10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
12 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,373 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu:

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

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #173

Sep 202022

Malibu

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel felt loose and unstable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering). An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Stockbridge, MI, USA

problem #172

Aug 192022

Malibu

  • miles
When I cranked my car, the power steering immediately went out. I had no previous issues and the car uses an electrical power steering component that does not allow me to add fluid.

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #171

Jul 082022

Malibu

  • miles
My 2011 malibu has approx 170000 miles. was driving on the highway when one by one, low fuel range, tire pressure, and antitheft lights illuminated blinking in dash. The radio flickers like loosing power, the car jerks pulling hard to right side and the power steering goes out and the car literally shuts down in drive on the highway not even giving me time to get off road. Pushed car to side of road. When i try and restart engine turns but sputters like out of gas. Again and again i try until the battery is dead but car wouldnt stay running. I check battery terminals and fuses, a friend brings gallon of gas and jumps car. Same result. I have towed home. I put battery on charger put battery back in car and it starts immediately and stays running. Again i try to go to town. The same thing happens 2 miles further from where it previously did, this time the ESC was added to the others illuminating on dash. I tried the same things i did before getting same result. I take battery call a ride and go home to put battery on charger. When i return 48 hours later and put battery in, it cranks right up.

- Hamilton, GA, USA

problem #170

May 232022

Malibu

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud cracking sound coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, the wheels failed to respond while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was similar to the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #169

Apr 132022

Malibu

  • miles
Warranty policy 15356 on Torque Sensor Steering Wheel. Replaced and repaired by Chevrolet dealership in 2018. Reocccured problem started again on April 13th, 2022. Code ESC power steering started May 6th, 2022 but shaking, vibration, and "twitching" started April 13th, 2022. When turning on the vehicle now the code will show and the steering wheel will lock not allowing power steering. In 2018 this code would show up during driving and lock up not allowing you to use power steering.

- Des Moines, IA, USA

problem #168

Apr 062022

Malibu

  • miles
I drove my car to a store and parked, when I returned and proceeded to backup, the steering wheel locked and I couldn-??t drive and was stuck in the road. Finally after a while I turned the ignition off and back on and was able to drive home. There was no advance warning that The power the steering needed to be serviced.

- Hyattsville , MD, USA

problem #167

Mar 232022

Malibu

  • 150,719 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure multiple times. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,719.

- Mckeesport, PA, USA

problem #166

Feb 282022

Malibu

  • miles
Airbag light and ESC power steering light on at the same time. Service ESC on and of on the screen and after awhile the steering wheel locked and I lost control of my direction while I am turning left on a traffic light. I end up in a ditch. I took it to Chevy service dealership and they find out a diffect on steering torque sensor shaft and they recommend me to replace it. They ask me $1024 for labor and part.

- St. Anthony , MN, USA

problem #165

Feb 112022

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
Chevy is aware that around 90k miles the ESC light comes on indicating that the torque sensor has gone bad and indicating you are about to lose power steering. My car is 93k miles, this light came on and the power steering is completely out. My 16 year old son drives this car. This is a major safety issue and Chevy/GM say the special coverage expired in 10/2021 so they will not pay for the repair. Chevy/GM is allowing customers to drive like this without helping.

- Rockton, IL, USA

problem #164

Feb 022022

Malibu

  • miles
While I was driving in the freeway steering wheel became hard. The dash said service ecs, ecs off. Pulled over turned car off and once turned on again car was driving perfectly fine. The dashboard no longer indicated any issues or messages.

