2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN AS THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TURNED THE ENGINE OFF FOR A MOMENT AND THE STEERING WHEEL BRIEFLY RETURNED TO NORMAL FUNCTION BEFORE THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC AND A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED, WHICH LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR. THE MANUFACTURER DENIED ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR, BECAUSE THE VEHICLE HAD EXCEEDED THE POWER STEERING MOTOR REPLACEMENT MILEAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 156,000. UPDATED 10/24/13*CN UPDATED 02/18/15*LJ UPDATED 10/2/2015*JS

I ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY 06 MALIBU MAXX. WHEN ACCELERATING ONTO THE INTERSTATE, I CANNOT GET MY SPEED UP NORMALLY. I HEAR DING, DING, DING... THEN THE STEERING LOCKS UP. CAN NOT MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. ALSO HAPPENS WHEN MAKING SHARP TURNS. ALMOST THREW ME INTO A DITCH ONCE AND ALMOST BOUNCED ME INTO THE GUARD RAIL ONCE. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT CHEVROLET HAS NOT RECALLED THIS PROBLEM. IT IS A TRUE SAFETY HAZARD. I AM A LOYAL PURCHASER OF CHEVY PRODUCTS, AND I EXPECT CHEVROLET TO STAND BY ME AS WELL. APPEARS THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED ISSUE BY ALL THE COMPLAINTS I READ. *TR

THE WORST CAR I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE WILL NEVER HAVE ANOTHER ONE IT IS THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER A/C COMPRESSOR IS FROZEN HAD IT REPAIRED AND NOW IT IS BREAKING ALTERNATOR BELT THIS BELT WORKS THE ALTERNATOR AND COMPRESSOR HAD IT REPLACE TWICE IT BROKE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD LOST MY STEERING IN STEERING WHEEL ALMOST WREAK I AM SICK AND TIRED OF THIS DARN CAR AND IN DANGER MY LIFE AND KIDS LIFE THE CAR ALSO WILL COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN GOING DOWN THE ROAD I THINK CHEVY SHOULD NOT HAD PUT ANY OF THESE CARS ON THE ROAD I MISS MY HONDA NOW AND THE NEXT CAR WILL BE A HONDA ITS SAD THAT AMERICANS CANT BUY AMERICAN MADE CARS WITHOUT THEM HAVING ALL THESE DEFECTS. *TR

I'M HIGHLY UPSET WITH MY VEHICLE. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WAS BACK IN JUNE AND I HAD JUST FILLED UP MY CAR AND I DROVE HOME THE CAR WAS FINE. GOT BACK IN THE CAR TO GO TO THE STORE NOT EVEN 30 MINUTES LATER, START THE CAR PULL OUT OF MY APARTMENTS AND IT IMMEDIATELY SAID NO FUEL! SO I FREAKED OUT THINKING SOMEONE STOLE MY GAS OR THE GAS STATION HAD SOME BAD GAS....THEN THE NEXT DAY IT WOULD GO BACK AND FORTH FROM F TO E. IT'S NOW ALMOST THE MIDDLE OF AUG. AND IT STILL DOES THE SAME THING. I RAN OUT OF GAS ON 8/2/13 TAKING MY MOTHER TO THE HOSPITAL FOR AN EMERGENCY! SOMETHING AWFUL COULD HAVE HAPPENED AND IT ALL WOULD'VE BEEN BECAUSE I CAN NEVER TELL HOW MUCH GAS IS REALLY IN MY CAR! THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FOR THIS, I'M OBVIOUSLY NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM AND FROM THIS SITE, COMPLAINT'S GO BACK TO 2011! THAT'S 2 YEARS AND NOBODY HAS TRIED TO GET THIS ISSUE FIXED! THERE CAN BE ACCIDENTS BECAUSE OF THIS!!! I WOULD LOVE TO NOT HAVE TO PAY TO GET THIS FIXED BECAUSE I'M NOT PAYING $600+ TO GET SOMETHING REALLY SIMPLE FIXED BUT BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DROP THE GAS TANK IT MAKES IT MORE EXPENSIVE.....PLEASE GET THIS FIXED BECAUSE I'M BOUT READY TO GET RID OF THIS CAR BECAUSE OF IT! HAD IT FOR 3 YEARS AND I REFUSE TO SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY ON A PART THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A RECALL. *TR

