2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

STEERING GOES OUT. JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND STEERING FAILED. I COULD NOT TURN THE WHEEL. I AM PAST THE WARRANTY AND THREE DIFFERENT STORIES FROM THREE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS IS A KNOWN DEFECT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT IS CO-OWNER OF A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLICKER AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF STEERING POWER. THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND THEN PULLED HARD TO THE LEFT, ENTERING INTO TRAFFIC AND STRIKING TWO VEHICLES. THE PASSENGER AND DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE TWO OTHER DRIVERS ALSO SUSTAINED INJURIES, BUT THE CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED APPROXIMATELY $2,600 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND TOWED TO A DEALER. INVESTIGATION NUMBER EA04018 WAS ISSUED, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL AS OF YET. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 37,000. UPDATED 12-12-07. *KB

STEERING WENT ON CAR WHILE DRIVING . NOT INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT BROUGHT TO DEALERS AND HAD TO GET WHOLE NEW STEERING COLUMN PUT IN , BUT I HAD TO PAY FOR THE BALANCING AND ROTATION OF THE TIRES. THAT WAS THE STEERING COLUMN'S FAULT. *TR

PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES, I HAVE TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS EVERY 2-3 MONTHS AND HAVE THE ROTORS TURNED AS WELL FOR THERE IS A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING COLUMN AND FRONT END IF NOT TURNED. I WAS TOLD MY DEALERSHIP THAT THE ROTORS ARE NO GOOD FOR THE CAR AND THAT GM IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT REFUSES TO CORRECT IT. *TR

FEBRUARY 2005 STEERING COLUMN REPLACED DUE TO FAILURE, PRIOR TO RECALL ISSUED (15,050 MILES). FEBRUARY 2007 RACK AND PINION SYSTEM REPLACED DUE TO THUNKING NOISE WHEN TURNING LEFT (45,380 MILES). THUNKING NOISE RETURNED IN AUGUST 2007, THIS TIME NOISE WAS CAUSED BY STEERING SHAFT, WHICH WAS REPLACED (51,206 MILES). *TR

GEAR SHIFT LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT MOVE. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. FRONT TURN LIGHTS CONSTANTLY LOOSE CONNECTION AND GO OUT. HAVE REPLACED THEM ON AVERAGE EVERY THREE MONTHS. WITHIN 6 MO OF PURCHASE, STEERING FELT LOOSE AND WOULD LOCK UP A SLOW SPEED TURNS. STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED. AT THE SAME TIME, THUMPING CAN BE HEARD WITH LEFT HAND TURNS. DEALER SAYS THE PROBLEM IS RECOGNIZED BY CHEVROLET AND IS A DESIGN DEFECT OF THE RACK AND PINION, BUT CHEVROLET SAYS THEY HAVE NO REPORTS OF THE PROBLEM. THE SHOP JUST GREASES THE RACK AND PINION AND SENDS ME ON MY WAY. AFTER THE 5TH TIME OF HAVING IN THE SHOP AND CHEVY REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING BUT GIVE ME FREE OIL CHANGES, I HAVE TRADED IN THE CAR FOR A FORD. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE MAKES A KNOCKING NOISE IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FRONT SUSPENSION WAS REPLACED FOUR TIMES AND THE RACK WAS REPLACED ONCE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE SHOP FOURTEEN TIMES. THE STEERING SHAFT HAS BEEN PACKED WITH GREASE, WHICH SERVES AS A TEMPORARY REPAIR. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT WILL NEED TO BE GREASED APPROXIMATELY EVERY THREE MONTHS. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 25,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE VEERS TO THE RIGHT DUE TO STEERING FAILURE, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AND DIM AT RANDOM, AND THE STARTER ON THE VEHICLE WAS MALFUNCTIONING. THE FAILURES GENERALLY OCCUR WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH. THE MAIN FAILURE, HOWEVER, IS THAT THE VEHICLE FAILS TO START OCCASIONALLY. WHEN SHE STARTS THE VEHICLE, IT SOUNDS AS IF IT IS ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE, BUT NEVER DOES. THE VEHICLE ALSO MAKES A CRANKING SOUND. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY 8-10 TIMES. THE DEALER WILL MAKE A REPAIR, BUT THE FAILURES ALWAYS CONTINUE. THE VIN AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 39,900 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000.

CAR LEASED BRAND NEW IN AUGUST 2004. AS OF TODAY ON UNE 28,2007 CAR HAD BRAKES REPAIRED 4 TIMES AT THE DEALER. ROTORS HAVE BEEN MACHINED EACH TIME, AND TODAY BRAKE PADS REPLACED..CAR HAS 27,180 MILES ON IT, AND IT HAS BEEN MAINTAINED,GARAGED, KEPT, AND NO ONE HAS BEEN ROUGH ON THE BRAKES. THE LAST TIME WE HAD THE CAR TO DEALER FOR BRAKE PROBLEMS WAS JULY OF LAST YEAR. AT THAT TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT A BRAKE LINE WAS CRIMPED AND ONLY FOUND IT BECAUSE WE WERE HAVING TIRES ROTATED. ALSO, TOLD THAT THIS WAS THE LAST TIME ROTORS COULD BE MACHINED. WELL TODAY THEY MACHINED THEM ONCE AGAIN AS I HAD SAID PREVIOUSLY FOR THE FOURTH TIME. I DID SOME RESEARCH ,AND I MAY BE WRONG BUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE CAR FOR ABS PROBLEMS IN APRIL 2004 PRIOR TO OUR PURCHASE OF THE CAR.. I CALLED GM , AND WAS TOLD THAT OUR CAR WAS INVOLVED, BUT WAS LATER TOLD BY OWNER OF DEALERSHIP THAT THERE HAD BEEN A COMMUNICATION ERROR AND OUR CAR WAS INVOLVED IN ANOTHER RECALL CONCERNING SEAT BELTS OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE BRAKES AT THIS POINT AFTER SO MANY CONFLICTING STORIES..I FEEL VERY FRUSTATED, AND HAD TO SPEND ALMOST $500.00 BECAUSE THE BRAKE PADS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY AS THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PREVIOUS ROTOR/BRAKELINE PROBLEMS OR SO I WAS TOLD..WE HAD COMPUTOR SENSOR PROBLEMS,SHORT SOCKETS ON BOTH REAL TURN SIGNALS, LOOSE TIE ROD, IGNITION PROBLEMS ,WHICH THEY COULD NOT DETECT..FAULTY GAS CAP ETC. *AK

TRYING TO START THE CAR, THE CAR SOMETIMES DOESN'T START. YOU CAN HEAR IT TURNING OVER BUT IT JUST DOESN'T START. YOU CAN TRY AND TRY AND THEN, MAGICALLY, IT JUST STARTS. THEN, YOU TRY LATER AND IT STARTS AS IF THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM. IT IS INCREDIBLY UNRELIABLE, UNPREDICTABLE AND FRUSTRATING AS THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE A PATTERN FOR THE CAR NOT STARTING. *TR