Problems with 2007 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My body control module went out. i just parked one day and when i went back out to start it the next day it was broken. i love my malibu and it has been parked for a month. i lost my job because of it. i have a disabled husband and two kids. i believe my vehicle broke because of these recalls. i don't have the money to fix it and am begging for your help. please help me to get my car fixed for free. text or call me @ [xxx]. i don't know where else to turn information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Key would not come out of ignition buy engine still running while parked. seems other years had this same problem.

Power steering failure. hearing clicking noise. service airbag

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the anti-theft lock system malfunctioned and the anti-theft warning indicator illuminated without warning. the failures occurred on more than one occasion upon starting the vehicle and while driving various speeds. as a result of the failures, the instrument cluster gauges stopped working and the vehicle stalled. additionally, on several occasions, the ignition would not start and the anti-theft lock warning indicator illuminated. it was unknown as to whether or not the instrument panel became completely inoperative. mccarthy chevrolet lee's summit (945 se oldham parkway, lee's summit, mo, (816) 356-6610) was made aware of the failures. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the falure and provided the contact with reference number: 8-4569149800. the failure mileage was 166,480.

While driving in normal conditions, electric steering assist goes out making it difficult to control the vehicle. if it happens while in a corner it could result in a collision.

While driving on the highway using the cruise control, the cruise control suddenly went off and the check engine light came on. i took it to the mechanic and he said the transmission cylinder was off, i bought the car used and researched recalls on this car through the safecar.com website and saw a transmission related recall (recall number 14152). i called the associated gm recall center told them my issue and gave them the recall number. the representative pulled up the recall description for recall number 14152 and the consequences listed in the gm directory were not the same language as the consequences on safecar.gov. she couldn't explain why the description was not the same in the gm directory as the government safecar website and i found that disturbing. so that is my first complaint--the gm system and national website are not in accordance. secondly, my cruise control stopped working suddenly and the transmission cylinder in my car is off, under my vin the car had the transmission recall fixed in 2015 by the previous owner. 3 years later and there is another problem with the transmission. i would like to submit that if this is a problem for multiple people a transmission recall be done on the "fix" and that cost of fixups be restituted by gm. have other "fixed" malibu recalls been an issue? thank you.

While driving home from work one evening, my car made an alarming chiming noise to signal me that something was wrong. i then saw the words "power steering" appear on my display. at that very moment my steering wheel froze up to where i basically could not move it any more. i could not turn left or right, which forced me to keep straight. i was in the middle of traffic and had to keep going until i was able to make a stop, turn my car off and back on, then it allowed me to drive home. from that point on, my steering wheel itself has began to twist and turn back and forth while vibrating, with no assistance from me, and it does this all while i'm driving. i'm forced to basically hold the steering wheel with a tight grip to keep it straight. since that day, my power steering has went out in the middle of driving about 4 or 5 times, and more than that if you count when i first start it up in the morning. i called the dealership to express my concern in which they informed me that they serviced my vehicle for this problem on 11/26/16... which was a little over a year ago, so i am no longer under warranty. when i took my car in, due to a postcard i received about a few recalls, i was not having any problems with the power steering what so ever. i am about 3 months short of a year and i do not understand if this problem was fixed properly, how it would become a problem for me so quick! i have 2 children i am responsible for and i rely heavily on my vehicle. from reading online, this is a serious, common, and very well documented problem. as stated before, at the time they say that they serviced it, it was not an issue for me. so is it common for this type of work to go bad within a year? i really need my car and can not afford to pay the high cost for this repair, but most important i can not risk driving my children around in a vehicle that is extremely unsafe. i need help

I first encountered this problem when my vehicle was stationary. my vehicle was sitting in my driveway and the message 'power steering' came on the dashboard and i had no power steering assist. i immediately looked up the issue and found that there was a recall for my vehicle so i was hopeful about the situation. i called my dealership and was told that there was a supposed 'warranty' for my vehicle and i was out of the mileage & time period for my vehicle. and additionally the recall was never given to my vehicle. it doesn't make any sense to me that there is a specific recall for this model of chevy malibu's and i own one and my car just so happens to not have the recall. i've called chevy customer service and they insist they are not liable for this and it will be an out of pocket expense. my power steering has cut out on me on the highway and poses a very dangerous driving experience. i would like to settle this before an accident occurs. the photo that i've listed below is an invoice from the dealership when they diagnoased my car and said it would be out of pocket.

