2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

I NOTICED THAT MY PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LIGHTS WERE VERY DIM IN FURTHER INVESTIGATION I LEARNED MY PASSENGER SIDE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT ILLUMINATING AT ALL WHEN I PUSH MY BRAKE PEDAL AND WHEN THE PEDAL IS PUSHED THE TAIL LIGHTS DO NOT ILLUMINATE AT ALL AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES INTO MY BLINKER, REVERSING INDICATOR, ETC.. ALSO WHEN I CHECK MY VIN IT TELLS ME THERE ARE NO ACTIVE RECALLS FOR MY CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE POWER STEERING OPERATED NORMALLY ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 09/05/14*LJ UPDATED 12/15/2014 *JS

AROUND MARCH 2013, I FIRST BEGAN TO ENCOUNTER PROBLEMS WITH MY POWER STEERING. IT BEGAN AT A LOW SPEED WITH A CHIME, A MESSAGE DISPLAY SAYING TO CHECK THE POWER STEERING, AND MY WHEEL LOCKING UP (POWER STEERING FAIL). AT THE TIME, I DID NOT THINK MUCH OF IT BECAUSE AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING SEEMED FINE. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN THE CHIME WOULD SOUND AND THE MESSAGE WOULD FLASH BUT THE POWER STEERING STILL SEEMED TO WORK. I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR OTHER ISSUES AND HAD THIS CHECKED OUT AT THE SAME TIME. THE TROUBLE CODE IN THE SYSTEM WAS C0545 FOR TORQUE SENSOR INPUT FAILURE. MY MECHANIC EXPLAINED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND EVEN CHECKED FOR A RECALL AT THAT TIME. I LEFT WITH MY CAR THAT DAY DUE TO HAVING TO WAIT FOR PARTS. TWO DAYS LATER WHILE DRIVING 45MPH, THE POWER STEERING ENTIRELY FAILED. IT FELT AS IF MY WHEEL LOCKED ENTIRELY. LUCKILY THERE WERE NOT MANY CARS ON THE ROAD AND I WAS ABLE TO DIRECT IT INTO A PARKING LOT. MY CAR WAS TAKEN BACK IN IMMEDIATELY AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. THIS REPAIR COST AROUND $500. IN JULY 2014, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT GM FINALLY ISSUED A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. SO, I CALLED GM TO TO SUBMIT MY INFORMATION TO BE REIMBURSED. I WAS TOLD THAT ONLY SOME 2006 MALIBUS WERE BEING RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE AND THAT MY 2006 MALIBU WAS NOT ONE OF THEM...EVEN THOUGH MY 2006 MALIBU HAD THE PROBLEM THEY WERE RECALLING FOR! COME TO FIND OUT, THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER 2006 MALIBU OWNERS. NEEDLESS TO SAY, GM HAS DONE A TERRIBLE JOB CORRECTING A SERIOUS MISTAKE. *JS

THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. THIS IS A COMPLAINT ABOUT MY 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. I RECEIVED THREE RECALL NOTICES, NOS. 14152, 13036 AND14116 FROM THE CHEVROLET CO. ALL THREE DESCRIBE VERY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS THAT MAY OCCUR WHILE DRIVING MY CAR. THEY ARE NOTIFYING ME THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE PARTS TO REPAIR MY CAR BUT WILL NOTIFY ME WHEN THEY ARE SENT TO MY DEALER. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS. WHILE DRIVING MY CAR ON A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY I MAY EXPERIENCE A TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE FRACTURE, A POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE OR AN INCREASED RESISTANCE IN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE CONNECTION SYSTEM. DOES THIS MEAN I SHOULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR UNTIL THE COMPANY CAN MAKE THE REPAIRS? ALL SOUND LIKE SERIOUS FAILURES. ARE YOU AWARE THE CHEVROLET COMPANY IS SENDING THESE OUT TO COVER THEMSELVES IF A FAILURE OCCURS? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) UPDATED 7/22/2015*JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V224000. (POWER TRAIN). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE.

