Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Malibu MAXX STEERING

Car leased brand new in august 2004. as of today on une 28,2007 car had brakes repaired 4 times at the dealer. rotors have been machined each time, and today brake pads replaced..car has 27,180 miles on it, and it has been maintained,garaged, kept, and no one has been rough on the brakes. the last time we had the car to dealer for brake problems was july of last year. at that time we were told that a brake line was crimped and only found it because we were having tires rotated. also, told that this was the last time rotors could be machined. well today they machined them once again as i had said previously for the fourth time. i did some research ,and i may be wrong but there was a recall on the car for abs problems in april 2004 prior to our purchase of the car.. i called gm , and was told that our car was involved, but was later told by owner of dealership that there had been a communication error and our car was involved in another recall concerning seat belts or something along those lines. i am very concerned about the safety of the brakes at this point after so many conflicting stories..i feel very frustated, and had to spend almost $500.00 because the brake pads were not covered under the bumper to bumper warranty as they had nothing to do with the previous rotor/brakeline problems or so i was told..we had computor sensor problems,short sockets on both real turn signals, loose tie rod, ignition problems ,which they could not detect..faulty gas cap etc. *ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. while attempting to make a left turn at 35 mph, the vehicle's steering wheel felt loose, as if it could keep turning nonstop. however, the contact had difficulty when turning the wheel to the right. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the motor inside the steering column failed and was a very common failure. the current and failure mileages were 51,400. the consumer states the vehicle was repaired. the consumer stated wants to reimbursed for repairs. updated 06/06/07 *tr

Around 40,000 miles on odometer, a thunk could be heard when turning steering wheel left. dealership where car was purchased could not determine cause. at 45,000 miles on odometer, took vehicle to 2nd dealership who knew of a technical bulletin - rack and pinion steering unit was failing. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the vehicle veers to the right due to steering failure, the interior lights illuminate and dim at random, and the starter on the vehicle was malfunctioning. the failures generally occur while driving 35 mph. the main failure, however, is that the vehicle fails to start occasionally. when she starts the vehicle, it sounds as if it is attempting to engage, but never does. the vehicle also makes a cranking sound. the vehicle has been to the dealer approximately 8-10 times. the dealer will make a repair, but the failures always continue. the vin and engine size were unknown. the current mileage was 39,900 and failure mileage was 33,000.

While turning into a parking spot, i received a warning chime and noticed a steering warning note on the digital display. after car was turned off and back on, the notice was not present and steering was normal. on several other occasions, the steering would repeat this situation but it would do it in no apparent regular driving state, ie, could be going down road at highway speeds or just maneuvering into a parking spot. always would return to normal after a cycle of the ignition key and could be months before a repeat event. sometimes the event would seem to reduce steering power but not remove all assist and at other times the steering assist would be completely removed. *tr

I went to the dealership and traded my saturn vue for the 2004 malibu maxx. when i test drove the car, after the acceleration reached 4rpms, there was a high pitched whine from the engine closest to the tire. they looked at it and said that it was a loose belt. so i bought the car and they said to bring it the chevy dealership to get it fixed. i took it in and they said they couldn't duplicate the problem so i had to ride with them. also, my seat heaters were turning on automatically, car constintly pulls to the right, i have to turn the key over for a long time to get the car to fully start up. they couldn't duplicate any of the problems so i am still dealing with all of them. for the whining noise, they said it is a drive belt that needs to be replaced, but it is out of stock. how convienient. *jb

2004 malibu maxx. have lost power steering 3x's. this is the electric power assist system that needs to be changed/fixed, not putting in a new part that is the same as the old one. very annoyed. *jb

2004 chevrolet malibu max steering failed making the vehicle undriveable. rear hatchback door is rusting. *kb when the steering failed the vehicle was towed 38 miles tot he consumer's home. the rear hatch molding clips and gaskets failed to prevent salt induced swirl rust

