Complaint about steering : rack and pinion I purchased the 2006 Chevy Malibu a few months ago from a local used car dealer near allentown, Pennsylvania. A month or so later I began hearing a popping when I turned. I took it to the mechanic and it turned out to be a rack and pinion fault. The estimated cost with reprogramming is $600. I know a lot of people with the 06 Malibu have been having this problem. GM should recall. I just don't have that kind of money to pay for the rack and pinion fault.

- Allentown, PA, USA

When I purchased my 2006 Chevy Malibu from steve rogers Ford on 12/12/06 it had about 24,600 miles on it. Around July/August of 2007 I began been feeling an occasional popping when I turned. Soon it became more consistent, and also started to pull to one side, especially when taking off from a stop. We took it for a 4 wheel alignment on 10/30/07, and the technician immediately knew something more was wrong when he turned the key on and the wheels wandered to the left on their own without the steering wheel even being touched. It was determined to be the rack and pinion. After the alignment, the car was taken to the place of purchase. They sent us next door to yark Chevrolet, where they refused to cover the repair because the vehicle had exceeded the warranty by a mere 600 miles. The estimated cost of repair is $550, which does not include the "reprogramming" of the "computer assisted" power steering system or an additional alignment. I do not have that kind of money laying around to fix it now. I will probably have to borrow it. I thought in buying a newer vehicle, I wouldn't have to worry about major repairs for a while. Personal research indicates this is an ongoing issue with the Malibu, and I believe recalls should be issued since it is apparent GM has not remedied this problem yet.

- Whitehouse, OH, USA