10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 6 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 50,647 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I was driving my son to work and I lost all power to my vehicle. I had no brakes, power steering and my engine light came on and battery light came on as well. I managed not get in a accident and get into a parking lot. Thank god. My backlights have had issues as well they have stayed on and have cuased me to get pulled over by the police.
- Sault Ste Marie, MI, USA
On the first incident I was driving home from work. It had been raining earlier so I was going slower than usual. While driving the steering would veer to L or R and act as if it were stiffening. I took it into the dealer who said they could find nothing wrong that it was probably "just the rain". the following week it did the same thing, no rain! this has progressively gotten worse and I have taken in for a repeat trip to be told the same thing, tires are fine, etc.......yet while traveling down highway/interstate the steering tends to lock/stick and require force which is dangerous!
- Calhoun, GA, USA
I recently just bought a 2013 Chevy Malibu and I was excited, now I am just having regrets. I have noticed that my steering wheel locks up at or around 45 mph and over. My car starts to drift towards the yellow or white line, and I will try to make the minor adjustments (just like I would in any other vehicle) and I find myself tugging pretty forcefully to break it free, which then results in my car jerking over quickly in the other direction and then I have to try to correct my direction again. It also happens while I'm on the highway going around a corner at 55 mph. I can't take it on the freeways either knowing that I can barely handle my car at 55 mph, let alone how I would manage at 65-70 mph with a lot more traffic and barriers without possibly hitting something. I even had passengers make comments about my driving, saying they feel like they are a ping pong ball and that I need to learn how to drive. I assure you I have been driving for a long time and have drove many other vehicles, including my mother's Chevy Avalanche, and I have never had this problem. I can't enjoy driving the only newest vehicle I have ever had and I certainly can't have anyone in the vehicle with me anymore, especially my 1 year old niece, because it is not safe and now I'm taking it to my dealer later this week. While on the phone with my dealer, they were trying to say that there probably isn't a problem because I never owned a Chevy previously and that I was just not use to the way the newer vehicles handle. I even mentioned that my brother has a 2013 Chevy Malibu and is having the same problems so it's not just a random occurrence. I am not a vehicle expert, but I know this is a serious problem and now I dread driving my vehicle for fear of causing an accident and/or injuring others. General Motors definitely needs to look into this issue before serious injuries or fatalities occur.
- Wabeno, WI, USA
Steering was great up to about 7000 miles, then gradually seem to lose its centering capability. Steady driving, especially highway cruising, began to require constant corrections and each correction became an overcorrection because the steering wheel seemed to be stuck in position. The jerk from being stuck causes another overcorrection the other direction. Driving the car has become very annoying, and I suspect will even become a hazard very shortly. I now have 12K miles. My second visit to the dealer (about 10K miles) resulted in not being able to find the problem. Will try again next week.
- Olive Branch, MS, USA
The steering continually locks up while driving on the interstate. It takes a sharp pull to get it unlocked. This seems to happen when I go over 40mph.
- Albany, IN, USA
Steering has a dead spot at neutral as though the steering locks up and a force must be applied to break it loose. Discrepancy occurs at highway speeds above 50 mph. Problem is intermittent but is increasing in frequency of occurrence. Dealer says nothing is wrong. Suspect a problem in electric power steering computer programming.
- Poplar Grove, IL, USA
While driving at approximately 60 mph the steering gets stuck and I have to pull it back to the right. This has happened several times. I took it back to the dealer and there is no recall on the power assist at this time. I feel that with the steering getting stuck I may have a hard time getting it back so as to cause an accident. Please look into this steering mechanism.
- North Dighton, MA, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel exhibited a slight delay and a jerking motion. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis where they informed the contact that the failure was contributed to a computer glitch. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
- Memphis, TN, USA
While driving, the power steering abruptly ceased working and a service warning came on. There was no prior warning or problem. After pulling over, stopping the auto and a wait of 90 minutes, the problem went away. The dealer "reprogrammed and initialized power steering module, cleared code and confirmed repairs".
