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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
17 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
20 / 1
Average Mileage:
88,299 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.

2005 Chevrolet Malibu steering problems

steering problem

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2005 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 17 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #124

Apr 042010

Malibu

  • 83,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at speeds of 25 mph, the power steering failed and steering became extremely difficult. The manufacturer advised the warranty had expired and the contact would be liable for any repairs. The current mileage was 85,000 and the failure mileage was 83,000. Updated 10/27/10.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #123

Mar 182008

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when the vehicle accelerated, the vehicle and the steering wheel pulled to the left. The contact had to use extreme force to maintain control of the steering wheel. The dealer was unable to duplicate or locate a failure. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000 and the current mileage was approximately 150,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Lackey , VA, USA

problem #122

Jun 012010

Malibu

  • 113,000 miles
My 2005 Chevy Malibu has intermittent power steering fault on the center display, and yesterday the power steering actually shut off while going down the highway at 70mph. Very difficult to steer just to get off of the road. Pulled over and shut off car and restarted and it worked for 5 minutes and then shut down again, wrestled the car home, and today it works fine. Chevy cobalt already has a recall for this, why not the Malibu. I have filed a complaint with Chevrolet and was instructed to get the car fixed as it was clearly a dangerous situation, but it would have to be at my expense. Does someone have to die to admit this is a dangerous situation and should be recalled? I do see hundreds of complaints for the same issue on this web site, and even more on other sites.

- Litchfield, ME, USA

problem #121

Jan 052010

Malibu

  • 42,681 miles

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

I have a 2005 Chevy. Malibu V6 that has had a problem with it's power steering. I was going down the highway when suddenly the power steering went out and it was very hard to steer and get out of fast moving traffic. When I got it to the dealer, I was told that they had to replace the entire steering column. I have done research on this and have found a number of people with the same experience with Chevy. Malibu's. this is a very dangerous defect that the company should recall and repair! some people have had to replace the steering column more than once because the new column put in is still being made with the defect. This power steering failure occurs without any warning and in my case it happened on the highway at 65mph. Luckily I was able to keep it under control but it was amazing that I was able to considering that I was changing lanes at the time! after doing research on this I have learned that others have had similar experiences. I certainly hope something can be done about this.

- North Mankato, MN, USA

problem #120

May 252010

Malibu

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at 60 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated three times as the steering wheel suddenly locked. The vehicle veered off to the right and crashed into a tree. The contact was taken to the hospital and suffered a broken right hip. A police report was filed. The vehicle was totaled as a result. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

- Schulter, OK, USA

problem #119

Apr 182010

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While traveling at speeds of 30 mph, there was an unusual chime and within seconds, the vehicle lost power steering. The vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #118

May 252010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 109,000 miles

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

Regarding my 2005 Chevrolet Malibu: Vehicle is used as personal transportation to and from work in town errands and vacations out of state, over the last 4 weeks my wife and other family have driven the vehicle and have experienced intermittent loss of power steering while turning corners at relatively low speed. On the date of this writing my wife reports having to stop 3 times on the way to work because of dead wheel steering. It seems that the system will operate after a short period where power is switched off by the ignition switch. I have reported this problem to Chevrolet corporate customer service (ref# 71-833386371 made 25may2010) and told there is no recall order for the power steering system for this vehicle. I have learned from the internet that there are many complaints of this very occurrence on this and other year models of Malibu. Your Agency is, I'm sure, aware of the recall of 2005 - 2010 cobalt for steering problems of a similar nature. I have attempted to solve the malfunction believing that the fuse was malfunctioning and replaced it with a fuse of recommended size. The steering went dead several times after that. I have contacted the local dealer service rep and am making arrangements to have the problem analyzed there. However I'm not expecting them to fin D anything they can work on being an intermittent problem. I am fearful for my wife's welfare in that vehicle and pray your Agency begin proper inquiries into what looks like GM's knowledge of a serious safety issue and their unwillingness to address it.

- Elk City, OK, USA

problem #117

May 032010

Malibu

  • miles
There is a popping noise when turning left or right at low speeds. Also, power steering light comes on and fails. It becomes hard to turn left or right during any speed.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #116

May 202010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
Car is in the shop again for steering shaft. Loud slamming clunking noise while turning. Grease bearings break down and the shaft slams around. Had it all replaced 2 years ago also. Talked to GM, they verified with the dealership that it was the same issue as before. I was told that there is no recall because customers do not personally call GM and report the repair. Are you kidding me?? if they see a trend with reports being made directly to GM from the customer (not the dealership), they take it into consideration. If you have a repair done to your Malibu, call GM every time and report it. This is their way of escaping responsibility for a known problem. They told me it might be an issue in my area only. Since when do cars know where they live?? GM needs to fix the problem.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #115

May 192010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 38,460 miles
Clunking noise at low speeds when turning steering wheel- either direction. Power steering failed today - in reverse. Managed to park car in driveway and (per previous complaints I googled) after 20 minutes I went out and started the car & the steering wheel was somewhat normal but I felt a slight catch when I turned wheel either direction. No service has been done on the steering yet by me. I have an extended warranty - covers the power steering pump - but not the shaft.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #114

May 192010

Malibu

  • 97,000 miles

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

The power steering light comes on and sometimes the steering wheel won't turn at all. There is a knocking noise in the steering wheel when I turn. It was fixed only to start again a few weeks later. GM won't repair cause they say I'm over the mileage. The gas hand jumps up an down.

