2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

KNOCKING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. HAD TO HAVE IIT FIXED TWICE AND IT NOW DOES IT AGAIN. THIS IS A REPETATIVE PROBLEM AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS CAR HAS A DESIGN ISSUE. *TT

I HAVE BEEN READING OVER SOME OF THE 30 PAGES OF STEERING COMPLAINTS FOR THE 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. I FOUND OUT THAT I AM NOT ALONE WITH THIS CAR PROBLEM. I JUST BOUGHT MY CAR IN AUGUST 2011 - IT WAS A ONE OWNER WITH 31,000 MILES IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. I THOUGHT I DID MY HOMEWORK WHEN BUYING BUT WAS NOT AWARE OF THE STEERING PROBLEMS THAT EXISTED. THERE WAS NO RECALL LISTED . I WOULD NEVER HAVE BOUGHT THIS CAR KNOWING WHAT I KNOW NOW AND EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM FIRST HAND. I HEARD THE TWO DINGS THEN THE WORDS "POWER STEERING" APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. I IMMEDIATELY HAD NO POWER STEERING AND WAS DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE CAR WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER AND I WAS LUCKY TO MAKE IT HOME. SINCE THEN, I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS TWO OTHER TIMES. I AM SCARED TO DEATH TO DRIVE THIS CAR. DO I HAVE TO GET KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT BEFORE YOU WILL DO SOMETHING? I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY THESE COSTLY REPAIRS AND SHOULDN'T BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MANUFACTURER'S DEFECTS. PLEASE SAVE MY LIFE AND EVERYONE ELSE BY TAKING ACTION NOW!!! *TR

TODAY WHEN I DRIVE BACK FROM MY DRIVEWAY, SPEED IS ONLY 5KM/HOUR, WHEN I TURNED LEFT ,SUDDENLY THE STEELING LOSE POWER I CRASH TO MY WIFE'S CAR. YEAH, IT IS A ONLY A SMALL HIT AND NOTHING DAMAGE. THEN I STOPPED MY CAR , RESTART IT AND IT IS OK .BUT AFTER I DROVE 2 KM, IT LOST POWER AGAIN WHEN I TURN LEFT. I GOOGLE, I FOUND IT IS THOUSAND OF SAME ISSUES HAPPEN WHILE GM ONLY RECALL THE G6 COBALT BUT NOT MALIBU,WHY? THEY SUCK ,I WILL NEVER BUY GM AGAIN. *TR

THE VEHICLE UNLOCKS THE DOORS AUTOMATICALLY BY ITSELF WITHOUT THE POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCHES OR UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE REMOTE KEY FOB BEING ACTIVATED. THE PROBLEM OCCURS DURING DRIVING THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. IN ADDITION, THE PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE AUXILLARY POWER IS ON (AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND THERE IS POWER TO THE WINDOWS AND RADIO - BEFORE THE DOORS ARE OPENED) AS WELL AS AFTER THE AUXILLARY POWER IS TURNED OFF (AFTER THE DOORS HAVE BEEN OPENED AND POWER TO THE RADIO AND WINDOWS HAS BEEN TURNED OFF). THE VEHICLE IS FOUND WITH ITS DOORS UNLOCKED WHEN THE DRIVER RETURNS TO THE VEHICLE (DRIVER LOCKED THE DOORS AND CONFIRMED THEY WERE LOCKED WHEN LEAVING THE VEHICLE PARKED). THE VEHICLE ALSO DISABLES THE SECURITY SYSTEM WHEN IT UNLOCKS THE DOORS CAUSING ANYONE TO ENTER THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE ALARM OR SECURITY SYSTEM ACTIVATING. THIS CREATES A SECURITY AND SAFETY CONCERN FOR THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS. THE VEHICLE DOORS MAY NOT STAY LOCKED WHEN LEAVING THE VEHICLE WHICH CREATES A SECURITY CONCERN. IN ADDITION, THE DOORS MAY UNLOCK WHEN DRIVING CAUSING SAFETY CONCERNS.*TR

FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS POWER STEERING FAILURE WITH LEFT TURNS. YESTERDAY COMPLETE FAILURE, FORTUNATELY IT LOCKED UP IN MY DRIVEWAY. STEERING WHEEL JAMMED UP WITH THE SLIGHTEST TURN. *TR