Making slow left hand turn, vehicle lost power steering. power steering warning light came on and on board display listed issue as power steering. shut off vehicle and restarted. power steering was regained. contacted dealer and was notified recall for this issue was not in effect for the vin number listed for my vehicle, but any issue that warranted a recall of the models due to the same defect. *jb

My car makes a groaning or low growling sound when i turn the steering wheel. it seems that the hotter the weather is the more it growls and groans. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated while shifting into any gear there was a sudden loss of power steering with the illumination of the warning indicator. upon turning the vehicle off and back on it began to operate normally. the failure recurred intermittently and became progressively worse over the years. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and dealer, who both stated that the steering column would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 5/22/14*cn updated 7/06/17*cn

Tl*the contact's spouse owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. while driving at various speeds and making a turn, the contact heard a clunking noise coming from the steering column. the vehicle has been to the dealer three times and they replaced the steering column under warranty, the ps gear, and the intermediate steering shaft; however, the clunking noise still persists. the current mileage was 45,523 and failure mileage was 19,557. updated 2/23/09 *cn updated 02/27/09. *jb

In warm weather, when making low speed turns, power steering makes groaning, popping sounds, and occasionally stutters. afraid that steering might fail completely. *nm

Own 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. power steering fails ocassionally. presents dangerous situation upon failure. steering column was replaced one week ago but problem remains. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was in motion at any speed, there is a clunking noise in the steering shaft. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and repair. however, after the vehicle was inspected and the dealer determined the problem was the steering shaft, the dealer informed the contact currently no repairs could be made to the vehicle. this was due to the manufacturer not having a remedy or tsb to the problem, but they were aware the problem existed. the dealer recommended the contact should continue driving the vehicle and no repairs were made.

Took maxx to dealer for clicking noise in steering column and thumping noise in rear of vehicle upon deceleration. was advised that the clicking noise had been reported before but no "fix" was available as of yet from gm. also was advised that thumping noise was the hatch. they adjusted the hatch so poorly that now it doesn't close all the way and of course the thumping noise is still there. took car back (third time) and had service manager ride with me until he acknowledged the thumping noise in addition to the click in steering column. left maxx in service so the could re-adjust the hatch to where it was. car has been to service now three times for this issue, a total of 14 days. maxx has also been in to service for intermittent weak start. service could not duplicate it. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph and attempting to park, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the contact experienced a loss of power steering without warning. the failure only occurred when attempting to park. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who informed that contact that the steering column needed be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number : 14v153000 (steering). the approximate failure mileage was 19,000. dr

While driving the vehicle i lost all power steering. i was pulling out of a parking lot across 3 lanes of traffic. a sensor light came on and i could not turn the wheel. i was able to put the car in reverse and back into the lot. i turned off my car and when i turned it back on my power steering was back. *jb

On december 2, 2005 i was traveling to work using my typical route highway 74 also known as the ortega highway when coming to a sharp and narrow curve my brake pedal did not work and my steering was locked. i was not able to control the direction of my vehicle as a result the vehicle merged to on coming traffic and tumbled four times . *nm

Dt: the contact stated the brakes and steering malfunctioned, resulting in an accident. the steering locked up while attempting to make a right turn. prior to this incident she heard a squeaking noise in the brakes. she took the car to a mechanic, and was told brakes were in good working condition. she has not contacted the dealership. a police report was taken. . the contact suffered a concussion, and had nerve damage. *ak updated 12/30/05. *jb

When slowing down and sometimes when accelerating there is a clunk sound from the bottom left of the steering column. at first we could hardly hear it and as the months passed on it got worse. brought it to the dealer on march 31, 2004. they said gm is aware of the problem and are manufacturing parts to repair the defect. they gave me a gm document with id#1764730 and stating that the part will be available in the second quarter. i think i may have a lemon because earlier the power steering stopped and they replaced the whole steering system. it is now five months since i have been to the dealer and i have not heard anything. the car now sounds like the front end is going to fall off whenever we slow down and it sounds very dangerous. the car does not have more than 23,000 miles, which i consider fairly new, and sounds like it has 500,000 miles on it. my wife and i are both in our 60's and believe me we are not hot rodders. please help us to solve this problem. *nm

