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.
UNKNOWN I was driving to work last week on Thursday and when I attempted to make a right turn my steering wheel was difficult to turn and a few seconds later it locked and the car turned off and on the dash board the battery light turned on and the words that appeared were Service Traction, Service ESC, and Power Steering.
I started my vehicle and began to drive it as I normally would. After stopping at a stop sign, I began accelerating and turning 90? left onto the street. Mid-turn my power steering completely shut off and I almost got into an accident. Luckily there was a turn around right there I was able to veer to. Turning this vehicle without power steering is nearly impossible. I'm a strong guy and it was pretty tough for me. This issue happened completely out of the blue without any warning whatsoever. When it happened, the ESC light came on as well as saying something about power steering. I turned the car off and then back on and noticed that the ESC light and power steering message were now gone and the car drive as it should. But it decides to go out randomly at any given time while driving and that is a HUGE safety hazard for not only me but others on the road as well. It has come to my attention after plenty of research that this seems to be massive issue among Chevrolet Malibu owners. The issue was recalled for different models/engines but not the 2.4 liter. At this point it's obvious that this is a vehicle wide issue and needs to be recalled for all models/engines.
Occassionally and unpredictably, the service ESC, power steering, traction control and anti theft light come on and the car goes on limp mode, unable to shift past first gear. Also power locks do not work (all four doors) and tire pressure sensor is on and service tire sensor pressure light is on all the time. Took car to an independant mechanic who stated that when using his diagnostic tool, no code or fault indicated for ESC, power steering, traction control or anti theft device. It should be noted that these reset themselves when car is turned off and then go back on unpredictably, once you start driving the car. This mechanic then tried fixing the powerlocks, and stated that after replacing two of the powerlocks, he realized that they still did not work. This mechanic contacted GM and was told that the issue with the powerlocks came from the the body control module, which aparently was causing the powerlocks to fail and was also the cause of the tire pressure sensors being on all the time, since the body control module controlled the powerlocks and the tire pressure sensors. He also stated that the Chevy dealer was the only ones who could change the body control module, since they were the only ones who reprogram the new module to the car. This mechanic also stated that all four tires pressure sensors were working. I took the car to a Chevy dealer with same problem. The dealer claimed that gasoline which contained a high level of ethanol was causing the ESC, traction control and limp mode problem. They suggested for me to run the gas out and fill the car up three times with regular gasoline (87 octane) and that this would resolve this issue. They claimed that the tire pressure sensors on two of the tire were not reading properly and needed to be replaced and that the power lock switch was the root of the powerlocks not working, since two of them (the ones that were not replaced by the first mechanic) were not working. Problem with ESC wasnt resolved
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the brake lights, service traction, and ESC warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the cruise control was inoperable. While driving the brake pedal was depressed however, the brake lights failed to illuminate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pedal switch and calibration needed to be repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the brake pedal switch was replaced. The manufacturer was notified and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical system, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control). The failure mileage was 98,514.
- Lansing, MI, USA
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The steering wheel moves back and forth on its own while idling. It gets hard to steer when the traction light comes on. The light above our heads don't work. The brake light comes on while we're driving when I'm not pressing on the brakes. The tire pressure don't work to let us know how much air is in the tire and the tire caution light is on at all times. The front fender on the bottom is broke. We just bought this vehicle last month
My steering wheel aggressively shakes when I'm in park, at slow speeds and at higher speeds. The 'ESC off' displays on the dash and I lose power steering. This use to happen rarely, but now it is almost every time I start my vehicle. Even when I'm able to start the vehicle without this warning displaying, it is still very difficult to control the vehicle at any speed due to the shaking. This started 3 years ago and has gotten progressively worse since.
Has a problem with cold start needs a jump alot, service ESC comes on with lose of traction and power steering, sensor in wheels go out often wheels sound weird when turning, headlight goes out often windshield wipers are out, gearshift linkage has broken while trying to shift gears problem occurs both non-stationary
I'm having power steering issues and the dealer told me that the recall parts have expired! I'm very upset because they are trying to charge me 2,700 out of my pockets because they don't want to do the work for free. These parts that they need are recall parts!!
Service ESC light on, loss of power steering, cruise control, and traction control...turnoff vehicle and turn back on and problem is rectified.vehicle was in motion at highway speed 60-65 making turning extremely difficult.
Son driving home from college, loses power steering and traction control light comes on. Readout bar service power steering and ESC. There are several recalls on this exact problem and exact year of vehicle but his vehicle VIN is not included. So irritating when manufacturers will not stand behind and fix a known issue... clearly they know the ramifications, they have a recall already!
I have had recurring and constant problems with the low beam headlights and electrical connections in this car. I've already had the passengers side headlight and drivers side headlight "fixed" between 3 and 4 times. The drivers side low beam is out again as of 2 days ago. As far as the electrical problems, my trunk pop button doesn't work, the rr passengers side door doesn't lock, and I sometimes have trouble getting any of the buttons on my dash to work to change or control anything in the car. I have the same problem with the buttons on my steering wheel. My car has just over 70,000 miles on it. The headlight being out is always an issue when I'm driving. I got pulled over twice the other night because the headlight was out. There needs to be a recall issued for this problem - I've done my research and I know that lots of people have the same problem with this car. Not to mention the labor involved to even access the headlight. It's maddening to have wasted a lot of money to not have this issue fixed. I've had the bulb replaced multiple times, new pigtails installed and even removed the day time running lights connection from the fuse box because I read that having that connected might contribute to the headlight issue. Even that didn't work. Chevy needs to issue a recall. 2 working headlights is a basic need to drive a car. To have this constant issue is ridiculous.
Power of steering keeps going out I have to turn my car off and back on just to get it to steer again. Usually happens when I'm backing out of parking spots or driving slow or turning. My headlights wiring harness has a short in it and one of my lights cuts off and on this happens randomly while I'm driving.
Power steering fails while driving, had to shut my car off while I tried to make a turn on the higway. The 1st time it happened at home on May 2020, car locked up and wouldn't move at all. Dashboard will say traction off, ESC off and it won't let me move my steering wheel. I have to shut off the car and wait a few minutes for it to come back. Car is at roughly 133K miles and had no issues prior to this. Also, when I drive my front side of the car shakes as if it is going over stuff. I replaced both cv joints, gotten the car aligned, and balanced my tires and they still can't find the issue with it. Only recall that pops up is the electronic, but I believe it has the steering recall as well.
When driving and at a stop/light, the car shuts off, or it shakes as if it gonna die out. The ESC service light appears on dashboard. Sometimes when just driving at any speed, it jerks and both ESC service light and traction control both come on the dashboard.
My door locks were automaticly going up and down. Now doors lock out of blue. Kinda discouraging now my power steering and service has acted up 2 times on Dec 06 2020. Both times the power steering warning came on I have been sitting still. Heard there has been recall on previous Malibu.
Power steering failure with eps service warning. Sudden loss of power steering and a warning that states service ESC. When I turn off the vehicle and turn back on systems may return but eventually fail with sudden loss of power steering and ESC. This occurs while driving or stationary intermittently at stop lights while driving and parked.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pomona, CA, USA