2004 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX Complaints

OCCURENCE #1: WITH LESS THAN 2000 MI ON VEHICLE, IT LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. THE MESSAGE CAME ON THE CONSOLE. TOWED TO DEALER WHO REPLACED STEERING COLUMN. OCCURRENCE #2: WITH APPROX. 5000 MI ON VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING WHEN IN REVERSE EXITING PARKING SPACE. DASH LIGHT WENT ON AS WELL AS CONSOLE MESSAGE. TOWED TO DEALER. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ON AN ICY ROADWAY ON A DOWNHILL LEFT CRUVE I FELT THE STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY STIFFEN UP AS IF THE CAR HAD STALLED. BY THE TIME I APPLIED ENOUGH PRESSURE TO COMPENSATE THE CAR STARTED TO VEER TO THE LEFT, AND WOULD NOT RECOVER. IT CRASHED AND ROLLED OVER. ALSO, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UNTIL WE WERE HANGING UPSIDE DOWN, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR HIT HARD IN THE FRONT. ALSO ONLY THE TWO FRONT AIR BAGS DEPLOYED NOT THE SIDE OR CURTAIN BAGS. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *AK

THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN SC, WHERE I WAS RESIDING AT THE TIME. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOUSE. I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE FOR WORK AND NEEDED SOMETHING FROM THE TRUNK OF THE CAR. OPENED THE TRUNK AND JUST AFTER I BENDED TO REACH IN, IT FELL DOWN ON MY HEAD CAUSING BLEEDING. I HAD TO HAVE 3 STITCHES PUT TO MY SCALP, LOST HALF A DAY OF WORK THAT MORNING AND SUFFERED HEADACHES FOR A FEW DAYS. CONTACTED GM DEALERSHIP AND THE PART WAS REPLACED. I'VE BEEN AVOIDING THE DECK LID EVER SINCE. CONTACTED ESIS/GM CENTRAL CLAIMS UNIT AND A CLAIM WAS ENTERED (#488402). THEY SEND AN INVESTIGATOR WHO OBTAINED THE FAILED PART FROM THE DEALERSHIP AT THE TIME IT WAS REPLACED AND TOOK PICTURES/VIDEO OF THE REAR DECK LID. STILL WAITING ON A RESOLUTION. *JB

AS MY FAMILY AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN OUR NEW MALIBU MAXX THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE RADIO STATED POWER STEERING. I TRIED TO STEER THE MAXX BUT IT HAD NO POWER STEERING. I STOPPED TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT AND IT STARTED WORKING. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE HAVING MAJOR TROUBLE WITH THE NEW MALIBU'S ELECTRIC ASSIST STEERING. THEY REPLACED THE COLUMN AND MOTOR. THAT LASTED ABOUT THREE MONTHS. I WAS DRIVING DOWN A MAJOR INTERSTATE EARLY ON A SUNDAY MORNING WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AGAIN. THIS TIME SEVERELY JERKING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT PUSHING ME INTO THE LEFT LANE OF TRAFFIC. HAD THIS BEEN MY WIFE ON HER WAY TO WORK MONDAY MORNING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON THIS INTERSTATE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. WE ARE NOW ON THE THIRD STEERING COLUMN, NOW THE HEATING AND DEFROST CONTROL UNIT IS BAD, LEAVING US WITH NO HEAT OR DEFROST. NOT TO MENTION THE REAR SEATBELT GOT STUCK AND WOULDN'T MOVE. ALL BUT THE HEATING CONTROL HAVE BEEN FIXED (AT DEALER NOW) BUT WHERE WILL IT STOP???? MY FAMILY WORKS FOR GM AND I THINK I WILL BUY A FORD!!!!!!!! GM BETTER STAND UP AND ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM! EA04018_CAT *JB

CONSUMER CONCERNED ABOUT OWNERS BEING NOTIFIED BY DEALERSHIP ABOUT RECALLS. *BF THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED OF TWO RECALLS (04027 AND 04030) WHEN SHE CONTACTED THE DEALER ABOUT THE DIPSTICK BEING DIFFICULT TO REMOVE AND THE OWNERS MANUAL. THE RECALLS CAME OUT TWO MONTHS BEFORE THE CONSUMER PURCHASE HER VEHICLE. *NM

POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON 5 OCCASIONS, BUT DEALER WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT ILLUMINATED. *TC *JB

CAR HAD LEFT PULLING PROBLEM AT DELIVERY. SELLER SUGGESTED CAR HAVE 1000+ MILES BEFORE ATTEMPTING ALIGNMENT. CAR "REPAIRED" AT ANOTHER IN-TOWN DEALER UNDER WARRANTY. WITHIN 6-8 MOS., PROBLEM SET IN AGAIN, ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE SIMPLY CRUISING FOR HOURS AT HIGHWAY SPEED. (NO "TORQUE STEER" OR "COUNTRY CROWN ROADS.") AFTER 3 HOUR DRIVE, COMPLAINED TO SELLING DEALER WHO REPLACED SENSOR (WHICH REQUIRED NEW COLUMN AND REPROGRAMMING SEVERAL MICROPROCESSORS ACCORDING TO MOST RECENT BULLETINS.) CAR SEEMED FINE FOR 1-2 MONTHS. AGAIN, STEERING SEEMS NOT TO CENTER ACCURATELY, AND GENERALLY PULLS LEFT. TIRES BEEN ROTATED, BALANCED, W/GOOD PRESSURE, ETC. SINCE I DRIVE TYPICALLY LEFT LANE WITH LEFT HAD (RIGHT HAND ON CELL PHONE OR MATERIALS) I NOW SUFFER "TENNIS ELBOW" AND HAVE HAD TO FAVOR MY LEFT--BEEN WEARING SPLINTS/ELBOW BRACES FOR 3 WEEKS. USED GM SATISFACTION PROCEDURE TO TALK TO ZONE REP. DEALER OPS MGR CALLS ME AND BECAUSE I ALLUDED TO DISCOMFORT AND MENTIONED KEEPING A PAPER TRAIL FOR MY ATTORNEY, THE ZONE REP REFUSES TO SPEAK OR ACT UPON THE MATTER "UNTIL WE HAVE INITIATED OUR LEGAL ACTION!" I JUST ASKED THEM TO FIX OR REPLACE THE CAR, WHICH I USE DAILY FOR BUSINESS. NOW I'VE BEEN CHALLENGED TO A LEGAL TUSSLE, AND THE CAR ISN'T RIGHT. *JB

I WAS DRIVING IN TRAFFIC WHEN SUDDENLY WITHOUT WARNING A WARNING CAM ACROSS THE MESSAGE SCREEN SAYING POWER STEERING AND THE SERVICE LIGHT TURNED ON. I HAD LOST ALL POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY FORCE THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND RESTARTED IT. WHEN I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE THE WARNINGS DISAPPEARED AND POWER STARING WORKING FINE UNTIL ABOUT 5-10 MINUTES LATER, ABOUT LESS THAN A 1/4 MILE TRAVELED POWER STEERING WENT OUT AGAIN. I CONTACTED MY DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THE SERVICE PERSON THERE NEW INSTANTLY WHAT IT WAS AND HE SAID THAT THE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB

I WAS TURNING RIGHT ONTO A STREET AND THE CAR DIED. I TURNED IT BACK ON AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. I THEN TURNED INTO MY OFFICE PARKING GARAGE AND AS I WAS GOING DOWN ONE OF THE LEVELS I NOTICED THE STEERING ACTING STRANGE. IT FELT LIKE IT WAS LOOSE OR NOT CATCHING. I WENT A LITTLE FURTHER AND THE POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I HAD AN EXTREMELY HARD TIME GETTING INTO A PARKING SPACE BUT I DID. LATER IN THE MORNING WHEN A TOW TRUCK CAME TO PICK UP THE CAR, I GOT IN AND STARTED THE CAR AND THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING. I LET THE TOW TRUCK TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP SINCE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT AND THE CAR DYING. IT IS AS THE DEALERSHIP AT THIS TIME. *JB

WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER, AND THERE WAS NO DATE AS TO WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE. *AK EA04018_CAT STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT IN THE VEHICLE. *TC