Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Malibu MAXX STEERING

On january 13, 2010, the warning, with little wrench lit, "power steering" came on the dash of my 2004 chevy malibu maxx. i am concerned that there may be further problems with the steering because just the day before, my son-in-law's 2006 chevy malibu sedan's steering quit while he was driving down the road. online research shows me that this is a prominent problem with the chevy malibu vehicles for which gm is not issuing a recall or fix. are they waiting for someone to be seriously injured or to die before acting? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu max. while driving 10 mph, the contact heard a clicking noise and then the power steering malfunctioned. the failure has occurred on three occasions while driving. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by a dealer. the contact is concerned about the safety risk and the potential that a crash could occur the contact feels the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs. the failure mileage was 130,000.

Power steering failure with car. steering wheel would not move. almost causing an accident. *tr

Lost power steering. problem was resolved by turning car off waiting a minute and restarting. power steering then resumed normal operation. this has now happened on two occasion. no repairs have been made to this point. i have reviewed car forums and noted this appears a common problem in this model. it appears the steering column may need to be replaced. additionally when cold, the power steering now feels sluggish. *tr

2004 chevy malibu maxx failure of electric power steering while driving. when the car is shut off it resets itself but eventually comes back. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 malibu max. the contact was driving 30 mph when the power steering assist malfunctioned as the steering wheel became tightened. the power steering warning light was illuminated just before the failure and the contact stated that the vehicle became extremely difficult to control. the failure was experienced a minimum of three times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the power steering sensor failed and would need repairing. the vehicle was not repaired. there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was 60,000.

I've been driven my 04 chevy malibu max with out power steering for about 4 months now. every time i contact a chevy dealer they say oh there's nothing they can do. i had diagnostics done and they said there nothing they can do its not to big.. they also said its not a safety issue.. i just saw on the news that they are recalling the cobalts for power steering, why are they not fixing them and they know the maxxs are having problems nothing has happened yet.. *tr

Getting "power steering error" intermittently since last one year. the error message goes away at restart, but comes back again later. this is serious matter as it could mean loss of power to the steering and may result in a crash. please investigate it and have it recalled before some one gets killed. *tr

I was driving my 2004 malibu maxx to work yesterday and my steering locked up on me while driving down a busy road during rush hour. the steering wheel pulled to left before locking up. i hope someone will force gm to recall this and fix this problem. there may have not yet been a death, but there will be in time. how many complaints need to be reported before this is taken seriously. my dealer had to completely replace the entire steering column and power steering motor. my car only has 55k miles on. this situation is extremely unsafe! do something about it!!! *tr

Power steering failure. when i start car and making sharp turns, in addition to just driving down the road. here clicking in the front right end when going up hill. told by mechanic that it is a prob with the electric power steering system and rack and pinion. oddly enough there was and 2006 mailbu in at the same time with the same problem mechanic felt it should be a recall issue. also have issue with the turn signals failing i have replaced many times. i also have a hole that melted on the front right side in the plastic housing. *tr

Power steering control i have a 2004 chevy malibu maxx v6, i bought new a few months later i heard a faint knocking in the steering wheel each year it became more noticeable. now the service engine light comes on with the message of power steering. i have complained and had a number of diagnostic checks that are different results. chevy refuse to acknowledge the numerous complaints. my power steering failed on me going down the highway behind an 18 wheeler, i struggled just to get across 1 lane and onto the shoulder. i was too scared to turn the car off because i was 10 mi. away from home. so i slowly drove down the highway once i made it home i turned the car off and later turned it back on with power back in my steering wheel. this is just as dangerous as toyota cars. there need to be a full investigation this is one of many complaints i have posted with no results!!!!!!!! *tr

When driving the vehicle, it became hard to turn. it took two of us to turn into a parking lot. i got to a safe spot to stop, turned the engine off, waited about 15 minutes and restarted, operated fine. i have dealt with this issue at various times since but have had to deal with it daily for the past week. took it to the dealer, they did diagnostic and saw no problems. they have no suggestions for me. *kb

Starting soon after purchase, several times since (approx 3-15 times a week depending on season). power steering shuts off randomly. if done while turning, it will require extra force and concentration to keep on course. most times issue cannot be reset for full duration of travel (15 min - 3hrs), this is done by shutting off vehicle, after stopping on side of road, and restarting. usually occurs when warm, either from sunny day for first start or winter once heater is warm. many close calls! *jb

