Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Malibu STEERING

My 2005 malibu started making a 'thumping' sound coming from the steering column when turning left or right. it seems to occur as the steering wheel returns to center. i have researched this enough to know that if it gets worse i probably will need to replace the steering column. i called gm customer service and told them that i considered this to be a very serious safety problem (based on my research of numerous vehicles with failed steering components) they were very sympathetic but totally unconcerned about the problem. i was told that they would not pay for any repairs because the vehicle was out of warranty. my car has just over 42,000 miles. i strongly believe that this is a safety related defect in the steering column. *tr

I received a letter from chevy about electric power steering loss on chevy malibu. the letter said that not to take to dealer unless you are experiencing problems. i wasn't until yesterday. while taking my children to school, there was loss of steering, it locked down, and power steering was displayed in the information center. i call chevy and now they say it don't apply to me because my car is over 100,000 miles on it. this is a safety concern as after researching this problem online there are many reported cases of loss of steering but chevy will not fix because of being over mileage. i thought with it possibly endangering the lives of people riding in the car that it would be fixed regardless. the steering locks down and the vehicle can not be controlled. *tr

Vehicles intermediate drive shaft was going out. every turn you made it would make a clunking sounds. occurred on the vehicle right after it was bought. talked to dealer and they said it just needed to be lubed. lubed vehicle ourselves and did nothing. after time the clunking would get louder and louder. took it to different repair shop and it was the intermediate drive shaft. i had heard from a source that the 2006 malibu's had a recall on the steering column but they did not recall the 2005. the vehicles structure behind them are exactly the same just different body styles. this is not safe if it were to have gone out if we had to have been making some sort of a turn or driving down a highway or interstate. i have seen numerous accounts of this happening to the same year and make as mine on www.autobeef.com. car did have the part replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the vehicle experienced intermittent power steering failures. the contact heard a clunking noise in the steering wheel, and a chiming noise was heard followed by a "power steering assist" message display. the vehicle was taken to don franklin bardstown chevrolet buick (120 w john rowan blvd, bardstown, ky 40004, 502-233-4457) for diagnostic testing, but the results were undetermined. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

I have a 2005 chevrolet malibu and the electrical power steering went out on my car exactly one week after chevrolet sent me a letter informing me of this exact problem. they are refusing to cover this repair because my car has 130,000 miles, although they are all highway miles because i work an hour away from my home and my car is only 5 years old. i am a loyal general motors customer, despite the fact that i work for ford motor company, and this is my third brand new general motors car that i have purchased, my husband has as well purchased at least 10-15 brand new cars through general motors. i am a very unhappy customer and i will no longer be purchasing any cars from your company in the future if this is how loyal customers are treated. *tr

Power steering failure. *tr

I have received numerous recall notices and whenever i call a dealer i am told either there is no recall for this notice or they don't have the parts for this recall. i think they are waiting for me to either get rid of the car or get in an accident. if my car is affected i want it fixed. is there anything the nhtsa can do? *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the power steering failed intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the power steering column needed to be replaced. he received a recall notice from chevrolet in august 2010 that specified if the vehicle was over 100,000 miles the steering failure would not be repaired. the contact explained to general motors the vehicle was diagnosed before the 100,000 miles, but he could not have the repair done; therefore, the vehicle should repaired by general motors. the failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage 115,000. updated 12/15/10. *lj the consumer sent in a recall notice along with his complaint regarding the electric power steering. updated 12/27/10

Tl*the driver owned a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving approximately 67 mph the steering wheel became very stiff resulting in a single car crash. the vehicle was destroyed. a police report was filed. the driver was injured. the vehicle was towed to an insurance company and she does not know if the vehicle was examined to determine the cause of failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 109,000.

My wife has a 2005 chevy malibu. she was driving it the other day and the power steering went out on it almost causing an accident. she got the car under control and pulled to the shoulder. when she turned the car off and restarted it the problem disappeared. this has happened again since the 1st incident, but now the car pulls to the left all of the time. i have researched this online and there seems to many complaints about the same issue with steering. something needs to be done about this before someone gets killed. *tr

The car began shaking at speeds over 55 and pulled a bit to the left. the car was parked and a couple of hours we returned to the car to find that the power steering was not working. tried it this morning and the power steering is now working but with dash board warning light. this should be the same issue with the eps that the 2005 cobalts are being recalled for. they should extend the recall to all eps vehicles during those year including the 2005 malibu. *tr

2005 chevy malibu steering locks up when driving. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated she heard a loud noise in the steering for a while. on july 24, 2010 while reversing into a parking space, and then moving forward to put the vehicle in a straight line the power steering failed. she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a curve. the vehicle was taken to the garage, diagnostic testing located the failure at the steering shaft and gear box. the steering shaft and gear box was replaced. the manufacturer did not assist with the repair, because the parts that were replaced were not covered by the extended warranty. the failure mileage was 33,849 and the current mileage was 34,300.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving 60 mph the steering wheel locked when the speed decreased. the rack and pinion was replaced four times and the failure continued to occur. a crash nearly occurred on two occasions while driving. the contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe and could cause a crash to occur. the failure mileage was 150,000.

The car in mention above has stalled for no apparent reason, when stalled steering becomes difficult this has happened several times over the past 5 years. when the dealer was called they said there was no recall, and if there was no trouble light on, it would be hard to detect cause unless it stalled while they had it in the shop. when it stalls everything just shut off. upon pulling the car to the side of road with horns blaring putting it in park it then restarts like nothing ever happened until next time it decides to shut off. what i'm getting at is there a possibility that gm will expand there ignition switch recall to include the 2005 malibu which in my opinion is experiencing the same symptoms of suddenly shutting off or stalling the car now has 100,000 mile runs good other then the stalling. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that there was a popping noise in the steering when hitting a rough spot or bump in the road. the mechanic replaced the tie rods but that did not resolve the issue. a new steering unit was installed and this seemed to resolve the failure. the current and failure mileage was 20,000. updated 12/22/10 *bf the outer tie rod was replaced. updated 12/30/10*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while the contact was driving approximately 30 mph, a sudden loss of power steering occurred without warning. the vehicle was driven with difficulty turning the steering wheel. the failure occurred three different times. the vehicle was taken on two separate occasions to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. an unknown repair was performed on the vehicle. the failure continued after the first repair. the second inspection the technician informed that the failure was related to the power steering system with an estimated repair cost of $1,500. there had been no additional repairs at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage was 40,200.

The power steering on the car-stopped working and the power steering light came on, on the dashboard. the car was very hard to steer. i have taken it to my mechanic and he says that he has seen many problems with steering problems on this gm model of car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving at approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel became extremely stiff and the power steering warning light illuminated on the dashboard. the vehicle was pulled over and upon restart, the vehicle operated as normal for approximately one half mile before the failure recurred. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not examined for the cause of failure. the contact also stated that she was experiencing a recurring failure in which her front turn signal would not stop working and she would have to replace the bulbs approximately once a month. the failure and current mileages were 87,000. updated 10/27/10. *lj

2005 chevy malibu ls steering began to lock up on slow turns. there was no warning, just a sudden locking of the steering column. (it would not turn. literally lock the steering wheel until additional speed could be maintained. the problem started intermittently 2 weeks ago & steadily worsened. happening 10-12 times a day this week. hit 2 curbs, nearly jumped one curb & nearly hit a car. we had to put the car in reverse to straighten the steering prior to completing the turn. car has 85000 miles on it. mechanic shop replaced rack/pinion steering & both front end rear tie rod rings. this defect is apparent on malibu's according to the numerous complaints seen on the internet. *tr

My 2005 chevy malibu is having this very loud noise coming from the steering column. there is no where to put or check the power steering fluid. this is a piece of [xxx] car...i am scared that something is going to happen and it is not going to be pretty if the steering issues in malibus are not resolved. i have seen a lot of complaints online about the steering in chevy malibus. with all the complaints on line, that should be enough to gm to call a recall..... this is dangerous and lives can be lost. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

