2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

THE DRIVERS FRONT SEAT LEANS TO RIGHT WHEN TILTED HAVE TO KEEP ALL THE WAY DOWN SO IT DOESN'T WOBBLE. THE WELD ON THE SEAT FRAME BROKE CAUSING IT TO LEAN TO THE RIGHT AND BE UNSTABLE. ALSO POWER STEERING WILL RANDOMLY STOP WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. YOU HAVE TO SHUT THE CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON TO GET POWER STEERING BACK. DEALER SAID THEY RECALLED THE ISSUE BEFORE WE BOUGHT THE CAR AND IT IS BACK AGAIN SAME ISSUE NOW ITS APPARENTLY NOT COVERED SINCE THEY SAID THEY FIXED IT BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW YEARS NOW. *TR

2004 MALIBU MAXX STEERING FAILURE. VEHICLE PURCHASED IN SEPTEMBER 2009. SPORADIC DIFFICULTY WITH POWER STEERING GOING OUT, HAS INCREASED TO A DAILY OCCURRENCE. WHEN ACCELERATING INTO A TURN, MUST HOLD ONTO STEERING WHEEL TIGHTLY AND LEAN HEAVILY INTO TURN TO NAVIGATE SUFFICIENTLY TO AVOID COLLISION WITH OTHER VEHICLES/OBJECTS/PEDESTRIANS. PROBLEM ALSO OCCURS ON HIGHWAY, CHANGING LANES, AND WHEN NAVIGATING EXIT RAMP WHEN THERE IS A CURVE. HAVE HAD STEERING WHEEL CLEANED AND GREASED, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE COLUMN CLICKS DURING THE TURN IF THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED. I SEE THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE, AND AM LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATION FOR REPAIR, AS MY RESEARCH HAS FOUND LITTLE TO REMEDY. A OLDER SENIOR FRIEND WITH THE SAME VEHICLE HAD DIFFICULTY NAVIGATING A TURN IN EFFINGHAM NH A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, AND WENT OFF THE ROAD, RESULTING IN TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE AND FORTUNATELY, MINIMAL INJURY TO THE DRIVER. *TR

MY MALIBU MAXX POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVER INTERMITTENTLY. I HAD THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED IN 2008 FOR ANOTHER ISSUE. I KNOW SOME DAY THE STEERING WILL FAIL AT A MOST CRITICAL TIME. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AND OTHER STEERING COLUMN PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO OCCUR. I CAN NOT BUY ANOTHER CHEVY WITH THIS KIND OF WORKMANSHIP. NOT LOOKING GOOD FOR THE BAILOUT REPAYMENT PROMISE. *TR

WHILE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY WAS ADJUSTING THE SEAT FOR ME TO DRIVE THEN THE SEAT DROPPED DOWN AND NOW LEANS TO THE RIGHT AND ROCKS BACK AND FORTH WHEN GOING OVER ANY BUMPS AT ANY SPEED. FRONT WELD OF THE DRIVER SEAT BROKE, CAUSING THE SEAT TO SOMETIMES LEAN TOWARDS THE FRONT RIGHT. WE TOOK IT TO CHEVY, ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE SEAT AND DO A STATE INSPECTION. THEY SAID THAT THEY DIDNT KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND HAD TO PULL THE SEAT OUT. THEY THEN TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE $1,000 TO REPAIR THE SEAT, THEN TOLD ME IT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION WITHOUT REPAIRING THE SEAT. WHEN I PICKED UP THE CAR, MORE WELDS HAD BROKEN AND THE SEAT WOBBLED A LOT. THEY TOLD ME THAT IF I PUT THE SEAT IN THE TOTALLY DOWN POSITION THAT IT WOULD NOT WOBBLE. NOW I AM LOOKING ONLINE AND SEE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT BROKEN WELDS ON THE SEAT. I HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND COULD CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE DRIVER IF CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. JM

