Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Malibu ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

When driving down the road attempting to switch lanes to the left the power steering failed. the vehicle lost power steering and pulled to the left towards oncoming traffic. fortunately i was able to compensate for the loss and pull over without incident. my info center indicated a "power steering" error and chimed 3 times. after turning the car off and back on the problem remedied itself. since then this has happened three additional times. this is an intermittent problem and the dealership cannot diagnose the error without reproducing it. *tr

While driving at night, another driver stopped to let me know that my brake lights were not working. around this time i also noticed that my cruise control would stop working or not work at all. on several occasions after i first learned of the problem people following me would tell me that it looked like i was riding my brakes when i was not touching the brake pedal. when i would press the brakes they would go off. i tested this by backing up to my garage door and pressing the brakes. they come on when i lift my foot off the brake but go out when i press the pedal. around this time i also noticed that the gear shifter would sometimes stick/not move even though i had my foot on the brake pedal. my local dealer replaced a computer module and that seemed to correct the problem for a while but the problem has since come back. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy malibu that my daughter drives to work 5 days a week. it has approx. 76,000 miles. i went and drive the car on this date and notice the steering fluid display was on the radio display. i asked my daughter how long is was on there, she said approx. a week. i called the gmc dealer and got an appointment on the third of may. they told me that i need a new steering column and a shaft which would be about $1000. they said we could still drive the car that i would actually would lose just the power steering. on may 10, i took the car in and got it fixed. $850 later it is fixed. i have never had to replaced a steering column on any of my other cars, which had over 95,000 miles, the transmission went out on that one. plus i tried to refill the steering fluid, and who know that my car had an electric power steering. someone should inform the consumer on this. my main concern was for my daughter who drives this car in rush hour traffic. what if it locked up? it is a thought i would not wish to think of! *tr

I was driving about 5 miles from my home and the steering went out on my 2006 chevy malibu, as i was attempting to make a turn. i had my grandchild with me i could have caused an accident i turned the car off for 1 0 min. and started it back up. the steering light went off but the car did the same thing twice before getting home unhurt. i need my car fixed . i cannot afford it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that whenever driving during the day at any speed, the speedometer was very difficult to see. the consumer was informed the vehicle was performing according to the standards. the failure mileage was approximately 14,000 and the current mileage was approximately 22,000. updated 12/30/10. *lj updated 04/06/11

Over the last few months my car has had a hard time starting every once in a while. today when i got home from work i turned it to the acc position while i was on the phone, about 2 minutes later i noticed the anti theft light come on and my lights went dim. i tried to turn it back on but it would not start. the anti theft light started blinking and my locks on the doors were locking and unlocking repeatedly. i could hear clicking in my door, under the hood, and in the back of my car somewhere. i read online and found a disturbing number of people who have also had this problem, they seemed to have a fix of keeping it on the acc position until the light went off, turn it off and leave it off for a few minutes and then it should work! i tried it.... it didn't work. it just went crazy again with the flashing light and clicking noises. its been 5 hours and i still can not turn on my car. the window is stuck open and i can not go to work!!! *tr

I have always had a brake light problem since i purchased the vehicle 1/23/2010. when driving the vehicle, the brake lights are on all the time, and when you press the brakes to stop , the brake lights go off. on lots of occasions, vehicles behind you tend to almost slam you in the rear end because your brake lights are off when you are stopped and they think you have let off the brakes to proceed. there have also been times when there are no tail lights at all. also, there is an issue of shifting from park to drive. i have seen lots of complaints on the computer, but no recall that i can find. there seems to be some kind of electrical problem somewhere. this is a very dangerous situation and i would very much like to find a solution to the problem at the manufacturers expense. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while driving various speeds, the brake lights illuminated without depressing the brake pedal. the vehicle was taken to james martin chevrolet (6250 woodward ave, detroit, mi 48202, (313) 444-8226) to be serviced per nhtsa campaign number: 14v252000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electrical stability control), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was determined that the warranty was expired. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 200,000.