Loss of power steering assist while driving. this has happened twice. the power steering assist goes away and "power steering" is displayed on the driver information center. *tr

I own a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the power steering in the vehicle goes out while the car is in motion. when power steering goes out, i have to stop the vehicle where i am and turn the car off and restart the vehicle to get power steering to come back on. also the left turn signal light continues to go out. i have replaced the light several times and it continues to blow after a day. the turn signal being out makes it hard for me to turn when at stop signs. other drivers don't know i am turning and try to drive while i am making a turn. *tr

While crossing intersection, power steering gave out. created potential head on collision with on-coming traffic. steering vehicle was very difficult. *tr

Power steering failure. this is the second occurrence of power steering column assembly failing. first one replaced under recall notification. currently at dealership waiting for new unit to be installed. *tr

While driving my car, the steering just froze up and made it difficult to handle. this incident nearly caused an accident on a heavily traveled road. this has happened twice in the course of four months and each time the car had to be taken to a shop and put on a diagnostic tester to find and clear default codes to make car drivable. this problem can happen at any time again and to repair it costs 600.00 . can you please help me? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated the power steering would intermittently fail when driving at 60 mph or less. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where he was informed the power steering motor would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 83,000 and the current mileage was 93,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while reversing from a residential garage, the power steering warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the steering column was defective and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was previously repaired under a manufacturer's recall. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 69,500 and the current mileage was 162,790.

I have a chevy malibu maxx. i was driving yesterday and the power steering completely broke without warning. it was extremely hard to turn the wheel at all. the power steering message came on the console. i stopped the car and waited a while and tried it again. right when i started the car, i had power steering, but within 60 seconds, it locked up again and the light came on. very dangerous situation. it is at a car place now to get fixed. *tr

Pwr steering failed upon vehicle start-up. turned off car and restarted and pwr steering worked ok. was told by mechanic that there have been many problems with pwr steering failures on malibu's and that it is a significant safety issue that has cause numerous accidents. i had to pay $600 to repair (replace steering column and box) since gm would not cover it. (this is the 2nd time the steering column was replaced---the 1st time was covered by warranty.) *tr

Lost power steering every time engine goes over 2500 rpms and up. steering wheel will lock up and then you have no control, to make turns or to merge onto the freeway. due to this failure of steering i have had several close calls of being involved in a crash. *tr

Turning left at a major intersection the power steering went dead. the orange service indicator came on, and power steering came on the center display. i was able to glide into a gas station parking lot. the service dept said the whole steering column would need to be replaced but i needed to have that done at a dealer. i had the car towed to the dealer who then found the car to be operational. there were error codes in the system but they are so far unable to recreate the problem. they will try again tomorrow but if they can't recreate it i am supposed to come pick up the car and drive it as normal. this is very serious as had it could have resulted in a bad accident had i not been going very slowly at the time. *tr

Steering unit went on 2004 chevy malibu max while driving 65 mph on thruway and gm refuses to do anything about it. *tr

Driving in rush hour at 75mph, alarm chime came on, display says power steering, and orange light with a wrench. i lost power steering, and couldn't control my vehicle whatsoever. i ran into a ditch, crashed, and smashed the front end in. after doing research, this issue is common with many users of the same vehicle, but chevy never released a recall. they refused any damage costs citing my high mileage as an excuse to not pay for it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. shortly after starting the vehicle in the morning, the contact placed the gear into reverse. while driving 5 mph, she turned the steering wheel and it suddenly became locked. immediately after, the power steering and check engine indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. through online research, the contact found an investigation for the same issue (nhtsa action number ea04018 (steering:electric power assist system)). she has not yet taken the vehicle to the dealer, but believes that this investigation should have issued a recall. the current and failure mileages were 30,000.