- Canandaigua, NY, USA
Driving alone in the car on a smooth dry road with hills at 40 - 55mph the steering would pull the car off the centerline and then stick until I pulled it back to center. Not a lot of force required to bring back on center but it continued to do it numerous times. It appeared the wander was not due to road surface conditions but something going on with the steering assembly. The sticking condition is of major concern as loss of control was a possibility because it was happening at a higher speeds on a hilly two lane road. It feels like something is allowing the assist to lighten up then something jams until a slight correction unlocks it.there is very little normal road feel through the steering when this occurs. I have driven this route a number of times before without incident and around town at low speeds it is fine.I should mention this model is the ltz with wide tires (19 inch Goodyear Eagle rsa: Horrible traction in snow but very good on dry road surface) that are inflated to the proper 35psi all around per the operators instructions. I should also mention that my previous car was a 2005 Malibu with electric steering so I am quite familiar with this type assist and that one never behaved like this. I don't know what the dealer can do for me because it has only done this once so far and appears normal once again. I am very concerned about driving this car at high speeds at this point.
- South Euclid, OH, USA
The steering continually locks up while driving on the interstate. It takes a sharp pull to get it unlocked. This could be dangerous and seems to only happy at high speeds.
- Leitchfield, KY, USA
When driving on the interstate the steering seems to lock up and then the car will slightly drift and then you have to pull on the steering wheel to break/ unlock the steering wheel. It makes a very jerky movement that can be unsafe.
- Leitchfield, KY, USA
When driving in a straight line one has to correct to keep on going straight and in doing so there is a slight bump in the steering, almost as though the steering wheel doesn't want to turn but with a little mote effort it gets over the bump.
- Brook Park, OH, USA
Erratic steering when traveling at highway speeds, when in the left lane the car will always drift towards the ditch after a few feet. When in the right lane the car will always drift into the left lane within a few feet. Also have issue with a 'lock' in the steering wheel, when driving for a couple of miles, when turning left or right, have to give steering wheel extra push to make it move, it feels like the steering wheel is locked in place. Extra push is given then I over steer into another lane and need to correct into my lane. Looks like I am swerving when this happens.
- Albertville, MN, USA
The car appears to have no center. Sometimes it pulls left and sometimes it pulls right. When I go to correct the issue the car doesn't respond right away, then it over corrects. The car never rides in the center anymore. I am constantly having to move the steering wheel to keep the car going straight. I feel like someone is going to report me for drunk driving or that I am going to get pulled over for it. I have taken it to the dealership twice for it and they "cannot duplicate" and tell me that it's normal for the car to drive that way because its all electric now. The car did not drive like this when I bought it less than a year ago. If it did, I would have not purchased it.
- Newburgh , IN, USA
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the power steering assist became inoperable. The vehicle was able to be driven after the failure occurred. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000...updated 03/18/14 the dealer was unable to replicate the problem. However, they were aware of the issue. Updated 03/21/14
- Fall River, MA, USA
Steering wheel seems to lock and needs a hard pull to turn wheel, I have noticed this issue on other trips. I came home checked on line to see if this problem is something other owners experience and I see it is. This issue should be addressed for safety reasons!
- Lowell, MA, USA
While driving on long straight stretches of smooth road (I.e. interstate) the steering system appears to take a "set" when making small steering corrections. This manifests as a slight bump or resistance when attempting to turn the wheel to the right. It is an intermittent problem, and never appears during periods of much steering activity (I.e. lots of turns, town driving, etc.) in my case it usually appears on long trips, and at speeds above 60 mph, on roads where very little steering input is needed. This is a common problem with Malibu as attested to by the Chevrolet owners forum. Extremely hard for dealers service to duplicate due to the intermittent nature of the problem.
- Broken Arrow, OK, USA
Dead spot at dead center. Takes extra force to make very small adjustments to push through the force - making a much larger output than normal input. Feels dangerous.
- Renton, WA, USA
- Willow Springs, IL, USA