Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Malibu STEERING

My 2005 chevy malibu sometimes loses power steering. when i was driving, the "power steering" message suddenly appears with a sound and i have no power steering in my car. it was very hard for me to make turns because the wheel was stiff. i turned off my car, waited a moment, and then turned it back on. it was just a temporary fix. if i was driving on the high way and cannot control my car, it could be deadly. i searched online, and a lot of owners also have this problem. *tr

As i'm turning a corner my power steering will go out, it really doesn't have a set time at which it goes out, i can be parallel parking, driving straight, cold out, hot out, i have tried turning my car off and back on but it just goes out unexpectedly again. i received a letter from chevy but my mileage is over 100,000 miles so they would not pay to have it fixed. i plan to take it to a shop, but how is this not a dangerous problem? there should be a recall on this before someone gets seriously hurt in an accident. *tr

The car makes noises every time when turning at low speed. it is due to a defect design of intermediate steering shaft. most 2005 malibu have this problem. a lot of complains can be seen at http://www.carcomplaints.com/chevrolet/malibu/2005/steering/popping_from_steering_when_turning.shtml. there should be a recall. *tr

Loss of power steering. front wheels sound like they're about to fall off. popping noise in steering column. *tr

the power steering on my chevy malibu 2005 has on two separate occasions stopped working. on both occasions, the "service power steering" light came on. on the first occasion, i went under the hood and read my service manual and ultimately went online to find out that malibu's don't take power steering fluid and instead have electronic power steering. during both incidents, i was unable to turn. fortunately, during both incidents i was able to pull to safety, turn off my car and restart it. thankfully, i was not on a highway or traveling at a high rate of speed. upon restarting the car, the power steering began working again. the first incident was in october 2009. the second was in february 2010. *tr

Power steering outage. experienced problem off and on this year. i drive a 2005 chevy malibu lt v6. gm has not issued a recall for this make and model. however, parts were covered for the repair! i believe its unfair for the consumer to have to pay for labor for an issue they didn't cause. i am pursuing gm for a refund of what was paid for parts to correct there error. *tr

2005 malibu ls v6. power steering failed making the steering very stiff. it was cold, 31 degrees. the power steering warning come on the stereo. i restarted the car and the problem went away. prior to this, the steering has pulled to the left, even after a realignment. there have long been knocking noises when i turn the wheel. *tr

Power steering failure at low speeds and highway speeds, left and right turns. steering becomes stiff. first happened on dec 24, 2009; reset itself when turned the engine over. happened again 2x in january. happened on 2/18 two times; system reset itself and reappeared after about 15 seconds. happened a third time on 2/18 on the highway. pulled over and turned over the engine but would not reset itself. *tr

Approximately the week of feb 14, 2010, my 2005 chevy malibu chimed, the power steering felt funny, smelled some burning and a warning sign about my power steering. i pulled over, turned the car off and was not able to see the issue. i started the car backup and the warning was gone. it happened 2 or 3 more times that week. i notified chevy and there is special coverage service bulletin #07126. i called chevy and said if you are over 70,000 miles, it will not be covered. i never received this notice from chevy or the dealership of purchase (they no longer are a chevy dealer). i was at 72,500. i have not been riding it much and now chevy is recalling other cars with the same issue, but not the malibu. *tr

My sister was using my 2005 chevrolet malibu and when exiting the nys thruway she heard a chime, a light went on and the vehicle lost the power steering. her husband in the passenger seat had to assit with steering. it was too difficult for my sister to steer by herself. they parked the car and shut it off. after a short time the car was turned on and the steering was fine. this problem only occured once to date although i have had steering problems in this vehicle since 2007. while under warranty the steering was lubed. after the warranty expired i have had over $981.00 in steering repairs at the dealer which included steering suspension shaft, steering ball joint and steering arm. the latest incident of the loss of power steering is a safety concern. please investigate. i have read gm was recalling cobalts for this problem but no mention of the malibu. the malibu has the same problem.

We lose power steering with no warning on our 2005 chevy malibu- once/week. we brought it into our local dealer and they told us it was not covered and would cost $1200 to repair. the dealer however showed us a service bulletin that showed that this is a recurring problem on malibus.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated as she is driving the power steering goes out. the contact stated she has to steer the vehicle off the road, turn it on and off and it will reset itself. this happens continuously. the contact call the manufacturer and she was told to take the vehicle to the dealer for them to see what repairs can be done. the manufacturer also stated that the contact may be charged for the repairs. the contact will be taking the vehicle in to the dealer to be repaired. the failure mileage was 92,504.