The vehicle was in motion, city street, turning. the steering wheel wpuld turn the opposite way that i had to turn. the steering wheel would also lock in the opposite direction which almost caused me to crash into the wall. when i pulled off to the side tge steering wheel would shake and turn by itself. i just discovered that there is 9 recall notices from 06/27/2014 to 02/23/2015. the dealership has not owned up to these recalls. due to multiple of these recalls my two children (ages [xxx] and [xxx]), my husband, and my life (pregnant) could have been lost due to an almost vehicle collision due to these recalls. 06/27/2014 recall for train:automatic transmission. 06/27/2014 recall for power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:floor shift. 08/18/2014 recall for service brakes, hydraulic:switches:brake light. 08/18/2014 recall electrical system:wiring. 08/18/2014 recall exterior lighting:brake lights. 08/18/2014 recall vehicle speed control:cruise control. 08/18/2014 recall electronic stability control. 09/08/2014 recal for steering. 02/23/2015 recal for steering:electric power assist system. parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*cc

Tl* the contact's father owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while the contact's father was driving, he was pulled over by the police because the center third brake light failed to work. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was taken to hedrick's chevrolet (961 w shaw ave, clovis, ca 93612, (559) 512-6549) where it was diagnosed that the brake lamp malfunctioned and the wiring needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the contact was advised to call nhtsa. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Car does not start/ crank when turning key to start, battery is fully charged and gauges work. power steering is illuminated on radio. when last driving steering felt loose and noisy. error where odemeter mileage is.when trying to start .

2007 chevy malibu electrical hell my car was completely fine aside from the power steering recall that was fixed on it. then about 4 months later my car cranks but doesn't start! i was driving it 20 mins prior and then this happens. the radio,the lights, the horn and the dinging with the door open, all still worked. unsuccessfully trying to start it i left it alone to get towed. 5 days later i received my car back saying it started just fine they can't detect what's wrong with it, because they couldn't read the code it gave out, and to keep notes of weird things to bring it back in. in doing so my car was fine for a month and a half, they're were no issues. the next time my car did the crank and no start i noticed the security icon lighting up, as well as the fact that i left my radio and air on. it's late at night, i'm alone and my car is failing me, after trying for 15 minutes i got my car to start. the third time is the worst time, by this point it's about 2 weeks after the 2nd incident. same scenario, just drove it 20 mins prior and it was fine, then another crank no start for hours. even tried to leave my key in to ignition. after hours i got it to start and making it home the car slowed down and came to a complete halt in the middle of an extremely busy street, putting on my brake lights i avoided getting rear ended. i took the key out and restarted the car and it started somehow. after getting it home i haven't driven it since and a number of more issues started happening. my locks have now started to make an obnoxious buzzing noise when getting unlocked, the service air bag notification will light-up on the dash and disappear quickly, all icons light up on dashboard , security icon flashes, check engine light is on, car will not start on crank, radio fades out and comes back on, horn is a faint noise. reading similar complaints this is an outrage.

While driving you can feel steering tightening up and a slight hum especially making left and right turns, gas gauge goes up and down from full to empty constantly, engine light stays on because of gas cap replaced 4 times works for awhile longest was about a month, also stays on because of duel gauge fluctuating constantly.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 20 mph, the power steering malfunctioned. the contact stated that the steering wheel became very stiff and was extremely difficult to turn. the vehicle was diagnosed as having an electrical failure, which caused the power steering to fail. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. also, while driving, the steering seized. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

I am the second owner of my 2007 chevy malibu and the power steering has failed, when i was going 70+ mph on the freeway today. i had taken the car in sevral months ago to dealer and they said it could no longer be fixed due to the amount of miles. i didn't own the vehicle when gm was fixing this problem. this is a serious safety issue. i drive an hour on freeway to work and no one is helping me. i could not move my steering wheel to even pull off the freeway. i slowed down to when there was a curve and i was able to stop the car on the side of the freeway.

I was driving down the free way and my car just died all the dashlights were flashing and when i tried to sstart it again nothing. i had it towed. next day i went to start my car turned the key and the security flashes and clicks but wont start.

Had recall work done and seen this was in it. and wasn't fixed.

This is issue has been happening since late december and has progressively gotten worse! while driving (whether on highway at 60+ mph or in town doing under 40mph), power steering will go out multiple times; along with fuel gage will consistently show empty. also while driving the airbag indication light will go from airbag on to air bag off several times. the only thing that remedies the power steering going out is to turn the car off and then back on, sometimes more than once. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of power. after manually restarting the vehicle, it operated normally. the steering warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be replicated. the vin was excluded from nhtsa campaign number: 15v064000 (steering). the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was not provided.

When accelerating out of a curve or turn, the steering wheel jerks in the opposite direction. also experienced door locks unlocking and locking while driving down the road, and horn fuse keeps going out. *tr

Power locks doesn't work. windows goes down sometimes if the driver door is open at a 45 degree angle. steering wheel first begun to shake by itself and turn whichever direction then eventually locked completely while driving! can't turn the steering wheel in any direction at all.

