This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering light was illuminated on the instrument panel. Over time, the contact began to hear a popping noise coming from the steering column while making turns at various speeds. The contact also stated that the steering wheel would shake whenever the vehicle was shifted into gear. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were in the process of diagnosing the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 59,000.
2008 Malibu - drivers door latch does not work. Often driver gets stuck in vehicle. In addition, there is a loud knock in the steering and it has had a ring gear replaced already, same problem 12,000 miles later.
Steering wheel shakes intermittently throughout each day for approximately the past 50 days as of May 20, 2011. Sometimes occurs when car is initially turned on (shakes quickly to the left and right as if a little child was playing with the steering wheel). Shaking will also take place spontaneously while driving at various speeds. On May 10, 2011 passenger side power locks began to malfunction-would not lock or open when using power button inside car or using remote. Locking and unlocking had to be done manually by pulling up or pushing down lock.
Steering wheel will "wobble" left to right while car is stopped, in parked position, at idol. Event occurs daily and a noise will accompany the motion at times. "wobble" motion seems to increase with slight rev of engine. While driving at any given speed and on any road surfaces the steering will jerk from left to right, causing the vehicle to rapidly swirve from side to side. Feels like all control could be lost at any given moment. I have a 60 mile commute to and from work and it is extremely frightening as it occurs while other vehicles are in close proximity to mine. I am surprised that I have not been cited for careless and imprudent driving by law enforcement or ultimately killed in a horrible accident. I first mentioned the event to the service department while there for scheduled maintenance. Event did not occur upon mechanic test drive, however, their answer was an unscheduled tire rotation that I was responsible to pay for and the event occurred again the next day. The problem was mentioned for the second time with the next scheduled maintenance which included another tire rotation. The mechanic did witness the faulty steering at this time and evidently some torque something or other was recalibrated and the steering angle was readjusted. Upon leaving the dealership, the steering was obviously not corrected. I immediately returned to the service department at that time. The technician and I went on a 20 mile drive and unfortunately it ended without any occurances. The mechanic made a comment that it was more than likely the electronic power steering motor that had been recalled in other Chevrolet automobiles and he didn't understand why the Malibu was not included. I currently have an appointment to leave my car with them so that they may randomly drive it, "in hopes" to pinpoint the problem. It seems to me that they know exactly what the problem is but want to get as many billable hours of labor out of me in the meantime. Not happy!
2008 Chevrolet Malibu power steering faulty.vehicle is hard to control at any speed. Happens quite frequently. Brought it to the dealer, it will be very expensive to repair.
- Mountlake Terrace, WA, USA
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The power steering is acting up, there is no warning or engine light signals, I have looked up for recall and all I have found in many other Chevy Malibu owners 2004 -2009 having the power steering issues. In some cases this has cased some of the drivers to lose complete control of their vehicle power steering an result in a crash. Today my wife swerved off the road and just barely hit a guard rail and almost ran into the bridge due to the power steering just going out with out any notice and no warning lights. GM has no recall for this but it has been happening to many of people for almost a decade now, what are they wait for someone to get seriously hurt. GM service personnel tell you to turn of the car and a will work again for a little while, what happens when it goes out again? also they said it runs about $800 to fix then there are reports of it going right back to not working, this is unacceptable I don't have $800, I spent 24,000 on this vehicle I should have to turn my vehicle off to just postpone a serious problem.
Steering wheel jerks and shakes left and right even at a stop without holding wheel. While driving, the wheel moves and seems sticky when turning, jerks left and right causing the vehicle to be difficult to control. This problem was intermittent but is becoming increasingly consistent. Vehicle is at service dealership currently, but clearly has become a safety issue.
2008 Chevy Malibu with 60,000 miles - I encountered problems with steering- the car was pulling, the steering wheel was moving when the car was stopped. Took it to the dealership was told it needed an alignment. Had the alignment, the problem got worse. Took it to another mechanic was told it was the steering column. When they called the dealer to order the parts, the dealer advised them that they see this problem 3-4 times a week on the Malibu, but never told me about it. The steering column was replaced at a cost of $1300, yet the problem is still not resolved. We were also told that this particular part is also the same part used on the Pontiac G6 which has been recalled, yet there is no recall on the Chevy Malibu.
2008 Malibu Chevy has major clinking noise in steering and steering is shifting to the left just bought it preowned and Hyundai of 112 in long island is giving me a run around even though the car is under a 90 day warranty. And they don't seem to wanna keep to there end of the bargain. They have ripped me off and are doing illegal actions against consumers like me they. Have taken advantage of me and I don't have the type of money to fix these problems when the dealer should have taken care of this.