My son was driving my 2005 malibu when the power steering went out. a warning light indicated the problem to him. he was able to pull to the side of the road where he restarted the car. the car reset itself but the same problem occurred again. it was at that point i told him to take to a dealer to have the car inspected. upon inspection it was discovered that the power steering column needed to be replace. in december of 2007 general motors sent me a letter detailing possible problems with the power steering system. what happened to my car was what was outlined in the letter. the letter said not to take the car in to be inspected if i didn't have any problems at that time. it also said that they would reimburse me if i had any problems with the car but with a deadline date. i had to take the car in by december of 2008 and the car had to have 70,000 or less miles on it. since i did not have any problems with the car up to that point i did not take the vehicle in to be inspected. the problem with the car occurred in january of 2010. i had the car repaired because it wasn't safe to drive in the condition it was in. i contacted gm with my concerned and asked for reimbursement. i was turned down because the problem came after the deadline outlined in the letter. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph the power steering system failed, making the vehicle difficult to steer. the contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer or a local mechanic for a diagnostic testing or repairs. the failure mileage was 127,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact was driving 45 mph when the check engine light began to flash on the instrument panel indicating that the power steering malfunctioned making the vehicle difficult to drive. the contact has received a recall letter from the manufacturer but due to the mileage of the vehicle the recall was void. the contact stated that the manufacturer should be responsible for the repairs since this was a known issue for his year, make, and model vehicle. the failure mileage was 78,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving 35 mph the power steering warning light illuminated and the power steering shut off. the contact turned the vehicle off and after restarting the vehicle the power steering began working normally. the dealer informed the contact that the entire power steering system needed to be replaced. the contact is aware of the safety risk and the possibility that a crash could occur and cause serious injuries. the failure mileage was 77,000.

I have a 2005 chevy. malibu v6 that has had a problem with it's power steering. i was going down the highway when suddenly the power steering went out and it was very hard to steer and get out of fast moving traffic. when i got it to the dealer, i was told that they had to replace the entire steering column. i have done research on this and have found a number of people with the same experience with chevy. malibu's. this is a very dangerous defect that the company should recall and repair! some people have had to replace the steering column more than once because the new column put in is still being made with the defect. this power steering failure occurs without any warning and in my case it happened on the highway at 65mph. luckily i was able to keep it under control but it was amazing that i was able to considering that i was changing lanes at the time! after doing research on this i have learned that others have had similar experiences. i certainly hope something can be done about this. *tr

2005 chevy malibu. have told the dealership many times about the "bumping/thumbing" while the car is turning. and found out that there is no place for powering steering fluid...thank god for purchasing extended warranties!!!!!!!!!!! *tr

The steering wheel pops and jerks in an erratic motion to the left and right. over the past week it has progressively worsened to the point that it will actually cause the wheels to turn and steer with the wheel. and without no particular reason the power steering will cut out and stop working. while i have yet to take it into a mechanic i have an appointment in a week. *tr

12/2006 i purchased a 2005 chevrolet malibu. on three occasions in 2007 i experienced a "loud knocking noise" in the steering column of my vehicle and the first two times, it was not completely fixed and finally after the 3rd time they said it was fixed. until 12/11/2009 when while i was driving, my "power steering" warning flashed across my clock screen and my steering wheel suddenly locked up and i was unable to turn my vehicle. then on 12/21/2009, i was pulling out of a parking lot and again, the same thing happened 3 times within an hour. i found out from aaa that chevrolet(gm) had printed a service bulletin regarding this particular problem with the 2005 chevrolet malibus and i immediately took my car to steve moore chevrolet at 9325 south boulevard, charlotte, nc -- at which time they informed me after inspecting the car, that my whole steering column had gone bad. on 1/13/2010, i had to pay $792.00 to have this repaired and i feel that since this was a problem that gm was aware of, i should be reimbursed for the expense that i've incurred as well as the inconvenience i was caused due to gm not being willing to extend coverage for this repair. *tr

Steering column shakes and moves on its own then power steering pulled to the left and power steering went out almost crashing into highway barrier. if it happened to my wife she would not have been able to recover and would have hit the barrier at highway speeds, probably killing her and the kids. power steering comes and goes at any time i never know when it will go out. dealership will have to replace the entire steering column for about $2,000. this is an obvious issue since there are several complaints on this year of malibu and there has been 2 tsbs on this particular issue and they will not extend the mileage more than 70k. this is a safety issue due to the fact that you never know when the power steering is going to go out and what the steering column is going to do. this causes an unsafe condition and the probability if having an accident is great since it is directly related to the steering and steering column. *tr