My son was driving my 2005 chevy malibu to work & the "power steering" light came on & was having troubles getting the car to turn corners. he called me; i told him to get fluid. upon getting fluid & reading the manual, he discovered that it was an "electric" power steering & get to your gm dealer immediately. we did so & was told the power steering column was shorting out & needed replaced. there had been no recall on this for the malibu but had for the pontiac g6, cobalt & others. the dealership we went to replaced & i had to pay out of my pocket $644.86. i feel this should have been a recall & that the safety of my son driving at the time put his life in danger. i would like reimbursed by gm for this expense & a recall done so that other malibu owners do have incur any injuries and/or expense for replacement. i am sending a letter to gm as well as a copy of the letter to nhtsa even though i am submitting an email complaint. thank you for your attention in this matter. *tr

My power steering light flashes and the steering wheel freezes or becomes very difficult to control. *tr

My 2005 chevy malibu has intermittent power steering fault on the center display, and yesterday the power steering actually shut off while going down the highway at 70mph. very difficult to steer just to get off of the road. pulled over and shut off car and restarted and it worked for 5 minutes and then shut down again, wrestled the car home, and today it works fine. chevy cobalt already has a recall for this, why not the malibu. i have filed a complaint with chevrolet and was instructed to get the car fixed as it was clearly a dangerous situation, but it would have to be at my expense. does someone have to die to admit this is a dangerous situation and should be recalled? i do see hundreds of complaints for the same issue on this web site, and even more on other sites. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while making a left or right turn at any speed the contact could hear a clanking noise coming from the front end. during the failure, a power steering service light would illuminate on the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the power steering mechanisms were greased. a few months later the failure began to recur. the failure mileage was 42,000 and the current mileage was 51,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving at 60 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated three times as the steering wheel suddenly locked. the vehicle veered off to the right and crashed into a tree. the contact was taken to the hospital and suffered a broken right hip. a police report was filed. the vehicle was totaled as a result. the failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Regarding my 2005 chevrolet malibu: vehicle is used as personal transportation to and from work in town errands and vacations out of state, over the last 4 weeks my wife and other family have driven the vehicle and have experienced intermittent loss of power steering while turning corners at relatively low speed. on the date of this writing my wife reports having to stop 3 times on the way to work because of dead wheel steering. it seems that the system will operate after a short period where power is switched off by the ignition switch. i have reported this problem to chevrolet corporate customer service (ref# 71-833386371 made 25may2010) and told there is no recall order for the power steering system for this vehicle. i have learned from the internet that there are many complaints of this very occurrence on this and other year models of malibu. your agency is, i'm sure, aware of the recall of 2005 - 2010 cobalt for steering problems of a similar nature. i have attempted to solve the malfunction believing that the fuse was malfunctioning and replaced it with a fuse of recommended size. the steering went dead several times after that. i have contacted the local dealer service rep and am making arrangements to have the problem analyzed there. however i'm not expecting them to fin d anything they can work on being an intermittent problem. i am fearful for my wife's welfare in that vehicle and pray your agency begin proper inquiries into what looks like gm's knowledge of a serious safety issue and their unwillingness to address it. *tr

Car is in the shop again for steering shaft. loud slamming clunking noise while turning. grease bearings break down and the shaft slams around. had it all replaced 2 years ago also. talked to gm, they verified with the dealership that it was the same issue as before . i was told that there is no recall because customers do not personally call gm and report the repair. are you kidding me?? if they see a trend with reports being made directly to gm from the customer (not the dealership), they take it into consideration. if you have a repair done to your malibu, call gm every time and report it. this is their way of escaping responsibility for a known problem. they told me it might be an issue in my area only. since when do cars know where they live?? gm needs to fix the problem. *tr

The power steering light comes on and sometimes the steering wheel won't turn at all. there is a knocking noise in the steering wheel when i turn. it was fixed only to start again a few weeks later. gm won't repair cause they say i'm over the mileage. the gas hand jumps up an down. *tr