I FINANCED THIS VEHICLE IN MAY 2011 AND THREE MONTHS AFTER HAVING THIS VEHICLE THE FUEL GAUGE STOPPED WORKING. I HAVE RUN OUT OF FUEL ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TRYING TO BRING GROCERIES HOME OR COMING FROM WORK. ITS DANGEROUS BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE CONSIDERATIONS FOR OTHERS. LUCKY FOR ME I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HOWEVER, ITS NOT ALWAYS SAFE. IT IS GOING TO COST ME A GOOD BIT TO EVEN THINK ABOUT HAVING THIS FIXED. I STILL OWE A LITTLE OVER 8K ON THIS CAR AND I BOUGHT IT USED. I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF TRADING IT AND HAVING WHAT I OWE TACKED ON TO THE END OF THE NOTE JUST TO KNOW THAT I WILL BE SAFE AS WELL AS MY CHILDREN AND NOT WORRY ABOUT WHETHER I HAVE ENOUGH FUEL OR NOT. ON TOP OF THAT MY HUSBAND HAS BEEN DOING MY OIL CHANGES AND SAYS THAT THERE IS OIL ALL OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE MOTOR AND THE OIL HAS A RED TINT. I WOULD THINK AFTER EVERYTHING I HAVE BEEN THROUGH TO EVEN END UP WITH THIS VEHICLE I WOULD NOT HAVE ENCOUNTERED ALL THESE PROBLEMS. I KNOW SOME MALIBU'S HAVE BEEN RECALLED ON PARTS AND EVERYTHING SO I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW I COULD FIND OUT IF THERE ARE ANY THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED ON THIS VEHICLE. I LOVE THIS CAR BUT NEED RELIABILITY TO GET TO WORK AND HOME, TAKING KIDS TO SCHOOL AND HELPING MY PARENTS WHEN THEY NEED TO GO TO DR APPOINTMENTS THEY ARE BOTH IN REMISSION OF CANCER SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS SAFE. *TR

I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO TAKE WITH HER TO COLLEGE. WE HAVE OWNED IT APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS NOW. ON 7/30/13, WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A LOCAL CITY ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 45MILES PER HOUR, HEARD A DINGING ALERT SOUND, AND IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER STEERING. SHE WAS ABLE TO MOVE TO THE EMERGENCY LANE TO GET OUT OF THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. ON 7/31/13 SHE WAS ALONE IN THE VEHICLE, AND WAS ONCE AGAIN TRAVELING IN TOWN AND LOST THE POWER STEERING TWICE ON THAT TRIP. THE FIRST TIME SHE WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES PER HOUR, AND THE SECOND TIME GOING AROUND A SHARP CURVE GOING APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES PER HOUR. I AM FRUSTRATED DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE AS IT IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD WITH OVER A HUNDRED COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE ALONE. I HAVE ALSO FOUND MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS IN OTHER ONLINE BLOGS. I HAVE BEEN TOLD AT THIS POINT THAT I COULD REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN, THE EPS FUSE, THE ALTERNATOR, THE GROUNDING WIRE, AND EVEN THE MOTOR AND ASSEMBLY FOR THE POWER STEERING AND THAT IN SOME INSTANCES NONE OF THESE EXPENSIVE REPAIRS HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE BEFORE SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING TO HOLD CHEVROLET ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PRODUCT? IS IT GOING TO TAKE MULTIPLE DEATHS AND/OR MULTIMILLION DOLLAR LAWSUITS TO MAKE SOMEONE LISTEN AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? WHAT IF THIS VEHICLE WAS ONE THAT YOU PURCHASED FOR YOUR CHILD? WOULD YOU PUT THEM IN POTENTIAL HARMS WAY? HOW MANY COMPLAINTS DOES IT TAKE FOR ACTION????? *TR

