Problems with 2004 Chevrolet Malibu EQUIPMENT

theft system kept car from cranking. *js

2004 chevy malibu lt front left & right amber headlight assemblies are melted. left side is 9 months old and already melted through. right side looks like original, has plastic amber bulb melted on top. on left side bulb socket is burnt. i am using the appropriate bulbs required for the front and they were installed correctly. this can be a fire hazard. *tr

2004 malibu purchased 04/05/04 steering column failure 01/10/05 9,225 miles replaced again 06/16/05 13,430 miles 01/30/06 intermittent shaft needed replacement but no "good parts available" finally replaced 08/24/06 24,636 miles rack & pinion steering gear 04/17/07 31,846 miles replaced intermediate steering shaft 09/14/09 54,841 miles replaced rack & pinion steering gear. car now has 3rd rack gear. on 11/11/10 at 68,209 miles we were told it needs replacement of rack & pinion steering gear. it has only been 14 months and 13,368 miles since last time replaced. *tr

The electric power steering in my vehicle is faulty. the steering wheel will move by its self while driving or in park. also my power steering will go out without warning while driving at any speed. when the steering wheel locks up due to power steering i have a very hard time turning and controlling car. i have barely avoid several accidents because of this issue. i have taken car to dealership to see if can be fixed because when i called gm i was not eligible for the warranty that would have fixed issue but because it was past their recall time they would not assist me and the dealer wants 800.00 to fix and they say that even fixing the steering column and or the assist motor that i will more then likely have the same issues! my car is a 2004 with only 44,462 miles on it. i got the car used february of this year (2010) and didn't know that it would be a nightmare and a death trap for my family! i have video of the wheel moving by its self as well as video showing that when i loss power steering the car is hazardous. i am really afraid that i will not be able to keep up with this issue and will one day loss complete control of the car and hurt myself and possibly others! chevrolet needs to fix this issue for good or replace the cars all together because its really only a matter of time before this issue bites them in the butt! i really like my malibu but i really think that i should have never got it because of all the issues losing power steering, pulls bad to left and right, loose shifter knob, & the remote keyless entry doesn't work right. i hope by filing this complaint with you that maybe it will be resolved. i want to have piece of mind while driving my family in car not worried about the car being a death trap on 4 wheels that will loss control when it feels like it and kill my family and myself. i know that i am not the only one with these issues with the malibu and chevrolet really needs to step up and make these issues right for us the consumers fast! *tr

2004 malibu: feb 2005 vehicle chimed; power steering displayed on driver information center, lost power steering while making a left turn. dealer replaced steering column because i had a letter from gm saying that my vehicle may have been built with a steering column sensor that can wear unevenly and produce an erratic electrical signal. dealer said that my vin number was not part of the recall but i insisted that i had experienced the problem and didn't care if my number was on the list i wanted it replaced. may 2010: three days in a row chime sounded and power steering displayed on driver information center; stopped vehicle and restarted it, reset itself. took in to dealer and had a diagnostic test run ($100.00). test indicates that i need the steering column replaced and a shaft kit (clunking) cost $990.65, not covered under warranty. google search reveals that this steering column defect is not uncommon and should be recalled by the manufacturer! please read the numerous complaints on this blog http://carblog.classifieds1000.com/recall_issues/20090114-133923-power_steering_problems_on_chevy_malibu_seeking_recall. *tr

I have reported two previous incidents regarding noise in the front end of my 2004 chevy malibu ls. the same noise is again occurring in the front end of my car which leads me to believe it is a steering issue. when i took the car to jack phelan chevrolet, they did not find a problem with the front end/steering. i believe they aren't telling me because this will be the 3rd complaint regarding steering parts. *tr

I own a 2004 chevy malibu when starting vehicle the service engine light engages and the console indicator chimes reading power steering. this occurs every time i start the car now. i have replaced the steering column 2 times since taking ownership of vehicle in february 2008. both steering columns were genuine gm parts installed by a certified technician. work performed in 5/08 and 10/08 totaling some $3000.00. paid another dealer $51.56 to adjust and calibrate sensor. it was ok for the summer. late fall 2009 began coming on intermediately again. now it comes on each time you start the car and yesterday i actually lost power steering while driving the car. i had lost the power assist steering a total of 4 times now. this is very dangerous. someone could get hurt here. *tr

Brought car in for maintenance of other sorts and mechanic noticed clicking in steering wheel. a clicking that had been present since i purchased the car and was told that it is normal in the malibu by two dealerships and an outside mechanic (whom i no longer go to). the noise had gotten worse over time, but was reassured that it was no issue. my new mechanic determined that it was a failure of the rack and pinion system and continuing to drive with it would be dangerous. i had it replaced (12-4-2008). it has been slightly over a year now and the noise is back and progressively getting worse than before. it costs nearly $1000+ to repair and doesn't last a year?! it is a late model 2004 malibu, meaning it is the 2005 malibu made in 2004. i've read many reports/complaints on the internet about the same problem. this needs to be taken care of asap. *tr