We bought my car from a police auction in sand springs. there was not really any paperwork, so we had nothing to go on, but what the auctioneer told us. we found out that the gas gage will not read any fuel it just stays on e, and that is 600.00 to fix, and then about 4 months now the power steering will just go out and you can not steer at all. if you are a man you can turn it, but if you are a woman or young teen there is no way you can make a corner, and you will get in an accident. you are unaware when it will just happened, but a bell in the car does start ringing, and reading power steering. this is very dangerous and it sounds just like recall number 14v153000, but my year is not on it. please make it a recall for 2007 also. they told me that will cost 1,000.00 to fix the power steering. really...if you can help in anyway i would appreciate it.

Gm dealership claims there is no open recall for my vehicle when my vehicle has the precise issues as describted in gm recall #13036 and the nhtsa # 14v252000.

The cruise control don't work the brake light's stay on and go off when you push the brake pedal.

My car was recalled and fixed on 3/17/15 for the cruise control cutting out and the brake lights coming on. it was fine until a month ago and it started doing the same thing again. i took it to smith chevrolet in gallipolis ohio and they reset the computer, this did not help. now they tell me they need to replace module 02560 part # 25861370 and sensor 04625 part # 13597430 at a cost of about $410.00. i fill they did a patch job last year and now want me to pay to fix it. if i pull the electrical system and plug it in and out a few times everything works fine for a couple of weeks. i have contacted chevrolet and my reference # from them is 8-2180763999. james at phone #866-790-5700 ext 5913683 is trying to help me. i can't drive around with my brake lights on all the time, it is not safe. i got pulled over by a state trooper once last year before it was repaired.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 60 mph, the steering failed and the steering warning sensor illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. the failure continued to recur. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a second diagnostic testing where it was determined that there was a loss of the electric power steering assist. also, the steering staff torque sensor failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 127,947.

This vehicle has a safety design fault where the passenger pressence sensor(pps) defaults causing the airbag light to come on dissabling the whole whole airbag protection system. this car shares the same parts with the 2007 saturn aura whose model has been safety recalled for te pps.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. when the ignition was turned to the on position, the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic at the contact's residence where it was diagnosed that the anti-theft system was malfunctioning and needed to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 124,343.

I took my vehicle in for the break light being on continuously while driving. i took the vehicle to beardmore chevrolet in bellevue nebraska. i believed it was a recall issue (and still do), beardmore performed a diagnostic evaluation and told me it was not. i told them that since it was not a recall issue i would take it to my own mechanic. however when i left beardmore chevrolet my break lights no longer worked at all. they did not put anything back together and my mechanic told me that there is a short somewhere in the break system and he along with 2 other certified gm mechanics could not find the source of the short. i don't understand how i can go from having break lights on all the time while driving to not having any break lights at all.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 55 mph, the gauges on the instrument panel fluctuated and the anti-theft warning light illuminated. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 10 mph and making a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn without warning. the contact proceeded to pull the vehicle over, turned off, and restarted the engine. once restarted, the service power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was able to be driven home. the contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 158,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that when the ignition was turned to the on position, the vehicle failed to start. the warning indicators on the instrument panel illuminated, but the engine did not start. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

On oct. 31st i was driving my car and turned on the seat heater. a few seconds later i noticed the seat got extremely hot so i quickly turned it off. when i got out of my car there was a hole in my seat where the heater is!

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving 45 mph, the steering wheel required excessive force in order to steer the vehicle. the power steering warning indicator illuminated after the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 213,000.

Takata recall airbag senso always on; auto driver side window, sideview mirrors; seatbelt sensor & sound alerts when shouldn't; ac cooling system doesn't get cool; fuel gauge doesn't work & always on low-fuel indicator even when we've filled up; dome light dim; power locks don't work properly - only driver side works sometimes

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. upon making a left or right turn, the steering wheel partially locked and the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Starting before may 2015 and lasting until 11/19/15, the yellow warning dashboard lights, gauges, and dic would occasionally go berserk while driving. the first time this happened, i was on an interstate around 8am in the morning in may of 2015. at the same time during these episodes, the shifting of the automatic transmission would be jerky. the lights would "settle down" after long enough, but some combination of lights always remained on at the end of the episodes, such as the traction control light, check engine light, security light, and abs light. the car would seem to return to normal sometimes after being restarted. i had a chevrolet dealership check it out in 5/15/2015 and they found nothing. sometimes during these episodes, the power steering would also lose power. the problem returned and i had a mechanic check it out and he put in a new ignition switch 11/19/15. the car has not gone berserk since then, but the power steering does not always work reliably and the check engine light came on once, but went off. the coolant temperature gauge has failed to work twice since then too. the cruise control also temporarily stopped working.