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW, STILL HAD THE PLASTIC ON IT. THE CAR IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. I USED THE RE-CIRCULATE FEATURE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, A LOUD THUMPING NOISE STARTED. THE NOISE STOPPED FOR A LITTLE BIT. TODAY I WAS DRIVING ALL OVER THE CITY, AND ON THE WAY HOME THE LOUD THUMPING NOISE STARTED AND DID NOT STOP. IT SCARED ME TO DRIVE, I THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING MAJOR. WE HAD TO PULL THE BATTERY TO GET IT TO STOP. I CONTACTED CHEVY, THEY SAID IT WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THEY CLAIM IT IS NOT A "SAFETY" ISSUE. I HAVE MEDICAL ISSUES, I CANT BE IN THE HEAT, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. BASICALLY THEY DIDN'T CARE, THEY SAID THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH MANY OTHER CHEVY'S ARE DOING THE SAME THING. *TR

STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT DUE TO LOSS OF POWER STEERING. WARNING CHIMES SOUNDED AND "POWER STEERING" MESSAGE ILLUMINATED ON STEREO CONSOLE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING, STEERING SEEMED TO BE FINE. TWO DAYS LATER I BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A TUGGING FROM SIDE TO SIDE IN THE STEERING WHEEL. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO MY DEALER AND AFTER PAYING A DIAGNOSTIC FEE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SHORT IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN PUBLISHED FOR THIS (10183) BUT THEY WON'T INFORM YOU UNLESS IT OCCURS. THEY ALSO ARE ONLY COVERING REPAIRS FOR A CERTAIN RANGE OF VIN NUMBERS, EVEN THOUGH THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURS ON VEHICLES OF THE SAME MODEL YEAR OUTSIDE OF THAT RANGE. ANY KNOWN PROBLEM WITH STEERING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE AND BE CORRECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AND AS I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN THE POWER STEERING WARNING CAME ON BUT AT THE SAME TIME I COULDN'T TURN MY WHEEL WHICH ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THREE MONTHS AGO WHILE MY TEENAGER WAS DRIVING ALONE HE TOLD ME THAT THE POWER STEERING HAD GONE OUT WHILE HE WAS TURNING AND ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT. BUT WHEN I DROVE IT AFTER HIM I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM UNTIL JUNE 28TH. BECAUSE IT HAPPENED TWICE ON THE 28TH I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO HENDRICKS AUTO MALL IN DURHAM NC ON JUNE 29TH FOR FEAR OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE 2006 MALIBU BUT MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH IT'S HAS THE SAME ISSUE AS THE VEHICLES BEING RECALLED. I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE AT CHEVY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IT'S MY PROBLEM AND IF I WANTED IT FIXED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE I WAS THE 2ND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. I ASKED THE REPRESENTATIVE AT CHEVY IF THE POWER STEERING WARNING AND BELL SHOULD GIVE ME A WARNING OR JUST GO OUT AND WAS ADVISED THAT WHEN IT APPEARS IT SHOULD ONLY BE A WARNING. I WOULD LIKE FOR CHEVY TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MY VEHICLE SHOULD BE A PART OF THE RECALL AS IT HAS THE SAME SYMPTOMS. MY CAR IS STILL AT THE REPAIR SHOP AS I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE REP JR WHO ADVISED ME ON JULY 5TH THAT HE WOULD CALL ME BACK WITH A RESOLUTION. I FEEL THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE BECAUSE IT PUTS ME AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD AROUND ME IN DANGER. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY POWER STEERING KEEPS LOCKING ON ME AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. I PULL OVER TURN OFF THE CAR AND THEN TURN IT BACK ON AND IT RESETS ITSELF BUT THEN KEEPS HAPPENING. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE THE CAR WHEN THE POWER STEERING KEEPS LOCKING ON ME AND WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. *TR