2004 Chevrolet Malibu Steering Problems
- 684
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 684 stored complaint records:
- 25 indicate a crash
- 9 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Electric Power Assist System · 110 records
- Column · 14 records
- Rack And Pinion · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 168 |
| 100–150k mi | 137 |
| 1–30k mi | 137 |
| 30–60k mi | 85 |
| 150–400k mi | 56 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the power steering was defective. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering column was not receiving the message to activate and caused the malfunction. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recall. The vin was not available. The vehicle…
ODI 10400542
Steering
Driving on the highway i-81 and steering failed completely stop and locked while driving major defect needs serious attention gm really needs to recall or parts manufacturer. Chevy malibu is a death trap a bad accident to happen. *tr
ODI 10430129
Steering
Was making a sharp right turn from a full stop and the service engine light came on and the power steering ceased working as we turned into traffic. This is the first time it happened (5/3/2011), but we have only owned the car since 3/11/11. I have a mechanic looking into the issue, but online searches reveal that this is a known problem with 2004 chevy malibu's and was part of the reason for recalls of the 2005…
ODI 10399397
Steering
I bought my 2004 chevy malibu about 2 weeks ago from a used car lot. A day and a half after i got the car i started having problems with the power steering. It would just lock up while driving. It is very dangerous. It is all i can do to get to the side of the road when this happens. I could be killed and so could my kids while riding with me. I had a used power steering motor put on, now i find out that i really…
ODI 10400734
Steering
I have a 2004 chevy malibu and lost power steering on the highway almost crashed into the divider. My pregnant wife was in the car with me at the time. After doing research on the web i find that this is a very common problem with all chevy malibu's why is there no recall!!! Someone is going to get killed in one of these cars lucky enough it wasn't my pregnant wife or i !!!! The power steering light came on the dash…
ODI 10398374
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the power steering failed sporadically with the illumination of the service engine and power steering warning lights. The contact stated that the power steering would reset once the vehicle was turned on and off. The vehicle was not inspected at the time of the complaint. The failure and current mileage was 128,000.
ODI 10397002
Steering
My 2004 chevy malibu lost power steering while driving. The power steering goes on and off (working some days and not on others). The power steering is currently out and i cannot drive the vehicle. The chevy dealership states this is a problem with the malibu but since it is not under warranty i will have to cover the cost. *tr
ODI 10398534
Steering
I have a 2004 malibu, driving down freeway and steering wheel whould not move. I had no control of my car. My radio displayed power steering. I took to the shop to check issue. The shop stated that the power steering sensor was defective and would have to replace and reset. The car shop did tell me and the warranty that it was not safe to drive. I called gm and car dealer not there issue to fix! This is a defect?…
ODI 10395222
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the power steering lamp illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer to have the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 23,000 and the current mileage was 32,000.
ODI 10417993
Steering
The electronic steering has failed while turning or accelerating. This has happened several times. The steering returns once the rpm s settle out. The steering systems has been replaced twice and worked on several times. Chevy has issues being able to supply replacement parts and resolving this issue.
ODI 10397725
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated the vehicle would experience an intermittent failure in which the power steering would fail while driving at various speeds. During the failures, the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. In order to regain power steering, the vehicle would be restarted. An independent mechanic was notified and the contact was informed a…
ODI 10403785
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact was driving approximately 35 mph around a curve and the steering wheel failed to respond while making a turn for approximately five seconds. The failure occurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they replaced the steering shaft. The failure mileage was 129,123.
ODI 10395585
Steering
My wife was driving to work when her check engine light came on and power steering flashed across her information screen. When she was attempting to make a left hand turn, the steering wheel locked up on her. Fortunately she was able to get the car pulled into a parking lot. We had to have the vehicle towed to a mechanic, who looked at it and said that the only thing he thought it could be was the rack and pinion.…
ODI 10426536
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 5 mph in the driveway, there was a sudden loss of power steering. The contact turned the engine off and restarted it, the vehicle resumed normally for ten minutes before the failure occurred again. The failure continued to occur at various speeds on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the steering…
ODI 10398097
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the power steering would fail without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle would have to be turned off and restarted in order for the power steering to reset. The power steering warning light would then be illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the dealer advised that they were unable to determine a failure with the vehicle.…
ODI 10451613
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and would not allow the contact to make a left or right turn. The vehicle then started to jerk violently. The contact did not inform the dealer or manufacturer nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. The current and failure mileage was 50,000. The vin was unavailable.
ODI 10386025
Steering
While exiting parking lot onto highway the driver information panel dinged and complete loss of power steering occurred. Car was parked and towed home next morning restarted car and system reset. *tr
ODI 10384837
Steering
My 2004 malibu has a intermittent loss of power steering control. The first time this happened i took it to the dealer and was told " nothing shows up on the computer ". Now the problem is occurring every day. A check on line shows that this is a major problem that g.m. Will not address. Latest failure was this morning at startup prior to driving the car or even turning the wheel ! *ln
ODI 10383237
Steering
My 2004 chevy malibu is having an issue with the power steering assist system. You lose power steering without warning. I contacted chevy over this and they pretty much said there was nothing they could do. But there is numerous issues with this. *tr
ODI 10407321
Steering
The first incident happened driving down the road at 45 mph the steering wheel all the sudden dropped all the way down and the whole steering column slid in causing the car to swerve some. I pulled over and after attempting to lock the steering column back into place was finally able to get it to lock into place. This has happened several times over the past month. It doesn't matter if i'm driving or backing it just…
ODI 10396296
Steering
I have a 2004 chevy malibu lt. Without warning one day while driving the car the dash tool light came on, chimes started ringing and my dash board read power steering. I lost control of the car. Could not steer it any longer. Thankfully i was not traveling fast stopped the car. Turned it off and restarted it again. The car drove fine for about one mile. I stopped at a stoplight and the steering wheel starting a…
ODI 10382940
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph the power steering failed, which caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a parked vehicle. The driver was not injured. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who confirmed that the steering column was faulty and had to be replaced. The manufacturer was…
Crash reported
ODI 10382774
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 to 50 mph the steering wheel would suddenly lock without warning. In order to unlock the steering wheel he had to stop and restart the vehicle on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was not inspected; yet, after speaking with the dealer they advised him that the sensor in the electric steering column failed. The…
ODI 10382761
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel turned independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. After diagnosis, they were unable to determine any failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to take to the vehicle to a dealer. The failure mileage was approximately…
ODI 10496696
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu. While the contact was driving approximately 5 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated suddenly. The contact turned the vehicle off which reset the warning indicator. The failure occurred at various times and was more frequent when making a turn. The vehicle was in the process of being taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The failure mileage was approximately…
ODI 10383945