I have a 2004 malibu max. i have had problems with the steering column for the past 1 1/2 years. the rack and pinion and steering column was replaced last year after the power steering kept going out. a year later and the rack and pinion as been replaced again! the steering column is going to have to be replaced again as well! the power steering goes keeps going out, but if i turn the car off and back on it corrects the problem temporarily. there is no warning before it goes out. the 2005 has a recall out on it but not the 2004 and it is the same problem! *tr

2004 malibu maxx power steering cuts out while driving. must put car in park turn it off and restart. happens in the winter. found on internet that other people have had the same problem. happened numerous times last winter. *tr

We own an 04 malibu maxx, at 50000 miles app the power steering went out. it stopped working on the highway .if you turn the car off and re start power steering returns. this is happening to more than people according to internet car forums, so why no recall? *tr

On 12/2008 while driving from california to the east coast,roughly 3 hours into my trip the 'wrench in the car display on the dash lit up and "power steering" was displayed on the radio. the next exit (barstow) was approx 8 miles away.i awoken the next morning to find that there had been a blizzard that night. after waiting what seemed forever i got the news that the steering column ( gm 15926870) and the ignition switch (gm 15823541) needed to be replaced. left barstow after losing 2-3 days of travel and dropping $1150.00 to the dealer, almost $200.00 for hotel and about $125.00 on food. after receiving the necessary documents i gathered up my receipts and took my vehicle to the dealership to have the supposed work completed and turned in the necessary documents to the dealer. six days later i experienced the same problem.i called the dealer and explained the situation. the service writer stated that they've been experiencing this problem after recall work has been completed. monday morning i took the vehicle in. the service writer stated that this problem doesn't usually happen (of course the gentleman that i spoke with on friday with was not in) and that they would check to see if the problem was related to the recall work that had been performed. of course they said that the problem was not related to the recall work that had been performed, and that to fix the current issue would cost $850. there was also a charge of $121.00 (labor@ $110 plus shop fees and tax). after all these years gm knew of the deficiencies and short comings with they're vehicles. they've had time to prepare and prep their personnel for any and all questions, comments and scenarios. damage control.my concern is that when the recall work was performed, the tech doing the work didn't follow proper procedures. a long call to gm, my issue has been escalated to the next step. *tr

On my 2004 chevy malibu maxx, the power steering failed completely as i was driving yesterday. last month, the steering was "stiff" turning to the right. my dealer lubricated something and the problem seemed to be resolved. this is the third time that the parts were lubricated, however the complete failure came yesterday. it is extremely dangerous. my wife was driving and could not steer the car since the power steering shut off. i did contact my dealer who informed me that there was a recall for the 2004 chevy malibu (recall #7126) for this same problem, but my vin number was not one that was listed. according to my dealer, the entire steering column needs to be replaced, which was also the part replaced in the recall of the 2004 chevy malibu. my vehicle should definitely be added to the list of recalled vehicles since the power steering failure is an obvious design or part flaw that has already been recalled and replaced in similar models of the same production year. please advise. *tr

The power steering malfunctions, the wheel does not turn. the message center reads power steering, this has happened once a week for the past 4 weeks. took the car to the dealership but they could not find anything. the vehicle has approx. 40k miles. i googled this issue and seems this is a common issue with this vehicle and see that gm has not issued a fix. we already did the recall back in 2005 on the steering column. *tr

Streering started to make a cluck noise around september 2008. i took it in for this problem and they put some grease in. it still makes these sounds but has slowly gotten worse. i think there is something really bad or major going on with the power steering unit. *tr

The part in question is the rack and pinion assembly part # 25902150 of a chevy malibu maxx 2004. the first part was replaced july 8 2008, that part failed and was replaced again on october 3 2008. that part is now failed again and it has not been 3 moths since it was replaced. so the part has failed by making extreme noise, clicking or thumping heard in the front end. my mechanic told me that the gm dealer that provided the part told him they keep many in stock because they have this problem a lot. my mechanic also tells me that gm refused to pay his labor cost even though they admitted the part failure in such a short time. my mechanic tells me that not replacing the part can result in my losing control of my vehicle and possibly at risk of causing serious injury to me or others. *tr

I was traveling a straight section of i-75 going northbound that my power steering light came on. since i bought the car in 2007, i noticed a knocking noise in the engine section and never thought nothing of it, just thought as being ok. so i took my malibu to the dealership and they said that my 2004 malibu maxx steering column must be replaced. so i called another dealership and was told that there were previous recalls concerning the power steering. i notified gm of the problem and they offered to pay half of the costs which was $430 of an $860 project. i think they should pay all because its still considered a new used car. *tr