2004 chevy malibu was taken in due to power steering column and service car light coming on and clunking coming from car. had it in the first dealership first time notified me that it was the steering column $1500 later and it wasn't repaired. took back to same location. then they notify me that the same steering column was bad again and now my rack and pinion had to be replaced. $650.00. light again now loosing power steering had to take to another dealer. the first one notifies me by letter that i can not come back with my car. now i had to pay $52.00 to have the senor that are part of the steering column adjusted. that when i found out about the service notices. because this is not a recall the owner has to continue to pay. my car is a salvage however, that has nothing to do with the genuine gmc parts that have been installed not once but twice and guess what. the light has come on again. $2400.00 later and its not fixed. i have talked directly to gm and they are not going to help. the government needs to protect consumer from being taken to the cleaners from a manufacturer that knows there is a problem. *tr

I reported this to nhtsa and no contact from anyone. i own a 2004 chevy malibu. i have spent over $2400.00 to have this repaired. failure of power steering indicator and a loss of power steering while driving this vehicle. i have had to paid to have 2 new gm steering columns installed in the last year and half. have had the sensor adjusted on the new steering column. and i still continue to have this problem. i have written to gm with a less than acceptable reply. there is a serious matter and it appear nothing is being done. are you waiting for someone to get hurt. please look into this matter. gm sure is refusing. unfortunately i do not have records from the beginning of the vehicles history for i am 2nd owner however, because i have already installed 2 new columns i can assure you that this has been going on for sometime. *tr

Dt: when the consumer went to change a flat tire the jack that came with the vehicle collapsed while he had the vehicle raised up. this was the original jack that came with the vehicle. it collapsed when he had the tire off and was trying to put the spare on. it collapsed under the weight of the vehicle. there were no injuries. *ak

My a/c button lights flash intermittently when i try to change settings from panel to defrost...the ac will not shut off in defrost mode! also the a/c will not shut off while it is in interior recirculate mode. when i attempt to turn off the a/c in these modes it flashes about 5 times and stays on! i am concerned because i know the electrical components in that system are all interlinked...if the a/c electrical is failing..what is to be next?*ak

2004 chevrolet malibu with noise in the steering wheel customer states that this problem has been going for 2 years without correction from the dealership**cc the dealer replaced various parts in the steering, however the problem remained the same. the battery was replaced. the vehicle hesitated to start. the dealer found the ignition switch had shorted out internally. the horn was replaced. the cd player made a clicking sound. *jb

Dt: the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. the contact states that vehicle will not start. the car will die while it is idling. when getting out of vehicle and turning it off and then get ting back into the vehicle it will not start again. this happened four different times. the cd player will not work, and sometimes when he tried starting vehicle the trunk will open. so it had been several different electrical problems with this vehicle.*ak

I have a 2004 malibu ls, when i first purchased the car during the winter of 04 i had problems with the steering. it was under warranty, i took it back every winter for 4 years and the dealership always repaired the car. in 2010 my power steering light came on and i lost power trying to turn into a parking spot. the next time it occurred, i was driving 50 mph i went to change lanes the power steering light came on and i could not turn the wheel. i was pulling out from a parking spot the power steering light came on and i could not steer the car. this year the seat belt light stays on when my seat belt is on. it happens every day the light stays on. the dealer that i use to use went out of business and did not notify the customers. i found out when i went to have some work corrected that they did. this problem is scary because i never know when the power steering light is going to come on. that is very very scary. my check engine light comes on and they can never find anything wrong. i recently had my car inspected they would not pass it because of the check engine light.i had to drive the car for 300 miles and the light went off and they passed it for inspection. the original brakes were replaced 3 times in the first 2 years of having the car. i only have 45, 000 miles. purchased 2 batteries from gm the 2nd one lasted less then 2 years and died. an authentic gm battery. *tr

Three issues with my 2004 chevrolet malibu ls v6... 1. the steering gear needs to be replaced at 48,000 miles. 2. the starter stays engaged periodically or has trouble turning over to start the car. 3. a/c not cooling vehicle. entire unit eventually replaced. the vehicle has been brought in numerous (13) times to various gm dealers and only has 48,000 miles. *jb

Consumer complained about an electrical problem. consumer took vehicle to dealership and had the work done on july 1, 2004. vehicle had only 100 miles. on august 13,2004 the dashboard lights failed, and the tail lights were out. on august 23, vehicle had the same problem. consumer parked the vehicle and the locks automatically unlocked while the vehicle was still running. also, the air conditioner was running when the key was not in the ignition. *ak

I purchased my 2004 malibu from frank parra chevrolet in dallas, tx. i spoke with the service advisor there to inform them of the steering issue. when you turn either direction the car will continue in that direction unless you manually turn it to center your self. the advisor told me that it could be one of two things 1) the contour of the road, 2) how the car was tied down on the deliver truck that has caused the alignment to be out of wack. if the second response is true then wait for 500 miles, if the steering doesn't change then they will perform a all wheel alignment on it. well 500 miles came and went and there was no change in the steering. the advisor says the the head technician stated due to the steering being electrical that is how it will drive, it is perfectly normal. i didn't like that response so i spoke with the manager of the service department and he suggested that i test drive another vehicle to see if there was a difference. i did that and the newer vehicle drove totally different than mine but the advisor refused to do anything about it so a couple of weeks later the steering locked up while driving on the freeway at 65 miles per hour. i had absolutely no power to the steering. fortunately i was on my way to another dearlership and they checked it out for me but once you turned the vehicle off and on again the power came back. since then i have had the maintenance light come on for service. it has been checked out and serviced. the steering is still returning to center after directional turns. pe04031_cat. *ak