I have had an ongoing complaint about a clunking noise in the steering wheel of my 2004 malibu maxx. almost as soon as i got the vehicle i felt a faint vibration in the steering wheel and have taken it to chevrolet on numerous occasions each time they claim they could not duplicate the problem. this knocking happens everytime i turn the steering wheel and it is getting louder and louder. now that it is out of warranty gm is telling me to once again go and have it diagnosed, which cost about $90 and they do not guarantee to fix it at no cost. i talked to a csr and she does not admit or admit to knowing about this problem. i referred to campaign # 04050a 12/2004 posted on your website. *tr

Occurence #1: with less than 2000 mi on vehicle, it lost power steering while driving. the message came on the console. towed to dealer who replaced steering column. occurrence #2: with approx. 5000 mi on vehicle lost power steering when in reverse exiting parking space. dash light went on as well as console message. towed to dealer. *ak

Noisy, grinding sound + stiffness in steering. have had to dealer (john kennedy chevrolet, southampton, pa) 3 times beginning 2/15. 1st diagnosis: underinflated tires. result: no change. 2nd diagnosis: worn steering column. action: replaced column. result: no change. 3rd diagnosis: problem with steering rack. action: replace rack. result: no change. this problem only happens when the air temperature is warm (won't happen on a cool morning, but is present after sitting in the sun all day). it seems that when the metal heats up, it expands & causes binding. *ak

Dt: the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact states that she has a dislocation of the sc joint, sternum and the collar bone. caused by telescoping of the steering wheel. the manufacturer stated that she would be receiving a call, and caller explained to them that she could not be reached until after 5:30 pm. she spoke to a lot of people, and many of them very rude because she could not be reached until after 5 pm and that was all they could tell her because it was after gm business hours. *ak

While driving on an icy roadway on a downhill left cruve i felt the steering unexpectedly stiffen up as if the car had stalled. by the time i applied enough pressure to compensate the car started to veer to the left, and would not recover. it crashed and rolled over. also, the air bags did not deploy until we were hanging upside down, even though the car hit hard in the front. also only the two front air bags deployed not the side or curtain bags. the car was a total loss. *ak

Car had left pulling problem at delivery. seller suggested car have 1000+ miles before attempting alignment. car "repaired" at another in-town dealer under warranty. within 6-8 mos., problem set in again, especially noticeable simply cruising for hours at highway speed. (no "torque steer" or "country crown roads.") after 3 hour drive, complained to selling dealer who replaced sensor (which required new column and reprogramming several microprocessors according to most recent bulletins.) car seemed fine for 1-2 months. again, steering seems not to center accurately, and generally pulls left. tires been rotated, balanced, w/good pressure, etc. since i drive typically left lane with left had (right hand on cell phone or materials) i now suffer "tennis elbow" and have had to favor my left--been wearing splints/elbow braces for 3 weeks. used gm satisfaction procedure to talk to zone rep. dealer ops mgr calls me and because i alluded to discomfort and mentioned keeping a paper trail for my attorney, the zone rep refuses to speak or act upon the matter "until we have initiated our legal action!" i just asked them to fix or replace the car, which i use daily for business. now i've been challenged to a legal tussle, and the car isn't right. *jb

I was driving in traffic when suddenly without warning a warning cam across the message screen saying power steering and the service light turned on. i had lost all power steering. i was able to manually force the vehicle over to the side. i turned off the car and restarted it. when i restarted the vehicle the warnings disappeared and power staring working fine until about 5-10 minutes later, about less than a 1/4 mile traveled power steering went out again. i contacted my dealers service department and the service person there new instantly what it was and he said that the steering column had to be replaced. *jb