The power steering in the vehicle jumps from left to right going down the road. It is very hard to maintain your lane when this happens. It happens at all different points whether the car has been running or just started, it can last up to 30 min. Quit then start again it is very unsafe. My catalytic converter has also gone out in this car. It looses transmission power, doesn't accelerate promptly. When we first got the car we had it in the shop for the back trim leaking, trunk release not working, the car wouldn't start do to the aftermarket alarm the dealer ship placed on it, and the paint peeled. No I am having major issues and it is out of warranty. I will never buy another Chevy. This was the worst mistake ever and those car is unsafe to drive.
2008 Chevrolet Malibu with 80K miles has steering issue with steering wheel shaking left to right uncontrollably. I have to fight to keep car straight in my own lane. It also jerks left to right while being stopped and while in park. I have almost gotten into a few accidents. This happens without warning at least every day or every other day. I strongly believe there needs to be a recall on all 2008 Chevrolet Malibu's due to the potential deadly occurrences that may be caused.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the power steering went out, making it difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact did not inform the manufacturer nor was the vehilce repaired. The current mileage was approximately 46,000. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph and making a right turn the steering wheel locked causing the vehicle to crash into a fence. The tire was damaged when the crash occurred. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer had not informed the contact what caused the steering wheel to lock. The steering wheel malfunction could have caused a major crash. The failure mileage was 16,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The next day while driving in reverse at a very low speed the steering wheel became very stiff. The driver experienced difficulty turning the wheel. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed and was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 62,000. The consumer stated while trying to pull over for an emergency vehicle, he was unable to steer the vehicle as if there were not power steering. Updated 10/12/11
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel began shaking and grinding; the power steering seemed to malfunctioned. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
On August 30th my power steering light came on, I read the manual and discovered this car doesn't have power steering fluid, it has an electric power steering motor. 5 days later my steering wheel started jerking continuously while parked and while driving, it was difficult to drive. I took my car to the dealership and they said the power steering motor had gone out and it happens quiet often on these cars just as the cobalts. The cost was $465, I contacted GMC and they would not help at all, I told them I found several complaints online and that I think the power steering motor needs to be recalled on this model also and they said they do not track stuff like that. The car had 65,600 miles at failure.
The power steering motor on our 2008 Chevrolet Malibu has gone out with only 45,000 miles on the car. This causes the car to pull right to left violently while the wheel is trying to center itself. This requires the driver to fight the wheel at times to keep it centered on the road. This type of system failure is unsafe and dangerous for any driver. Given GM's history with other vehicle recalls for the same issue, the Chevy Malibu should be included.
2008 Chevrolet Malibu power steering issues. Issues began occurring at approximately 32,000 miles. Problem will appear and disappear at any speed, including while stopped, without warning. While stopped, the steering wheel will rapidly oscillate left and right on its own approximately 20 degrees. The best analogy is that it is "shivering or shaking" uncontrollably. Also, while driving at any speed the steering wheel will suddenly go from a smooth range of motion to a range of motion with only a few very distinct and segmented directions. Typically the two choices are left of center or right of center with no smooth motion in-between. These issues can last anywhere from 5 to 10 seconds to 30 minutes. If the problem does not correct on its own, it can be corrected by turning off the car and then restarting the car. Car now has approximately 37,000 miles and the power steering issues described above are occurring more frequently and lasting for longer periods of time.
The vehicle just recently purchased has had a problem with the steering. The drive shaft was replaced within 2 weeks of the purchase then another problem occurred and another part was replaced. But now one month later the steering wheel starts to jerk and wiggle while I am driving or even when I turn the car off. Then 2 days ago the powersteering alert keeps coming on. Allow since I bought the car the traction light will come on and sometimes I am just seating at a red light.
My 2008 Chevy Malibu 1lt has several problems, let me explain. First the problem was a slight clicking, popping in the steering column when turning the wheel, then it starting doing it every time I slightly turn the wheel you can feel it through the steering column, nothing bad but its annoying, then suddenly within a couple months of that my power locks suddenly started going up and down by themselves periodically whether it's parked or being driven, locked me out two times, I was late for work because I had to call door unlocking service, also the manual locks on the door used to lock and unlock won't work at all, you have to manually use your hand, then to beat it all my seatbelt wont lock I tried to click it but it wont even go down hardly at all, this is only the seatbelt in the drivers side. This is a real bad safety issue and the law in ky (click it or ticket) so far that's all I can say is going on for now. I do know this for a fact I will never buy a Chevrolet.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kingston, TN, USA