STEERING- WHEN MAKING LEFT TURNS STEERING COLLUMN POPS AS IF LINKAGE IS SLIPPING. APPARENTLY A KNOWN DEFECT AT CHEVROLET. STEERING COLUMN SHOULD BE REPLACED. LOSS OF POWER STERRING IN THE PAST AT HIGHER SPEEDS, ONE COMPLETE LOCKUP OF STEERING WHEEL WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. BRAKES- INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT OVER TIME TO SLOW VEHICLE TO A STOP SAFELY. BRAKES WERE COMPLETELY REPLACED AT 51K MILES DUE TO AN ISSUE OF WEAR AT RATES EXCEEDING MECHANICAL ESTIMATES. DEALERSHIP INSPECTION YIELDS NO DAMAGES OR PROBLEM YET TEST DRIVE SHOWS HOW DIFFICULT VEHICLE IS TO STOP EFFECTIVELY.

WE STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT AT VERY LOW SPEEDS, ESPECIALLY IN WARM WEATHER, ONLY OCCASIONALLY. THEN THE PROBLEM WORSENED WITH THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT FREQUENTLY WHEN TURNING TO THE RIGHT. ONLY AFTER WE HAD OBTAINED 100000 MILES ON THE CAR DID WE RECEIVE A LETTER FROM THE GM COMPANY STATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING AND UPON CONTACTING GM COMPANY THEY REFUSED TO FIX THEIR FACTORY INSTALLED DEFECTIVE PROBLEM STATING IT WAS OUR PROBLEM. THEY REFUSE TO FIX THE STEERING PROBLEM AND IT HAS CAUSED US TO HAVE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH CRASHES. THE CAR IS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN FOR MY WIFE AND IS A REAL CRASH HAZARD. IT WAS THEIR MISTAKE, BUT THEY REFUSE TO HONOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO CAR SAFETY LIKE THEY ADVERTISE ON TV. IT IS THEIR PROBLEM AND THEY SHOULD HONOR THEIR SAFETY COMMITMENT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE CAR FIXED AT THEIR EXPENSE NOT OURS SINCE IT IS THEIR MISTAKE. *TR

INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING THAT OCCURS UNDER TWO DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. UPON HARD ACCELERATION (AS WHEN ENTERING A HIGHWAY), STEERING WILL PERIODICALLY LOCK-UP WITH A SERIES OF 4 CHIMES COMING FROM THE INFORMATION DISPLAY PANEL ON THE DASHBOARD. POWER STEERING ASSIST RETURNS UPON DECELERATION. ALSO, I'VE HAVE HAD SEVERAL INSTANCES OF POWER STEERING LOSS WHEN BACKING UP IN COLDER WINTER TEMPERATURES. POWER ASSIST RETURNS AFTER TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO RECREATE EITHER SCENARIO AS IT HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THIS DEFECT NOR HAS IT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BUT LET'S NOT WAIT FOR ONE. IT'S QUITE OBVIOUS FROM THOUSANDS OF INTERNET POSTS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT GM REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE. AN NHSTA RECALL WOULD BE NICE. SECONDLY, THE VEHICLE HAS HAD NUMEROUS REPAIRS TO FRONT SUSPENSION, STEERING AND BRAKE COMPONENTS THAT SHOULD NOT FAIL WITHIN THE FIRST THE 60K MILES OF OWNERSHIP (SOME WERE REPLACED WITH LESS THAN 35K). COMPONENTS REPLACED INCLUDE; STRUT TOWER ASSEMBLY, BOTH TIE RODS (INNER AND OUTER), STEERING COLUMN, RIGHT REAR CALIPER (SNAPPED PARKING BRAKE CABLE), ALL FOUR BRAKE ROTORS REPLACED. FOR THE FOLKS WHO SPENT THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIER MALIBU MAXX AND ARE READING THIS ONLINE, PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO POST YOUR STORIES. GM SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR INACTION AND REFUSAL TO ACKNOWLEDGE SERIOUS STEERING RELATED DEFECTS. IT WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL THE NHTSA RECEIVES ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO FORCE A RECALL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE TOP REAR OF THE FUEL TANK AND WAS EMITTING A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE FAILURE OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX SUPERSPORT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 50 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY LOOSE AND IT WAS DIFFICULT FOR HER TO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN MAKING A LEFT OR RIGHT TURNS SHE HEARD A POPPING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED HER THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HER TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000.