The brake lights on my 2006 chevrolet malibu ltz sometimes work the opposite from how they should (i.e. when the brake pedal is applied the brake lights go out, when the brake pedal is released the brake lights come on). this problem is intermittent; sometimes the brake lights work normally. the issue was first noticed about a year ago and i took the car to the dealer. they thought it was a brake light indicator switch so they replaced it. the problem reappeared within a month. i have also noticed that the cruise control is affected by whatever is causing this problem. when the brake lights work normally, the cruise control also works. when the brake lights are opposite from normal the cruise control will not work. *tr

Steering wheel locks up while driving - happens at random - at all different times. dealer acted like it was no big deal and of course they want me to pay for it when i have now found out that i am not the only one complaining about this problem. it is dangerous, and it could cause fatality. some kind of new steering system - gm better idea - probably because it is cheaper!!! *tr

The electric power assist periodically fails. it fails when you crank your car and will not operate correctly until you shut the car down and restart. *tr

Incident: failure of power steering on 2006 chevrolet malibu 1) a week leading up the event, i returned from vacation to find "check power steering" lit up on my message center, however, power steering was still available. this occurred on a particularly cold morning, after a cold few weeks. the chevrolet dealership told me nothing was wrong (by phone). i continued driving the vehicle without recurrence of the warning message. 2) on another particularly cold morning, i drove the vehicle to a local gas station, filled up, and drove approximately two car lengths when the power steering failed, the steering wheel became difficult to move, and the "check power steering" message displayed. i applied the breaks, stopping the vehicle. 3) i had read about the failure online, and the fix seemed to be a restart of the electrical system. i turned off the vehicle, and restarted the engine. the power steering was restored, and i have driven it since without incident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while driving 15 mph on black ice, the vehicle struck a guard rail head-on. there were no injuries. the body shop repaired the vehicle and, a week later, the contact noticed that the engine remains on even when the key is not in the ignition. the dealer stated that the issue was due to the body control module, which was located underneath the dashboard. the insurance company and manufacturer stated that the failure would not be covered. the contact believes that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect, not the crash. the vehicle has not yet been repaired for the ignition failure. the current and failure mileages were 91,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while driving less than 60 mph, the contact noticed that the radio was making unknown squeaking noises. she smelled something burning and noticed in her rearview mirror that flames were present in the rear interior speakers. she pulled off the road and called the police and fire departments. the fire was extinguished, but the fire department could not determine the cause of the failure. the insurance company stated that the paper used to make the speaker grew too hot and caused the fire. no modifications had been made to the manufacturer's speakers. the insurance company attempted to have the repairs performed on the vehicle, but to no avail. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was 59,301.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while driving 50 mph the power steering locked which caused him to engage the brakes and drive onto the emergency lane. he stated that the failure occurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where he replaced the spark plugs and the spark plug wires. he also tested the electrical system and found that there were no electrical failures; however, the failure continued to occur. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 114,000. updated 08/13/10. *lj the consumer stated the battery light illuminated on the dash. the light would illuminate when accelerating up a grade/hill. also when the light illuminated, there was a chime sound as if the door was being opened. there was a sudden and intermittent loss of power steering without warning. the loss of power steering has occurred while accelerating up a slight grade, accelerating from a stop light or accelerating while merging up a slight grade. updated 08/23/10*jb

2006 chevrolet malibu power steering illuminates on dash(radio) , 2005 models were a recall and it keeps coming on and sometimes lose of steering when started. it has 43,000 miles and not on warranty because steering column is not covered , its a problem nationwide as i researched. i could potentially be dangerous when driving around turns if loss of power. i bought it used but was fine until 2 months after. *tr

Initially sometimes my car would crank up then die out seconds later now its happening quite often and most times won't crank up now. this has caused me to be late and docked from work. i've brought the car in 5 to 6 times the last time in 2/2009 they said they put in a new fuel pump cylinder but two days later i'd the same problem again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while at a complete stop, the contact was informed by another motorist that her brake lights were illuminating even when she was not braking. in addition, the brake lights would not illuminate when the brake pedal was depressed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that a computer chip was failing, which caused the malfunction. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $250. a year later, the failure recurred. the contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for inspection and notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 35,900 and current mileage was 72,000.

While passing another car, accelerating around a curve, or taking off from a stop. the electronic power steering shuts down leaving you fighting a steering wheel that almost feels locked. i was told that there was a bulletin out on the coil pack . that it is spiking a voltage above 16 volts and as a safety feature it shuts down the electronic steering to protect it. it might protect the steering from the electric surge, but it has almost caused a wreck on a couple of occasions. luckily i was able to fight the dead steering wheel where if i was a smaller male/ female there would be a chance that i couldn't. *tr

From day one when i purchased my vehicle 2006 chevy malibu every now and then when you turn the key to start the car it does nothing then let up and turn the ignition again and it starts fine there is no ryme or rythm it just does it whenever also the cd player ejects the cd saying check cd it does this alot in the summer when it gets real hot outside making it hard to listen to a cd i have had chevy look at it several times with nothing getting resolved i was told that since its not acting up at the time when they look at it then they cant diagnose the peoblem

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. the contact could hear the locks opening and closing during heavy rainstorms. the vehicle would not start unless it was jump started. the failure has occurred on four occasions during heavy rainstorms, thunderstorms, and/or lightning. the vehicle was diagnosed and confirmed that the starter, alternator, and battery were not the causes of the failure. the vehicle came standard with an auto start feature at the time of purchase. a mechanic diagnosed the failure and replaced the computer module; however, the failure continued. the most recent failure occurred on may 1, 2008. the contact was responsible for paying $2,200 for the repairs. he filed complaint number 71-625205218 with the manufacturer. speed was not a factor. the failure mileage was 23,000 and current mileage was 47,700.

Dt*: the contact stated while turning the ignition, the vehicle continued to crank. the vehicle must be turned off. the vehicle was inspected by the dealership, but a remedy was unavailable.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu classic. the contact stated that the anti-theft system automatically shuts itself down as well as the engine. the light illuminates and once the vehicle shuts off, she must leave the ignition in the on position before it can restart. the failure has occurred several times and the contact has had to wait ten minutes or more for the vehicle to restart. the manufacturer's manual does not state how to stop this failure. this failure should only occur when someone is attempting to steal the vehicle, but always occurs while the contact is driving. she paid over $700 to repair the vehicle and six months later, the failure recurred. the engine size was unknown. the current mileage is 38,000 and failure mileage was 35,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. while attempting to start the vehicle. the dealer performed an oil change and stated that a fuel injection throttle body, fuel injector kit, and double clean were needed; however,this had been done a month ago. the contact was also informed that the calibration was outdated. when entering the vehicle, the clock sometimes needs to be reset. the failure mileage was 5,000 and current mileage was 48,000. updated 09/10/08. *lj updated 09/12/08 *jb

Bought car new 2/06. once home and driving i noticed an electrical issues consisting of radio interference when using any electrical buttons in car, such as windows, and my charging outlets in the car blow fuses when used. when i turn my air or heat on my brake pedal drops down at least 2 if sitting at light. if driving and i turn on my air, the car lunges forward. this is at a critical level now. i took into their dealership from the first month i purchased the car until march of 2007. no one could fix the electrical issue and dealership could not supply me with even the paperwork to show me what they researched while it sat there for over 4 days. problem is now deadly and i need this electrical issue fixed. i received notice of recall 13036 but nothing concerning the problem with the brake petal and acceleration i have had since purchase. contacted dealership to get (lemon) replaced and they said, tough luck. purchased as is... *tr