PER NHTSA BULLETIN 10020816 AND GM BULLETIN 060232007 COVERING STEERING INPUT SHAFT #22687711. THIS SHAFT BEGINS TO MAKE A CLUNKING SOUND BETWEEN 0 AND 16 MPH WHEN TURNING. IN ORDER TO STOP THE NOISE, I BELIEVE CAUSED BY THE WORN U-JOINTS AT BOTH ENDS OF THE SHAFT,THIS PART MUST BE REPLACED EVERY TWO YEARS. YOU DO NOT HEAR ANY CLUNKING ABOVE 16/17 MPH. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY A GM SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THE PART CAN NOT COME APART, AND I CAN REPLACE THE PART EVERY TWO YEARS OR LIVE WITH THE NOISE. REALLY. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER REAR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THE U-JOINTS ON THE DRIVE SHAFT BEGAN CLUNKING WHEN YOU PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR. YOU REPLACED THEM OR YOU COULD BE WALKING. THIS IS A STEERING SHAFT. WHEN WILL THE U-JOINT(S) FAIL? WHEN I AM TURNING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, TURNING INTO A PARKING SPACE, OR PERHAPS AT HIGHWAY SPEED AVOIDING AN ANIMAL. WHAT IS AMAZING IS THAT GM KNEW ABOUT THIS DEFECTED DESIGN/PART AND YET KEPT USING IT INTO 2008. THE BULLETINS COVER MALIBU CARS FROM 2004 TO 2008, PONTIAC G6'S 2005 TO 2007, AND SATURN AURA'S 2007 TO 2008. I FEEL GM SHOULD BE GIVEN TWO CHOICES, FIX THIS PART WHEN IT STARTS CLUNKING FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE, OR BUY THEM BACK. *JS

AFTER FINDING OUT THAT THERE ARE RECALLS FOR MY CAR PER DOT.GOV, I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR REPAIRS WITH VANDERGRIFF CHEVROLET IN ARLINGTON FOR 7-21-14. I REQUESTED THAT THEY REPAIR THE PARTS UNDER RECALL AND ISSUE A REFUND FOR THE AMOUNT I PAID PREVIOUSLY FOR REPAIR TO POWER STEERING ON MY VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH ME. WHEN I DID NOT GET CONTACTED, I RETURNED TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO SPEAK WITH A TECHNICIAN IN REGARD TO MY SERVICE REQUEST. ONCE AGAIN, AS PREVIOUSLY, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON MY CAR. WHEN I DIRECTED THE TECHNICIAN TO THE INFORMATION RELEASED BY THE DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION, HE STATED THAT GM SENT OUT ADDITIONAL RECALL LETTERS TO RECALL THE ORIGINAL RECALL NOTICES BECAUSE THEY WERE ISSUED IN ERROR, AND THAT THERE ARE NONE IN EFFECT FOR MY VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS WERE DONE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAILED INTERMITTENTLY AND THE POWER STEERING SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V153000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM AND THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,688.

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE TRAVELING TO APPROACH A STOP OR WHEN A TURN WAS MADE THE STEERING WHEEL WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN. THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT HAD TO APPLY FORCE TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE CONTACT WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN THE KEY TO START THE IGNITION ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE STALLING INTERMITTENTLY. THE ANTI-THEFT SENSOR ILLUMINATED, SERVICE ENGINE SENSOR AND A LOCK SYMBOL ON THE RADIO CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE. THE RADIO WAS NOT WORKING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V153000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000. DYD

THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP TO ODI CONFIRMATION NUMBER: 10610590 WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. ALL POWERED FUNCTIONS WERE LOST. THE DISPLAY SCREEN WOULD SIGNAL: "ENGINE DISABLED." PER THE CHEVY DEALER, THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A IMPROPER WORKING PCM (POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE), WHERE THE FOLLOWING ERROR CODES WERE PRESENT: P0601 TO P0606 AND U2109. ESTIMATED COST TO REPAIR, AT THIS POINT, IS $740.00 + TAX. FOR PEACE OF MIND AND OF COURSE, REASONS OF PERSONAL SAFETY, WE HOPE THAT THIS IS THE PROBLEM. *JS