2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY MALIBU WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. IT FAILS INTERMITTENTLY. A CHIME SOUNDS, AND A LIGHT COMES ON THE DTC. I LOOKED ONLINE FOR ANY RECALLS, AND GM DID EXTEND THE WARRANTY. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO MY LOCAL GM DEALER THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED. I THINK THEY STILL HAVE A PROBLEM. [XXX], AND THE MILEAGE IS 62,000. *TR

I RECEIVED A RECALL ON MY 2005 CHEVY COBALT ON THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR THE SAME DAY THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR WENT OUT ON MY 2005 MALIBU I CALLED CHEVROLET AND THEY SAID THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MALIBU AND IT IS NOT COVERED IS THIS NOT THE SAME THING? *TR

I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY MALIBU, PURCHASED IT IN JUN 2005 USED. JUMPING FORWARD, NOV 25, 2008, I WAS DRIVING HOME AND MY STEERING WHEEL "SNAPPED" AND "POPPED" AND WAS STILL GOING AROUND IN A CIRCLE, WHILE CAR WAS STILL GOING STRAIGHT. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED, AND COME TO FIND OUT, THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE FIXED. GOT THAT DONE. THEN, AUGUST 2008, ENGINE GOES OUT. MIND YOU, BOTH INSTANCES, I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THAT MODEL CAR. GOT THE ENGINE FIXED. NOW, 3/26/2010, IM DRIVING AND THE POWER STEERING LOCKS UP! I HAVE CONTACTED CHEVROLET ABOUT THESE INCIDENTS, AND THEY WERE NO HELP. JUST TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO A DEALERSHIP. WELL, TODAY, I FOUND OUT ON THE WEB THAT THERE HAD BEEN A SPECIAL RECALL ON MY MODEL CAR, BETWEEN A CERTAIN VIN NUMBER, AND THIS WAS AROUND THE TIME MY STEERING WENT OUT BEFORE. WHEN ASKING THE REP "ISABEL" HOW CAN THEY ISSUE RECALLS AND NOT MAIL THEM TO CONSUMERS, SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO , IF THEY WERE SPECIAL NOTIFICATIONS. HOW WOULD THE CONSUMER KNOW THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE ISSUE IF WE ARE NOT NOTIFIED? SHE THEN PROCEEDS TO TELL ME ABOUT A NEW SPECIAL NOTIFICATION ON THIS SAME CAR ON THE FUEL CAPS! MY LIFE IS AT STAKE IN THIS CAR, AND GM IS AWARE OF THESE ISSUES, BUT NO HELP. I ALSO NOTICED ON THE WEB TODAY THAT THERE ARE MANY CUSTOMERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE POWER STEERING ISSUES ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL VEHICLE, MOST ARE THE SAME YEAR, AND GM IS NOT WILLING TO ASSIST! *TR

MY SISTER WAS USING MY 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU AND WHEN EXITING THE NYS THRUWAY SHE HEARD A CHIME, A LIGHT WENT ON AND THE VEHICLE LOST THE POWER STEERING. HER HUSBAND IN THE PASSENGER SEAT HAD TO ASSIT WITH STEERING. IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT FOR MY SISTER TO STEER BY HERSELF. THEY PARKED THE CAR AND SHUT IT OFF. AFTER A SHORT TIME THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND THE STEERING WAS FINE. THIS PROBLEM ONLY OCCURED ONCE TO DATE ALTHOUGH I HAVE HAD STEERING PROBLEMS IN THIS VEHICLE SINCE 2007. WHILE UNDER WARRANTY THE STEERING WAS LUBED. AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED I HAVE HAD OVER $981.00 IN STEERING REPAIRS AT THE DEALER WHICH INCLUDED STEERING SUSPENSION SHAFT, STEERING BALL JOINT AND STEERING ARM. THE LATEST INCIDENT OF THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING IS A SAFETY CONCERN. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. I HAVE READ GM WAS RECALLING COBALTS FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT NO MENTION OF THE MALIBU. THE MALIBU HAS THE SAME PROBLEM.

2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU, RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. *BF THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HIT A MEDIAN WALL. OHIO TRAFFIC REPORT # 10-0677-90. *JB UPDATED 04/14/10 *BF

WE LOSE POWER STEERING WITH NO WARNING ON OUR 2005 CHEVY MALIBU- ONCE/WEEK. WE BROUGHT IT INTO OUR LOCAL DEALER AND THEY TOLD US IT WAS NOT COVERED AND WOULD COST $1200 TO REPAIR. THE DEALER HOWEVER SHOWED US A SERVICE BULLETIN THAT SHOWED THAT THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM ON MALIBUS.

I HAVE HAD SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE I HAVE HAD A LOSS OF POWER STEERING. A MESSAGE WILL POP UP ON MY DIC SAYING "POWER STEERING" QUITE OFTEN BUT ONLY OCCASIONALLY I WILL HAVE NO STEERING AT ALL.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 45 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATING THAT THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED MAKING THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. THE CONTACT HAS RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER BUT DUE TO THE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE THE RECALL WAS VOID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS SINCE THIS WAS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR HIS YEAR, MAKE, AND MODEL VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

AFTER TURNING A CORNER GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY THE FRONT DRIVER SEAT SHIFTED TO THE RIGHT. I FOUND THAT FRONT DRIVER MAIN SEAT FRAME WELD BROKE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO SAG TO THE RIGHT. WITH ONLY TWO BRACKETS THAT HOLD UP THE POWER SEAT MOTORS, THAT IF THE OTHER ONE BREAKS THEN THE SEAT MAY FELL TO THE FLOOR AND CAUSE THE DRIVE TO JERK THE WHEEL. IT LOOKS LIKE A POOR WELD JOB FROM THE FACTORY. I HAVE NOT HAD THE PART REPLACE, THE BRACKET IS PART OF THE SEAT FRAME AND THE COST WOULD BE ABOUT $1000.00 USD TO FIX AT THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

I OWN A 2005 CHEVY MALIBU. AT ABOUT 40,000 MILES I BEGAN TO NOTICE A BURNING SMELL. IT SMELLED LIKE HOT, BURNING PLASTIC. WHILE TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL, I NOTICED MY DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRL) WERE MELTING AND CHARRED. THE HOUSING ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE SMOKE DAMAGE AND WAS VERY HAZY. IN THE TIME SINCE I NOTICED THE PROBLEM, VISIBILITY HAS GONE DONE SIGNIFICANTLY. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ON-GOING RATHER THAN A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE. I WENT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER AND THEY NO IDEA WHAT WOULD CAUSE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED SINCE, BECAUSE AFTER DOING INTERNET RESEARCH, IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH MANY '05 MALIBUS. I THEN CALLED THE GM HELP LINE WHERE THEY ASKED A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE I HAD IT REPAIRED. THEY THEN TOLD THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. I DECIDED AFTER THAT ( AT ABOUT 120,000) I WOULD REPLACE THE WHOLE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY, HOPING THIS WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. ONE DAY AFTER INSTALLING THE NEW ASSEMBLY, THE SAME MELTING AND CHARRING BEGAN TO OCCUR. AT THIS POINT, I AM UNSURE AS TO WHAT TO DO NEXT. IT IS OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN JUST A PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHT SINCE IT HAPPENED AFTER REPLACING THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY. IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE MORE THAN JUST AN ISOLATED INCIDENT WITH MY VEHICLE SINCE IT TOOK NO TIME TO FIND MANY MALIBUS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT GM NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE GREATER AND PROVIDE A DESIRABLE SOLUTION FOR ALL MALIBU OWNERS. *TR