- Buckeye, AZ, USA

problem #163

Feb 102022

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving up a hill and my Service ESC power steering came up and I suddenly couldn-??t turn my steering wheel so it had locked up-?? I slowed down and drove closes to the side of the road as I could safe as possible -?? after research online I notice this has happen to several others at this mileage and that there was a recall on esc system

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #162

Jan 212022

Malibu

  • miles
MAP sensor was physically broken and replaced during a particularly cold snap (below -10 degrees F), but the check engine light and "Service ESC, " "Service Traction, " and "ESC off" messages continued to appear in the following weeks. Acceleration repeatedly dropped off for a split second, and would continue to dip and return until I let off the accelerator and tried again. This acceleration problem always coincided with the three ESC/Traction messages listed above, and happened multiple times every time I drove it. During a second trip to the mechanic, some "frayed wiring" was replaced and the throttle relearned, but the symptoms continued as before, prior to the MAP sensor replacement and the wiring repair. The symptoms progressed to delayed, pulsing acceleration, not just dropping out. The following week, the power steering went out while driving, preceded by a gentle automated jerking on the steering wheel upon startup. The mechanic confirmed that it was electrical, nothing wrong with the physical components.

- Little Canada, MN, USA

problem #161

Dec 062021

Malibu

  • miles
My power steering randomly goes out and the warning lights come on. It-??s hard to diagnose, as it doesn-??t show up as an error and happens randomly. The wheel locks up and with no distinguishable pattern. Once I turn off the engine and start it up again, the issue seemingly disappears and I can drive as normal. Issue started around 120k, and I-??m currently at 127k. Between then and now, it-??s locked up about 5-6 times. Thankfully, it hasn-??t happened while around others in traffic so far. But it-??s definitely concerning since it-??s my daily driver. Got a diagnostic done, but nothing shows up/no error codes.

- Jackson, MS, USA

problem #160

Jan 152022

Malibu

  • miles
Power steering went completely out as I'm driving down the road! It's only got around 65k miles maybe 66k, not that many miles at all for this to have happened. And they were aware of the issue as well. Now I'm out my car, I am in-between jobs at the moment, no money, and no transportation for my wife and I!! No way to go to job interviews, her very important medical appointments, and everything else!! I do not have the money to take to the shop, I don't have the knowledge either to do such a major task like that, not do I even have the space to work on it myself or anyone else for that matter.its winter time, And this car is my home, Soo now what are we supposed to do? It's unsafe to drive, and will probably just make it worse, more wear and tear on other parts by driving it the way it is now

- Ligonier, IN, USA

problem #159

Jan 052022

Malibu

  • 84,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the ESC warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

- Montgomery, IL, USA

problem #158

Jan 112022

Malibu

  • miles
The power steering in the car has went out and its incredibly hard to steer the car.

- Saint Joseph, MO, USA

problem #157

Sep 142021

Malibu

  • miles
Power steering would go in and out while driveing makeing i hard to turn wheel. 137,000 miles had to have steering column replaced $1900 just for the dealer to replace this part.

- Indian Head , MD, USA

problem #156

Oct 282021

Malibu

  • miles
The steering wheel just shaking and doesn-??t move is hard to move. The light in the board say steering wheel problem.

- Mchenry , IL, USA

problem #155

Sep 012020

Malibu

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed with the StabiliTrak warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact called a dealer and was given an estimate for the repair which he declined. As the failure persisted, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the loss of power steering assist. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not under recall and that the warranty for the power steering assist had expired. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000

- Burgaw, NC, USA

problem #154

Apr 282021

Malibu

  • miles
This incident occurred in my 2011 Chevy Malibu with less than 44,000 miles on it. The ESC Service Power Steering light comes on, along with the traction light on the dash and the vehicle loses power steering. Initially (the first week or two) the problem corrected itself when the vehicle was shut off and started again. It got increasingly worse over the course of 2 weeks- then the power steering was gone. The car was very difficult to steer and almost couldn't turn. There were times when the steering wheel would suddenly jerk by itself and almost 'lock up.' Very dangerous. I learned this is "very common" in this vehicle. The service person I spoke with on the phone knew exactly what I was talking about. Research I've done shows this has been an ongoing problem with this vehicle since 2004, yet there is only a limited recall. Of course mine is not covered (with only 44K miles on it). Repairs cost me $747.54 (after $100 discount was given to me by the service people.) That is half the amount I make in a month. I found it kind of them to take on a problem that GM should be addressing.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »