2005 Chevrolet Malibu Steering Problems
- 413
- 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 413 stored complaint records:
- 16 indicate a crash
- 11 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
- 1 indicate a death
What owners report
- power steering · 91 records
- steering wheel · 74 records
- failure mileage · 24 records
- steering warning · 17 records
- diagnosed repaired · 16 records
- steering shaft · 13 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 96 |
| 60–100k mi | 91 |
| 30–60k mi | 65 |
| 150–400k mi | 65 |
| 1–30k mi | 33 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
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.…
ODI 10331170
Steering
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
ODI 10328227
Steering
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…
ODI 10327972
Exterior Lighting · Steering
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
ODI 10327316
Steering
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.
ODI 10332495
Steering
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
ODI 10552522
Electrical System · Steering
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
ODI 10325581
Steering
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
ODI 10336158
Steering
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
ODI 10323770
Steering
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
ODI 10324018
Steering
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…
ODI 10328405
Steering
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…
ODI 10322359
Steering
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.
ODI 10321529
Steering
STEERING LOSS 2005 MALIBU. *TR
ODI 10318584
Steering
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
ODI 10318491
Steering
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…
ODI 10316773
Steering
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…
ODI 10448131
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…
ODI 10317340
Front · Mechanical · Steering · Unknown Or Other · Wheels
Loss of power steering. Front wheels sound like they're about to fall off. Popping noise in steering column. *tr
ODI 10350285
Steering
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
ODI 10317338
Steering
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…
ODI 10318230
Steering
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
ODI 10315664
Steering
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
ODI 10312504
Steering
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
ODI 10315476
Steering
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…
ODI 10315527