I was turning right onto a street and the car died. i turned it back on and everything seemed fine. i then turned into my office parking garage and as i was going down one of the levels i noticed the steering acting strange. it felt like it was loose or not catching. i went a little further and the power steering went completely out. i had an extremely hard time getting into a parking space but i did. later in the morning when a tow truck came to pick up the car, i got in and started the car and the power steering was working. i let the tow truck take the car to the dealership since i was concerned about the power steering going out and the car dying. it is as the dealership at this time. *jb

Gear shift locked up and would not move. had to be towed to dealer for repair. front turn lights constantly loose connection and go out. have replaced them on average every three months. within 6 mo of purchase, steering felt loose and would lock up a slow speed turns. steering column was replaced. at the same time, thumping can be heard with left hand turns. dealer says the problem is recognized by chevrolet and is a design defect of the rack and pinion, but chevrolet says they have no reports of the problem. the shop just greases the rack and pinion and sends me on my way. after the 5th time of having in the shop and chevy refusing to do anything but give me free oil changes, i have traded in the car for a ford. *jb

1. power steering failure 2. noise in steering 3. noise in steering steering column was replaced in each incident, now making clunking noise again. dealer said its "normal characteristic of vehicle. noise is getting worse. *nm

I purchased my vehicle brand new in august 2004. the power steering went while i was turning on to a street in i believe december 2004. it was taken to the dealership and the steering column was supposedly replaced. a couple of months later, the same thing happened again. when i took the car to the dealership again, i questioned why it was not recalled at the time, since this was the second time it happened. i was advised that it was a bad batch of steering boots and there were not enough problems to replace them. again, the steering column was supposedly replaced. all seemed to be fine until i believe december 2010. the steering went again. i contacted the dealership and gm to see what could be done. i was advised that my problem had been taken care of in 2004/2005 and there was nothing they could do. i took the car to a local mechanic who had to replace everything once again. this time it cost me over $1500. *tr

Electric power steering (eps) failure...eps would fail (quit working) leaving driver to attempt to steer vehicle without any eps assist...a very difficult task and a critical safety defect that easily leads to loss of control of the vehicle.*ak ea04018_cat

On dec. 3, 2004 i was turning into my place of employment when my steering wheel completely locked up the service soon light was on and my car was dinging. i had to brake quickly or i wouldn_x0019_t have gone right into the corner of a church. i quickly restarted the vehicle, which restarted the power steering, but this could be very dangerous. i called chevy and they towed my car and i received a loner vehicle. they had the repair done fairly quick and said they had to replaced the steering column. i looked on this sight and noticed multiple complaints about this issue. i am just concerned on why there hasn_x0019_t been a recall?? i know this could cause serious injuries and something that could possibly cause injury or death should have already been recalled after this many occurrences. *jb ea04018_cat

Here the latest on the steering problems on my 2004 maxx lt which is fully loaded: 1st visit to service: yellow wrench light on and steering locked up while driving my 2 year old and my wife. 2nd visit to service: earlier replaced steering column, gave me the car back. problem now was that i couldn't even turn the steering wheel left only right. 3rd visit to service: when i accelerate the steering wheel turns left as far as about 10 o'clock on clock for example. i test it out without holding the wheel just to see what happens and i tested it out on 10 different streets where all of them are flat. what would you in my case? would you ask for an exchange or would you allow them to fix it for a 3rd time and risk possible more problems? it has 6,900 miles on it and in perfect shape.*ak ea04018_cat

Recently urchased da 04 chec malibu. three weeks ago the power steering ailed...with no steering whatsoever!. car was towed to dealer. dealer "fixed"problem and stated that no one has experienced this before. not true according to this web site. the vehicle should be recalled before someone gets killed. *ak ea04018_cat

