2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

MY FRIEND HAS A 2004 CHEVY MALIBU, SHE ASKED ME TO CHECK HER FRONT TURN SIGNALS AS THEY WERE NOT WORKING. I NOTICED THE LIGHT BULBS WERE COVERED BY A ORANGE PLASTIC GLOBE. I WAS AMAZED TO SEE THE PLASTIC GLOBES HAD BURN HOLES IN THEM AND THE MELTING PLASTIC WAS DRIPPING ON THE LIGHT BULBS AND DESTROYING THEM. I ALSO NOTICED BURN MARKS ON THE HEADLAMP LENSES ON BOTH SIDES. I REMOVED THE PLASTIC GLOBES AND PUT NEW BULBS IN. THE GLOBES ARE WAY TOO CLOSE TO THE HOT BULBS WHICH ARE BURNING THE PLASTIC. IT IS HAPPENING ON HIGHER MILEAGE MALIBUS THAT HAVE HAD TIME TO MELT THE PLASTIC. I FEEL THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND A POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARD. I CHECKED ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM. GM HAS NO BULLETINS ON THIS MATTER. *TR

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILS RESULTING IN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 MALIBU MAX. I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING COLUMN FOR THE PAST 1 1/2 YEARS. THE RACK AND PINION AND STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED LAST YEAR AFTER THE POWER STEERING KEPT GOING OUT. A YEAR LATER AND THE RACK AND PINION AS BEEN REPLACED AGAIN! THE STEERING COLUMN IS GOING TO HAVE TO BE REPLACED AGAIN AS WELL! THE POWER STEERING GOES KEEPS GOING OUT, BUT IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON IT CORRECTS THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. THERE IS NO WARNING BEFORE IT GOES OUT. THE 2005 HAS A RECALL OUT ON IT BUT NOT THE 2004 AND IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM! *TR

2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAX - THE DRIVER'S SEAT FRAME HAS FAILED AT THE BOTTOM RESULTING IN THE SEAT LEANING TO THE RIGHT, MOVING AROUND DURING CORNERING, AND THE SEAT GENERALLY BEING NOT ANCHORED ENTIRELY TO THE FLOOR OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 41000 MILES AND THIS FAILURE WAS NOT DUE TO ANY INCIDENT OTHER THAN NORMAL DRIVING. CURRENTLY AWAITING BACKORDERED PARTS FROM THE DEALER AT SIGNIFICANT COST. CONTINUING TO DRIVE CAR IN UNSAFE CONDITION. OTHER OWNERS REPORT SIMILAR ISSUES ON SEVERAL WEBSITES. THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND DROVE UP A SIDEWALK, BARELY MISSING A MAILBOX. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 110,000.

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND POWER STEERING WARNING AND CHIME START, THEN POWER STEERING GOES OUT. AFTER STOPPING FOR A WHILE AND STARTING THE CAR IT WORKED. BROUGHT IT TO A CHEVY DEALER AND THEY SAID THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $650.00. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM I DISCOVERED HUNDREDS OF MALIBU OWNERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. AN OBVIOUS DESIGN AND ENGINEERING FLAW FROM GM. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ITEM DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET- MALIBU MAXX LT. THE POWER STEERING KEPT ON GOING OUT WITH OUT WARNING. FIRST TIME IT DID IT, IT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. I PULLED OVER. I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND TURNED IT BACK ON. I WAS THINKING MAYBE IT WAS JUST A ONE TIME PROBLEM. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN FOR 2 WEEKS. THEN THE SECOND TIME HAPPENED. IT WAS WITHOUT WARNING AS WELL. SO, I DID THE SAME AS BEFORE SHUT IT DOWN AND RESTARTED IT. IT WORKED FOR A MINUTE. RIGHT WHEN I WAS GETTING READY TO DRIVE IT DID IT AGAIN. SO, SHUT IT OFF THEN TURNED IT ON. IT HAPPENED ABOUT 5 TIMES IN ONE DAY. SO, I TOOK IT TO A DRIVE TRAIN PLACE SINCE I WAS TOLD THAT MY POWER STEERING WAS IN MY TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS MY POWER STEERING AND TOLD ME HOW ITS NOT LIKE IT WAS BEFORE. THAT MY POWER STEERING WAS IN MY STEERING COLUMN. SO, IT QUIT DOING IT FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULDN'T EVEN GET IT RESET WHEN I WAS SHUTTING IT OFF AND BACK ON. SO, I TOOK IT TO A PLACE I ALWAYS GO AND THEY LOOKED AT IT AND KNEW THE EXACT PROBLEM. I SPENT $643.65 GETTING IT FIXED. THEY TOLD ME TO LOOK ONLINE AND SEE IF THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS. HERE ARE A FEW SITES HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/MALIBU/2004/STEERING/POWER_STEERING_GOING_OUT_INTERMITTENTLY.SHTML , HTTP://CARBLOG.CLASSIFIEDS1000.COM/RECALL_ISSUES/20090114-133923-POWER_STEERING_PROBLEMS_ON_CHEVY_MALIBU_SEEKING_RECALL , HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/MALIBU/2004/INVESTIGATIONS.SHTML THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THAT IT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE IT TAKES SOMEONES LIFE. *TR

2004 CHEVY MALIBU MAXX 60000 MILES- POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. DEALER HAD REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN TWICE ALREADY AS WELL AS THE STEERING RACK TWICE. CAR IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY AND STEERING FROZE UP AGAIN AND ALMOST CAUSED MAJOR ACCIDENT. DEALER SAYS ITS $700 TO REPAIR. *TR

FRONT AND REAR CROSSMEMBERS IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT FRAME FAILED, ALONG WITH WELDS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE REAR CROSSMEMBER. THE SEAT TILTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE RIGHT, INTERFERING WITH THE OPENING OF THE REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT UNIT AND PLACING A STRAIN ON THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT MOTOR. AFTER FAILURE, THE SEAT WOULD SHIFT NOTICEABLY IN TURNS, AND THE REPAIR SHOP SAID IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT, IT WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THE SEAT WOULD REMAIN ANCHORED. THE FACT THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT WAS ANCHORED TO THE SEAT CAUSED FURTHER CONCERN, AS IT WOULD NOT STOP A DRIVER FROM BEING THROWN FORWARD IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. SEVERAL LOCAL GM DEALERS SAID THAT THEY HAVE NO RECOURSE AND THAT THE SEAT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. I HAD TO HAVE THE SEAT COMPLETELY STRIPPED DOWN AND HAVE SEVERAL PARTS AND WELDS REPLACED AT A LOCAL METAL SHOP. *TR

STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE EMANATING FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE, CHECKED INTERNET ABOUT PROBLEM AND HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER MALIBU OWNERS. *TR