6.7

fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,080
Average Mileage:
60,250 miles
Total Complaints:
6 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (3 reports)
  2. replace steering position sensor (3 reports)
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problem #6

Jan 102011

Malibu LS

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,778 miles

I have joined the I hate Chevrolets Club and will never even look at another one.....We got this 2006 Malibu Aug/2009 .......17 months ago and it has cost us. Replacing the Rack & pinion was 600.00, just 9 months after we bought this lemon. Problem #1

- Kathleen W., Summerside, PEI, Canada

problem #5

Jul 152008

Malibu LS 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles

2006 Malibu, paid cash for it, steering started going after only 2 years, dealer did a quick fix, but told us it may still act up, THEN they would fix it right. Well it's out of warranty now, and guess what?? its acting up again...GM SUCKS... I'm a single mom and too bad for me I guess...Thanks U.S. Government for helping to keep crooks in business

- Sharon S., Lackawanna, NY, US

problem #4

May 122009

Malibu LT 3.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 67,000 miles

alignment center told me the computer can't determine where center of steering should be so car will always steer to the left until fixed. has a bad pull to the left. this is the worse car I've ever owned, I have other complaints in other areas.

- Gary T., Louisville, KY, US

problem #3

Dec 222009

Malibu LS 3.5L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles

Ridic, When is GM gonna offer the extended warranty for the 2006 vechiles on steering problems as well. Obviously at 57,000 miles you shouldnt have to replace the steering console on a vechile

- lindosky, Vancouver, WA, US

problem #2

Sep 012009

Malibu 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles

When making a left turn at slow speed, power steering would fail and light would show power steering problem on the radio part of the computer. Car had to be manually steered in right direction and then turned off and restarted to correct this problem. Very dangerous out in traffic. We had the car fixed but learned, after the fact, that 2004 cars had been recalled for the same problem. We contacted Chevrolet about this and was told that there was nothing they would do about it because this was a 2006 and there was no recall on 2006. We are sure that Chevrolet used up any steering columns they had in stock after the 2004 recall to manufacture the 2005 and 2006 cars hoping that they would only have a few that was bad and not enough for a recall. Well, we are one of the ones that got a bad one.

Since then, we have talked to a repair shop who has said that they have had 2 complaints in the last 2 weeks besides us on this same problem. Also, we talked with someone that had the same problem on a 2005 Malibu and they have been working with Chevrolet to get this resolved and Chevrolet is doing nothing. This is my last Chevrolet. I am looking for a car now to replace a 2004 Chrysler but will not even consider a Chevrolet. You wonder why they needed a bailout. This is a good reason why. People have Honda's, Toyota's, Hyundai's and other foreign cars nd love them. Well, this is not so with American made cars. I have always bought American, but have a bad taste now and will steer as far away from Chevrolet or GMC as I can. This is truely there problem, but they will not admit to it so the expense is on me.

Update from Feb 25, 2010: Since original problem was reported, we have had the car in 2 more times to replace the same part. The last time we put the car in, the whole steering column was replaced at an additional cost of almost $500 for just the parts. The shop that did the work did not charge us labor which would have been another $400 to $500 but because we continued to have the same problem (that they had fixed twice) they just charged us for parts. Just replaced one of our cars but did not even consider a GMC product and then they wonder why they are having financial problems.

- David C., Chester, VA, US

problem #1

Jul 082008

Malibu V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,465 miles

I bought this supposedly new 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. An after two years I need over $1,000 worth of work done to my car. When I finally got in touch with general motors I was asked several stupid questions such as how many turns do you make and why did you put so many miles on your car. If I knew I had to keep up with the amount of turns I made I would have never bought the car and I do realize that for two years those are a lot of miles, but I did take a lot of vacations during those two years and that is why I spent the $20,000 to get me a reliable safe to travel car. I have not yet received an answer on why the steering position would go out in a two year old car. The sad part about this is that I found a letter from General Motors that stats on their 2005 models this exact same problem would happen and they would fix this problem at no cost to the consumer. Now that my car is 2006 they are telling me that this problem could not happen in my car.

- Tosha P., Lithonia, GA, US