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.
A recently purchased 2008 Chevy Malibu lt has some serious steering issues, (this car has electric steering) when driving at low or high speeds the wheel feels like it is fighting against you, it feels like there is a lot of resistance there. Also at idle with your foot on the brake the wheel will pulse back and forth, left and right without touching the wheel. I informed the dealer who said it is out of warranty (44,000miles) and couldn't do anything even though he acknowledged there are some issues with the car. Scared to drive. Please help!
-2008 chev. Malibue 2lt 2.4 4 cylender with power electric steering. Problem: When you 1st strup the vehicle the steering wheel shakes back and forth. You have to shut down and re start the vehicle to stop the problem. The dealership has completely changed out the steering column but it still does it twice it has occuring while driving when I 1st started up and I had to stop the vehicle and shut off the motor etc. To stop the shaking. This has happened approx: 15 times since I got the vehicle new in Jan/08
I drive a 2008 Malibu. 95% of my driving is done on the freeway. I have 55K miles on the car and the steering started to shake and get stiff for no apparent reason. I live in Ohio and the winters get cold. I first thought that this might be the cause of it but, after reading some blogs on the internet I found that this seems to be a problem no matter where you live. I went to my car dealer and he told me that it is not covered because of my mileage. I do not consider this to be the normal wear and tear of a car and I am afraid that if I don't get this fixed I will be injured from failure to control my car. Sometimes I will drive down the road and all of a sudden the steering wheel locks up to where I have to pull on it hard to free it up. The only coarse of action that I see that I can take to correct the failure is pay GM to fix their problem that was not a result of abuse or natural wear and tear since they have not issued a recall. If who ever reads this would simply just google this topic you will see that this is becoming a growing problem that will result in injuries if GM does not recall it.
- Hubbard, OH, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I have a 2008 Chevy Malibu, with 42,000 miles and it has electric power steering and it seems that the power steering is about to go out. A message has only appeared once on the indicator screen in the dash about the power steering, but the steering wheel continuously shakes and it steering feels like it wants to lock up. Now my check engine light is on. The diagnostics says it has to do with the cam actuator sensor"??"
2008 Chevy Malibu, makes thumping sound turning at lower speeds, wheel feels mushy and shakes. Told by dealer its the intermediate steering column. Concerned about potential danger. Car out of warranty, they want over $200 to fix it. Should be a safety recall, as I have talked to other GM owners who have the same problem.
I was driving approx 45 miles per hour on a one lane road. My car dic displayed power steering the wheel began to shake, pulled to the left and became very hard to steer, almost making me hit the car in oncoming traffic, the lady driving the other vehicle swerved onto the shoulder which prevented the accident. I shut the car off. A mechanic friend of mine came to my location and could not find any issues with the vehicle because apparently the electric assist power steering resets once the vehicle is shut off. This incident could have been tragic and by the grace of god it was not. After checking on the internet my understanding is I am not a sole individual experiencing this type of problem with the 2005 and newer Chevy Malibu. Please prevent these type of occurrences from continuing before someone is killed.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the steering column abnormally shakes as if was loose. She took the vehicle to the dealer on three occasions, but because they could not locate diagnostic error codes, or duplicate the failure they could not provide a remedy. A complaint was filed with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 5,000. The current mileage was 27,000. Updated 10/21/09. The consumer stated for the past 6 months, when the brakes were applied, it felt as though she was loosing steering ability. The steering wheel would shake violently from time to time. Updated 10/23/09
2008 Malibu 2lt 2.4L steering wheel would jerk left and right on its own. This would happen when the vehicle was in motion and parked. Definite safety issue when in motion. Dealer stated that the steering mechanism was looking for center. Dealer reprogrammed steering unit and said should be fixed. The same problem recurred 5 miles down the road after leaving dealership. Took car back same day and dealership called GM. GM had dealership replace the power steering control module assembly. The problem is fixed for now.
2008 Chevy Malibu. Steering becomes jerky, hard to control at different speeds. The steering will freeze causing unwanted lane change, when trying to steer back it will unlock and cause the car to jerk back. When stopped, with the engine running, the steering wheel, at times, jerk back and forth.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving between 55-60 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a noise when the brake pedal was depressed. There was a decrease in the brake line pressure and the stopping distance increased. In addition, the steering wheel exhibited excessive wobbling, which made steering difficult. The failures occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the computerized system failed. The technician reprogrammed the computerized system, but the failure recurred on eight separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer six times without any resolutions. The failure mileage was 700 and current mileage was 16,000. Updated 03/18/09. The consumer stated if felt as though the brakes were locking up. The traction control light illuminated. Updated 03/20/09.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving the vehicle at various speeds, the contact heard strange noises when the brake pedal was depressed. He stated that there appeared to be an issue with the electric power steering/steering assembly. The steering wheel was smooth in the beginning and then suddenly jerked to the left and right. The wheel became very loose as if he had no control of the steering. The dealer repaired the failure approximately five times, but could never determine the exact cause of the failures. The failure mileage was 1,500 and current mileage was 13,000.
Appears to be a problem with the electric power steering/steering assembly. Steering will be smooth then all of a sudden the steering wheel will jerk to the left and right and become very loose like you have no control of the steering. When this happens the car tends to steer left. This happens frequently during driving and while stopped the steering wheel will move left and right. Have taken it to dealer one time but the problem still persists.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While test driving the vehicle at an unknown speed, the contact noticed that the steering wheel shook and the vehicle may have been misaligned. The dealer balanced the tires and stated that the manufacturer may have just "thrown tires" on the vehicle. The failure recurred a week later and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer approximately 6-7 times, and 12-14 tires have been placed on the vehicle. After retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, she noticed that it functioned properly for approximately a week before the shaking recurred. The service managers from the dealers as well as the manufacturer stated that the Impala and Malibu models had a vibration that was standard while driving between 40-70 mph. The current mileage was 8,149 and failure mileage was approximately 308. Updated 11/17/08 the consumer stated the vehicle has a vibration and alignment problem. GM informed the consumer the problem could not be fixed. Updated 11/24/08.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 55 mph with the cruise control activated, the steering column spontaneously locked up. The contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The air bags failed to deploy until minutes after the crash. The contact has pictures and a police report was filed. The dealer and manufacturer did not assist. The failure and current mileages were 88. Updated 10/14/08 updated 10/16/08.
2008 Chevrolet Malibu 260 miles purchased on 7-21-08 on 7-22-08 received warning light "service traction" and "service sce" pulled to the side and look in manual description of problem. Manual said service as soon possible. Car was running very sluggish and ABS brakes were chattering when applied. Car seemed like it would not shift gears. Took to dealer asap. Dealer said the problem was from a low charge on the battery. Dealer had car for 2 days. Did not drive car again until 7-28-08. Drove 4-5 miles and "service traction and service sce" warning lights came on. Drove to dealer approx 2 miles. When I got to the dealer, the left front ABS brake was smoking was very hot, almost seemed like it would burst into flames. Hubcap had wilted on wheel. Left car a dealer, received call from dealer saying the problem was probably due to steering wheel being adjusted to the lower position, causing the steering assembly to press against the brakes. If this is the case it sound as like a design flaw. Since people always lower the steering column to a lower position. Dealer was ordering parts and would car for 4-5 days. Parts to be ordered was a pad for the steering column (band aid) new hub cap.
When accelerating aggressively, the steering wheel suddenly veers right and the car veers. Happens on some, but not all such starts. Similar thing has happened a couple of times in "panic" stops.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Williamstown, NJ, USA