2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

2005 CHEVY MALIBU LS STEERING BEGAN TO LOCK UP ON SLOW TURNS. THERE WAS NO WARNING, JUST A SUDDEN LOCKING OF THE STEERING COLUMN. (IT WOULD NOT TURN. LITERALLY LOCK THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL ADDITIONAL SPEED COULD BE MAINTAINED. THE PROBLEM STARTED INTERMITTENTLY 2 WEEKS AGO & STEADILY WORSENED. HAPPENING 10-12 TIMES A DAY THIS WEEK. HIT 2 CURBS, NEARLY JUMPED ONE CURB & NEARLY HIT A CAR. WE HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE TO STRAIGHTEN THE STEERING PRIOR TO COMPLETING THE TURN. CAR HAS 85000 MILES ON IT. MECHANIC SHOP REPLACED RACK/PINION STEERING & BOTH FRONT END REAR TIE ROD RINGS. THIS DEFECT IS APPARENT ON MALIBU'S ACCORDING TO THE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS SEEN ON THE INTERNET. *TR

MY SON WAS DRIVING MY 2005 CHEVY MALIBU TO WORK & THE "POWER STEERING" LIGHT CAME ON & WAS HAVING TROUBLES GETTING THE CAR TO TURN CORNERS. HE CALLED ME; I TOLD HIM TO GET FLUID. UPON GETTING FLUID & READING THE MANUAL, HE DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS AN "ELECTRIC" POWER STEERING & GET TO YOUR GM DEALER IMMEDIATELY. WE DID SO & WAS TOLD THE POWER STEERING COLUMN WAS SHORTING OUT & NEEDED REPLACED. THERE HAD BEEN NO RECALL ON THIS FOR THE MALIBU BUT HAD FOR THE PONTIAC G6, COBALT & OTHERS. THE DEALERSHIP WE WENT TO REPLACED & I HAD TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET $644.86. I FEEL THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL & THAT THE SAFETY OF MY SON DRIVING AT THE TIME PUT HIS LIFE IN DANGER. I WOULD LIKE REIMBURSED BY GM FOR THIS EXPENSE & A RECALL DONE SO THAT OTHER MALIBU OWNERS DO HAVE INCUR ANY INJURIES AND/OR EXPENSE FOR REPLACEMENT. I AM SENDING A LETTER TO GM AS WELL AS A COPY OF THE LETTER TO NHTSA EVEN THOUGH I AM SUBMITTING AN EMAIL COMPLAINT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION IN THIS MATTER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 25 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED AND THE CONTACT WOULD BE LIABLE FOR ANY REPAIRS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000. UPDATED 10/27/10. *LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SEAT "BUCKLED" AND BROKE OFF, CAUSING THE SEAT TO LEAN TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE FOUR BRACKETS THAT MOUNTED THE SEAT TO THE FLOOR AND ONE OF THE REAR BRACKETS WAS BROKEN. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 74,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, THE VEHICLE AND THE STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE LEFT. THE CONTACT HAD TO USE EXTREME FORCE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE OR LOCATE A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 150,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

CAR BLOWS THROUGH FUSES EVERY TIME I TURN AROUND. MECHANIC STATES HE HAD MALIBU THAT DID SAME THING, I HAVE REPLACED FUSES ABOUT 4 TIMES A YEAR, THAT ITS ABNORMAL. RT. SIGNAL THEN LT,SIGNAL, BACK AND FORTH. *TR

MY 2005 CHEVY MALIBU HAS INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAULT ON THE CENTER DISPLAY, AND YESTERDAY THE POWER STEERING ACTUALLY SHUT OFF WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH. VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER JUST TO GET OFF OF THE ROAD. PULLED OVER AND SHUT OFF CAR AND RESTARTED AND IT WORKED FOR 5 MINUTES AND THEN SHUT DOWN AGAIN, WRESTLED THE CAR HOME, AND TODAY IT WORKS FINE. CHEVY COBALT ALREADY HAS A RECALL FOR THIS, WHY NOT THE MALIBU. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH CHEVROLET AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO GET THE CAR FIXED AS IT WAS CLEARLY A DANGEROUS SITUATION, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE AT MY EXPENSE. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE TO ADMIT THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND SHOULD BE RECALLED? I DO SEE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE ON THIS WEB SITE, AND EVEN MORE ON OTHER SITES. *TR

I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY. MALIBU V6 THAT HAS HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT'S POWER STEERING. I WAS GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND IT WAS VERY HARD TO STEER AND GET OUT OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC. WHEN I GOT IT TO THE DEALER, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS AND HAVE FOUND A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME EXPERIENCE WITH CHEVY. MALIBU'S. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT THAT THE COMPANY SHOULD RECALL AND REPAIR! SOME PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN MORE THAN ONCE BECAUSE THE NEW COLUMN PUT IN IS STILL BEING MADE WITH THE DEFECT. THIS POWER STEERING FAILURE OCCURS WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND IN MY CASE IT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO KEEP IT UNDER CONTROL BUT IT WAS AMAZING THAT I WAS ABLE TO CONSIDERING THAT I WAS CHANGING LANES AT THE TIME! AFTER DOING RESEARCH ON THIS I HAVE LEARNED THAT OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. I CERTAINLY HOPE SOMETHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED THREE TIMES AS THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY LOCKED. THE VEHICLE VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL AND SUFFERED A BROKEN RIGHT HIP. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AS A RESULT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 79,000.

TURN SIGNAL HOUSING MELTED, DRIPPING ON TURN SIGNALS MAKING THEM LESS EFFECTIVE AND EVENTUALLY CAUSED THEM TO FAIL. *TR