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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
26 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
12 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,654 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.

2004 Chevrolet Malibu steering problems

steering problem

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2004 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 9 of 36)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #549

Mar 032014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 153,402 miles

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

I was leaving work and started my car and the power steering was not working. The check engine light on my dash panel also came on. This happened in a separate instance a couple days prior. The first time it happened I turned the car off and restarted it and the power steering was fine. The second instance I tried to restart the car a couple times with no change. I took the car home and then to the dealership where I get my maintenance done the next day. They replaced a power steering component and I paid for the charges. This all happened prior to my knowledge of these recalls.

- Fitchburg, WI, USA

problem #548

Aug 012013

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
I got in my car and tried to crank it and it made a clicking noise. It took hours before it started, on another incident; several times I couldn't shift my car from park. My power steering light came on and when I was coming to a stop at a light the car list control serving left to right until I came to a complete stop. I always have to gas the car to get gas to the engine for the car to start. When I took it to the dealer he said that it was a recall problem and he's had several customers with my car come to him with the same problem. When I looked up the recall I noticed that my car was having the same issues as reported.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #547

May 202014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
I lost complete control in the steering column as I was turning left at an intersection in traffic. The steering wheel freely turned 360 degrees, but the tires did not move. I had no way of controlling the vehicle as it was moving in traffic. Had I been on a highway or traveling at a higher speed, I could have been seriously injured and injured other drivers! the mechanic my vehicle was towed to stated that it was the rack and pinion component of the vehicle and there is currently a technical service bulletin for that component. Steering function is a vital component of any vehicle and I find it scary and appalling that this occurred and is not covered by a GM recall. Driving a car at any speed, not to mention highway speeds, without any steering control is extremely dangerous.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #546

Nov 012011

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 163,000 miles

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

After being at a full stop I slowly entered onto another road taking a left turn. A powering steering message showed up on my radio screen and my steering was extremely difficult! on about 5 or 6 other occasions the same message appeared on my radio screen and my power steering failed. One time was while backing my car up, other times where when I turned my car on. After all incidents so far I was able to turn off my car, wait a minute, turn the car back on and the problem fixed itself.

- Penacook, NH, USA

problem #545

Mar 012014

Malibu

  • 125,000 miles
I have had my car since 2011. I didn't have any problems with my car until 2012. My steering shaft broke and it was replaced at a Chevy dealership. All was fine until this year in March, where my steering was becoming very hard to do. When I turned my wheel, it would make sounds as if it was breaking and I needed to use a little more force to turn the wheel. As of May 15, 2014, I took my car to a Chevy dealership where a family member asked if they could see if any parts on my car was on recall and there are several recalls for the Malibu. My steering is getting worse by the day and my car is driving horribly. I have a 4 yr and this is my only transportation to and from work. I'm afraid to drive too far because the steering wheel might get stuck and may cause an accident. I wanted to report this before something actually happened.

- Avon Park, FL, USA

problem #544

Apr 012004

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
Since I purchased the car in 2004, it has been at the Chevrolet dealer 4 times for the steering column and rack and pinion. The last time I brought it in was round 2007 and it started going out again in 2008. I was fed up with taking it to the dealer, so filed a complaint and was hoping it would get recalled. I checked the recall list for this year and found my vehicle was not on the steering recall list. I am very upset and will never purchase another GM car again. I refuse to pay out of my pocket for this ongoing issue.

- Paramount, CA, USA

problem #543

Feb 262014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 98,000 miles

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

As I was driving a loss of power steering happened. The car was almost impossible to turn. I had to brake very fast to keep from hitting the car in the next lane.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #542

Nov 112013

Malibu

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel was hard to turn. The failure recurred intermittently over a period of six months. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the steering column and torque angle sensor. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Fairport, NY, USA

problem #541

May 112014

Malibu

  • 140,000 miles
TL-the contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the power steering would intermittently fail without warning. The vehicle would become increasingly difficult to control. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage and current mileage was 140,000.

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #540

May 102014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 124,561 miles
After starting the car late at night leaving a friends house, was in the act of pulling out into the street when the steering became very difficult to turn, and the warning light came on. I was stuck out into the middle of the road until I turned off the car and turned it back on to rest the systems. If it was earlier in the day I very much believe we could have been injured by another car. I have had it do it to me before for just a couple of seconds the it was fine. Im getting very concerned about this problem.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #539

May 042004

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 3,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering column failed and was replaced in 2004 however, the parts were found to be defective and were replaced by the manufacturer. The failure recurred in 2011 and the power steering column was replaced again. The contact was concerned that the part was defective due to the exact recurring failure. The manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 3000. Updated 6/24/14 updated 06/26/2014

- Trumbull, CT, USA

problem #538

Apr 042012

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
Steering is loose and rattling. Does not sound safe.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #537

May 052014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
Today after dropping my son off at school, my 2004 Chevrolet Malibu 3.5 V6 became nearly impossible to steer. It felt like the car had 2 flat tires in the front. With great struggle I was able to get the car off the road and avoid crashing. Had I not been strong enough to turn the car others could have been killed. This was a near miss. After having the problem this morning, I discovered that GM issued a recall for this problem. The recall id is 102634. GM has not implemented the recall even though they issued a press release on the problem on 3-31-14. I have spent the last 5 hours on the phone with 2 Chevrolet dealers and GM trying to find a solution since "they are aware of the problem but have not loaded my VIN into their system." People are being injured and likely dying because of this issue.

- Ewa Beach, HI, USA

problem #536

May 012014

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 233,272 miles
My battery light came on this morning and I came home from lunch tried making a left turn onto a street and my steering wheel locked on me. I couldn't turn my car, now my car won't even start. I barely made it home, thank god because I almost crashed into my neighbors house from my steering wheel locking.

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #535

Jun 012013

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
While driving my battery light will flash on and chirp and my steering wheel sort of locks up, the display on my radio says power steering and the wrench light lights up on the panel. It is quite scary considering I have young children in my car about 95% of the time. I have been very close to crashing into other cars more than once. I would love to get rid of this car but am afraid this will happen to the next person and it could be fatal.

- Valois, NY, USA

problem #534

Jan 062014

Malibu

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The contact also stated that the power steering assist would sporadically fail. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who re-calibrated the electrical steering, however the failure persisted. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number 14V153000 (steering). However, the VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle was not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

- Catasaqua, PA, USA

problem #533

Mar 252014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 124,000 miles
I have a lot of play in my steering wheel there is a light that keeps coming on with a wrench in the middle of car" while driving the vehicle it seems as if the steering wheel is going to come a part from dashboard have to drive with 2 hands cause it shakes some what. I am unable to drive on freeway much afraid at this point.. if U could check to see if there is a recall on this I would appreciate it... dont want an accident. Notified brown & brown Chevy, mesa, AZ they said there was a recall on this " my car is a 2004 Chevy Malibu.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #532

Feb 122014

Malibu

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the power steering assist suddenly failed. The contact also mentioned that the failure was experienced multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 14V153000 (steering). The failure mileage was 86,000.

- Milwauikee, WI, USA

problem #531

Feb 152010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 104,890 miles
Vehicle steering wheel was twitching to the right at all speeds and while stopped I had also lost power assist a couple times. I took the 2004 Malibu to the dealership where I had purchased the vehicle on 14 February 2004. They replaced the steering column at a cost to me of $594.20 on 17 February 2010.

- Chandler, IN, USA

problem #530

Mar 122014

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 109,000 miles
The power steering would just stop working. I had to pay $563.14 for a hazardous recall that was repaired one previous time, and that G.M. would no longer honor.

- Perrysburg, OH, USA

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