2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

MY STEERING WHEEL TIGHTENED UP AND BECAME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN. IT STARTED DINGING AND THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE DISPLAY SCREEN. I JUST HAD THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED IN MARCH. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND IT APPEARS MOST OWNERS OF THIS CAR HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY INJURED. MY HUSBAND HAD TO COME DRIVE MY CAR HOME AND BARELY MADE IT. *TR

STEERING LOCKED UP WHEN I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY. I WAS GOING ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR. I HEARD THE WARNING BELL DING AND THE WARNING DISPLAYED "POWER STEERING FAILURE". I ALMOST CRASHED BECAUSE I COULDN'T STEER. IT TOOK ALL THE POWER I COULD MUSTER TO STEER. IF MY WIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT WOULD HAVE KILLED HER. ALSO MY STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES WILL JOLT BACK AND FORTH SOMETIMES WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING IN PARK. FINALLY THE STEERING MAKES A LOUD AUDIBLE "THUNK" WHENEVER I TURN THE WHEEL OUT OF NEUTRAL POSITION, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE WHEELS ARE GOING TO FALL OFF WHEN I HIT ANY KIND OF BUMP OR ROUGH ROAD. AS FOR THE POWER STEERING FAILURE I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. IT HAPPENED ABOUT A DOZEN TIMES SO FAR AND THE DEALERSHIP SHRUGS THEIR SHOULDERS AND SAYS "IT DIDN'T DO IT FOR ME". THE KNOCKING OR THUNKING NOISE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM ON EVERY 06 MALIBU ON THE ROAD. IS SOMEBODY GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS? OR DO WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH FATALITIES TO FORCE SOMETHING TO HAPPEN? *TR

THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR SOMETIME NOW. I START MY VEHICLE UP TO GO, PUT IT IN DRIVE AND THE CAR LOSES ITS POWER STEERING(STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT MOVE) AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING SHOWS UP ON THE DASH DISPLAY. I ALSO NOTICE AT A STOP OR AT SLOW SPEEDS THE STEERING WHEEL JUMPS FROM RIGHT TO LEFT QUITE FREQUENTLY. *TR

MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP WHEN I WAS TURNING, WHEN I TURN MY STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES IT MAKES A POPPING SOUND. THEN POWER STEERING WILL APPEAR ON MY MESSAGE SCREEN ON MY RADIO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WARNING MESSAGE ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC STATED THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE STEERING CONTROL MOTOR MODULE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONTACT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER RECALL FOR THE STEERING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. *TR

MY FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS WHILE DRIVING ACROSS A RAILROAD TRACK AT A SPEED OF 35 MPH....WHILE DRIVING I HEARD A DINGING AND LOOKED TO SEE MY POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME THAT I WAS CROSSING THE TRACKS....TRACKS WHERE UNEVEN SO I KINDA WENT AROUND THE UNEVEN PART AND COULDN'T HANDLE MY STEERING SO I ALMOST HIT A CAR COMING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION...SECOND OCCURRENCE HAS EVEN MORE LIFE THREATENING....WHILE DRIVIN ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OF 65MPH...I HEARD THE DINGING SOUND AND MY STEERING LOCKED UP COMPLETELY(LIKE WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED OFF) I COULD NOT USE STEERING AT ALL AND I HAD A SEMI RIGHT BEHIND ME ....I WAS APPROACHING A CURVE IN THE HIGHWAY SO I SLOW DOWN SO THE TRAFFIC WOULD GO AROUND ME TO HOPEFULLY GET A CHANCE TO TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT TO RESET POWER STEERING....I HAD READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND THAT WAS THE SOLUTION..I TOOK THE CAR TO A MECHANIC WHERE HE DID A ROAD TEST AND OF COURSE NOTHING HAPPENED....I ONLY HAVE 2 MORE PAYMENT ON THIS CAR AND TO FIND OUT THAT THE SITUATION WHEN FIXED ALWAYS RECURS IS VERY DISAPPOINTING....PLEASE RECALL THIS VEHICLE BEFORE THIS PROBLEM KILLS SOMEBODY...MY FAMILY IS ALREADY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND IF I GET INTO A ACCIDENT THEY WILL BE LOOKING CLOSELY INTO THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE DRIVING A WARNING CHIME APPEARED THRU THE RADIO DISPLAY "POWER STEERING" AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURNED OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE CAR THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK ONLY TO GO OUT AGAIN. HAD THE COMPUTER RESET AND PROBLEM HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN, YET! CHECK ONLINE AND THIS VEHICLE AND OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME POWER ASSIST STEERING HAVE BEEN RECALLED AS RECENT AS 1212 IN CANADA, BUT NOT IN THE USA. EVERYTHING ON THE INTERNET, INCLUDING GMS WEBSITE SAY THE STEERING COLUMN HAS TO BE REPLACED. WE CHECKED WITH THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER AND THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS VIN #. THIS VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON MAJOR HIGHWAYS EVERYDAY, SO I AM HAVING THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED AT A COST OF $550 OUT OF POCKET.GM'S WEBSITE SAYS IT IS NOT A SAFETY PROBLEM BECAUSE IT CAN STILL BE STEERED OFF THE ROAD. THIS IS MY DAUGHTER'S CAR AND SHE CAN BARELY HANDLE THIS CAR WITHOUT THE POWER ASSIST. I DROVE IT AND LOST THE POWER ASSIST AND I BUMPED A CURB TRYING TO TURN IT INTO A PARKING LOT. HOW CAN THIS NOT BE A SAFETY ISSUE? CAN I BE REIMBURSED FOR THE COST OF FIXING THIS PROBLEM? *TR

VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING. THEN, I NOTICED A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE, AND SUDDENLY GAS WAS POURING OUT NEAR THE MUFFLER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR. TRACED THE LEAK ONCE WE GOT IT HOME. THE PLASTIC LINE ON THE FUEL PUMP HAD CRACKED. I LOST OVER 1/8 OF A TANK AFTER I PARKED IT. I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY HOW MUCH I LOST WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. I AM THANKFUL THAT THERE WERE NO SPARKS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PARK THE CAR. I FEAR FOR THE SAFETY OF MY YOUNG CHILDREN. I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THEM OUT OF THEIR CAR SEATS FAST ENOUGH HAD I NOT IMMEDIATELY TAKEN PRECAUTION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DECIDED TO REPLACE AN UNKNOW PART WITHIN THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 139,000.

POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS IN HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. INTERMITTENT FAILURE. SEVERAL MONTHS OF DRIVING IT WOULD SPORADICALLY FAIL AND THEN RETURN BACK TO NORMAL. EVENTUALLY IT FAILED COMPLETELY. WENT TO HAVE THE PS MODULE REPLACED ONLY TO DISCOVER THE COLUMN IS TO BE REPLACED WITH IT. THE VEHICLE IS DRIVABLE, BUT FEELS UNSAFE AND PUTS OTHERS AT RISK. VEHICLE IS NOT EASILY MANEUVERABLE AT LOW SPEEDS. NEEDS LARGE SPACE TO TURN AROUND. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AMONG THIS VEHICLE AS I HAVE SEEN MANY MANY COMPLAINTS. WHY IS THERE NOT YET A RECALL ON THE PS MODULE/COLUMN FAILURE OF THE MALIBU?? *TR