2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

POWER STEERING FAILS WHEN ACCELERATING, ESPECIALLY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. "POWER STEERING FAILURE" FLASHES ON THE CONSOLE AND CHIMES SOUND. FAILURE REQUIRES CAR TO BE STEERED USING BODILY FORCE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, AND HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS. POWER STEERING TURNS BACK ON ABOUT 1/2 SECOND AFTER RELEASING THE GAS PEDAL. DOES NOT OCCUR WITH ANY RELATIVE CONSISTENCY TO WARRANT TAKING IT TO THE DEALER. I HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING ANY RELEVANT RECALLS FOR THIS VEHICLE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE INTERSTATE AND HEARD A LOUD POP. SUDDENLY I AM SITTING SIDEWAYS IN THE DRIVER SEAT. AFTER PULLING OVER AND STOPPING, I NOTICED THAT THE SEAT BRACKET/SUPPORT HAD BROKE ON THE RIGHT SIDE, NEXT TO THE CONSOLE. I BOUGHT THE CAR USED IN APRIL 2012 AND HAVE A LIMITED WARRANTY THAT DOES NOT COVER THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM. IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR DEFECT? I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE CAR OR HAVING ANYONE AS PASSENGERS FOR FEAR OF LOOSING CONTROL IF THE LEFT SIDE BREAKS. I CONTACTED CHEVY DIRECTLY WITH THIS RESPONSE...PER OUR CONVERSATION THIS MORNING, I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT CHEVROLET IS NOT CONCERNED WITH THIS MATTER AS A SAFETY ISSUE WITH IT'S 2005 MALIBU DRIVER SEAT FRAMES. I PRAY THAT NO FATALITIES COME OF THIS POOR DECISION ON CHEVROLET'S PART. *TR

2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING *TGW THE DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILED POWER STEERING CONDITION. GM STATED THEY WOULD NOT AUTHORIZED A REPAIR THAT THE DEALER COULD NOT REPLICATE AFTER A TEST DRIVE. *JB

WE BOUGHT THIS CAR 4 YRS AGO IN AUG 2008 AT ONLY A FEW YRS OLD WE WERE VERY OPTIMISTIC THAT THE $ WE WERE SPENDING ON IT WOULD BE WORTH THE LESS UPKEEP THAN THAT OF THE 1994 CROWN VIC THAT WE TRADED IN (& MY HUSBANDS 78 OLDS THAT HAS ALWAYS REQUIRED MORE WORK THAN IT PUT OUT SINCE HE PURCHASED IT WHEN WE MET BACK IN 06). SINCE IT WAS A FEW YRS OLD WE THOUGHT THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO WARRANTY ON OUR NEW "USED" CAR, WE WOULD BE OK. WE WERE WRONG. THE FIRST PROBLEM WE NOTICED WAS THE ALIGNMENT WHICH MAKES THE CAR SHAKE/VIBRATE AT SPEEDS 60+ & OUR FIRST VACATION WE TOOK IT ON WHICH WE ONLY DROVE 4-5 HRS THERE & WE ENDED UP WITH 2 FLAT TIRES ON THE WAY. THEN THE HEADLIGHTS & BLINKERS HAD TO BE REPLACED (FULL UNITS) BC BOTH OF THEM KEPT GIVING OUT & THE BULBS WEREN'T THE PROBLEMS & I KEPT GETTING TRAFFIC TICKETS BC I WASN'T ALWAYS AWARE WHEN ONE WOULD GO OUT. OUR 2 BIGGEST PROBLEMS TO DATE HAVE BEEN OUR FUEL SENSOR/ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHICH QUIT WORKING AFTER 1 YR & I HAVE RUN OUT OF GAS 10 TIMES BC IT ISN'T EASY TO KEEP UP WITH MILES/DATES & I HAVE KIDS SO FILLING UP EVERY DAY ISN'T EASY EITHER AS WELL AS THE LOCKS/BUTTONS ON THE DRIVERS DOOR THAT DO NOT WORK & I HAVE TO OPEN MY TRUNK WITH A KEY & HAD TO PAY $ TO GET AUTO LOCK SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO MANUALLY LOCK THE DOORS W/ THE KEYS & THE TRANSMISSION/MOTOR WE HAD TO PAY $2750 TO REPLACE BC THE LAST ONE COMPLETELY GAVE OUT RESULTING IN THE CAR NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN WHATSOEVER & MY HUSBAND HAVING TO LITERALLY PUSH MY NEUTRAL CAR WITH HIS BC WE DIDN'T HAVE THE $ AT THE TIME TO FIX IT.. BESIDES THESE PROBLEMS THERE ARE THE SEATS (PLASTIC PANELS) FALLING/CRACKING APART, WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD BC ANYTIME IT RAINED OUR SEATS WOULD BE COMPLETELY SOAKED.. & MANY OTHER PROBLEMS I STILL DEAL WITH. KEEP IN MIND FOR THE 4 YRS I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR I HAVEN'T WRECKED IT & MY HUSBAND KEEPS IT UP (CHANGES OIL, BRAKES,ETC). *TR

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN JUNE 2007 WHICH HAD A WARRANTY AND I PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM TRENOR MOTORS, URBANA, OHIO. IN OCTOBER OF 2007 I NOTICED A CLUNKING NOISE WHEN I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING RACK. WITHIN A YEAR, APPROXIMATELY SEPTEMBER 2008 THE NOISE CAME BACK AND AGAIN THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING RACK. AFTER TWO MONTHS WENT BY THE NOISE RETURNED AND THEY SAID THAT THEY GOT A BAD STEERING RACK AND REPLACED IT AGAIN. APPROXIMATELY 9 MONTHS LATER IN 2009 THE NOISE RETURNED AND THEY SAID THAT THE A SLEEVE NEEDED TO BE LUBRICATED WHICH SEEM TO HELP HOWEVER, AROUND AUGUST OF 2010 THE NOISE RETURNED AND THE DEALER LUBRICATED IT AGAIN WHICH HELPED FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS. IN MAY OF 2011 THE NOISE RETURNED SO WE CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY TOLD US THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIRS/REPLACEMENTS SINCE THE CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH HEADLIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING. THE CONTACT EXAMINED THE HEADLIGHTS AND NOTICED THAT THE BULBS BURNED OUT AND MELTED THE HOUSING ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE TURN SIGNALS CONTINUED TO BURN OUT. THE CONTACT STATED THE TURN SIGNAL BULBS WOULD FAIL IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEY WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE TEST RESULTS SHOWED A DEFECTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT BOTH HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 86,987. UPDATED 9/13/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE LACK OF THE FRONT TURN SIGNALS FAILED TO WARN ONCOMING TRAFFIC, THAT HE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF TURNING AND COULD RESULT IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. UPDATED 09/20/12

THE DRIVERS SEAT FRAME BROKE AND I HAD TO REPLACE. ALSO THE CAR MAKES A POPPING NOISE WHEN STEERED. CURRENTLY TRYING TO GET THAT INTO THE DEALER BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN DOING IT FOR ALMOST A YEAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WOULD REFUEL THE FUEL TANK TO CAPACITY AND THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD PROVIDE AN INACCURATE READING OF EMPTY. THE FUEL GAUGE WOULD CHIME AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE FOR INSPECTION BY A MECHANIC AND WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSIS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE AND PROVIDED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, A CHIME SOUNDED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. IMMEDIATELY, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TIMES. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED AS NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE POWER STEERING COLUMN AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE MALFUNCTION. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.