Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Malibu MAXX STEERING

2005 malibu maxx power steering shuts off in the middle of turns. it will reset after i stop the car, turn it off and restart the engine. this is an intermittent problem, a dangerous one at that. *tr

This has happened about 5 times so far. the power steering on my malibu maxx goes out without warning. the warning bell sounds and on my display it says 'power steering'. the steering gets extremely difficult when this occurs. it usually happens in the middle of a turn. i have to stop, turn the car off and restart it. i know gm did a recall this morning on other cars but the maxx was not included and it should be. i consider this a dangerous malfunction because the steering is so difficult when the power steering shuts off. *tr

I am an owner of 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx ls vehicle. few days ago, it suddenly lost electronic power steering! yes, this car uses electronic power steering rather than fluid power steering. it really scares me because i could not move my steering wheel at that time. i tried my best on the way to turn right into the safe ground and off the road immediately. you cannot imagine how much strength i used to change the direction on it. it must be a serious problem on this car! if i was driving on highway, there might be an accident already. after all, this car has fatal problem with its power steering wheel. please kindly check this message and reply not only me, but also owners of malibu. *tr

After leaving the post office, my power steering light came on as my power steering stopped functioning. i drove for about 2 blocks before i pulled over. i turned the car off, restarted it, and the light went off and my power steering returned. *tr

Cars power steering light will come on with failed power steering. the first time this occurred was about 3 months ago while making a turn. had the car towed home and when i went to move car further into my driveway problem no longer existed. problem has occurred 1 other time while driving in rush hour traffic, but after stopping vehicle and turning off engine then restarting power steering was working again. *tr

This problem has been occurring for more than 6 months now, possibly a year. hard to determine as it was very inconsistent at first. occurs more often now. when accelerating, generally over 3000 rpm's (think passing on freeway or left turn across traffic) the steering will freeze for a few seconds. there is also a triple bell sound and the message center will display "power steering". in 12/2007 i received a letter from gm saying they will fix the problem with the "power steering assist" if within 7 years or 70,000 miles. i did not have the problem plus i was over miles stated. this week i received a similar letter saying the same, that they would fix the steering if under 10 years or 100,000 miles. again i am over miles(by 7000 miles). i called to confirm and was told that their policy was very strict and would not be able to help me. obviously they know of the issue and are just trying to pay as little as possible in repair/replacement costs. *tr

While driving down the street my daughters 2005 chevy malibu's power steering stopped and she crashed into a snow bank. after leaving the car off for 10 minutes the car reset itself. i have looked on many web sites and i have seen numerous people complain about this issue and i was wondering why the malibu has not been included in the recent recall of cobalts and others for the steering issue. i have taken the car to the dealer a few times but they say there is nothing that they can do. this is a severe safety issue one that could lead to death and i believe that the malibu's should be recalled or at least some kind of study done on the internet such as i have done. i didn't even know that this web site existed until today. *tr

On a periodic basis, the power steering light will come on when the car is slowing to a stop. thereafter, the power steering fails. power steering can be restored by turning off power to the car and then restarting. there is no identifiable consistency to when this problem occurs. *tr

2005 malibu maxx have a "power steering motor (electrical)" versus a power steering pump. the vehicle losses power steering due to electrical issues (3500 rpm see tbs 08-02-32-005) my vehicle had this happen dealership said it was due to time/mileage failure of steering column sensor.....i had to pay $1200.00 for new column and motor for what i believe is a safety and design flaw. *tr

The 2005 chevy malibu maxx is well known for having power steering problems. the power steering goes out when you accelerate quickly. it also has an audible chime when this occurs. this is a serious safety issue that gm is well aware of and should be a recall warranty item. the power steering also goes out occasionally when moving slowly. this vehicle has numerous issues, including steering, rotors and struts (steering gear). i have already had to have the struts and rotors replaced at my own expense. it seems unfair and unconscionable to sell a product line with such a serious defect and then expect the customer to pay for the repair. when a few deaths occur perhaps gm will step up the plate and put our bailout money to good use ' buy fixing the defective vehicles they have sold to their loyal customers. i am reporting a recent date, but this power steering failure occurs quite often. *tr

Power steering gave out. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. while entering a parking space, the power steering failed. as a consequence steering became difficult. the dealer and the manufacturer were contacted , but because the warranty expired they would not provide a free remedy. the failure mileage 80,600.