I HAVE A 2004 MALIBU MAXX AND I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND LOST MY POWER STEERING IN THE VEHICLE WHILE EXITING ON A RAMP THAT TURNED 360 DEGREES... I SUDDENLY HAD TO FIGHT WITH ALL MY MIGHT TO KEEP THE CAR ON THE ROAD AND NEARLY CRASHED. I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE AND IT IS A HIGHLY KNOWN ISSUE ON THE INTERNET. IF I TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART IT MOMENTS LATER IT WILL WORK FOR A WHILE THEN FAIL AGAIN UNEXPECTEDLY... DANGEROUS!!! VERY DANGEROUS! I'M IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING A GM SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR A FIX... BUT PLEASE HELP THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DRIVERS ON THE ROAD WHO ARE UNSUSPECTING OF THIS KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 MALIBU MAX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING ASSIST MALFUNCTIONED AS THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME TIGHTENED. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED JUST BEFORE THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED A MINIMUM OF THREE TIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING SENSOR FAILED AND WOULD NEED REPAIRING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

BOUGHT 2004 MALIBU MAXX BRAND NEW. SWITCH IN AC FIRST TO GO AT JUST UNDER 10000 MILES. 18000 MILES BRAKES AND ROTORS HAD TO REPLACE COST ALMOST $800.00. HEADLIGHTS BURNED UP REPLACE WIRING HARNESS ON BOTH ANOTHER $1000.00. REPLACED BOTH HEAD LIGHTS COULD NOT SEE THROUGH EITHER OF THEM ANOTHER $385.00 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT KEPT COMING ON AND COME TO FIND OUT THERE WAS NOT A FUSE IN THE EMISSION SPOT. REPLACED THAT ANOTHER $400.00 WHEN THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. LEAKS IN THE HATCH WHEN IT RAINS OR CAR IS BEING WASHED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON WILL NOT RESET. DRIVER SEAT SUPPORTS ARE BROKEN AND EVERYONE THAT I KNOW THAT HAS THIS CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM AND NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THIS, GUESS WHEN THERE IS AN ACCIDENT AND SOMEONE REALLY GETS HURT THEN SOMETHING WILL BE DON. IT IS ASHAMED THAT YOU PAY SO MUCH FOR A VEHICLE AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GO THROUGH. I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN OIL CHANGES AND GENERAL MAINTENANCE AND NO ONE FROM THE COMPANY SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT PROBLEMS THAT IS FAULT OF THE MANUFACTURING OF THIS CAR AND IT SEEMS THAT NO ONE WANTS TO REPLACE WHAT IS WRONG. *TR

THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK AFTER ONLY 8,00 MILES AND THEN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL DIDN'T WORK AFTER ONLY 15,000 MILES. THERE WAS A RELAY SWITCH THAT WAS REPLACED AT 8,000 MILES THAT COST $125.00 INCLUDING PARTS AND LABOR AND THEN AT 15,000 MILES THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL DIDN'T WORK AND AFTER TWO DAYS IN THE SHOP THEY "REPAIRED AND RECRIMPED TERMINAL AT BCM". NO PARTS, JUST LABOR $459.80. BOTH OF THESE JOBS WERE DONE AT CHEVY DEALERSHIPS. IT TURNS OUT THAT THESE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ESPECIALLY THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON BUT IT TOOK THE DEALERSHIP TWO DAYS TO FIX IT. *TR

BROKEN DRIVERS SIDE CAR SEAT FRAME TO A 2004 CHEVY MALIBU. BROKEN FRAME CAUSES SEAT TO ROCK UP AND DOWN AND LEAN TO ONE SIDE.THIS FRAME BROKE UNDER NORMAL USE. TO REPAIR THIS YOU NEED TO BUY A NEW SEAT FOR ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS FROM A CHEVY DEALER OR YOU CAN TRY TO WELD THE FRAME BACK TOGETHER. THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THE POOR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING OF THE SIZE OF METAL USED TO BUILD THE FRAME. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME FIRM AND THE VEHICLE WAS UNCONTROLLABLE. THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF AND WHEN RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING WAS RESET AND THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED IN REGARDS TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 03/24/11*LJ UPDATED 04/07/11*LJ