Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
12 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
102,147 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.

2009 Chevrolet Malibu steering problems

steering problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2009 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 6 of 37)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #621

Mar 132021

Malibu

  • 170,000 miles

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

Driving on interstate a light comes on dash saying service ESC power steering and then ESC off. The power steering goes and can barely turn the wheel enough to get off. Going 60 mph and scrape the retention wall. No warning at all just stopped. This is insane.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #620

Mar 062021

Malibu

  • 190,000 miles
Out of no where my power steering is gone and 'service ESC' displays on my dash while I'm stationary as well as in motion and turning.

- Manistee, MI, USA

problem #619

Mar 092021

Malibu

  • 75,000 miles
Driving down the highway and hear a beeping noise then a light comes on dash saying service ESC power steering and then ESC off. The power steering goes off and I can hardly handle turning the wheel. I got it turned around and took the vehicle back home then looked online and found that this has been an issue for this model vehicle for awhile now and that there has been a recall issued but my VIN is not listed for this recall. Obviously it needs to be added.

- Reidsville, NC, USA

problem #618

Mar 072021

Malibu

  • miles

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

Power steering goes out and light comes

- Nelsonville, OH, USA

problem #617

Aug 012019

Malibu

  • 130,000 miles
Has a problem with cold start needs a jump alot, service ESC comes on with lose of traction and power steering, sensor in wheels go out often wheels sound weird when turning, headlight goes out often windshield wipers are out, gearshift linkage has broken while trying to shift gears problem occurs both non-stationary

- Lancaster, OH, USA

problem #616

Feb 272021

Malibu

  • miles
I'm having power steering issues and the dealer told me that the recall parts have expired! I'm very upset because they are trying to charge me 2,700 out of my pockets because they don't want to do the work for free. These parts that they need are recall parts!!

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #615

Feb 042021

Malibu

  • 180,000 miles

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

Power steering goes out while driving. Makes steering/driving/turning almost impossible.

- Belleville, IL, USA

problem #614

Feb 242021

Malibu

  • 61,000 miles
While driving at highway speed the power steering went out, no steering control the power steering, and ESC warnings light came on dash

- Laurel, MS, USA

problem #613

Jan 282021

Malibu

  • 93,000 miles
The zero positioning sensor went out. I do not have powersteering!!!! it is very difficult to drive. It is a recall but not for my VIN. It should be! it is very dangerous. It was in motion when it went out.

- Luebbering, MO, USA

problem #612

Feb 182021

Malibu

  • miles
The power steering goes out on my vehicle a lot. It is not safe and it says there's no recalls on this vehicle. It locks up all of a sudden. When I'm driving down the highway and/or interstate. Also, when I make a turn. It is not safe at all and from the looks of it, I'm not the only one experiencing this problem. There needs to be an investigation and recall on these vehicles.

- Newton, MS, USA

problem #611

Feb 192021

Malibu

  • 149,000 miles

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

Power steering flashes on dash board and I lose complete control. I then have to use my strength to turn the wheel while the vehicle slows down. Sometimes this goes away and it drives fine. I've experienced it shutting down while going down the high way and this cannot be safe! after researching recalls, it appears I am experiencing the details of the recall for the torque sensor. The vehicle is below 150,000 miles. It also randomly will flash 'service air bag'.

- Jamestown, NY, USA

problem #610

Jun 012018

Malibu

  • miles
My power steering wheel has been replaced once then not less than a year my power steering wheel goes out again. My brake lights are also on and never turn off. It's scary because no one knows when I'm actually braking.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #609

Sep 012020

Malibu

  • 165,000 miles
Loss of power steering while driving but if you turn the car off and turn it back on it corrects the problem. This seems to be happening more frequently in cold wheather. ESC service light and ABS light comes on when this happens. This is very dangerous since it only happens while the car is in drive. Power steering seems to lock on when the wheel is turning. This has been an ongoing problem for us since we bought the vehicle in September of 2020.

- Nashville, IN, USA

problem #608

Feb 082021

Malibu

  • 65,000 miles
While making a right turn, the power steering went out, the traction control light came on, and service ESC message was displayed. Luckily no one was in the lane beside my wife because it happened without warning and the car was nearly impossible to steer. She managed to pull into a shopping center parking lot, turned the car off and called for a tow. When the tow driver arrived and turned on the vehicle, warning lights had disappeared, and power steering was ok. I still had the vehicle towed and am awaiting diagnostics. I bought the vehicle used, and have only had it for 2 weeks. When researching the issue, it appears to be a common issue in the 2009 Malibu. Wondering why the issue has not been addressed before now as it is just a matter of time before an accident occurs.

- Warminster, PA, USA

problem #607

Feb 022021

Malibu

  • 86,000 miles
Service ESC light on, loss of power steering, cruise control, and traction control...turnoff vehicle and turn back on and problem is rectified.vehicle was in motion at highway speed 60-65 making turning extremely difficult.

- Raymond, NH, USA

problem #606

Nov 142019

Malibu

  • 115,000 miles
Sudden loss of power steering while driving back around Nov 2019. Steering wheel shaking when the problem first began almost as if it was switching between having power steering to no power steering. Service ESC power steering message. A few months later the problem suddenly went away. Now it's Feb 2021 and it started doing it all over again a couple months ago (Nov 2020). My VIN is not included in the recall even though other 2009 models were recalled for the same issue. GM needs to step up and fix this on their own dime.

- Villa Rica, GA, USA

problem #605

Feb 032021

Malibu

  • 75,000 miles
Son driving home from college, loses power steering and traction control light comes on. Readout bar service power steering and ESC. There are several recalls on this exact problem and exact year of vehicle but his vehicle VIN is not included. So irritating when manufacturers will not stand behind and fix a known issue... clearly they know the ramifications, they have a recall already!

- Copley, OH, USA

problem #604

Dec 282020

Malibu

  • 176,000 miles
Service ESC light comes on and loses power steering while at highway speeds at least 3 times per week, especially in colder conditions.! due to this issue, this car is off limits to my wife. I would not want power steering to go out on her while she's going down the rod with our [xxx] in the car. Numerous complaints on forums regarding this particular year make and model. Please help! parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Inwood, WV, USA

problem #603

Jan 222021

Malibu

  • 161,488 miles
ESC light came on, wife could not steer car, looses steering when turn at intersections, very dangerous situation, she couldn't steer car and went into ditch, luckily was going slow and didn't tear anything up, but if another vehicle was there it could have been deadly

- Franklin, MO, USA

problem #602

Jan 232021

Malibu

  • 147,500 miles
Intermittently loses power steering and service ESC, power steering lights come on in the dash. This has happened during normal in town driving. When we turn it off the system will rest, but comes on now at random intervals. Several times today

- Barneveld, WI, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?