I own a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. while driving on the nj garden state parkway, i heard an audible alarm and at the same time noticed a "power steering" read-out on the on the dic display. all this time i am feeling the tightness in the steering and realizing that i have lost the power steering on the vehicle. since then i have found that this loss is intermittent - it comes and goes with no prediction of when or where. i have also noticed that prior to the actually loss of ps, it seems that the system is losing control, i.e. trying to synchronize/stabilize before it fails. i have reported this to gm, who in term have suggested that i take it to the dealer for evaluation. when the problem occurs, it can be very scary. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. while backing out of the driveway at approximately 5 mph, the power steering assist locked, which prevented the steering wheel from being turned. the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. the failure has occurred twice since the initial failure. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the sensor was faulty, and recommended that the steering column be replaced. the contact would be responsible for the repair costs. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 50,020.

When driving, the power steering will jerk side to side and several times has completely failed making the vehicle extremely difficult to steer. the failure caused me to lose control on the interstate slamming me against the door of the vehicle, thankfully i was able to regain control although it was nearly impossible to steer. the driver information console displayed "power steering." after doing some research i saw that there are hundreds if not thousands of people who have experienced the same failure. that is why i decided to file a complaint. *tr

Drls bulbs on headlights run too hot causing the bulb to burn out constantly and causing assembly to and melt. i have to drive with my headlights on at all times, or my turning signals will not work. i've already had to replace headlight assembly twice. *tr

Took car in for semi annual service, car is just off warranty (105,000 km aprox 62000 miles). service light for the power steering came on, but no loss in steering. was told that the steering column needs to be replaced, but until failure happens, leave it because it is a costly repair. this seems to be a common failure and should be addressed by the company and not the consumer. i have no problems paying for repairs, but this seems to be a safety hazard. *tr

Car has had rattle noise from front end since car was bought from a chevy dealership with 32k on it. the car currently has 61k on it. steering rack has worn to the point where it jams and the wheel will not turn. rattle noise has turned in to clunking noise. when car was brought to dealer 3 times for noise it was returned "no problems found". *tr

Three weeks ago, noticed something was wrong with steering on 2004 malibu max. took it to the dealership and was told nothing was wrong. on march 18th the steering failed and fortunately we were going slow and go through the intersection into a parking lot avoiding accident. car was towed to dealership who now stated the lower electronic assembly of the steering failed. we were fortunate that the steering failed while going slow and able to put the car in a position to be towed. total repair cost $675. in all my years i have never had a steering fail and this is a safety issue. i understand parts wear out, but this is bad when it is not able to be diagnosed until complete failure. *tr

2004 chevy malibu maxx has major front end problem. hard to steer, always pulling hard to the right, seems like power steering is not working at times, clunking noise when stationary and turning wheels and when moving going over bumps. at 33k miles have been told the rack and pinion needs to be replaced. repairs haven't been done yet waiting on other estimates. *tr

Driving on a straight road, lost power steering. was able to pull into a parking lot without the power steering. turned off the ignition and restarted engine. power steering returned and i was able to drive to the dealership where the steering column was replaced. *tr

Steering goes out. just driving down the road and steering failed. i could not turn the wheel. i am past the warranty and three different stories from three different people. it sounds like this is a known defect. *tr

Tl*the contact is co-owner of a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact's daughter was driving approximately 55 mph when the instrument panel lights began to flicker and there was a loss of steering power. the vehicle veered to the right and then pulled hard to the left, entering into traffic and striking two vehicles. the passenger and driver of the vehicle sustained minor injuries. the two other drivers also sustained injuries, but the contact does not know to what extent. a police report was filed. the vehicle sustained approximately $2,600 worth of damage to the front end. the vehicle was inspected by the insurance company and towed to a dealer. investigation number ea04018 was issued, but there has been no recall as of yet. the current and failure mileages were 37,000. updated 12-12-07. *kb

Noise in the steering. *jb

February 2005 steering column replaced due to failure, prior to recall issued (15,050 miles). february 2007 rack and pinion system replaced due to thunking noise when turning left (45,380 miles). thunking noise returned in august 2007, this time noise was caused by steering shaft, which was replaced (51,206 miles). *tr

Steering went on car while driving . not involved in accident brought to dealers and had to get whole new steering column put in , but i had to pay for the balancing and rotation of the tires. that was the steering column's fault. *tr