2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. ON APPROXIMATELY 100 OCCASIONS, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD BECOME DIFFICULT TO TURN AS IF IT WERE LOCKED. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO SHUT OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

IN NOVEMBER 2004 I LEASED A 2005 CHEVY MALIBU FROM A CHEVROLET DEALER IN NEW YORK. (DEALER 1) IN JANUARY 2006, I RETURNED TO THIS SAME DEALER BECAUSE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON, THE CAR WOULD JUMP FROM 5 MILES AN HOUR TO 40 MILES AN HOUR, THEN THE ENGINE WOULD REV WHEN I PUSHED DOWN THE ACCELERATOR BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT SPEED UP. THE DIAGNOSIS FROM DEALER 1'S MECHANIC WAS THAT THERE WAS ALMOST NO TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THE CAR AND THE GEARS BURNT OUT. HE TOLD ME THERE WAS NO WAY THIS COULD BE FROM A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AND I HAD TO PAY FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION; WHICH I LATER LEARNED WAS UNTRUE. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLOWLY BURN OUT (OVER MONTHS) WITH LITTLE/NO FLUID IN IT. FROM PURCHASE, I COMPLAINED MANY TIMES TO THE DEALER THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD CLICK WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED AND THAT THE BRAKES DID NOT FEEL RIGHT. THE MANY TIMES I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE I WOULD MAKE THESE COMPLAINTS AND BE TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS FINE. APRIL 2008 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE STARTED REVVING. THE CAR HAD NO POWER AND STARTED LOOSING SPEED. AT MY EXPENSE, IT WAS TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER. (DEALER 2) THE MECHANIC SAID THEY STARTED OPENING THE TRANSMISSION BUT IT WAS SO BADLY DAMAGED, DID NOT FINISH. HE HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE DAMAGE. DEALER 2 HAD ALREADY ORDERED YET ANOTHER TRANSMISSION AND HE TOLD ME THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT THE MECHANIC FROM DEALER 1 HAD SAID. DEALER 2 AND OTHER MECHANICS I HAVE TALKED TO SINCE, TOLD ME THAT WITHOUT FLUID THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT, AND WITH LOW FLUID IT WOULD NOT BE MONTHS BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION BURNT OUT, IT WOULD BE DAYS OR DEPENDING ON THE FLUID LEVEL, EVEN MERE HOURS. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AGAIN BY DEALER 2. I PICKED THE CAR UP AND GOT 12 MILES WHEN THE ODOMETER AND POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. DEALER 2 TOLD ME THAT THE SPEED SENSOR ON THE NEW TRANSMISSION WAS BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

MY STEERING HAS BEEN GOING OUT, IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT IT STARTS WHEN THE WEATHER GET WARMER. THE FIRST TIME IT WENT OUT IT AS 97F, THE NEXT TIME IT WAS 94F, WHEN THE TEMP COOLS OFF (90F) I HAVE NOTED THAT I CAN TURN THE CAR OFF AND THE POWER STEERING WILL COME BACK. I WAS SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR ANSWERS AND CAME ACROSS THE WEBSITE WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. EVERYONE ON THERE DESCRIBED THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR VEHICLES. AS OF YESTERDAY 05/28/08 I HAVE NOT INJURED MY SHOULDER DUE TO MANUALLY STEERING THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TO DRIVE APPROX. 50 MILES TO GET HOME FROM MY OFFICE. *TR

IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT WHEN THE TEMP WARMS UP 92F+ THAT THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND WILL NOT RESET ITSELF. IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT ONE THE TEMP GOES DOWN TO 90F AND I TURN THE CAR OFF THAT I HAVE POWER STEERING. THIS ISSUE STARTED LAST YEAR BUT DO NOT REMEMBER DATES. *TR

THE LEFT FRONT DRIVERS SEAT HAS TILTED TO THE RIGHT, AND SLOPES DOWN AT BACK. THERE IS A BROKEN WELD ON THE FRONT BAR HOLDING ALL OF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SEAT. *TR

THE BLINKER WILL ALWAYS FAIL TO WORK. THE BULBS ARE JUST FINE AND INTACT, BUT THE BLINKER WILL STOP WORKING. THERE IS SOME ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THE HEADLIGHTS. THIS HAS CAUSED OTHER VEHICLES TO GET IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH ME, AND ALMOST IN CRASHES. I HAVE HEARD MANY DIFFERENT CASES OF THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER 2005 CHEVY MALIBU'S AS WELL. *TR

THE FRONT AND REAR DOOR LOCKS FREEZE UP AND DOORS WILL NOT CLOSE WHEN TEMPERATURE GOES BELOW FREEZING. THE DOORS WILL FLY OPEN IF VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. SLAM FRONT DOOR AND REAR DOORS WILL OPEN. VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE IN THIS SITUATION. DEALER HAS LUBRICATED DOORS BUT IT HAPPENS EVERY WINTER SINCE 2005/06. *TR

I JUST REPLACED THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE FLASHER LIGHT IN MY 2005 CHEVY MALIBU AND THE PLASTIC BASE OF THE BULB WAS MELTED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. *TR

MY STEERING GEAR WENT OUT AT 35,000 MILES THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO GM REPLACED IT. THE SAME PART IS GOING OUT AGAIN AT 56,000 CALLED THE DEALER, THIS PART ONLY HAS A 12,000/12 MONTH WARRANTY. MY MECHANIC SAYS HE HAS SEEN THIS ALOT ON THE 2005 CHEVY MAILBU MODEL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU. EVERYTIME THE CONTACT MADE A RIGHT TURN, SHE HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE WHICH SOUNDED AS IF THE WHEEL WOULD COME OFF. THE CONTACT TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER ON 03/25/08 WHO REPAIRED THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE PROBLEM REOCCURRED. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AT LEAST 4 MORE TIMES AND THE ISSUE STILL REOCCURRED EACH TIME. SHE STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD BE RESOLVED FOR ABOUT 2 WEEKS AND THE ISSUE WOULD RESURFACE. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED BECAUSE SHE NEEDED TO MAKE AN OUT-OF-TOWN TRIP AND WAS AFRAID TO DO SO UNDER THE VEHICLE'S HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,120. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,618.