2004 Chevrolet Malibu Electric Power Assist System Problems
- 139
- 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 139 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 132 records
- steering wheel · 53 records
- steering column · 35 records
- steering failed · 18 records
- lost power · 13 records
- light came · 11 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 96 |
| 60–100k mi | 7 |
| 30–60k mi | 6 |
| 100–150k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Loss of power steering while vehicle is in motion. Vehicle has just reached 10k miles. Steering the vehicle during failure is difficult. Reported failure to dealership on the afternoon of failure. Instructed to immediately return vechicle to dealership for repair. Ea04018_cat. *ak
ODI 10090541
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Steering wheel oscillated back and forth while vehicle was on, but stopped; happened again while backing out of parking space; about 5 minutes into [redacted] home (going 10 mph); vehicle felt like it was pulling left so it took more steering effort to turn wheel right; had steering column replaced august 19, 2004.
ODI 10120354
Column · Electric Power Assist System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Steering · Vehicle Speed Control
The vehicle became hard to start. It has been an ongoing problem. The power steering locked on the highway at 20 mph. After pulling off the road and restarting the vehicle and getting it to the dealer, they replaced the steering column. No defects were found on the starting problems. Now the vehicle accelerates on its own. *jb ea04018_cat
ODI 10097407
Electric Power Assist System
After driving 2004 malibu about 5 minutes, the power steering failed while waiting at a stop light. The orange warning symbol was flashing on the instrument display. Got car to a safe area and shut off engine and checked owners manual for more information. *akrestarted engine and streering resumed working. Drove home without anymore problems. Called chevrolet toll free assistance number for advise and they advised…
ODI 10090877
Column · Electric Power Assist System · Rack And Pinion · Shaft Sector · Steering
While driving on highway at 50 mph steering jerked from side to side, nearly losing control. When on regular street problem was not so noticeable. Also, heard continuous knocking noises when making turns. Have taken vehicle to dealer, and mechanic replaced steering column. It worked for awhile but got worse in september. Took vehicle back to dealer, and mechanic replaced the rack and pinion. It partially resolved…
ODI 10099493
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
1) first failure at 4589 miles. While driving 60 mph on winding two lane road at night. Warning chime sounded, "wrench" and "power steering failure" appeared. Within a few seconds the ps completely failed making vehicle very hard to drive. Dealer contacted factory rep then ordered and installed new column. 2) second failure at 9870 miles. Turning as i backed out of driveway, ps failed. Stopped and turned engine off.…
ODI 10086854
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Fax ltr fm james ballou wadford (va) owner of a my 2004 malibu reporting loss of steering capabilities suggest nhtsa recall vehicle safety defect.*mr while driving the consumer lost all steering capability. The service engine light illuminated on the dash as the driver attempted to pull the vehicle over onto the side of the road. The vehicle was taken tot he dealer where they indicated that he received a service…
ODI 10090179
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While driving 25 mph engine service light came on. As a result steering failed without warning. *ak ea04018_cat
ODI 10087688
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Power steering assist failure while driving. Speed approximately 45 mph, travelling in a straight line. Was able to get the vehicle (2004 chev malibu lt) home, but exit ramps and corners very difficult to navigate. Problem cleared with turning off and restarting motor. This was the second occurrence. Ea04018_cat
ODI 10086354
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While the consumer was pulling into his driveway the vehicle's power steering unit failed and caused loss of steering control. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who replaced the electric power steering unit per a service bulletin issued by gm. The vehicle has been working properly since repaired. *ak *nm ea04018_cat
ODI 10090126
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
The incident happened twice. The first time occurred in a low speed turn. The first incident occurred 2 months ago. The second occurred while stopped at a traffic light. In the second incident, all electric power steering assistance was lost suddenly making the vehicle difficult to steer. A warning indicator "wrench/car" shows, audio alarm sounds, and a message is displayed on the radio message display "power…
ODI 10086346
Column · Electric Power Assist System · Power Window Devices And Controls · Steering
Both front side windows did not roll down. Also, a steering column problem. Vehicle pulled to left. Dealership inspected vehicle several times, and could not fix it. *ak ea04018_cat