As my family and i were driving down the road in our new malibu maxx the check engine light came on and the radio stated power steering. i tried to steer the maxx but it had no power steering. i stopped turned the car off and restarted it and it started working. i called the dealer and they said that they were having major trouble with the new malibu's electric assist steering. they replaced the column and motor. that lasted about three months. i was driving down a major interstate early on a sunday morning when the power steering went out again. this time severely jerking the steering wheel to the left pushing me into the left lane of traffic. had this been my wife on her way to work monday morning in heavy traffic on this interstate there would have been a terrible accident. we are now on the third steering column, now the heating and defrost control unit is bad, leaving us with no heat or defrost. not to mention the rear seatbelt got stuck and wouldn't move. all but the heating control have been fixed (at dealer now) but where will it stop???? my family works for gm and i think i will buy a ford!!!!!!!! gm better stand up and admit there is a problem! ea04018_cat *jb

2004 chevy maxx power steering light came on and lost power steering. was doing approx. 35 mph on a corner at the time. pulled off road turn off the ignition. turned ignition back on and steering came back. ea04018_cat

While driving, vehicle lost power steering. consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer, and was told that the parts were on back order, and there was no date as to when the parts would be made available. *ak ea04018_cat steering became difficult in the vehicle. *tc

Power steering failed while car was being driven. dealership said steering column has to be replaced. the steering column was replaced at 14,000 miles because of a service bulletin. the car has less than 56,000 miles on it and repair cost is in excess of $550. major safety issue which has already been investigated. apparently gm has not found a reliable solution to the problem. this is a major safety issue and there should be a total recall of the 2004 malibu maxx. *tr

Power steering fails while driving. can ot steer the vehilclevery very hard, older people would not be able to steer.. stop and shut the engine off and restart light goes out and steering works fine until next time.*ak ea04018_cat

(1) grinding noise from front of car when turning wheel (2) having to take 1 hour off of work to have it looked at by a dealer fear of it not being safe to drive. *ak (3) the front steering component needs replaced. it will take at least a week to get the part in. (1) rear defrost does not work (2) not able to see out of the back window in the morning. (3) will be looked at when car is in for steering unit to be replaced. (1) weak start up (2) embarrassing when owning a new car with only 1600 miles on it. (3) will be looked at with other problems.

While driving, the power steering failed. the warning light illuminated, letting the consumer know that the power steering failed which made it very hard to steer. the vehicle was taken to the dealership for repair. this was the first time it has happened. *ak ea04018_cat the steering column had been replaced and there had been no recurrence. *sc

While driving 5 mph or less and making a left turn consumer noticed dashboard indicator lights flashing. then, lost power steering. *ak ea04018_cat

Complete loss of power steering, while driveing at freeway speeds (65 mph). *ak pe04031_cat

power steering went out while driving. consumer took vehicle to the dealer on 5 occasions, but dealer was unable to resolve the problem. *ak the service engine soon light illuminated. *tc *jb

Bought a malibu lt maxx in apr 04, encountered steering wheel problems several. the worst was that it locked my steering wheel while driving on the hwy 401. i had to come to a complete stop in the middle of the hwy to re-start my engine to try my lucky to get back the steering power. i have the problem till now and yet unsolved. no choice but to get into a new car now, just to advise being kill on the road. *jb

When the vehicle was started with the remote control dashboard components failed to function when the key was turned in the ignition. the vehicle was taken to the dealership the following day a diagnostic test was performed, but no failure codes were found. the failure recurred 4 months later while turning into a parking space. also, the steering column locked up. when this occurred, the instrument panel read steering column assistance needed. the consumer then turned the vehicle off, then back on. the vehicle started, but the steering wheel wouldn't move. the steering wheel unlocked when the vehicle was restarted 20 minutes later. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership the following day. the service person indicated that there was a technical service bulletin on this issue, and ordered a new steering column to be installed. the consumer was instructed not to drive the vehicle out of town, in addition, while driving at 1379 miles, the consumer smelled a strong fuel odor. this occurred because the fuel line clip came off, and fuel was leaking. the dealership reinstalled the fuel clip because it wasn't properly installed at factory. *ak ea04018_cat *sc