary to drive it. Once the car engine is shut down and the car is restarted, the power steering comes back to normal and then this happens again at any point in time. I have definite safety concern with the vehicle right now.
2004 Chevrolet Malibu steering became jerky while on interstate at 63 mph. Steering wheel travel appox. 1 inch left and right with no effect then immediate turn with swerve when steering 'kicked in'. vehicle pulled over to side of road. Car was turned off and inspected for possible tire problem. None found. Car started and steering was back to normal. After approx. 7 more miles, steering exhibited a 'notched' area of 1/4 inch steering wheel travel with no steering control. Turning was normal past the notched area with no swerve. Another 2 miles driven under this condition with no change (1/4 inch notch) car driven today to check out steering a total of 15 miles with no problems at all. Could not duplicate problem. Note: Had another car been in the passing lane next to us, it would have been hit by us due to the swerve experienced.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu lsd6. The contact was driving approximately between 15-20 mph, attempting to make a left turn and the electric power steering clicked into the off position unexpectedly. The steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn and caused the vehicle to bump up against the curbside. The power steering then clicked back into the on position. The failure occurred repeatedly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing, however a trouble code was not detected. The contact planned to take the vehicle to another authorized dealer for a second opinion. The failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 11/03/10. Updated 12/7/10
While driving at 75 mph on interstate, power steering failed which made vehicle extremely hard to steer. Fortunately, vehicle was able to be pulled off the pavement. Engine was shut off and vehicle restarted. Power steering then operated normally. On second incident, power steering suddenly became inoperative while turning and vehicle came very close to hitting another vehicle while turning. Again, after turning off engine and restarting, power steering operated normally. A third incident occurred while driving at moderate speed. Vehicle was able to be driven off pavement and engine restarted. After restart, power steering operated normally. Vehicle was taken to dealer repair facility and the problem was discovered to be an internal failure of the steering column. The steering column was replaced at a cost of $664. The vehicle mileage was 82,707.
This is the second time my 2004 Malibu ltz power steering locked up on me. The first time it locked up was Nov 2009, as I was driving downs madison St. The mechanic replaced the rack N pinion, this appeared to solve the problem temporarily. The second time the problem happen was March 3rd, 2010, I was pulling out of my garage, made a right turn onto Ohio and almost hit kids getting out of school because the car kept moving in a straight direct even though I was attempting to turn. I spoke to the dealer ship today and they said they do not know of a recall but are aware of the problem with Malibu.
Intermittently, over the last few weeks, a mechanical warning light came on indicating a power steering issue on my 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. I took the car to my local mechanic. He hooked it to the computer analysis and found no issues. He did indicate that after doing a little research that Chevrolet had provided a customer satisfaction campaign # 04050A to address this issue. I had never been notified by Chevrolet. I called my Chevrolet dealer and the service manager indicated there has been no recall on my car so I would have to pay for any repair. After doing a little research, this seems to be a fairly common problem on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The power steering system on this model is electrical, not hydraulic and seems to have a high number of complaints. I am hoping that Chevrolet recalls and repairs this defect.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Columbus, OH, USA