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.
I started the car, put the car in drive and accelerated. When I went to turn the wheel, a light appeared on the dash (looks like a wrench) and on the radio display said power steering. I lost all power steering. This has now happened multiple times in the last month. I pulled out on to another road and while in the process of turning, I lost my power steering. I had to pull over into a parking lot, which was very difficult to do since I did not have power steering. Turned the car off and restarted the car. The light went away and my power steering came back. The car is very unsafe because the failure happens while driving. My husband called Chevy dealer and they stated that this car is not covered under the service recall notice!!
I was driving on the highway and an engine light came on and it said power steering across my radio. I thought that meant I need power steering fluid but after doing google searches, I find that means I lost my power steering control. Luckily, I was going straight and at a high speed so I didn't lose control based upon what I read. However, I have two little girls and will sue in a heartbeat if anything happens to them as a result of this issue. Especially, since this is a known issue since 2004. Why the heck haven't you forced Chevy to recall these vehicles. I don't care that in most cases steering is not affected and that it can be reset by turning the car off and on. I have read about so many incidents of near crashes and some injuries. This is ridiculous and needs to be fixed before someone dies.
Stopped and put vehicle in reverse. Check engine light came on and power steering stopped working. Returned to normal after turning vehicle off and restarting.
I have been having power steering problems with my 2004 Chevy Malibu for several years. It feels like the steering goes completely out while driving on freeway or other roads and find this to be a safety issue. I originally had dealership check steering and was told it was fine and there was no recall, but I have read where several others are experiencing the same problem. In the last few months, the problem has gotten worse for my daughter, who now drives the car. The power steering light has been coming on and goes off when you park or restart the car. She recently lost all power steering and had difficulty steering the vehicle off the road. Today, we took the Malibu to the GM dealership where we purchased it, and ouch!...was told the repairs total $900 plus tax. Dealership will need to replace steering column as motor has gone bad and also need to replace the intermediate shaft that connects to the column since it is binding up. I don't know whether to get a second opinion and wonder if we can wait to have the shaft replaced" should I also contact GM to see if they will reimburse for parts"
Driving down straight section of road. Power steering alarm comes on and steering wheel goes stiff. Slowed and stopped before next turn (would not have been able to negotiate turn). This has happened on an often enough basis (usually before being on the road) and using fix described in other often reported issues with this type of steering, stopped car, turned off, adjusted position of steering column and restarted. Steering returned to normal.
- Raleigh, NC, USA
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Power steering went out while idling at drive thru window of fast food(first incident). 2 more after that while idling. The message center said power steering and chimed every incident. Is there a recall for this?
My pregnant wife was driving when the power steering just went out this is the second time and from reading multiple complaints and they do nothing to solve it.
After backing out of a parking space, drove forward a few feet, turned right at a stop sign and proceeded forward when the car's warning chimes sounded, the "power steering" came up on the dic, the service vehicle light came on and all power steering was lost. It was late at night so I continued driving home which was about 2 miles away but it was very difficult to make turns. Have not tried to drive car due to difficulty and since it is Sunday was not able to get assistance from mechanics or dealer. Have been reading online and seems to be a common and dangerous problem. No recalls or notices received by dealer. This car was bought new and maintained.
The car became very hard to steer. Turning the steering wheel was difficult to turn. This has happened several time since August. This has almost cause two accidents.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu maxx. The contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering became hard to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic, which located the failure at the steering column. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure and current mileage was 86,200.
The power steering warning light has been coming on for some time now, but 3 different times the power steering has failed when leaving from being parked. Turning off the car and restarting fixes it but for how long will that continue to work.
The power steering locks up for approximately 5 to 10 seconds. It occurs at slow speeds on surface streets, high speeds on the interstate, going forward and even when I'm in the midst of a turn. The check engine light will flash, the lights flash on and off and the notice bell rings "ding, ding, ding." When it finally stops the, if its summer the ac will stop functioning until I stop and restart the car. It is a very scary 5 to 10 seconds and I'm very fortunate to have not caused an accident as of yet. This has also compromised the ease of the power steering when it has not locked up. Parking is very difficult as the turning radius and not good and its just difficult to maneuver the cars steering.
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu maxx. The contact stated that the driver was driving 40 mph when the steering wheel seized. The power steering light and check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The driver stopped and shut off the vehicle. The steering wheel functioned as normal upon restart. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Starting soon after purchase, several times since (approx 3-15 times a week depending on season). Power steering shuts off randomly. If done while turning, it will require extra force and concentration to keep on course. Most times issue cannot be reset for full duration of travel (15 min - 3hrs), this is done by shutting off vehicle, after stopping on side of road, and restarting. Usually occurs when warm, either from sunny day for first start or winter once heater is warm. Many close calls!
Driving approx 20 miles per hour when turning left at an intersection and the vehicle service light came on, power steering message displayed on the information console and the power steering stopped working. The unexpected loss of power steering caused the vehicle to enter into the shoulder of the road. The power steering system worked after turning the car off and then back on. However the power steering light continued to show on the information panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for repair and the steering column was replaced. No further information message concerning the power steering has been seen since the repair.
I purchased my vehicle brand new in August 2004. The power steering went while I was turning on to a street in I believe December 2004. It was taken to the dealership and the steering column was supposedly replaced. A couple of months later, the same thing happened again. When I took the car to the dealership again, I questioned why it was not recalled at the time, since this was the second time it happened. I was advised that it was a bad batch of steering boots and there were not enough problems to replace them. Again, the steering column was supposedly replaced. All seemed to be fine until I believe December 2010. The steering went again. I contacted the dealership and GM to see what could be done. I was advised that my problem had been taken care of in 2004/2005 and there was nothing they could do. I took the car to a local mechanic who had to replace everything once again. This time it cost me over $1500.
The contact owns a 2004 Malibu maxx. The contact stated that while turning at 3 mph, the steering wheel seized and was difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was stopped and shut off. The steering wheel functioned as normal upon restart. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where they stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 89,000 and the current mileage was 89,050.
I just exited the highway and was turning into a parking lot and heard a loud clunk and the steering failed. The dealership informed me that the steering rack and gears to the steering column needed to be replaced along with the spring and sensor for airbag on the steering column. The steering column would then have to be re-centered and the car realigned.
Power steering keeps going off, for no apparent reason, this should be a recall there are too many complaints about the same issue happening the same way, and at times when driving happy no one has had to loose their life due to a faulty system defect.
While my wife was crossing the verranzno bridge between brooklyn and staten island the electrical steering failed. This created a extreme safely issue since my wife did not have enough strength to control the steering. This forced her to slow to a stop while other cars were going full speed creating a safely issue. When she turn the car on again she managed to get the car off the bridge and to the dealer for replacement. My wife was lucky that is wasn't in a condition that she was making a turn or some other position that could had cause an accident. There were two other people in the car and in no time should a steering failure cause almost complete lost of control because you not have strength to turn the wheel.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bolivar, OH, USA