2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

WELD BROKE ON SEAT AND FELL TO THE RIGHT. ONLY WAY TO DRIVE WAS TO PUT THE SEAT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR 2 YEARS FOR A REPLACEMENT SEAT IN THE JUNK YARD. I HAVE FOUND 4 MATCHING SEATS OVER THE 2 YEARS, BUT EVERY ONE HAD THE FRAME BROKEN. PROBLEM IS THAT IN A SEVERE ACCIDENT THE SEAT COULD COME UNHOOKED FROM THE CAR. 2ND PROBLEM IS THAT THE SAFETY BELT HOOKS TO THE SEAT NOT THE CAR OR FRAME RENDERING THE SEATBELT USELESS. HAD IT WELDED 3 TIMES AND BREAKS IN LESS THAN A MONTH. IT IS SHAME THAT CHEVROLET WILL NOT DO A RECALL. PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO SOLUTION AS IT WAS A POOR DESIGN. I OWN 5 CHEVROLET VEHICLES INCLUDING 3 MALIBU'S, 2004, 2005 AND 2011. NONE WITH PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, HEARD WARNING SIGNAL, SAW WARNING LIGHT (WRENCH I THINK), THEN DIGITAL READ ON RADIO SAID "POWER STEERING." TRIED TO CHANGE LANES TO EXIT FREEWAY, STEERING WHEEL VERY DIFFICULT TO MOVE. REALIZED I HAD NO POWER STEERING. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THIS ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD HEADING TO WORK, AND WENT AROUND A CURVE AND ALL THE SUDDEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I COMPLETELY LOST MY POWER STEERING. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER AND SHUT MY CAR OFF, TURN IT BACK ON AND WENT ON MY WAY. THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK AT THIS POINT. THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, AND WAS GETTING READY TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. AS I ROUNDED THE CORNER, I LOST MY POWER STEERING YET AGAIN. I ONCE AGAIN KILLED THE ENGINE AND IT CAME BACK. BOTH TIMES, I LATER DROVE THE CAR HOME FROM WORK WITH NO INCIDENTS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. *TR

TURNED LEFT AT AN INTERSECTION WHEN THE A CHIME SOUNDED AND THE SERVICE LIGHT ON THE DASH APPEARED. THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND THE CAR VEERED OFF THE ROAD AND ONTO THE SIDEWALK. THE CAR WAS PLACED INTO PARK AND THE IGNITION TURNED OFF. THE IGNITION WAS IMMEDIATELY TURNED BACK ON AND THE POWER STEERING WAS RESTORED. THIS HAPPENED LAST WINTER, THEN THREE TIMES ALREADY THIS WINTER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY IN A PARKING LOT AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. IT WAS VERY DIFICULT TO NAIGATE IN THE PARKING LOT AT SUCH LOW SPEEDS. WHEN I LEFT THE PARKING LOT AND ACCELERATED, I WAS ABLE TO MANAGE STEERING WITH SOME FORCE. AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING, THE POWER STEERING WORKED FINE AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. I WAS CONCERNED FOR MY SAFETY AND WORRIED I WOULD HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO DIFFICULTY STEERING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING ALARM CHIMED. THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 37,000.

ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 17TH WHILE DRIVING THE SEAT ALL OF A SUDDEN DROPPED DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, I BROUGHT TO A REPAIR SHOP ON MONDAY OCTOBER 21ST TO HAVE THE SEAT LOOKED AT IT. THE WELDS ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE SEAT FRAME ARE BROKEN, THE COST TO FIX THIS IS GOING TO BE OVER $1100 BECAUSE IN ORDER TO FIX THE PROBLEM I NEED AN ENTIRE NEW SEAT. AFTER A LOT OF RESEARCH I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE IN THE 2004 CHEVY MALIBU MAXX, I FOUND A WEBSITE THAT HAD OVER 50 COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. I FEEL THIS SHOULD DEFINITELY BE A RECALL ISSUE SINCE THE WELDING HAD BROKEN AND SEEMS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS MODEL CAR THIS SOUNDS LIKE A MANUFACTURING ERROR SINCE IT HAS OCCURRED FREQUENTLY WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THERE WAS A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING ACCOMPANIED BY A WARNING CHIME. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. IN ADDITION, AN UNKNOWN FUSE WAS REMOVED FROM UNDER CONSOLE AND CLEANED. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE STEERING COLUMN AND MODULE WERE BOTH REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,000. ...UPDATED 11-18-13 *BF UPDATED 11/26/2013 *JS

HEARD A THUMP AND POWER SEAT SAGGED ON RIGHT SIDE. CHECKED UNDER SEAT AND FOUND WELD HAD BROKEN THAT HOLDS A TUBE TO A BRACKET. I COULD SEE THAT WHERE THE WELD PULLED LOOSE FROM THE TUBE IT PULLED METAL FROM THE TUBE. THE WELD DID NOT BREAK BUT PULLED METAL FROM THE TUBE. THE TUBE WAS MADE FROM THIN GAUGE METAL. *TR

WHILE MAKING A TURN AT 15 MPH DRIVERS SEAT DROPPED TO FLOOR. NOW DRIVERS SEAT ROCKS BACK AND IN TOWARDS CENTER CONSOLE. ADJUSTING THE HEIGHT TWISTS THE DRIVERS SEAT TO A DANGEROUS ANGLE. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SEAT FRAME WELDS BROKE ON THE BACK RIGHT CORNER OF SEAT. AN INTERNET SEARCH HAS PROVIDED A VAST NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. WITH THE SEAT ATTACHED AT THE SEAT THIS WILL NO DOUBT FAIL IN A MODERATE IMPACT CRASH AND LEAVE THE DRIVER UNSECURED. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BY CHEVROLET. *JB