2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED BEFORE OR DURING THE FAILURE. THE DEALER VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V064000 (STEERING) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION HOWEVER THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT NHTSA REGULATED WHAT VEHICLES WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND TO CONTACT NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

WARNING COMES ON RADIO WITH WARNING BEEPS AND ALL POWER STEERING IS LOST UNTIL YOU TURN OFF CAR AND RESTART. IT CAN HAPPEN DURING ANY DRIVING SITUATION AT ANY SPEED. THE CAR HAS ALREADY HAD THE INITIAL RECALL TAKEN CARE OF FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM EVEN THO WE NEVER EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH IT THEN. NOW EVEN THO ANOTHER RECALL WAS ISSUED THEY SAY MY CAR ISN'T IN THAT GROUP. MAKES NO SENSE.

RECALL 14116, STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR WAS PERFORMED 1 APRIL 2016 AT 37560 MILES. ON APPROX. 1-05-18, AT APPROX. 76000 MILES, THE STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY RESULTING IN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS WAS LESS THAN 2 YEARS AFTER THE RECALL REPLACEMENT. UPON DIAGNOSIS TECHNICIANS FOUND THAT THE STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR AND THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MOTOR CONTROL MODULE HAD FAILED. THE MOTOR CONTROL MODULE PROBABLY FAILED DUE TO INCREASED STRESS ON THE SYSTEM DUE TO THE TORQUE SENSOR HAVING FAILED. THE REPAIR SHOP HAD TWO ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENTS FOR THE MOTOR CONTROL MODULE FAIL OUT OF THE BOX BEFORE A GOOD ONE WAS PROVIDED, AND BOTH UNITS HAD TO BE REPEATEDLY TESTED AND ADJUSTED BEFORE ACCEPTABLE PERFORMANCE WAS REACHED. BASED ON THE HISTORY OF THESE TYPE FAILURES IT IS APPARENT THAT GM HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEMS WITH THESE SYSTEM COMPONENTS. IT COST $747.36 FOR PARTS, AND $234.00 LABOR FOR THE REPAIR, NOT INCLUDING TAX. IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE THAT GM IS NOT ACTUALLY CORRECTING THE APPARENT DESIGN ISSUES WITH THESE SYSTEMS, BUT IS CONTINUING TO USE THEM IN VEHICLES EVEN WITH THEIR HISTORY OF FAILURE. GM CUSTOMER SERVICE OFFERED NO HELP AT ALL FOR THE COST OF THIS REPAIR EVEN THOUGH THEIR PARTS APPEAR TO BE DEFECTIVE IN DESIGN. THEIR ONLY RESPONSE WAS THAT THEY HAD MADE THE RECALL CORRECTIONS AT NO COST ONCE AND WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN. YET THE OEM REPLACEMENT PARTS FAILED REPEATEDLY OUT OF THE BOX. IT SEEMS THAT GM SHOULD HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY AS THEY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS THAT APPEARS TO FAIL REPEATEDLY..

INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN A REQUIREMENT TO DRIVE WITH ONLY MANUAL STEERING WHICH REQUIRES GREATER FORCE AND LOWERS THE ABILITY TO REACT QUICKLY TO TRAFFIC PATTERS DRAMATICALLY. THIS HAPPENS BOTH WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND STOPPED. TURNING THE POWER ON AND OFF RESULTS IN TEMPORARILY RESTORING POWER STEERING. WORTH NOTING, GM SAID THE RECALL WAS CLOSED FOR THIS VEHICLE AND THE REPAIR WAS ALREADY PERFORMED, BUT FAILED TO BRING RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THEIR SENSOR THAT IS NOW NOT FUNCTIONING AGAIN. PRESUMABLY VEHICLE WAS FIXED WITH ANOTHER FAULTY PART FROM GM OR WAS NEVER ACTUALLY FIXED TO BEGIN WITH. THIS PROBLEM CREATES A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN FOR BOTH THE DRIVER AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD.

STEERING LOCKS UP. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE FEW MONTHS I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENS MOST OFTEN WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN WHILE ACCELERATING (SUCH AS TURNING LEFT ONTO A BUSY ROAD). SOMETIMES IT HAPPENED UPON ACCELERATION WITHOUT TURNING. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON THIS SAME MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR, HOWEVER, WHEN I TYPE IN MY VIN NUMBER, NOTHING COMES UP. IT IS MOST DEFINITELY A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM WHICH NEEDS TO BE FIXED ASAP. I CANNOT AFFORD TO DO IT AT THIS TIME. PLEASE TELL ME IF PERHAPS MY VIN JUST DOESN'T SHOW UP, BUT I MAY BE ABLE TO GET IT FIXED AT NO CHARGE DUE TO THE RECALL THAT INVOLVES VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS/HAZARDS.

ENGINE GOES INTO ENGINE POWER REDUCED MODE WHILE GOING 55 ON A HIGHWAY AND SOON THE ENGINE BECOMES DISABLED WHICH DISABLES THE STEERING AND THE BRAKES. NO INJURIES AS I WAS SMART ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE SITUATION, BUT THIS HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE AND MY CAR READS NO CODES FOR THE SITUATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THREE CHIMES SOUNDED, THE VEHICLE SEIZED, PULLED TO THE RIGHT, AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IF THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, IT WOULD CANCEL THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AT 304-422-6501 AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND THAT THE SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR KIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V153000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFUSED TO PROVIDE A CASE NUMBER OR EMAIL AFTER INFORMING THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 382,000.

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, AND SLOWED TO A STOP LIGHT. THE CAR SUDDENLY DINGS THREE TIMES. I HEAR A HIGH POPPING NOISE AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT APPEARS ON THE SCREEN. LIGHT TURNS GREEN. THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES VERY HARD TO TURN. IT TAKES ALL OF MY MIGHT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT ON A RED LIGHT INTERSECTION. I BARELY AVOIDED HITTING THE OPPOSITE CAR THAT WAS GOING LEFT ACROSS FROM ME. I WAS TOLD THEY HAD A RECALL. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND I WAS INFORMED MY CAR DID NOT QUALIFY IN THE RECALL BECAUSE IT WAS MADE EARLIER THAN THE OTHER MODELS, AND THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED IN 2014 ANYWAY. SCARED ME TO DEATH ALMOST HITTING SOMEONE ELSE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AN AUDIBLE WARNING SOUND ACTIVATED BEFORE THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING MODULE WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. UPDATED 05/04/17*LJ *AS

I WAS PICKING UP A FRIEND & THE CAR DROVE SMOOTHLY TO THEIR DESTINATION. I STOP THE CAR & PUT THE CAR IN PARK MODE, RIDER GOT IN & I PUT THE CAR BACK IN DRIVE MODE. A FEW MOMENTS LATER IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET I TOOK A LEFT TURN & THE STEERING WHEEL RIPPED ITSELF OUT OF MY HANDS STRAIGHTENING ITSELF OUT. POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON THE CENTER CONSOLE, I HAD NO POWER STEERING DURING THE LEFT TURN & ALMOST GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF IT. I HAD TO MUSCLE THE STEERING WHEEL TO SAFETY & PULL OVER. AS OF RIGHT NOW I AM STILL FACING THIS ISSUE, POWER STEERING IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE & THE PROBLEM IS WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN. I LOOKED UP THE ISSUE ONLINE ONLY TO FIND OUT I WASN'T ALONE, MANY OTHERS EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AS I DID. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ASAP