2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

THE POWER STEERING WILL GO OFF AS YOU ARE DRIVING. SOMETIMES IT WILL JUST BECOME HARDER TO STEER AS YOU DECREASE SPEED, AND SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO STOP, TURN OFF THE MOTOR AND THE STEERING WILL RESET. VERY DISTURBING AND QUITE DANGEROUS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER DRIVING DURING THE DAY AT ANY SPEED, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,000. UPDATED 12/30/10. *LJ UPDATED 04/06/11

I'VE ONLY OWNED THE 2006 CHEVY MALIBU FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING BUT ON 9/27/2010 I WAS MAKING A SLOW TURN INTO A SCHOOL LOT AND THE STEERING WENT OUT THANKFULLY I WAS ALREADY COMING TO A STOP. IT ALSO HAS ALWAYS MADE A NOISE WHEN TURNING HOWEVER I DO NOT KNOW IF THESE PROBLEMS ARE RELATED. I CONTACTED MY LOCAL GM DEALER AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN SO WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. *TR

WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL AT SPEEDS UNDER 30 MPH, ELECTRIC ASSIST POWER STEERING WILL FREQUENTLY SHUT DOWN, WITH WARNING CHIME SOUNDING AND "POWER STEERING" WARNING DISPLAYED IN THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER (DIC). THE CAR CAN STILL BE STEERED BUT REQUIRES CONSIDERABLY GREATER EFFORT THAN A CAR WITH MANUAL STEERING. ONCE THE CAR IS PULLED OVER, TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, IT "RESETS" ITSELF, AND OPERATES NORMAL AGAIN UNTIL THE NEXT TIME IT OCCURS. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN MARCH OF 2009, WITH 71,000 MILES, AND HAS GOTTEN STEADILY WORSE OVER TIME. IT NOW HAS 105,000 MILES ON IT, AND NOW HAPPENS SO OFTEN (ABOUT 12-15 TIMES PER DAY), THAT THE CAR IS ALMOST UNDRIVEABLE. I'VE CONTACTED 3 DIFFERENT DEALERS, WHO ALL TELL ME THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF APPROX $1100, AS THERE ARE NO "SERVICEABLE" PARTS IN THE ELECTRIC STEERING SYSTEM. AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS IS THE EXACT SAME STEERING PROBLEM THAT GM ISSUED A RECALL FOR IN MARCH OF 2010, FOR CHEVY COBALTS AND PONTIAC G6'S, BUT WON'T RECALL MALIBUS, BECAUSE THERE HAVEN'T BEEN "ENOUGH" COMPLAINTS FILED YET. I DON'T HAVE $1100 TO FOR A NEW STEERING COLUMN THAT GM HAS ADMITTED IS A PROBLEM IN IT'S OTHER VEHICLES, BUT WON'T RECALL MINE BECAUSE NOT ENOUGH OWNERS HAVE YET TO FILE A COMPLAINT! *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHTS ON MY 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU LTZ SOMETIMES WORK THE OPPOSITE FROM HOW THEY SHOULD (I.E. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS APPLIED THE BRAKE LIGHTS GO OUT, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON). THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT; SOMETIMES THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORK NORMALLY. THE ISSUE WAS FIRST NOTICED ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A BRAKE LIGHT INDICATOR SWITCH SO THEY REPLACED IT. THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED WITHIN A MONTH. I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL IS AFFECTED BY WHATEVER IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHTS WORK NORMALLY, THE CRUISE CONTROL ALSO WORKS. WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE OPPOSITE FROM NORMAL THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT WORK. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY STIFF AND A POWER STEERING SERVICE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND SHUT OFF. UPON RESTART THE VEHICLE OPERATED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND SHE WAS INFORMED HER VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN AN UNKNOWN SPECIAL CAMPAIGN AND THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I WAS STAYING AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE IN SAN ANTONIO BECAUSE I HAD A COURT SETTING THERE. THE MORNING OF THE INCIDENT, I TURNED ON MY VEHICLE AND WAS HEADED TO THE COURTHOUSE. I WAS ABOUT TWO BLOCKS FROM MY FRIEND'S HOME WHEN I HEARD A DING AND A POWER STEERING MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE RADIO. MY POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY WENT OUT, AND I PULLED MYSELF INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. I CALLED A FRIEND FOR A RIDE AND WAS ABOUT TO CALL AAA WHEN I REALIZED I WAS IN THE WAY OF A SCHOOL BUS PICKING UP COLLEGE STUDENTS FROM THE COMPLEX. I TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON TO INCH UP A BIT, BUT I NOTICED THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING AGAIN. I RETURNED TO MY FRIEND'S HOME, GOT A RIDE TO THE COURTHOUSE, AND RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE. I FOUND SEVERAL OTHER REPORTS OF THIS KIND OF THING HAPPENING AND THAT IT WAS MOST LIKELY A COMPUTER GLITCH THAT COULD AND WOULD OCCUR AGAIN UNEXPECTEDLY. I TOOK MY CHANCES DRIVING BACK HOME TO AUSTIN THAT SAME DAY AND DID NOT TOUCH MY VEHICLE OVER THE WEEKEND. NOW THAT IT IS MONDAY, I WILL BE CALLING GM CUSTOMER SUPPORT. *TR

MY 2006 CHEVY MALIBU HAS HAD THE ELECTRIC STEERING GO OUT ON IT TWICE AND I CAN FEEL THAT IT IS NOW GOING FOR A THIRD TIME! I PURCHASED IT NEW. IT ONLY HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. STEERING IS SERIOUS AND I AM AFRAID IT MIGHT GO OUT WHEN I AM ON THE HIGHWAY! *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2006 MALIBU STOPS WORKING WHEN ACCELERATING OR MAINTAINING SPEED UP HILLS. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR IS LET UP THE STEERING STARTS WORKING AGAIN. IF YOU ARE IN A TURN WHEN THE POWER STEERING STARTS WORKING AGAIN THE CAR JERKS DRASTICALLY IN THE DIRECTION THE TIRES ARE TURNED. THIS STARTED AROUND 90,000 MILES. *TR

I HAVE 2006 CHEVY MALIBU MY FRIEND HAS 2006 CHEVY MALIBU BOTH VEHS MADE IN THE KANSAS CITY PLANT SHE REC'D LETTER THAT WAS A PROBLEM WITH POWER STEERING AND TO BRING VEH TO GM DEALER I DID NOT GET THAT LETTER CALLED GM THEY SAID MY VI# IS NOT INCLUDED BUT I HAD THAT SAME PROBLEM IN APRIL 2010 AND HAD IT REPAIRED $598.00 THEY SAID BECAUSE MY VIN # IS NOT ON LIST WILL NOT HONOR IT I HAVE CONTACTED BBB AND ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE AND SAID SHOULD CONTACT THIS OFFICE. ANY HELP FOR ME ON THIS. *TR