2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

FRONT SUSPENSION STARTED TO MAKE A LOT OF NOISE. FRONT PRO-STEER SWAY BAR & F STABILIZER WAS IDENTIFIED CAUSING THE PROBLEM. ALSO DEFAULTED PART IS THE CONTROL ARM W/BALL JOINT. *TR

THE IGNITION SWITCH HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO MOVE FROM OFF TO START POSITION AND THE GEAR SHIFT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO MOVE INTO GEAR; THIS HAS OCCURRED FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. I CALLED PREVIOUSLY AND WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN WASN'T PART OF ANY RECALL. I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT GM HASN'T RECOGNIZED THAT THIS VIN ALSO HAS AN ISSUE, BUT JUST HASN'T IDENTIFIED MY VIN OR SENT ME THE INFORMATION. I ALSO HAD TO SPEND $1000 ON ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THIS MALIBU, WHICH I CALLED AGAIN TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND THERE WASN'T. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY COMPLAINTS BEFORE ANOTHER ACCIDENT OCCURS. *TR

THE FRONT END MAKES CLUNKING NOISES WHILE TURNING. DEALERSHIP "FIXED" IT. STARTED DOING THE SAME THING A FEW WEEKS LATER. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO SHAKES WHILE DRIVING. AT TIMES MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. VERY UNSAFE!! *TR

I FEEL THAT I EXPERIENCED THE SAME POWER STEERING FAILURE THAT AFFECTED OTHER MALIBUS (AND CHEVROLETS) AND THAT MY REPAIR SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER CHEVROLET SPECIAL BULLETIN #10183. HOWEVER, SOMETHING ABOUT MY VEHICLE'S BUILD KEPT MY VIN FROM BEING INCLUDED IN THE RANGE FOR THIS EXTENDED COVERAGE. I FIRST EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS ON FEBRUARY 13, 2014. MY VEHICLE HAD 97,600 MILES ON IT. AFTER I STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE CAR MADE A DINGING SOUND AND THE WORDS "POWER STEERING"' FLASHED ON MY RADIO INFORMATION SCREEN. I TRIED TO DRIVE A FEW FEET BUT FOUND I HAD NO POWER STEERING ASSIST. I HAD TO STOP AND START THE CAR A COUPLE TIMES BEFORE GETTING POWER STEERING BACK. ON FEBRUARY 16, I EXPERIENCED THE SAME LOSS OF POWER STEERING (AUDIBLE DING, DISPLAY READ "'POWER STEERING" AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING). AFTER RESTARTING, THE ASSIST RETURNED. ON FEBRUARY 19, POWER STEERING FAILED THREE TIMES IN THE LAST TWO MILES OF MY COMMUTE. RESTARTING THE VEHICLE AT A STOPLIGHT SOLVED THE PROBLEM TWICE. AFTER THE FINAL FAILURE THAT MORNING, I DROVE THE REST OF THE WAY WITHOUT POWER STEERING. THAT NIGHT, I WAS UNABLE TO KEEP POWER STEERING FUNCTIONING AND DROVE THE 12 MILE TRIP HOME WITHOUT POWER STEERING. IN ADDITION, WHEN STOPPED AND WHILE DRIVING, MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD MOVE BY ITSELF. THIS OCCURRED RANDOMLY BETWEEN FEBRUARY 13 AND 19. THE AMOUNT OF MOVEMENT VARIED FROM A RAPID SHAKE TO UP TO A 1 INCH SWING FROM CENTER. TOOK TO CHEVROLET DEALER WHICH DIAGNOSED "TRACED TO INTERNAL FAULT IN STEERING COLUMN. REPLACED STEERING COLUMN TO CORRECT." *TR

WHEN I GET INTO MY CAR AND START IT THE WARNING SIGNAL FOR POWER STEERING COMES ON THE SCREEN AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. I SHUT OFF THE CAR WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND RESTART THEN ITS FINE. THE DEALER SAYS ITS A TORQUE SENSOR ON THE STEERING COLUMN AND THAT THIS CAR HAS ELECTRIC MOTOR DRIVEN POWER STEERING. THE DEALER ALSO SAID EVEN THOUGH THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS IN OTHER MODELS MINE IS NOT INCLUDED. I HAVE READ 5 OUT OF 15 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS STEERING PROBLEM ON YOUR WEB PAGE. HOW DO WE PRESSURE GM TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. THE REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE POWER STEERING MODULE AND TORQUE SENSOR.

DRIVERS SEAT DEFECTED. THE METAL BRACKET THAT SECURE THE SEAT BROKE, CASING THE SEAT NOT TO SLIDE FORWARD OR BACK, UP OR DOWN. ALSO THE SEAT PADDING AND COVER TO SEPARATE FROM THE SEAT MOLDEN. TOOK VEHICLE TO BUICK CAR SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SAID THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME THEY HEARD OF THIS AND WANTED TO CHARGE E SIX HUNDRED FOR THE REPAIRS STATING THEY WOULD PICK UP THE OTHER SIX HUNDRED . AT THE TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND THEY WAS REPAIRING THE TRANSMISSION THAT ALSO WENT OUT ON A VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME WAS LESS THEN FIVE YEARS OLD. . *TR

MY 2008 CHEVY MALIBU LS; HAS ALOT OF KNOCKING IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT MAKE CRUNCHING NOISES WHEN YOU TURN AND HIT BUMPS IN THE STREET. THE CAR SQUEAKS ON STREETS WITH NO BUMPS AND GETTING WORSE EVERYDAY. THIS HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS; YOU CAN HEAR THE CAR COMING DOWN THE STREET. I HAD TO ORDER THE PARTS THEN PAY TO HAVE THEM PUT ON. *TR

CLUNKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING; ALSO WHEN TURNING. STEERING COLUMN WIGGLES AT THE WHEEL AND SHAKES WHEN MOVING TOWARDS HIGHER SPEEDS. CAR PULLS TO THE RIGHT WHEN DRIVING. *TR

THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON WITHOUT BRAKING AND GO OFF WHEN YOU BRAKE. THE CRUISE CONTROL SHUTS OFF WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON WITHOUT PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDDLE. THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASH COMES ON ALSO WHEN THE BRAKE LIGHTS LUMINATES. *TR

I LOST POWER STEERING WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON A SEMI CURVE WHILE RAINING LIGHTLY. THE CAR KEPT GOING TO THE LEFT AND I COULD NOT STEER. I PRESSED BRAKES AND CAR SPUN. I ALMOST HIT A SIGN ON THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. THANK GOD NOTHING HAPPENED TO ME NOR MY SON. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS INVOLVED EITHER. THERE WAS A TRUCK COMING ON THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION BUT HE STOPPED. OTHERWISE, WE WOULD HAVE COLLIDED. I GOT ON THE DITCH. I WAS ABLE TO GET BACK ON ROAD AND DRIVE TO NEAREST GM/CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS AND FOUND OUT THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR CONTROL MODULE HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR $703 INCLUDING LABOR. THERE WAS A RECALL IN CANADA FOR THE SAME PART (TRANSPORT CANADA RECALL # 2012331: MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER 12221) BUT AS OF NOW I HAVE NOT FOUND THE RECALL IN USA. WHY?? *TR