- Calumet City, IL, USA

problem #113

May 012010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
I own a 2005 Chevy Malibu and have had consistent issues with the power steering going out. There has been a recall on almost every Chevy made from 2005-2010 for the same reason except for the Malibu. This is not acceptable especially if you read all of the blogs and posts of the huge amount of Chevy owners dealing with the exact same thing, many of them getting it fixed multiple times only for it to go out again. This problem almost caused my wife and son to be involved in an accident.

- Dacula, GA, USA

problem #112

Mar 172007

Malibu

  • 22 miles
2005 Malibu had steering clunks, rack&pinion replaced twice, steering shaft replaced, tie rods replaced, still clunks and bangs. General wander in steering even after all this. Service manager informed GM after a complaint that they could not find anything wrong this was after warranty expired.

- Brandon, SD, USA

problem #111

May 052010

Malibu

  • 63,300 miles
I have a 2005 Chevy Malibu, bought brand new, I've had problems from the start with this car. The rack & pinion has been replaced twice. The hub bearings have had to be replaced, the rear stabilizer bar needs replacing. I have a gas cap issue, now to top it all off, I've been having issues where I am driving and I start to accelerate and the steering wheel locks up, I have been on the freeway several times when this happens. This is a very dangerous situation, GM will do nothing about this. They know that the 2005 Malibu is a dangerous car but will not recall at all.

- Maple Heights, OH, USA

problem #110

May 042010

Malibu

  • 58,000 miles
Made a "pit stop" on way to work my car made a sound alert and "power steering" came on over my radio message window. 2 weeks ago steering felt loose turning left but a little stiff turning right but after a few days it was fine. This morning it happened again but today was the only day of the alert sound and message. Found it could be that the electric power steering column needs to be replaced cost ($600 - $1500). Power steering electric motor / control module / steering rack / failing sensor in steering column / voltage problem between the alternator & ignition coil assembly. I have printed out 11 pages of similar complaints and noticed the Chevy cobalt & other Chevy models had or are having a recall for the same complaints as the Chevy Malibu but the Malibu is not one of them. This problem can cause complete steering failure or just very hard steering (unpredicted) & can cause accidents. I'm still waiting to find out which expensive repair mine will be. I did find that if my VIN is between 5F100001 - 5F250216 that I need to call Chevy if my mileage is under 70,000 & they cover the cost of repair. I don't have my VIN as my car is in the shop now.

- Fulton, IL, USA

problem #109

Mar 292010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 51,645 miles
Over a period of about 6 weeks, our 2005 Chevy Malibu first start to display a power steering fluid low message on the instrument panel (on digital text readout). This vehicle does not have a fluid reservoir, it used electronic assist on the power steering. Initial, no noticeable issues were detected while driving the car. One day this display started to occur about every 30 seconds, with a beeping audit alert. Our daughter was driving the vehicle that afternoon, and when turning a corner there was a loss of power steering assistance. This was in town at low speeds, she was able to recover from the incident with no accident or damage. The vehicle was taken to the nearest dealership, keys Chevrolet for repairs. Repair order states "tested and found failed steering column motor". this vehicle was purchased used at about 39.000 miles, and was about 125 miles out of a GM certified 12 mo / 12,000 mile warranty. GM did not cover the repair, paid bill for total of $660.05 from our oen funds. In an internet review, this problem seems to be a common issue with owners of this year and model, and several people have reported damage after crashing into guardrails, etc. When this problem occurs.

- Trempealeau, WI, USA

problem #108

Apr 272010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
The power steering locked up while I was making a right turn. The power steering notification went on the dash and the chime came on. The power steering is really hard to turn, and I mean hard. The car is only 5 years old as well. Its a 2005 Chevy Malibu.

- Racine, WI, USA

problem #107

Apr 272010

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 35,497 miles
I was driving my 2005 Chevrolet Malibu ls to pick up grandchildren at school when the dash power steering light came on. I parked the car and walked to get the children. Retrieving the vehicle afterwards, then started, the power steering light was off. At times the car has been hard to turn to the left. I took the car to the dealer and they told me it needs a new $1200 power steering unit to fix the problem. The internet is full of similar stories. Fourteen accidents thus far attributed to this. It's time to have a recall.

- Cedaredge, CO, USA

problem #106

Apr 252010

Malibu

  • 80,000 miles
Lost power steering while going through round about, was empty at the time thankfully. Has happened 3 previous times all at slow speeds. I had to pull over and turn the car off and start it to get power steering back. The signal lights are constantly burning out, have replaced the bulbs 6 times in 3 years.

- Kennewick, WA, USA

problem #105

Nov 252008

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
My 2005 Malibu loses powersteering while driving or turning.

- Palatka, FL, USA

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