Clunking noise at low speeds when turning steering wheel- either direction. power steering failed today - in reverse. managed to park car in driveway and (per previous complaints i googled) after 20 minutes i went out and started the car & the steering wheel was somewhat normal but i felt a slight catch when i turned wheel either direction. no service has been done on the steering yet by me. i have an extended warranty - covers the power steering pump - but not the shaft. *tr

Started 2013, traction control remains on for a 10 mins of driving then turns off, and back on again once restart of car. when traction control light is on unable to turn off by pressing the button. car drives like the rear breaks are engaged. this started in 2010 and still happens to the present day the car has times where it doesn't start up, it turns over but doesn't catch. i have had a fuel ejection service, and regular oil changes at a chevrolet dealership. this started 2013, engine light is on and it won't go off. car is at 115,000 miles. this started 2012, the changing of gears is very rough, hard changes. this started in 2010, my last change was 2012, my head light turn signal continue to blow out and burst. in 2011 my mirror visor on the driver sides has broken again after getting it replace with the recall. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy malibu, bought brand new, i've had problems from the start with this car. the rack & pinion has been replaced twice. the hub bearings have had to be replaced, the rear stabilizer bar needs replacing. i have a gas cap issue, now to top it all off, i've been having issues where i am driving and i start to accelerate and the steering wheel locks up, i have been on the freeway several times when this happens. this is a very dangerous situation, gm will do nothing about this. they know that the 2005 malibu is a dangerous car but will not recall at all. *tr

Made a "pit stop" on way to work my car made a sound alert and "power steering" came on over my radio message window. 2 weeks ago steering felt loose turning left but a little stiff turning right but after a few days it was fine. this morning it happened again but today was the only day of the alert sound and message. found it could be that the electric power steering column needs to be replaced cost ($600 - $1500). power steering electric motor / control module / steering rack / failing sensor in steering column / voltage problem between the alternator & ignition coil assembly. i have printed out 11 pages of similar complaints and noticed the chevy cobalt & other chevy models had or are having a recall for the same complaints as the chevy malibu but the malibu is not one of them. this problem can cause complete steering failure or just very hard steering (unpredicted) & can cause accidents. i'm still waiting to find out which expensive repair mine will be. i did find that if my vin is between 5f100001 - 5f250216 that i need to call chevy if my mileage is under 70,000 & they cover the cost of repair. i don't have my vin as my car is in the shop now. *tr

There is a popping noise when turning left or right at low speeds. also, power steering light comes on and fails. it becomes hard to turn left or right during any speed. *tr

I own a 2005 chevy malibu and have had consistent issues with the power steering going out. there has been a recall on almost every chevy made from 2005-2010 for the same reason except for the malibu. this is not acceptable especially if you read all of the blogs and posts of the huge amount of chevy owners dealing with the exact same thing, many of them getting it fixed multiple times only for it to go out again. this problem almost caused my wife and son to be involved in an accident. *tr

The power steering locked up while i was making a right turn. the power steering notification went on the dash and the chime came on. the power steering is really hard to turn, and i mean hard. the car is only 5 years old as well. its a 2005 chevy malibu. *tr

I was driving my 2005 chevrolet malibu ls to pick up grandchildren at school when the dash power steering light came on. i parked the car and walked to get the children. retrieving the vehicle afterwards, then started, the power steering light was off. at times the car has been hard to turn to the left. i took the car to the dealer and they told me it needs a new $1200 power steering unit to fix the problem. the internet is full of similar stories. fourteen accidents thus far attributed to this. it's time to have a recall. *tr

Lost power steering while going through round about, was empty at the time thankfully. has happened 3 previous times all at slow speeds. i had to pull over and turn the car off and start it to get power steering back. the signal lights are constantly burning out, have replaced the bulbs 6 times in 3 years. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while traveling at speeds of 30 mph, there was an unusual chime and within seconds, the vehicle lost power steering. the vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 60,000.