Had to replace right side control arm, i.e. ball joint. other ball joint appears to be in need of replacement. *tr

I have a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. a few years ago there was a recall on this car with steering problems. i believe the fix did not improve the problem as it still exist as of today. *tr

Power assisted steering failed. steering became hard so i pulled off the interstate at the nearest exit, stopped vehicle and turned it off. after the vehicle sat for a while i restarted it and it worked fine. *tr

Today,while driving straight, felt a tug, steering lost. this was the third occurrence. the first two times this occurred in 2008, the first time power steering was partially lost. brought it to the dealer who stated that they could not recreate the loss. lost the steering again and the dealer replaced the module. there were no parts returned to me. this time, the vehicle sustained damage. the tow company informed me that the car is not drivable - no steering. *tr

Driver of a 2005 chevy malibu maxx suddenly lost all electric power steering assistance without warning making the vehicle difficult to steer. the defect is intermittent and is sometimes accompanied by a warning chime but without any malfunction indicator on the instrument panel. *tr

What are you going to make gm do concerning 2005 malibu maxx steering system. power assist pumps failing, steering shafts, etc. mine started the clunking noise and getting progressively worse and of course it's out of warranty, which is what gm desires. *tr

Vehicle made a loud pop noise. steering shaft was replaced at 35,000 miles due to a defective steering shaft. vehicle is now at 70,000 miles and needs to be replaced again. i contacted chevy and was issued a case number. they advised me a chevy dealer diagnostic was required. chevy dealership confirmed steering shaft again needed to be replaced, however head office denied my request. a steering shaft almost never needs to be replaced in a vehicle, since the time of my replacement at 35,000 miles alterations have been made to their replacements. this would indicate a manufacturer defect. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the power steering failed and the steering wheel seized while driving at various speeds. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, but the contact was unaware of the type of repairs that were necessary. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 83,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated while driving 20 mph the wheels would lock. while making a left or right turn the wheels would make a loud noise before the wheel locked again. the dealer was notified, but was unable to offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 120,000. updated 06/14/11 *bf the dealer replaced the rack and pinion. however, the noise returned. the dealer informed the consumer there was no solution for the problem. updated 11/23/11

I was driving my car in a school zone at about 20mph and i started to make a left turn, about midway through the turn my power steering went out on my car and it became very difficult to control. because i was in the middle of a left turn going across traffic when this happened i drifted in to on coming traffic. i can honestly say that if i or the other drives involved had been going more then 20 mph that there would have been a head on accident. i have taken the car to a number of local shops and i have spoken with the local chevrolet dealership but noone seams to be able to pinpoint the problem. there have been no repairs on the car as of yet and i am currently not driving the car because of this problem. the problem has occurred everytime i have tried to drive the car since this has happened. *tr

On a cold (-20 c) winter morning i found i could not steer the car left more than 10 degrees. i hung from the wheel and it simply would not turn further. i drove it the short distance to my mechanic who put it in his shop to warm up. after it was warmed up the car turned just fine, but they sent it to a dealer just in case. it turned out there was a service bulletin for this problem and they replaced the steering column. i have not had this problem since. another mechanic friend told me i should not hang onto the steering wheel when entering or leaving the vehicle as damage may result to the power steering. *tr

Electronic assisted steering stopped working while driving. mechanic advised it was sensor but they had to replace the entire column. cost was 571.99. *tr

Ball joint worn out in vehicle at little over 50k miles--had to replace lower ball joint and control arm. very light and small in size for such a powerful v6 fwd---i suspect not heavy enough for this vehicle--have found many others with same problem. lucky that as a former service mgr. i recognized steering problem or could have been an uncontrolled crash possible---called gm---they said normal wear and tear---i have had several other gm products and all ball joints lasted about 100k miles. *tr

My 2005 malibu maxx lt has had a recurring problem besides the "electric power steering failure" which has so far not failed again (did twice once when brand new, and again at about 20,000 km. vehicle has only 45,000 km on it now! we live in winnipeg where winter temperatures often are below freezing from mid november to mid april. today it is -25 c with windchill of -44 c. every winter we have the same problem.....the ignition key will not come out of its slot...try wiggling it and at the same time wiggling the shift lever in park....sometimes it works sometimes not. the gm dealer (vickars community chevrolet) where we go for service has tried to fix it twice, but it always recurs when it is very cold. we have had to remove the "remote door unlock and leave the key in the ignition at times. this is not a good thing in the canadian city with the highest car theft rate! we think it has something to do with the anti-theft pass lock system. by the way all cars in manitoba must have an approved anti-theft system to be insured or registered. the manitoba public insurance corp. does approve the factory system on the malibu maxx. it is just too finicky and inconvenient. but at least we were not forced to put in a "third party" fob which many people have found causes all kinds of other problems especially with "command start" systems (malibu has a factory command start.) wonder if others have similar problem?? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx . when driving low speeds ranging from 0 to 10mph there is a clunking noise in the steering wheel column. when he made a left and right turn or drove in reverse the noise was present. the manufacturer informed him to take the vehicle to the dealer to diagnosis the failure and perform a possible repair. an appointment was scheduled for the end of december 2008. the failure mileage was 43,000.

