10.0

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

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #349

Jul 012011

Malibu

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at any speed, the vehicle would suddenly lose power steering without warning. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 85,188.

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #348

Dec 102004

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 2,000 miles
A clunking noise was discovered during driving my new car. Send it back to the dealership and it was greased and it stopped for awhile. I have had 4 different Chevy dealerships in central Texas look at it since it was a new car. It still has that noise and 190,000 miles on it. If when and how can it be fixed?

- Belton, TX, USA

problem #347

Jun 252011

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
Power steering went out summer 2010; replaced power steering @40,000 miles. Now at 45,000 miles having same problem. Power steering goes out..no warning; have almost had several accidents because of it.

- Kilmarnock, VA, USA

problem #346

Jun 252011

Malibu

  • 87,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering would intermittently fail while driving 45 mph. In order to correct the failure, the contact would pull the vehicle over and restart it. The vehicle was never taken to any mechanic for inspection on the steering. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 87,000.

- Warner, OK, USA

problem #345

Jun 152011

Malibu

  • 60,000 miles
While driving, the service warning light would come on and the power steering assist would go away. I am left with no power assisted steering. This is a very scary and dangerous problem to have. Most of the time I have been able to pull over, shut off the car, and then steering would come back. This morning, the steering went out while driving on a curvy road. First the steering wheel shook while entering a turn, then I almost lost control and hit another car head-on with my kids in the car. As I searched the internet I discovered this problem has been reported thousands of times. How can this not be a recall" is it because enough people haven't died yet"

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #344

May 212011

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 66,000 miles
Electric assist power steering unit failed. Nearly causing a serious accident.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #343

Feb 152011

Malibu

  • 56,000 miles
My 2004 Chevy Malibu is having an issue with the power steering assist system. You lose power steering without warning. I contacted Chevy over this and they pretty much said there was nothing they could do. But there is numerous issues with this.

- Schuylkill Haven, PA, USA

problem #342

May 012007

Malibu

  • 43,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing a recurring failure in which the power steering would fail and the steering wheel would be very difficult to turn. The failure occurred while driving at various speeds. Whenever the failure occurred, the vehicle would be navigated to the emergency lane and shut off. After allowing the vehicle to cool down it would restart and function normally. During the failure, a power steering service light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that the failure only occurred during warm weather and the steering column was replaced prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on several occasions where the contact was informed the steering column needed the be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 43,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #341

Jun 152011

Malibu

  • 113,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact was driving 55 mph when the steering wheel locked abnormally and the contact was unable to maneuver the steering wheel. He also mentioned that the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer but the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance, stating that there were no recalls for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 113,000.

- Rockmart , GA, USA

problem #340

Jun 072011

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 89,330 miles
On Tuesday, June 7, 2011 the power steering on my 2004 Chevy Malibu ls suddenly went off while using the turn signal to change lanes at 5-10mph. A power steering problem was posted on the digital display and the car icon with a wrench lit up. Steering was very difficult, worse than manual and felt locked. I was terrified and immediately drove to the mechanic and left the car for them to inspect. They reported that the car started up properly and there was no problem with the power steering that they could detect. They drove it several times during the day but did not experience the power steering failure. Their research indicated that there were complaints on this model and the steering column may be defective. I also checked on the internet and found many complaints with the same problem. I believe that this problem is potentially a serious accident threat with possible death occurring and should be recommended for recall.

- Laguna Woods, CA, USA

problem #339

Mar 312011

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the vehicle would experience an intermittent failure in which the power steering would fail while driving at various speeds. During the failures, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. In order to regain power steering, the vehicle would be restarted. An independent mechanic was notified and the contact was informed a module within the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were unavailable.

- Electra, TX, USA

problem #338

May 242011

Malibu

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering stopped functioning with the illumination of the power steering warning light. The contact was able to apply extreme force to the steering wheel and maneuver the vehicle into a parking lot. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics and was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Festus, MO, USA

problem #337

May 232011

Malibu

  • 50,000 miles
I have a 2004 Chevy Malibu. I brought the car to the dealership for its 48K service and had steering trouble ever since. The problem started out easy to turn one way and hard to turn the other, then the difficulty would go away. After a week of this, it went out completely while turning into a parking lot. I had no power assisted steering at all and almost hit a parked car. After shutting off the engine and starting it back up again, it started working. Did bill gates help build this car"?" searching the web I found many, many complaints with the same type of concern. One person lost control and hit a guardrail. This has to be a safety issue and should be recalled. Thank you!

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #336

May 152008

Malibu

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel starting moving from left to right independently. The contact stated that the failure would also occur when driving at various speeds. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic where the steering rack was replaced but the repair did not remedy the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle was becoming unsafe to drive and he was fearful that the failure would cause a crash. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Bonner Springs, KS, USA

problem #335

Apr 292011

Malibu

  • 55,563 miles
I bought my 2004 Chevy Malibu about 2 weeks ago from a used car lot. A day and a half after I got the car I started having problems with the power steering. It would just lock up while driving. It is very dangerous. It is all I can do to get to the side of the road when this happens. I could be killed and so could my kids while riding with me. I had a used power steering motor put on, now I find out that I really should have had the whole power steering stuff replaced. All together the power steering has done this about 6 times since I got the car. After doing a lot of research online, I find that there are so many people with this same problem. How long do we have to wait for there to be a recall. Does there have to be a lot of deaths before someone will do something. It is a shame that GM does not care more about their customers than they do themselves.

- Waco, KY, USA

problem #334

May 082011

Malibu

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering was defective. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering column was not receiving the message to activate and caused the malfunction. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recall. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 81,000.

- Washingtonville , NY, USA

problem #333

May 032011

Malibu 6-cyl

  • 106,086 miles
Was making a sharp right turn from a full stop and the service engine light came on and the power steering ceased working as we turned into traffic. This is the first time it happened (5/3/2011), but we have only owned the car since 3/11/11. I have a mechanic looking into the issue, but online searches reveal that this is a known problem with 2004 Chevy Malibu's and was part of the reason for recalls of the 2005 model. Huge safety issue as the steering becomes almost impossible and the only known remedy is to shut off the engine and restart after which the power steering comes back.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #332

May 032010

Malibu

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the power steering would lock making it impossible to steer the vehicle. The dealer was contacted who stated that the steering column would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and current mileage was 99,500.

- Shawano, WI, USA

problem #331

Jul 122004

Malibu

  • 300 miles
In April of 2004 I purchased a Chevy Malibu with approx.12 miles on it, it ran fine for about 3 months until out of no warning as I was making a left turn at an intersection the steering wheel locked..the dealer replaced the steering column, and it worked fine, that is until now, seven years later the same thing has happened, now this time I realized some how if I restart the car the steering resets. I am afraid to drive it now, I have no warranty, and I think this should be a recall, because many others are experiencing the same problems.

- Robbins, IL, USA

problem #330

Apr 032011

Malibu

  • 203,000 miles
My 2004 Chevy Malibu lost power steering while driving. The power steering goes on and off (working some days and not on others). The power steering is currently out and I cannot drive the vehicle. The Chevy dealership states this is a problem with the Malibu but since it is not under warranty I will have to cover the cost.

- Maricopa, AZ, USA

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