Was going through a red light and heard a ding then the steering wheel got real tight and hard to turn,power steering showed up . *tr

I have read alot of reviews on customers that are having problems with there chevy malibu's from 2004-2008. the main complaint is the steering column locking up with out warning. i experienced that myself and luckily i was driving at a low speed. my steering wheel vibrates after the car has stopped and threatens to lock up again. there should be a recall on cars from those years. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving at speeds of 25 mph, the power steering failed and steering became extremely difficult. the manufacturer advised the warranty had expired and the contact would be liable for any repairs. the current mileage was 85,000 and the failure mileage was 83,000. updated 10/27/10. *lj

I received a recall on my 2005 chevy cobalt on the electric power steering motor the same day the electric power steering motor went out on my 2005 malibu i called chevrolet and they said there is nothing wrong with the malibu and it is not covered is this not the same thing? *tr

I have a 2005 chevy malibu with electric power steering. it fails intermittently. a chime sounds, and a light comes on the dtc. i looked online for any recalls, and gm did extend the warranty. when i took the car to my local gm dealer they said it was not covered. i think they still have a problem. [xxx], and the mileage is 62,000. *tr

Over a period of about 6 weeks, our 2005 chevy malibu first start to display a power steering fluid low message on the instrument panel (on digital text readout). this vehicle does not have a fluid reservoir, it used electronic assist on the power steering. initial, no noticeable issues were detected while driving the car. one day this display started to occur about every 30 seconds, with a beeping audit alert. our daughter was driving the vehicle that afternoon, and when turning a corner there was a loss of power steering assistance. this was in town at low speeds, she was able to recover from the incident with no accident or damage. the vehicle was taken to the nearest dealership, keys chevrolet for repairs. repair order states "tested and found failed steering column motor". this vehicle was purchased used at about 39.000 miles, and was about 125 miles out of a gm certified 12 mo / 12,000 mile warranty. gm did not cover the repair, paid bill for total of $660.05 from our oen funds. in an internet review, this problem seems to be a common issue with owners of this year and model, and several people have reported damage after crashing into guardrails, etc. when this problem occurs. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy malibu, purchased it in jun 2005 used. jumping forward, nov 25, 2008, i was driving home and my steering wheel "snapped" and "popped" and was still going around in a circle, while car was still going straight. i had the vehicle towed, and come to find out, the rack and pinion needed to be fixed. got that done. then, august 2008, engine goes out. mind you, both instances, i have been told that this has been a known issue with that model car. got the engine fixed. now, 3/26/2010, im driving and the power steering locks up! i have contacted chevrolet about these incidents, and they were no help. just told me to take the car to a dealership. well, today, i found out on the web that there had been a special recall on my model car, between a certain vin number, and this was around the time my steering went out before. when asking the rep "isabel" how can they issue recalls and not mail them to consumers, she told me that they didn't have to , if they were special notifications. how would the consumer know that there was a possible issue if we are not notified? she then proceeds to tell me about a new special notification on this same car on the fuel caps! my life is at stake in this car, and gm is aware of these issues, but no help. i also noticed on the web today that there are many customers complaining about the power steering issues on the same make and model vehicle, most are the same year, and gm is not willing to assist! *tr

I have had several occasions where i have had a loss of power steering. a message will pop up on my dic saying "power steering" quite often but only occasionally i will have no steering at all.

Steering loss 2005 malibu. *tr

The 2005 chevy malibu has a weakness in its steering components similar to the other gm vehicles that are under gm's voluntary recall. the top complaint on the malibu if one reviews various websites is the steering by a very wide margin. i bought my malibu new in may of 2005. one year later they replaced a gear because of the noise it bade turning and looseness of the steering. 9 months later the steering had a problem again and again in 2007. that time the dealer replaced the whole steering assembly. my car is again starting to make the popping noise which is an indication that the issue is returning again. even thought gm keeps replacing parts the problem keeps returning. steering should not need repairing 4 times in less then 5 years. the danger is as reported on various websites is that it can fail completely and cause an accident. mine has not caused an accident but we should not wait until it does. *tr

Since 2006 power steering goes out at different times. chevrolet replaced power steering twice in 2007 and it worked for a short time. we have reported it again 2010 because it went out at an intersection, no accident occurred, shut off engine and restarted, power steering reset. it still goes out maybe once a week. chevrolet in mt. home, ar is researching. *tr