Clunk, knock or rattle noise from front of vehicle while driving or turning over bumps at low speeds. dealer fixed clunk. the clunk came back. dealer did not mention what parts were replaced or fixed. *tr

Learned of a power steering service notice after the power steering failed while entering traffic. gm authorized the repair and the dealer failed to completely repair the steering or other issue that was directly related to the failed steering. the dealer did not inform me that the car was not completely repaired. the steering now alternates between too much play or partial failure when turning. i brought the car back to the dealer who stated that gm did not want to completely repair the power steering. the steering is worse since the repair. at least before i only lost it twice but when it worked it worked fine. now i partially lose steering every left hand turn and right turns alternate with a real lot of play and almost normal. driving straight the car pulls to the right. *tr

Power steering failed while turning left into traffic. the led read out said "power steering". turned car off. searched internet and found a service bulletin for the car #07126. called gm and asked why i wasn't informed of this bulletin since i complained of similar but less intense occurrences since purchase. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. whenever the contact turns the steering wheel in either direction, he hears a clunking noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. the failure has occurred three times. the current and failure mileages were 40,050.

Under warranty my 2005 malibu maxx developed a clunking noise that you also feel in the steering. mostly turning left. going forward or reverse. the dealership replaced the steering gear and it fixed the problem. not a sound turning left ,right or whatever. i was very satisfied but 10 months and 12,500 miles later guess what ! it's baaack ! include me in the list ! *tr

2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. thumping noise from firewall area when turning steering wheel at low speeds. *tr

2005 chevrolet malibu maxx - rack and pinion assembly failure at 37,000 miles (just beyond warranty). internet search reveals several dozen similar complaints, and solutions do not last very long. *tr

While driving the car the "power steering" goes out. generally right away or after 30 minutes of driving. problem has been occurring for 25000+ miles. my mechanic claims the fix is in the steering column. chevrolet wants $200.00 to "look" at the problem and we will go from there. i have not had it fixed as of yet because i am not made of money. i am the only one in my family that is physically able to steer the car when it goes out. this is a huge safety issue. it does go out on the hi=way as well as side streets. there is no rhyme or reason to the frequency. *tr

The steering has a heavy clunk sound when turning left in reverse, no sound when going to the right. then at just over 50k miles, the steering on the vehicle started having issues with power while turning to the right under power, to the left was just fine. the head lamps also have gotten severely cloudy which limits visibility during night time driving. front turn indicator lights also had a problem with loose sockets, causing the lights to short out and eventually fail because of sparking residue on the contacts. also, for some reason the rear window wiper randomly turns on for no apparent reason. the vehicle also has a starting problem where at times, the vehicle will crank and not start. looking around, quite a few folks have that problem as well, where some people have had to short out the hood safety switch to make the car work... now that is crazy to have to short out something to start your car. apparently though, the electrical system is severely sensitive to voltage issues in general, more so then most vehicles on the road.

I bought my car in 2006. it is a 2005 malibu maxx. the first week that i bought it i had to take it to the dealership to have repairs made on the front end. i was told the struts and cv joints needed to be replaced. fine...it was still under manufacturer's warranty. after a few months, another sound from underneath the front end. this time i was told it was the steering column assembly. they replaced that again under warranty. then one year later i returned due to more noises coming from the front end. this time...no warranty. i was told that there was a problem in the steering but they would cover it since it was a known problem with these cars. also they told me a tie rod end was about to snap so they replaced it. i had to pay. now, only a few months after that, the noise in the steering is back again. will this ever end????? *tr

Bought our 2005 malibu maxx in november of 2006. a couple months later we had trouble with the power steering assist. received the letter that if the problem was occurring with our vehicle to take it to the dealership, our car was and is experiencing the problem and so i took it to the dealership and explained to them that the car was doing exactly like the letter stated, so they took the vehicle and called me within the hour saying that there was nothing wrong with my car. called gm and they said they couldn't do anything unless the car was producing a duplicate code so they couldn't fix the problem. the power assist has gone out on my numerous times and this is our only vehicle. no one will replace the part or fix the problem so i am still having the problem. it has done it so much i lost count. *tr

No crash, no injury, just worried it`s going to happen when it comes to the steering. *tr

