2006 Chevrolet Malibu Steering Problems
- 687
- 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 687 stored complaint records:
- 20 indicate a crash
- 7 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 148 records
- steering wheel · 60 records
- failure mileage · 13 records
- loss power · 13 records
- diagnosed repaired · 12 records
- warning indicator · 10 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 209 |
| 100–150k mi | 150 |
| 30–60k mi | 127 |
| 150–400k mi | 79 |
| 1–30k mi | 53 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
2006 chevrolet malibu 2.2 / 4cl. The power steering stops working, this vehicle does not have a regular power steering system , i believe it is electronic. The problem is while you drive at any speed the steering becomes hard to steer, no power at all, creating a very difficult and dangerous situation that can cause a deadly accident. There is no recall yet we believe. But there are several, many situations like…
ODI 10438978
Steering
Making a right turn, i heard a clunking noise from the steering, the car pulled to the right and the steering wheel felt like it the power steering failed. About 1 year ago, i have had the car in for service at the dealers for a knocking in the steering and they found nothing wrong. *tr
ODI 10425265
Steering
The power steering does not work when i turn the car on sometimes. It has happened several times. I turn the ignition on, there is a bell, and the electronic message says "power steering." i turn the car off, wait several minutes, re-start it, and then it works again. *js
ODI 10458432
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was started and the steering failure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the contact was advised that the steering column would need replacing. The manufacturer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 137,225 and the current mileage was 137,231.
ODI 10424232
Electrical System · Steering
Randomly while driving at higher speeds or accelerating the battery light will flicker on and off on the dashboard. This time while accelerating on a entrance ramp to the highway the battery light along with all the idiot lights on the dashboard flashed and i temporarily lost power steering. This happened twice within a period of two minutes. Normally whenever the battery lights or other idiot lights flicker a chime…
ODI 10424005
Electrical System · Steering
2006 malibu lt power steering assist fails then resumes intermittently. Mechanic's diagnostic computer cannot communicate with vehicle computer during failure, resumes communication when assist resumes. Cannot detect faulty switches, wiring, fuses. No recall notices or service bulletins. *tr
ODI 10422637
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact was driving approximately 7 mph and unexpectedly the steering wheel locked with an illumination of the power steering warning indicator. In addition, a chime sounded inside the vehicle. The contact drove into a parking space and turned the engine off. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The identical failure occurred three different times. The…
ODI 10437706
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact was driving approximately 30 mph and unexpectedly the steering wheel locked with a complete loss of power steering. There was also an illumination of the power steering warning indicator. The contact was able to maneuver to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the vehicle resumed as normal. The failure occurred thirty times…
ODI 10449612
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel became stiff making steering extremely difficult. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The technicians stated the steering column and the pedal position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
ODI 10418254
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu lt. The contact was driving approximately 5 mph when the power steering warning indicator illuminated with a complete loss of power steering assist. The engine was turned off and upon restart, the vehicle began to operate normally. The power steering failure ecurred twelve times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact planned to notify the manufacturer…
ODI 10428252
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving at any speed when the steering wheel was turned to the left it locked. The failure was experienced numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who performed a diagnostic test that located the failure in the power steering column. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage is…
ODI 10434057
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel seized and the power steering indicator illuminated. The failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and the power steering system was replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was repaired a second time. The contact received a recall notice for nhtsa…
ODI 10641798
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel locked; however, when the vehicle was turned off and restarted the steering wheel functioned normally. There were no warning indicators illuminated during the failure. In addition, the steering wheel became extremely loose upon engaging it. During a left and right turn the steering wheel exhibited a tightness and was…
ODI 10416508
Steering
We were driving the car on a twisting highway in rural montana when the electronic power steering failed. With no assist we almost missed a corner. The steering wheel required extreme pressure to complete the turn. The power steering returned again without warning. If the power steering returned during the time a lot of pulling pressure was being applied to the steering wheel we may have gone across the center line…
ODI 10414278
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph making a turn, an abnormal sound emitted from the steering wheel. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the u-joint at the steering box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
ODI 10638109
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle began exhibiting a loud knocking sound when turning or driving over any road bump. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the hydraulic assist power for the steering shaft was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10425798
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving in reverse the steering failed making the steering wheel difficult to turn. The power steering warning light illuminated when the failure occurred. The vehicle was turned off for a short time and the steering wheel began to function normally. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10411744
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. The contact noticed a knocking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle when she attempted to make turns. Also, the power steering would fail intermittently and she was unable to control the vehicle. The dealer advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer had not been notified nor was the vehicle repaired. The current mileage…
ODI 10428032
Steering
2006 chevy malibu - power steering displays on screen - then i lose the power steering, if i turn the car off it will disappear and power steering resumes. This has happened approximately a dozen times over the past two weeks. Does chevy have a recall for this. I have searched and can't find any and i have found that others have the same issue. Very unsafe driving conditions. *tr
ODI 10410042
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu ltz. The contact stated that on an intermittent basis the steering wheel would shake and jerk violently causing the vehicle to move in the opposite direction she was driving. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who advised her that they would replace the steering column. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer…
ODI 10414969
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. While the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering warning indicator illuminated with an immediate loss of power steering. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road and the engine was turned off. After waiting a few moments the engine restarted and the vehicle functioned normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they were…
ODI 10404572
Steering
When making turns, whether left or right, the power steering in this car fails. Luckily i am one of the fortunate ones (so far) that it goes out at lower rates of speed. A couple of times, i barely made it into the parking lot and avoided hitting any cars while making that turn. The thing that i fear is that when it starts to snow or if i have to make some evasive moves to avoid objects, the power steering will go…
ODI 10435493
Steering
I began to hear thumping noise from the front end. After brining it to the auto repair facility they informed me the "rack in pinion" unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle only has 66,000 miles on it. The repair facility informed me the cost will be $1200.00. After reading about this issue on the internet it appears to be common place and dangerous. I have not yet corrected the problem as i do not have the money…
ODI 10407191
Steering
I own a 2006 chevy malibu and recently my power steering warning has been displayed on my radio panel every time i start the car. Today while making a turn the warning came on again and chimed. After doing some very intensive research i've noticed this is a very common and serious issue. I am very uncomfortable driving the car in fears that one time it will completely lock up. Gm really needs to recall and fix this…
ODI 10403934
Steering
2006 CHEV MALIBU POWER STEERING LOCKED UP. *TR
ODI 10403930