2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

MY POWER STEERING RANDOMLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING. I BELIEVE AT ONE POINT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, WAITED FOR A WHILE, AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING. THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE TIMES WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REACH TO THE DESTINATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF MILEAGE AND WARRANTY, AND DID NOT OFFER FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.

WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH TC LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON WHILE THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND TO THE WHEEL TURNING OR TO THE BREAKS BEING PRESSED TO THE FLOOR. ABOUT 20 MILES LATER WHILE SLOWING FROM 20 MPH THE TC LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND THE BREAKS FAILED TO WORK CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO STOP WHEN NEEDED. CHECKED ALL TIRES EACH TIME TO MAKE SURE NO FLATS OR OBVIOUS ISSUES AND THERE WERE NONE.

INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN A REQUIREMENT TO DRIVE WITH ONLY MANUAL STEERING WHICH REQUIRES GREATER FORCE AND LOWERS THE ABILITY TO REACT QUICKLY TO TRAFFIC PATTERS DRAMATICALLY. THIS HAPPENS BOTH WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND STOPPED. TURNING THE POWER ON AND OFF RESULTS IN TEMPORARILY RESTORING POWER STEERING. WORTH NOTING, GM SAID THE RECALL WAS CLOSED FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THE REPAIR WAS ALREADY PERFORMED, BUT FAILED TO BRING RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THEIR SENSOR THAT IS NOW NOT FUNCTIONING AGAIN. PRESUMABLY VEHICLE WAS FIXED WITH ANOTHER FAULTY PART FROM GM OR WAS NEVER ACTUALLY FIXED TO BEGIN WITH. THIS PROBLEM CREATES A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR BOTH THE DRIVER AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.

AS I WAS DRIVING LAST WEEK THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE AND I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON. THE FOLLOWING DAY, WHILE BACKING UP, A BELL BEGAN RINGING AND I COULDN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. I THEN NOTICED THE POWER STEERING LIGHT WAS FLASHING. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED THE CAR UP AND TURNED IT OFF. I PHONED THE CHEVROLET COMPANY BOTH IN TOWN AND THE ONE ON THE WEBSITE AND ASKED, " WAS THERE A RECALL ON THE STEERING WHEEL" WAS TOLD NO. I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO THE COMPANY AND WAS CHARGED $109.00, THEN WAS TOLD I NEED TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING ASSIST MOTOR MODULE WITH AN ESTIMATED COST OF $807.14 AND IF THAT DOESN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM; I WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE A TORQUE SENSOR WITH AN ESTIMATED COST OF $1269.54. I INFORMED THE COMPANY I DIDN'T FEEL THAT'S FAIR BECAUSE PROBLEM IT IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEM, NOT ANYTHING I DID. I WAS TOLD IT ISN'T UNDER WARRANTY, HOWEVER, BASED ON THE RESEARCH I'VE DONE, I THOUGHT AS LONG AS THE PART WAS IN STOCK IT CAN BE REPLACED. A REPRESENTATIVE WAS TRYING TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY BUT I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT ISN'T, DUE TO THIS BEING A SAFETY ISSUE. I'M CONFUSE WHEN CERTAIN MALIBU'S HAD THIS RECALL, WHY ALL OF THEM WEREN'T AT LEAST CHECKED. I WAS ALSO TOLD THE CAR IS OLD, I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT IT'S MINE AND IT'S ALL I HAVE AND I HAVE TAKEN GOOD CARE OF THE CAR AND IT HAS TAKEN CARE OF ME, NOT ONLY THAT I CAN'T AFFORD A NEW CAR WITH A PART-TIME JOB. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY COMPLAINT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE POWER STEERING SEIZED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON, AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE MALFUNCTIONED AND NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED OR REPLACED. JOSEPH CHEVROLET (8733 COLERAIN AVE, CINCINNATI, OH 45251, (513) 741-6700) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V064000 (STEERING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

ON 11-18-2017 THE STEERING WHEEL ON THIS CAR STARTS TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH BY ITSELF. WHEN DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING, THEN STARTS WORKING. YOU CAN HEAR A NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN LIKE CRACKLING. SOUNDS LIKE A SENSOR LOOKING FOR SOMETHING. WHEN POWER STEERING IS OUT, CAR CAN BARELY BE TURNED. THIS CAR DID HAVE THE STEERING RECALL WORK DONE ON IT A FEW YEARS AGO. HAVEN'T TALKED TO MY DEALER YET. VERY DANGEROUS. STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT PREPARING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TURNED INTO A FUEL STATION WHERE THE VEHICLE REMAINED. THE CONTACT CALLED PARK CHEVROLET KERNERSVILLE (615 NC-66, KERNERSVILLE, NC 27284, PHONE NUMBER: (336) 310-0238) AND WAS INFORMED THAT A RECALL REPAIR WAS ALREADY PERFORMED IN 2015. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT A RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED IN NOVEMBER OF 2014 AND DID NOT OFFER FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 238,000.

STEERING LOCKS UP. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE FEW MONTHS I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENS MOST OFTEN WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN WHILE ACCELERATING (SUCH AS TURNING LEFT ONTO A BUSY ROAD). SOMETIMES IT HAPPENED UPON ACCELERATION WITHOUT TURNING. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THIS SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, HOWEVER, WHEN I TYPE IN MY VIN NUMBER, NOTHING COMES UP. IT IS MOST DEFINITELY A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH NEEDS TO BE FIXED ASAP. I CANNOT AFFORD TO DO IT AT THIS TIME. PLEASE TELL ME IF PERHAPS MY VIN JUST DOESN'T SHOW UP, BUT I MAY BE ABLE TO GET IT FIXED AT NO CHARGE DUE TO THE RECALL THAT INVOLVES VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS/HAZARDS.

ENGINE HAS BEGUN MALFUNCTIONING FOR NO REASON. EXPERIENCED PROBLEM 5 TIMES IN PAST WEEK. 1) VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH ON FREEWAY. TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. RADIO INDICATED "REDUCE ENGINE POWER". I RELEASED GAS PEDAL. RADIO THEN INDICATED "ENGINE DISABLED," AND ENGINE SHUT OFF. COASTED TO A STOP. TURNED KEY TO "OFF" POSITION. TRIED TO RESTART, BUT WOULD NOT CRANK (EVERYTHING WAS COMPLETELY SILENT). TRIED TO CRANK AGAIN A MINUTE LATER. ENGINE STARTED WITHOUT HESITATION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, BUT IMMEDIATELY WENT OFF. DROVE STRAIGHT TO MECHANICAL WITHIN 5 MILES. THERE WERE NO CODES TO READ. 2) VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 30 MPH ON CITY STREET, MOVING FORWARD. TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. RADIO READ "REDUCE ENGINE POWER" AND WITHIN A FEW SECONDS CHANGED TO "ENGINE DISABLED" AS ENGINE SHUT DOWN. STOPPED CAR. WOULD NOT CRANK. REMOVED KEY AND WAITED ONE MINUTE. CAR CRANKED AND DROVE WITH NO PROBLEM AND NO INDICATOR LIGHTS. 3) VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY IN DRIVEWAY. TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON. RADIO INDICATED "REDUCE ENGINE POWER" AND THEN "ENGINE DIABLED". ENGINE SHUT DOWN. TURNED KEY TO "OFF" POSITION. WAITED ONE MINUTE. CAR STARTED AND RAN WITH NO PROBLEM AND NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ON. 4) SAME INCIDENT IN SAME ORDER WHILE TRAVELING 45 MPH ON SERVICE ROAD. 5) HAPPENED IN SAME MANNER WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPH ON FREEWAY.