2005 chevrolet malibu steering issue. there is a thumping noise in the steering column when turning. our daughter's 2006 malibu was doing the same thing which she took in under the original warranty. they said the column just needed to be lubed which they covered for her. ours was under the extended warranty which was getting ready to expire with a $200 deductible. the amount they would charge for lubing the column was $90. we have not had it done yet, but after reading the other complaints, i am not sure the lube will ultimately solve the problem, even on our daughter's 2006. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving 30 mph the steering column locked without prior warnings. the vehicle was towed to the dealership and the steering column needed to be replaced. she called and sent a letter to the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. the current and failure mileages were approximately 108,000. updated 03/04/10 *bf the consumer stated the right tie rod failed, the front struts were leaking, the steering rack failed and the transmission was leaking. updated 10/05/10

I have had several problems with my power steering. it just went out all of a sudden this morning. i almost had an accident. there was an error message on the dash stating "power steering" and the steering column got really tight and was very hard to turn. i investigated and noticed that there have been several complaints for the 2005 chevy malibu power steering issues. i called the gm dealership and also had a diagnostic done and the problem was the power steering module. i'm really upset because this is the second time this has happened. i'm very afraid to even drive the car because this could occur at any time which can cause and huge accident. the dealership informed me that they would not be able to assist me because i have more than 100, 000 miles on my car. this is totally not fair. i asked the representation (peter) what if i have an accident. he stated that there is really nothing he could do. out of all of the reports on the power steering issues it's about time something gets done. *tr

Loss of power steering in 2005 chevy malibu as described in service bulletin #07126 caused a near miss accident on or about12/10/2009. with the unexpected loss of the electrical assist system vehicle becomes extremely difficult to control. service bulletin covers vehicles to 70,000 miles of which this vehicle is at 79986 outside of the service bulletin coverage. steering loss is now an intermittent problem, of which we will schedule to have parts replaced as per bulletin at our cost. i have had conversations with gm on coverage due to the extreme safety hazard this issue causes and the ownership of this issue that gm has conceded by the issuance of said bulletin. facts of my conversations with gm have been documented in case file #71-783921469. it is my opinion that this steering failure condition should be reviewed for full recall due to the extreme hazard this causes no matter the mileage or age of vehicles covered in the original service bulletin. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving 5-30 mph the power steering indicator would illuminate on the instrument control panel, and then the radio and the power steering would fail. the failure occurred several times. the dealer replaced the power steering column . the manufacturer offered an extended warranty regarding the power steering , but excluded his vehicle identification number. the failure mileage was 51,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while driving 20 mph the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. and there was lose of power steering. she restarted the vehicle to resume normal vehicle operation. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the technician stated that the steering column assembly needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 89,500.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while exiting a parking space, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then the power steering failed. the vehicle was able to be restarted and resumed normal operation. a technician from the dealer stated that the coil and the roller in the steering column needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 74,000.

At approximately 30,000 miles our 2005 chevy malibu developed a clunk in the steering at low speeds, whether or not turning was involved. the dealer replaced the steering gear at no charge. after about 20,000 additional miles the clunk returned. another dealer replaced both the steering gear and the intermediate shaft at no charge. i have obtained, thru nhtsa, the service bulletins which describe this defect, which shows me that chevrolet is well aware of this problem, and has not made a recall. i am concerned that the defect may return even with the new parts, and i might have to pay for repairing a defect after the warranty period, for a problem which should be permanently resolved. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. while attempting to make a right turn out of the drive way the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then the steering failed. the vehicle was restarted to reset the error code. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the technician will replace the electronic steering column at an expense of $562.00. the failure and current mileages were 103,000. the vehicle identification number was unavailable.

The electronic power steering failed while driving on surface streets (in the act of turning). although i temporarily lost control of the vehicle, i managed to complete my turn safely. this vehicle is a chevrolet malibu 2005. i had to have the entire power steering column replaced. i am still not satisfied that this has fixed the problem. the warning signs of a defective replacement part are still present (popping noise at the steering linkages). *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that when depressing the accelerator pedal, the steering wheel would lock and the vehicle would abnormally pull to either the left or right. the failure was constant. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the ignition coil would need to be disconnected and the steering column would need to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer but no assistance was provided. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 76,000 and the current mileage was approximately 91,000.