ODI 10087171
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
When turning the steering wheel to the right, i noticed a "scraping" sound from the steering column. This occurred several times and on the date that i was taking the car to have the problem investigated, the entire power steering went out (while traveling at about 35 mph) and i had extreme difficulty managing the vehicle. Fortunately, i was able to safely arrive in the parking lot of the dealership. I've been…
ODI 10086165
Electric Power Assist System · Steering · Suspension
While driving steering wheel vibrated out control to the point it felt like the steering wheel was going to jump out of the window. When making right turns consumer could hear a clicking sound. Took the vehicle to the dealer. They repaired the steering problem. However,. The noise problem recurred. *ak ea04018_cat steering wheel jerking back and forth. *tc
ODI 10094979
Anti-Theft Device · Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While driving at 30 mph steering wheel locked up and wouldn't turn in any direction. When this occurred a wrench icon illuminated on the dashboard. Consumer veered off the highway, turned the vehicle off, and restarted it. This unlocked the steering wheel. A service representative indicated that was a common problem with these vehicles,that resulted in accidents. *ak ea04018_cat
ODI 10083961
Electric Power Assist System
Without warning the power steering system failed twice making the vehicle to hard to steer, almost causing an accident. The steering column was replaced twice within two weeks because the first replacement also failed. Ea04018_cat this is like an accident waiting to happen. *jb
ODI 10090482
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Electric power steering failed and the vehicle became very difficult to steer. Sport chevrolet said they had heard of this defect before. They told my wife to turn the car and then turn the car on again. This solved the problem. This "fix" leaves something to be desired, especially if you are driving on the highway. Ea04018_cat. *la
ODI 10080850
Electric Power Assist System
While driving the power steering light illuminated on the dash. *nm failure of electrical power steering system. Steering wheel locked as consumer backed out of the driveway. After service the consumer was driving at a high rate of speed on the highway and the steering wheel became very heavy and very hard to turn. *tc
ODI 10101099
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Issues that arose with my 2004 malibu july 7, 2004. These issues are still worrisome to me even though the problem has been addressed by the fort wayne kelley chevrolet service people. Ea04018_cat. *ak i encountered several dangerous issues with the automobile. The first issue occurred at a stop sign. I was completely stopped at the stop sign when my steering wheel started to pulsate uncontrollably. Upon…
ODI 10083088
Column · Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While driving at any speed power steering failed. This caused the driver to have difficulty in steering, but was able to maintain control of the vehicle. It was taken to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. *ak ea04018_cat
ODI 10082002
Control Unit/Module · Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While driving my 2004 chevy malibu my steering wheel started to jerk back and forth, this would happen when turning right. At low speeds. I also had the abs brake light come on intermittently, the dealership was able to verify the brake light problem due to a recall and the steering also was verified. This resulted in replacement of the "rack is what the dealer called it." i have noticed this is a problem on many…
ODI 10080885
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Driving the vehicle down the road at 45 mph. Everything was operating normally and all driving was normal. The steering wheel started moving violently to the right, pulling the wheel from my hand. While trying to slow the vehicle down to turn off the road, the steering was lost. I could not steer the vehicle. Approximately 15 seconds later; the car chimed, the check engine light came on, and on the computer display…
ODI 10078755
Electric Power Assist System · Electrical System · Steering
Traveling down street at low speed when a sudden but light jolt from the engine is felt. Moments later slowing down for a traffic light total lose of electrical power. This does not happen all the time. Vehicle is in for repairs on this date. *ak ea04018_cat
ODI 10080718
Anti-Theft Device · Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While driving steering wheel locked up and the consumer lost power steering. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak ea04018_cat (duplicates voq 10089025- same vin/driver)
ODI 10090007
Column · Electric Power Assist System · Steering
While making a right turn, the steering wheel failed. A light for the steering wheel flashed on the dashboard and remained on. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer. The mechanic informed the consumer that the cause of the problem had not been determined. *ak pe04031_cat the steering column was replaced. *sc *jb
ODI 10079449