2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

WE OWN AN 04 MALIBU MAXX, AT 50000 MILES APP THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. IT STOPPED WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY .IF YOU TURN THE CAR OFF AND RE START POWER STEERING RETURNS. THIS IS HAPPENING TO MORE THAN PEOPLE ACCORDING TO INTERNET CAR FORUMS, SO WHY NO RECALL? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. SHORTLY AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, THE CONTACT PLACED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, SHE TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT SUDDENLY BECAME LOCKED. IMMEDIATELY AFTER, THE POWER STEERING AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THROUGH ONLINE RESEARCH, THE CONTACT FOUND AN INVESTIGATION FOR THE SAME ISSUE (NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EA04018 (STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM)). SHE HAS NOT YET TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT BELIEVES THAT THIS INVESTIGATION SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 30,000.

I HAVE HAD AN ONGOING COMPLAINT ABOUT A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE STEERING WHEEL OF MY 2004 MALIBU MAXX. ALMOST AS SOON AS I GOT THE VEHICLE I FELT A FAINT VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND HAVE TAKEN IT TO CHEVROLET ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS EACH TIME THEY CLAIM THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS KNOCKING HAPPENS EVERYTIME I TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT IS GETTING LOUDER AND LOUDER. NOW THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY GM IS TELLING ME TO ONCE AGAIN GO AND HAVE IT DIAGNOSED, WHICH COST ABOUT $90 AND THEY DO NOT GUARANTEE TO FIX IT AT NO COST. I TALKED TO A CSR AND SHE DOES NOT ADMIT OR ADMIT TO KNOWING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. I REFERRED TO CAMPAIGN # 04050A 12/2004 POSTED ON YOUR WEBSITE. *TR

FIRST MY HORN FUSE CONTINUED TO BLOW. I REPLACED THE FUSE MULTIPLE TIMES. THEN MY TURN SIGNAL LIGHT WENT OUT. I LOOKED AT IT AND NOTICED THAT BOTH SIDES HAD HOLES BURNT THROUGH THE AMBER GLOBE. I WAS OUT OF TOWN AND DIDN'T WANT TO RECEIVE A TICKET FOR NON WORKING LIGHT SO I HAD IT REPLACED, HOWEVER WITHIN A DAY THE BULB BLEW AGAIN AND THE HORN FUSE BLEW AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS CAUSING IT HOWEVER I HAD TO PAY OVER $500 TO HAVE THE HEADLIGHT PARTS REPLACED ON BOTH SIDES. I HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY DENIED THE CLAIM B/C THEY DON'T REPLACE LIGHTS, HOWEVER THE FACT THAT THE CAR IS BURNING UP I DON'T THINK I JUST WANTED NEW LIGHTS. I DO NOT FEEL I SHOULD BE OUT MONEY FOR A PROBLEM THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY OCCURRED ON OTHER VEHICLES AND NOW MINE. I FEEL THAT A CAR THAT IS ACTUALLY MELTING/BURNING IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN....BUT I GUESS UNTIL A FEW PEOPLE BLOW UP IN THERE VEHICLES PEOPLE WILL BE OUT MONEY TO PAY FOR A FAULTY AUTOMOBILE. I WISH I STILL HAD MY FORD..IT NEVER GAVE ME THE PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAS. I STARTED WITH STEERING GOING OUT, THEN BACK HATCH NEVER OPENED, CAR REMOTE SYSTEMS DOESN'T WORK (AND I WON'T PAY TO REPLACE THAT), NOW THE CAR IS BLOWING FUSES, LIGHTS, AND BURNING UP MELTING THE PLASTIC. I THINK THEY SHOULD JUST START REPLACING THE 2004 WITH SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE SAFE....LIKE A FORD. *TR

THE PART IN QUESTION IS THE RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY PART # 25902150 OF A CHEVY MALIBU MAXX 2004. THE FIRST PART WAS REPLACED JULY 8 2008, THAT PART FAILED AND WAS REPLACED AGAIN ON OCTOBER 3 2008. THAT PART IS NOW FAILED AGAIN AND IT HAS NOT BEEN 3 MOTHS SINCE IT WAS REPLACED. SO THE PART HAS FAILED BY MAKING EXTREME NOISE, CLICKING OR THUMPING HEARD IN THE FRONT END. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE GM DEALER THAT PROVIDED THE PART TOLD HIM THEY KEEP MANY IN STOCK BECAUSE THEY HAVE THIS PROBLEM A LOT. MY MECHANIC ALSO TELLS ME THAT GM REFUSED TO PAY HIS LABOR COST EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMITTED THE PART FAILURE IN SUCH A SHORT TIME. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME THAT NOT REPLACING THE PART CAN RESULT IN MY LOSING CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE AND POSSIBLY AT RISK OF CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY TO ME OR OTHERS. *TR

ON MY 2004 CHEVY MALIBU MAXX, THE POWER STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY AS I WAS DRIVING YESTERDAY. LAST MONTH, THE STEERING WAS "STIFF" TURNING TO THE RIGHT. MY DEALER LUBRICATED SOMETHING AND THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT THE PARTS WERE LUBRICATED, HOWEVER THE COMPLETE FAILURE CAME YESTERDAY. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING AND COULD NOT STEER THE CAR SINCE THE POWER STEERING SHUT OFF. I DID CONTACT MY DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 2004 CHEVY MALIBU (RECALL #7126) FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM, BUT MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT ONE THAT WAS LISTED. ACCORDING TO MY DEALER, THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, WHICH WAS ALSO THE PART REPLACED IN THE RECALL OF THE 2004 CHEVY MALIBU. MY VEHICLE SHOULD DEFINITELY BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF RECALLED VEHICLES SINCE THE POWER STEERING FAILURE IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN OR PART FLAW THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN RECALLED AND REPLACED IN SIMILAR MODELS OF THE SAME PRODUCTION YEAR. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONS, THE WHEEL DOES NOT TURN. THE MESSAGE CENTER READS POWER STEERING, THIS HAS HAPPENED ONCE A WEEK FOR THE PAST 4 WEEKS. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROX. 40K MILES. I GOOGLED THIS ISSUE AND SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND SEE THAT GM HAS NOT ISSUED A FIX. WE ALREADY DID THE RECALL BACK IN 2005 ON THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT'S SPOUSE OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND MAKING A TURN, THE CONTACT HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES AND THEY REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN UNDER WARRANTY, THE PS GEAR, AND THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT; HOWEVER, THE CLUNKING NOISE STILL PERSISTS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 45,523 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,557. UPDATED 2/23/09 *CN UPDATED 02/27/09. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT SMELLED A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE EMANATING FROM THE VEHICLE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, HE NOTICED A LARGE PUDDLE OF GASOLINE NEAR THE FUEL TANK. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO REPLACE THE DELIVERY PUMP AND ASSOCIATED HOSES AT THE COST OF $513. THE TECHNICIAN ADDED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 101,143.

THE WELD BROKE ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET. THERE WAS NO ABUSE OF THE SEAT TO CAUSE THIS TO FAIL. IT DID NOT CAUSE CRASH OR INJURY. THE DRIVERS SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET WAS REPLACED. *TR