On october 22, 2009, while driving on the highway, steering column in car began making popping noise when turning in either direction. (vehicle mileage at time of this incident just over 52,000) some loss of steering control experienced. no warning light or notification from vehicle. vehicle was immediately taken to a mechanic. steering column replaced for a cost over $650. this is the second steering column replacement on this vehicle, which is a 2005 chevrolet malibu.the first replacement was done at 25,145 miles on february 13, 2008 was done within the warranty period by dealership. *tr

I have a 2005 malibu,and have had a clunking noise in the steering since approx. 40,000miles. i have taken it to the garage several times and they have told me that chevrolet did not make a place to lubricate the joints inside the column so that they dry out quickly,and are banging together and it is nothing to worry abouti do not agree,anything constantly clanging against another object is eventually going to wear out. i also just had my fuel tank,fuel sensor replaced,at the cost of 600. it started giving false readings and then got increasingly worse until it did not work anymore. my exterior lighting is also messed up. i have to replace bulbs frequently and it looks like the base of the bulb is melted when they take them out. i had contacted my local dealer on these issues and they stated no recalls . *tr

I have an issue with the steering column popping in my 2005 chevy malibu (62,000 miles). after researching this issue online i am unsure of what action to take to repair it. almost every post indicates that after repaired, the popping started again. have also read posts of drivers losing control of vehicle because of this issue. i am hoping that gm will respond with a recall since there seems to be many issues with this. i am concerned about the safety of any passengers in my vehicle, especially my 5 year old daughter. *tr

I lost control of steering and was unable to turn this has happened on several occasions and now theirs a knocking noise in steering. and its not struts or alianment or tires as these have been checked and or changed

I have experienced some pulling from my steering wheel while driving on the highway, more than once. i have spoken with gm mechanics ( or representatives) who have told me nothing was wrong. who else should i speak with to get to the bottom of the problem? my car only has 46,700 miles on it, which makes this a little scary. *tr

My steering went out while on my way home from work on a busy highway luckily there was no accident but i did do research and this is a common thing for not just 2005 chevy malibus and alot of people have been complaining about this with nothing to be done about it but most malibu i think if something not done it will cause a serious accident one day.. my car only has 42852 miles on it i haven't even owned it 2yrs yet and bought it with about 32000 miles or so on it there is no reason this should have happened and think something should be done about the chevy malibus now. *tr

2005 chevrolet malibu car veered to left and crossed median. driver of malibu killed and also struck another car where passengers were injured. witness stated malibu braked and there were tire marks, no vehicle in front of malibu at time of braking. witness stated car veered to left and driver appeared to lose control crossing median and struck another automobile. witness states driver was not on a cell phone. this information is in the police report. the chevrolet malibu had steering shaft replaced prior to accident. this was performed at gm dealer due to popping noise while steering, diagnosed at dealer. repair paid for by owner. chevy malibu had 65,000 miles at time of accident. *tr

Bought the 2005 malibu used in august 2007. i have replaced the both front directional bulbs at least 10 times since buying the car. the lights work intermittently or not at all. the right bulb was out for about 3 months then the left bulb went out. i went to replace the bulbs again yesterday. i jimmied the socket they go into and now they both appear to be working. however, i noticed the amber plastic covering on the left bulb was burned, there was a large burn hole in it, and the melted plastic was dripping into the bottom of the covering. i am also noticing, and have been noticing, a loud thumping sound when i hit the gas as if something has to roll into place. lately it also seems as though the anti-lock brakes very, very slightly kick in when i am braking and go over a bump. after reading the other comments i am going to my mechanic to have him look at the issues as safety is a large concern. *tr

On 8/29/09 i asked my mechanic to listen to the clunking sound made when the steering wheel was turned left and right. he checked and said it was the rack and pinion. i have had this problem before and had 2 steering columns replaced and the steering shaft. now it's the rack and pinion. the above incidents were covered under warranty but not now. i checked for recalls but there are none. i have seen many complaints about the same thing on car stats. can't something be done by chevy before someone gets killed. *tr