Airbag light stays on will not go out.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the vehicle started to jerk excessively followed by a sudden loss of power steering assist. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 98,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed ore repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 165,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition after repairing the vehicle under nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v224000 (power train) and 14v252000 (electrical system , electronic stability control , exterior lighting , service brakes, hydraulic , vehicle speed control). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 147,000.

I was pulling out of my driveway in my 2007 chevy malibu and couldn't cut the wheel in any direction. power steering was totally out. the radio was scrolling "power steering", but had no idea what was going on. managed to get to a gas station and then after many of us looking at it realized it was an electrical power steering unit. was going to get it towed, but when starting it up again, it worked fine. intermittent problem. this is so dangerous! my car only has a little over 68,000 miles on it. dealer said that this is common, but the 2007 was not covered by the recall - all other years besides '07. i needed a new steering torque sensor. cost $500 to replace. seems crazy with such a known problem and low miles that gm excluded this year in the recall. so disappointed! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control) and 14224000 (power train). the part needed was unavailable to repair the vehicle. the dealer was unable to inform when the part would become available. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

Vehicles cruise control was engaged when reaching and hill the cruise control sped up and as soon as it did i lost engine power completely it was not until i was able to safety make it to the side of the interstate coasting that i realized the engine had cut off. i then parked the vehicle turned off all electrical components and turned the ignition to the off position; and attempted to restart to engine switch resulted in nothing but the engine light coming on and the lights of the vehicle coming on but no firing of the engine or even a click from the starter at this point i was glad a had all my blankets and thing in the vehicle because in north dakota and montana its cold. after a few failed attempts at turning the key and nothing happening waiting 5mins in between i began calling my insurance company 10 more mins pass by and i?m on hold i decide to try the car again in which it fired right up the check engine light remained illuminated for about 2 days after the incident now it has disappeared from my dash lights my car goes in for repair next week to get engine heater installed and recalls taken care of however i don?t see what would cause the listed above issue to occur under any listed recalls but i am also not vehicle savvy. *tr

My vehicle's steering wheel locked up, making it very hard to steer the vehicle left or right, and a message went across my screen reading "power steering". when my steering wheel is not locked up, it continuously jumps in my hands. i am pretty sure this is all due to the electric power steering giving out, just like in the recalls given for the other chevrolet malibus, unfortunately, my 2007 was one of the models left out of this recall, when i am positive it has the same defect as the others recalled. the description of what happens in these situations matches mine to the tee. the risks are the same as well, i am in just as much danger as those others driving that did get recalls. the difficulty steering makes it hard to swerve out of the way when in an emergency, as every turn requires a lot of muscle. i am asking anyone in charge to please, review this and include the 2007 in the power steering recall. *tr

The passlock system in the car enables whenever it wants to leaving you stranded. the whole car shuts down all methods of disarming the system fail. you have to wait x amount of time for the passlock system to disable on it's own. it could take an hour to 48 hours! huge inconvenience! *tr

When filling fuel tank to full, fuel gauge will suddenly show empty, then over next 50 miles or so, the fuel gauge level will swing wildly between empty and full. this results in the check engine light coming on. after about 50 miles, the correct fuel level will register and then 50 miles after that, the check engine light turns off.

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. while driving at various speeds, the ignition switch was turned on and the brake lights illuminated continuously. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the contact received a notification for nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). the contact adhered to the recall, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 82,522.

I did not have a crash, or driving incident. this complaint is due to the following: i received the recall (14152) letter back in june of 2014. the needed part was not available at that time so i waited for another letter to come and finally received a month or so later (august). i took my car to the wesley chapel gm dealer and they completed the recall work for free. although, they ended up charging me $2,400 for electrical, and fuse damage to my car that they say was not related to this recall, although based on everything i have read i believe these charges were a reflection of the recall. my hands were tied as i need my car so i paid the fee at the dealership and called gm and had them open up a ticket to look into my issue, charges, and what the dealership fixed. gm responded to me that they could not help me. now, thinking all of this was behind me, i receive another recall letter with the same recall number this month (jan 2015), now telling me i still have an open recall. when i put my vin number into the system it still reflects this as an open recall on my car. i'm so confused, and really feel like im being taken advantage of by gm, and the dealership. i refuse to take the car back to the dealership as they will find another way to charge me when this is all gm's responsibility. at this point i have no idea what to do, nor do i even know if my car is safe to drive or not. *tr