2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER DUE TO AN UNFAMILIAR NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING. THE FAILURE WAS NOTICED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH. THE PREVIOUS DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE STEERING COLUMN WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH NHTSA. THE VEHICLE WILL BE REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 6/8/09 *CN THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED 3 TIMES. UPDATED 06/11/09.*JB

THE BRAKE LIGHTS COME ON BY THEMSELVES, THEY BLINK OFF AND ON. SOMETIMES THEY JUST STAY ON,AND OTHER TIMES WHEN YOU BRAKE THEY WANT COME ON AT ALL. HAVE HAD THE CAR AT THE DEALER 3 OR 4 TIMES THEY CAN'T SEEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM . I HAVE SEARCHED ONLINE AND OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY ADJUSTED BRAKE SWITCH AND THEY DID SOME OTHER THINGS BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVY MALIBU IN MARCH OF 09 IT'S NOW MAY 09 AND I WILL BE REPLACING MY INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT THE CAR CHECK THAT WAS PERFORMED AFTER I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE SHOWED THAT IS WAS REPLACED 30K MILES AGO. THE CAR POPS AND CRACKS WHENEVER I SLOW DOWN OR TURN AFRAID IT WILL BREAK BEFORE IT IS FIXED. *TR

POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING AT LOW AND HIGHWAY SPEEDS. STEERING WHEEL BECOMES STIFF AND HARD TO TURN. MANUFACTURER REPLACED ELECTRIC STEERING COLUMNS ON VEHICLES BUT MINE WAS INELIGIBLE BECAUSE OF MILEAGE ACCUMULATED. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER WINDOWS, LOCKS, LINKAGES, AND IGNITION SWITCH SPORADICALLY BECOME INOPERATIVE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH AT THE COST OF $495. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WOULD NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY REPAIRS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED ITS MILEAGE. ALL REMEDIES AS OF MARCH 31, 2009 HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENT IN CORRECTING THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51,000.

THE BULB IN THE FRONT LEFT TURN SIGNAL BECAME TOO HOT AND BURNED OUT WHILE MELTING THE AMBER COVER AROUND IT. AFTER REPLACING THE BULB, THE TURN SIGNAL AND HIGH LEVEL RUNNING LIGHT FUNCTION WOULD NOT WORK BUT THE LOW LEVEL LIGHT STILL OPERATES WHEN THE HEADLIGHTS ARE ON. I REPLACED THE BULB TWICE AND CLEANED THE CONNECTOR AND GET INTERMITTENT USE OF THE TURN SIGNAL, BUT I NEVER KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO WORK OR NOT. *TR

LOSS OF FUNCTION OF HEADLIGHTS, BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS AND TAIL LIGHTS ON 2005 CHEVY MALIBU LS MODEL. THE LIGHT BULBS IN THE SIGNAL ARE CONSTANTLY BLOWING OUT. I HAVE THE CHANGE THE BULBS AT LEAST EVERY MONTH. I HAVE NO USE OF MY TAIL LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS AS A RESULT OF THIS. FAILURE OF THE BULB HAS NOT RESULTED IN HEAT DAMAGE TO THE BULB SOCKET. *TR

MY WIFE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. SHE PULLED OUT INTO AN INTERSECTION AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THEN THE CAR STALLED IN THE INTERSECTION THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED REPAIR SHOP. HE SAID THERE WAS A BULLETIN OUT BY GENERAL MOTORS DATED NOVEMBER 8, 2007 THAT 2004-2005 MALIBU'S AND 2005 PONTIAC G 6'S ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING. GENERAL MOTORS KNEW THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE A LACK OF POWER STEERING, VIBRATION, OR A RATTLE OR CLUNK NOISE FROM THE LEFT LOWER INSTRUMENT PANEL. GM SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THESE CARS TO FIX THEIR PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS A SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE. I TOOK THE CAR TO A GM DEALER AND HE AGREED THAT GM SHOULD FIX THE CAR. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH GM AND FINALLY AFTER CALLING FOR 2 WEEKS, THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO NOTHING. I AM VERY UPSET WITH GM AND JUST WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE WRECKED MALIBU'S BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF POWER STEERING. IF YOU HAVE ONE OF THESE CARS, I SUGGEST YOU SELL IT OR TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR BEFORE YOU LOSE YOUR POWER STEERING WHEN PULLING OUT INTO AN INTERSECTION AND THE CAR DIES IN FRONT OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER GM PRODUCT AND ADVISE THE SAME FOR ANYONE ELSE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND IT BECAME VERY STIFF. HE WAS ABLE TO SAFELY MANEUVER THE VEHICLE TO HIS DESTINATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR FREE. FOUR MONTHS LATER, WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STEERING FAILED AGAIN. THE DEALER MADE THE REPAIRS FOR FREE ONCE AGAIN. THE STEERING COLUMN CONTINUED TO FAIL OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS ON FIVE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY REPAIRED IN JANUARY OF 2009 FOR THE STEERING SHAFT. THE STEERING SHAFT WAS REPAIRED AT THE COST OF $100. THE CONTACT HAD TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE FOR THIS REPAIR BECAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WERE GOING TO OFFER HIM A SEVEN YEARS OR 70,000 MILE WARRANTY FOR THE STEERING COLUMN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,838 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 31,000. UPDATED 3/16/09 *CN UPDATED 03/20/09.*JB

AS OF THIS DATE, FEB. 17, 2009, THE PART IN QUESTION HAS NOT FAILED, CAUSING ANY CRASHES OR INJURIES. SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, I NOTICED A THUMPING WHENEVER THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. WHILE UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, I HAD IT CHECKED OUT AT LEAST 3 TIMES, AND EACH TIME THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT ASSURED ME THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE PART, THE BOOT OF JOINT SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO THE STEERING. SINCE THAT TIME, I HAVE HAD MY PERSONAL MECHANIC CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM AND HE HAS DILIGENTLY CHECKED FOR A RECALL OR A CORRECTIVE MEASURE FROM CHEVROLET, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NONE. THE MECHANIC HAS GREASED THIS JOINT SEVERAL TIMES, AND IT HELPS THE THUMPING, BUT EVENTUALLY IT RETURNS OVER TIME. I HAVE READ WHERE OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THEIR STEERING TOTALLY GOING OUT BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I AM AFRAID FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY DUE TO THIS PROBLEM THAT CHEVROLET HAS CONSTANTLY REFUSED TO ADDRESS. COMPONENT #2: I WAS CONSTANTLY HAVING TO REPLACE THE FRONT TURN SIGNALS AS THE BULBS WERE CONSTANTLY BURNING OUT. COMPONENT #3 THE FAN WHICH CONTROLS THE INSIDE AIR FLOW HAS CONSTANTLY RATTLED UNLESS THE FAN IS TURNED ON THE HIGHEST SETTING. THE DEALERSHIP EVEN REPLACED THAT FAN, TELLING ME A BROKEN PART HAD FALLEN DOWN INTO IT. I RETURNED THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AT LEAST 3 TIMES, BUT THEY FINALLY SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING ELSE. IT STILL RATTLES HORRIBLY. *TR