I need your help. i bought a 2005 malibu from a local car dealer. the car had low miles and i thought it would be a safe and reliable car. so safe, that i allowed my teenage son to drive my car. while he was making a left hand turn from a 4-way stop, he heard a pop and then had no steering without any way to control the car he ended up in a field. i thank god he was not going fast, that there was no other cars or people involved, and he was not hurt. i had the car towed to my mechanic who is a certified master technician, who worked for gm as a line tech for 25 yrs. he informs me that this should have never happened in a car that is only 4 yrs old, and felt it was defective. he said the failure occurred inside the steering rack causing the pinion to disengage resulting in loss of control. i then had the car towed to a gm dealer who?s mechanic said the same thing but because i did not buy the car from them, they would not help me?.my next step was to contact gm?.they took a week to investigate?and decided that because i bought the car from a private car dealer, it had 86k miles on it and it was past the factory warranty they felt no need to do any thing about this. not only was the steering rack and pinion damaged, the power steering unit under the dash and the air bag coils were damaged as well. the cost to repair this is over $2000.00. it?s not just the cost to repair the car that upsets me; it?s the fact that gm has no concern for safety. i have found long list for consumer complaints about gm?s steering failures. ?unbelievable? and this is not the only site that has complaints. i know there was a recall to address the steering defect in the malibu. but they obviously decided it was of no big concern to fix the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated whenever traveling at any given speed the power steering warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the failure was contributed to the steering column assembly. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the manufacturer had a special coverage adjustment regarding repairs for the failure. the vehicle was excluded from free remedy repair. the failure mileage was 74,000. the current mileage was 75,026. updated 09/25/09 *bf the consumer stated the steering went completely out while driving. the consumer was unable to turn the steering wheel. she had to cut the vehicle off and wait a few minutes. once that was done the power steering resumed as normal. updated 09/29/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that the power steering locks whenever he starts his vehicle and begins driving. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. the contact stated that he cannot afford to replace the steering column at this time. the failure mileage was 44,000.

Cars steering momentarily locked up while on a slight curve in the road, i was able to pull over and checked under the hood for a broken belt or something obvious. after starting the car up again the problem was not present. about 3 weeks later the car was taken in for service and a "lube kit"was installed. the problem has reoccured on several occasions since and each time after stopping the car then restarting it the problem is no longer present. there are many reports of this problem on the internet. it is a very scary and potentially dangerous situation to be in. there is a knocking or clunking noise in the front end seemingly associated with the occurrences. *tr

Clicking/popping noise in the steering column when turning the wheel. just started happening one day and never stopped. happens constantly. does not seem to affect steering yet. when took it in for repairs was told that the column need lubrication. spent $100 to have it lubed only to have the problem start again approximately a month later. *tr

The power steering goes out a few times each week on this 2005 malibu with the electric power steering. it started happening only occasionally, but now much more frequently. i reset it by turning off engine and restarting when i am able to stop. it usually happens fairly soon after starting when cold. sometimes it takes 2 or 3 restarts to keep it working. in addition, the problems that many others are experiencing are also present... like the drift at highway speeds, and the clunking sounds in the front end. so far, the dealer has not been helpful. they just want to replace parts and charge around $800 to repair. this is definitely a safety issue on the malibu as well as other models (like the cobalt) which already have recalls issued for these parts. *tr

I was driving on a side street at about 30 mph when the chimes sounded, the power steering light came on, and steering became very difficult. i had to stop, turn the car off and then restart it before i could steer again. i understand that this is an ongoing issue with my model car (2005 chevy malibu) and that chevrolet has a technical service bulletin (#07126) on this issue, but my car is outside the maximum mileage to be covered under this tsb. i also understand that there were some nhtsa defect investigations into this issue (primarily the 2004 model), but they have since been closed because the number of reported failures was within an "acceptable range". i guess my response to that is, how many accidents do there have to be and how many people need to die before this issue is taken seriously? while my personal experience was not life-threatening, if this had occurred in heavy traffic at high speeds it very well could have resulted in a fatal accident. i saw today that federal regulators have opened an investigation into complaints that power steering systems in the chevrolet cobalt can fail, making it more difficult to control the car. i'm sure this is the same issue that is still occurring on the malibu. i implore you to reopen the investigation on the malibu (a simple google of "malibu power steering problems" will show that it is still a major issue) and do whatever is necessary to have this problem corrected. *tr

I purchased a 2005 chevy malibu in march of 09 it's now may 09 and i will be replacing my intermediate steering shaft the car check that was performed after i bought the vehicle showed that is was replaced 30k miles ago. the car pops and cracks whenever i slow down or turn afraid it will break before it is fixed. *tr

Power steering failure. *tr