Loud "clunking" sound in steering column and loss of power assisted steering while driving. i have taken the vehicle for repair 5 times. steering column has been replaced and electric steering gear. still get a loud "clunk" when steering as well as loss of power assist. car pulls to the right and i have to constantly steer left to stay straight. dealership claims the steering is aligned and that they can no longer work on the vehicle, except to grease the steering column. *tr

2005 malibu maxx at 35,504 miles. thumping noise from steering and steering required more effort. dealer replaced intermediate steering shaft per chev. bulletin #06-02-32-007. cost would have been $174 but was covered under warranty. *tr

After the first 200 miles on the odometer, the car had front rotor problems. the dealer tried to fix it 2 times by turning the rotors, only to return in less than 2,000 miles each time. they finally changed out the rotors for brand new ones after i complained to the dealer owner and management about the problem. the second issue was loss of power steering while on the highway, making it impossible to turn. this was caused by a faulty electrical connection at the fuse box, which i took it upon myself to repair and the problem never returned. the third problem started in january 2007, just one and a half years of owning the car. steering assembly noises identical to all previous reports was corrected by a rack and pinion assembly replacement. in july 2007 (just 6 months later) it was changed again. now in october (3 months later) it is scheduled to return to the dealer for yet another replacement, making this the 4th rack and pinion assembly to date (including the original). this is completely unacceptable for a vehicle of this price range... and the only solution to date is to continue to change out the assembly. *tr

2005 chevrolet malibu max, power steering failure - total loss, locked up of steering control at low speed. during low speed turn driver could not turn wheel and lost all steering control of vehicle. this failure was accompanied by a power steering warning on the car's information panel. vehicle was stopped successfully with out accident. driver turn off ignition, restarted, and steering control returned but seemed hesitant. although this was being reported as of this date 5/15/0) it also occurred a week earlier but returned to normal operation. previously this car had warranty service on a steering system "noise" covered under a tsb and had been working normally until this issue occurred. vehicle will be taken to chevrolet dealer service today. *ak

I was driving on the interstate on my way home and my back breaks locked up and the tires and hubcaps started to burn. i had no immediate exit so i had to continue to roll slow. once i exited the interstate my wheel was on fire. i put it out with an extinguisher. i asked the dealer and they said no recalls. i had to get the tow truck and he said it was not the first for my car make and model. i replaced the breaks, rotors and tires and 2 weeks later the same thing happened again. only this time i was in a parking lot of a grocery store. since then i have had a total break job and replace tires and hubcaps. my power steering locked up and it was very hard but was able to use manually. the manual said to shut off car and restart to reset the power steering. this was not safe and very scary. *js

Lost of power steering, varies speeds. no control of car. *tr

2005 malibu maxx steering--rack and pinion making a thumping sound during sharp turns and as you drive over bumps. a second sound is heard during the turning of the wheels while parking--sounds like a spring being streched.

Shortly after purchasing my 2005 malibu maxx, a clunk developed in the front end when turning. the first time i took it in, they replaced the gear box. the second time i took it in they replace the rack & pinion steering. now it has developed a third time. i will be taking it in again. after it is fixed this time i am seriously considering trading it in. i bought a new car to drive, not to spend my time taking it back to the dealer to have it fixed. *tr

Steering rack has been replaced 3 times on my 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the steering was acting erratic and "thunking" when steering. 3 times the power steering has quit on me. the car becomes extremely hard to steer. i know my wife and daughter would not be able to steer the vehicle in this condition. the first time the power steering failed, i drove it directly to the dealer. when i took the service advisor out, the system had reset itself and the steering was fine. the next 2 times, i pulled over and shut the vehicle off for a short time and restarted it and the system reset itself again. as mentioned, the dealer has replaced the steering rack 3 times, each time saying this is an improved part, and won't happen again. but it does. *nm

My husband and i purchased a used certified 2005 malibu maxx in july of 2006, by the time the weather got cold, i noticed a clunking noise in the front end. it was taken in to the dealership and they replaced the steering box. the second time was in march 07, they could not verify the noise, then again in april i took the car back and they replaced a front sway bar link. the noise is still there. it gets so much worse in cold weather it can be really scary on the highway, it also has a inconsistent pull to the left and has been aligned, and tires rotated to no avail. why can't they fix this problem? i am losing my faith in gm after nearly 20 years of being a faithful gm owner. *tr

Steering rack failure due to insufficient lubrication by design. have not had actual failure, but symptoms of steering rack failure present w/in one year of replacement. failure of steering rack could result in steering failure, which would likely result in a crash. *tr