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.
Steering affected, unable to control direction of vehicle. Luckily I was not on highway driving at high speed....it very well had caused a serious accident. Warning lights on : dashboard monitor messaged " power steering " traction control light First time it happened was on December 22, 2021. The most recent time was on February 21, 2022.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly seized. The power steering warning light and the traction warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,025.
I was driving and my steering wheel got extremely tight not allowing me to turn the car steering left or right. My service ESC light is on and power steering came across the dash.
I was driving on a main road when my steering wheel locked up and was almost impossible to turn. It read SERVICE ESC and POWER STEERING. Barely made it home without an accident.
I started to smell a slight burning smell, as I pulled off the road to investigate at the gas station my power steering failed upon restarting the vehicle. On the message center it says power steering, service ESC, ESC off. This could have caused an accident if i had not pulled off the road. Upon research, it shows a recall bulletin has been issued for 2008-2009 Chevy Malibu for a torque sensor, which appears to be the same issue. Bulletin No.: 14116B Date: October 2014 GM recall search returns no results for this VIN#, so we were not notified of a recall. This appears to be a mistake, as the recall is for the same issue as what we have experienced.
- South Saint Paul, MN, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
When i start my car the TC light will cut on them my steering wheel will start being rough and rough to start, i would turn my car off and turn it back on, it would run good for a few mins then it would do it again
well it all started at one, i fixed the electrical myself after inspecting 6 months worth of it sitting, finally found electrical problems that i got it running afterwords 2 fuel pumps later knowing pumps werent the issue then, now I almost have it paid off, its really began to just be a piece of junk after dearly taking care of it when i bought the car I loved it, now I found on it, no steering, comes and goes, like I know how to put a steering asst. in... i pulled one from the J yard, its in the backseat now, airbags indicator saying it needs servicing, tires I bought brand new last summer, they are baby butt smooth now, the car cant even squeal the tires so whatever on that, 5 days ago I threw a new alternator in it, similar to every alternator when they go it was normal... no problem, now I'm pooped out, I want the problems fixed so when its paid off in April I can sell it legally without anyone getting hurt, also the value is poor, not even close to what you value it as on here. [XXX] if I didn't spend more on costs on parts, repair, labor (thankfully I know wyf I'm doing when I work on a GM) it would be more than the car loan I took out on the junk on October 19th 2019. I think somebody is responsible in repairing these issues as I knew nothing about the problems gm had when buying this vehicle. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Power steering failed at driving speed. Could have caused an accident. Research shows a recall bulletin has been issued for 2008-2009 Chevy Malibu for a torque sensor, which appears to be the same issue. Bulletin No.: 14116B Date: October 2014 GM recall search returns no results for this VIN#, so we were not notified of a recall. This appears to be a mistake, as the recall is for the same issue as what we have experienced.
My cars power steering failed while making a right turn the steering wheel locked up and wouldn-??t move I turn the car off and the issue went away but I know it will come apparently there has been a recall on this cars EPS but there-??s no open recall on my vehicle
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated with several unknown warning lights and messages displayed. The contact stated he pulled over and waited 45 minutes to restart the vehicle. Upon restart, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred several times and he was able to restart the vehicle with normal operation. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed the failure as a power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that he found Manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin: 14116B however, the dealer and manufacturer declined repairs as he was over the allowed mileage. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 188,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel locked up. The Electronic Stability Control (ESC) warning light and power steering assist warning message were displayed. The failure nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The dealer performed a P-Module program and relearn, a T-S module unit, and a multi-point inspection; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,477.
The power steering goes out and the light for service ESC and power steering comes on. The steering becomes nearly impossible to use even at higher speeds. Took to GM they acknowledged the problem and said that there is a recall on other VINs, just not mine.
The car displayed a warning for the power steering and ESC service. I lost the power steering.Now after turning the car on and off it disappeared and the power steering was back.
Steering wheel locks while driving. Only way to unlock steering is by parking the car, turning off the ignition, starting the ignition and it will unlock. Parking brake light, ABS and traction control lights come on when this happens.
Power Steering and ESC both failed at the same time randomly, no warning lights or signals until after the incident. Can get it to turn back on by starting car and jerking wheel, steering wheel shakes back and forth, power steering and ESC goes back out once wheel is turned even slightly. Electronic power steering is constant, so I am fighting my car just to drive it, and I have no electronic stability control in snow/ice. Impossible to react/turn quickly enough to prevent an accident in the worst case scenario. Most likely torque sensor, extremely common issue with 09 Malibu-??s, no recall issued.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact-??s daughter stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in an active recall. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Power steering failed when turning from a stop and/or low speed into traffic. Steering was nearly impossible and required great effort from driver. A brief message flashed on the Driver Information Center and a unique chime was heard. The safety of the driver was affected by oncoming traffic. The failure has not been inspected by a mechanic as of yet, but the vehicle is available for inspection at any time.
Power steering message appeared and complete loss of power steering occurred immediately while driving. After researching, it appears this is a recall issue with these models and year, but does not apply to this vehicle? A teenage driver was behind the wheel when this known safety issue occurred.
While making a turn, power steering message appeared on the dash, but went away after I parked. I continued to drive and the next time I attempted a turn the message appeared again and I lost steering capability. This happens periodically and the car is impossible to steer when it does occur.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chicago, IL, USA