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 contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 to 25 mph the steering wheel would intermittently lock and she would be uanble to steer the vehicle. After the failures, the contact would hear a warning bell, indicating the loss of power steering. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer, nor repaired. The dealer also informed the contact that there were no recalls on that component. The failure mileage was unknown.
The power steering keeps going out. It may happen when we first start the car or once we have started driving. We have found that if you turn the car off & then turn it back on it almost always comes back. This has been going on for several months. On 6/23/11 I started the car & there was no power steering & still isn't. have turned the car on & off several times & it has finally become permanent, no power steering. Chevrolet needs to recall & fix the defective power steering.
The electric power steering in my 2006 Chevrolet Malibu failed repeatedly. It would work sometimes when the car was restarted. Because of the safety concern, I had it repaired at a Chevrolet dealership. I found that Chevrolet will pay to repair some 2006 Malibu with the problem, but not others. I was told my car has the wrong "VIN-series, " so Chevrolet refuses to cover the repair. It is the exact same defect/problem found in other Malibu of the same year. I would request that the transportation department push Chevrolet into a wider recall so all models with the identical problem are covered. Losing power steering is a serious safety concern, especially to my wife who was not strong enough to steer the car at slow speeds when it failed. It almost caused an accident in a parking lot. I filed a claim with Chevrolet. It did not respond in 60 days as promised. I called to check the status of my claim. Chevrolet said it was denied. It refused to send me a response in writing, which is weird. It may be a sign of a widespread problem that it does not want to fix without pressure from dot.
I began to hear thumping noise from the front end. After brining it to the auto repair facility they informed me the "rack in pinion" unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle only has 66,000 miles on it. The repair facility informed me the cost will be $1200. After reading about this issue on the internet it appears to be common place and dangerous. I have not yet corrected the problem as I do not have the money to repair it.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the steering would lock abnormally and without warning while driving various speeds. There was also an abnormal rattling from the steering wheel. In addition, the fuel level gauge would provide erroneous fuel level readings and the interior lighting would malfunction sporadically. The steering failure was repaired under an unknown recall, yet the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where he was unable to duplicate the steering failure but replaced the fuel tank sensor. Later, the contact was involved in an unrelated crash and while having the vehicle repaired, the contact was advised that the steering column was locked defectively and would need replacing. The steering column was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The failure mileage was 33,000 and the current mileage was 45,000.
- Baltimore , MD, USA
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The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering warning indicator illuminated with an immediate loss of power steering. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. After waiting a few moments the engine restarted and the vehicle functioned normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were unable to diagnose the failure because the vehicle was equipped with electric power steering. The manufacturer was made aware of the intermittent failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 50,500.
I own a 2006 Chevy Malibu and recently my power steering warning has been displayed on my radio panel every time I start the car. Today while making a turn the warning came on again and chimed. After doing some very intensive research I've noticed this is a very common and serious issue. I am very uncomfortable driving the car in fears that one time it will completely lock up. GM really needs to recall and fix this issue before there are deaths caused due to the fault of the makers. I haven't taking it to a garage yet as I can not afford $800 plus in repairs.
Loss of power steering on start up. Never make it to recover, although a lot of other drivers said that turning engine off and on would at least temporary solve the problem. The car was towed to dealership where they diagnosed "power steering control module internal failure" ($700 dollars repair cost).
Power steering periodically goes out. First time, when it was very cold out a few months ago. The last time (on Sunday) was going down the interstate at +70 mph speed. Work has not been done since the steering column part is $359 plus 2 hours labor and if that does not fix the problem the assist motor will need be replaced at $450 plus labor. I did take it the local dealer repair shop and they put it on the computer since after I turn my car off resets itself. Not safe to drive on the interstate since it may go off again. This problem is a major complaint with owners of this car.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 15 mph the steering wheel locked. The bell and power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact turned the vehicle off and then on to correct the failure. The dealer diagnostic test determined that the failure was the same as the recall that was issued, but the contacts VIN was not a part of the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 74,000.
Power steering issue. The power steering in car made noise when under warranty. I brought it in at 35,000 miles. The GM dealer lubed the steering shaft. At 90,000 miles they told me the steering system was shot and I needed to pay over $1,000 for a new steering system....
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the power steering failed periodically without warning. The contact also stated when they made a left or right turn the steering wheel jerked out of his hand. The contact stated the power steering light illuminated on the information center intermittently. The contact stated the vehicle was in the dealer possession but had not been inspected. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 118,000.
I have a power steering problem with my 2006 Chevy Malibu. I had gotten a recall notice awhile back and at the time there was nothing wrong. However now I am having a problem with the power steering and I don't even see this recall anymore on your website. Please confirm. The power steering all of a sudden has a "ding, ding, ding noise" when I have to accelerate from a stop on the highway back on. Now sometimes when on a ramp to the highway the power steering shuts off completely.
I have a 2006 Chevy Malibu. At about 38,000 miles the electric steering quit working. I had to replace. Since the installation of new electric steering component, the steering system makes a very loud snap or clunking or metal on metal sound everytime I make a turn or take off from a stop. Some thing is shifting or moving in the steering gear shaft or rack & pinion. Called the dealer and they said it was normal that it does it and some grease would help quite it. That was there answer for poor engineering. There are many people that have the same problem and there doesn't seem to be a permanent fix for it from GM. If I try to sell my Malibu to someone else I will either take a large loss or not be able to sell it at all. I am complaining because GM has not stepped up and accepted responsibility for this problem and come up with a solution. To have anything done at a dealer is 60 to $80 per hour, which all the unfortunate owners of those GM electric steering vehicles should not have to pay. I would like to see some pressure put on GM to resolve this very exasperating and potentially serious erosive safety condition. As time goes on the situation gets worse and resonates more and more up the steering column. Lets get this fixed before there is a serious accident or loss of life because the steering fails on these automobiles. Sincerely.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact noticed that the steering wheel would move from one side to the other, making it impossible to control the vehicle. Also, when attempting to start the vehicle, the contact heard a buzzing noise as the steering wheel would violently jerk from left to right. The dealer advised the contact that there were no recalls related to the failure. The contact did not inform the manufacturer of the failure nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current mileage was 67,000 and the failure mileage was 64,000.
Check power steering messaging appeared while driving at highway speed. Messaging disappeared after turning car off and on. Message reappeared three more times at different speeds in next two days. Brought car to mechanic who recalibrated steering column. Messaging reappeared on drive home from shop while passing over a speed bump. Returned car to shop, was told steering column and module needed replaced. Repairs exceeded $1000. Mechanic mentioned that when local parts dealer keeps many of these replacement units on hand, it's clearly a known issue that Chevy needs to address. Vehicle has low mileage and majority of these miles were accrued on city streets, implausible that a part of this caliber would require replacement at this time based on use. Mechanic tried calling Chevy on owner's behalf as parts warranty extended to 36,000 miles. Chevy unwilling to grant any concessions as failure mileage was 37,847.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 30 mph the steering wheel began to shake and the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
For the past 6 months power steering on 2006 Malibu lt had been going out. I could reset it by restarting the car and pressing the accelerator. While driving on the highway about a month or two ago power steering went out, was able to pull over. This happen about 4 time before I reach my destination, I drove in the right lane so I would be able to pull safely off the road. To date if I restart the car I can drive it for a short distance before it goes out again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Dallas, TX, USA