2008 Chevrolet Malibu Steering Problems
- 388
- 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 388 stored complaint records:
- 10 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
- 1 indicate a death
What owners report
- Electric Power Assist System · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 96 |
| 30–60k mi | 81 |
| 100–150k mi | 81 |
| 1–30k mi | 42 |
| 150–400k mi | 40 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Steering
While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. Then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. Then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. I constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. I turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it…
ODI 10454608
Electrical System · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Steering
While driving or not driving the steering wheel shakes vigorously and the power steering warning light comes on. Then the brake lights come on when i'm not touching them.when i do apply the brakes the lights go out. Then have to apply a generous amount of pressure to get them to come on. I constantly keep getting the light service esc then it says it is off. I turn off car and it resets but after 2 or 3 minutes it…
ODI 10454605
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 mph and at any speed the steering wheel began to shake violently causing the vehicle to move to the right and left instead of remaining inside the lane. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated the motor/module assembly for the electric steering was faulty. The repair cost was $800; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10426407
Steering
Driving at highway speed of 65 mph the steering wheel suddenly jerked right and left without any warning. It jerked hard enough that it caused the car to unexpectedly cross into another lane. This has become an intermittent problem and may happen when idling or driving. Gm notified on date of incident, 8/29/11, and awaiting response. *tr
ODI 10422517
Steering
I bought this malibu 2 years ago i have had steering problems ever since the wheel shakes back and forth when i'm at a stop sign. It has gotten worse in the last couple months i have almost wrecked my car multiple times i can not let anyone drive this car. *tr
ODI 10508334
Steering
When sitting at a stop sign or sitting in drive way after starting vehicle, the power steering trouble light will come on and then the steering wheel will shake for no apparent reason. This has also happened while driving and makes the driving of the vehicle difficult (makes it seems as though there is a flat tire, when there is none!). When i first purchased the vehicle in july 2011, i put the car into the dealer…
ODI 10500088
Hydraulic Power Assist System · Steering
My 2008 malibu has a power steering problem. On a daily basis the power steering becomes erratic and fails to react properly under normal driving conditions, usually at highway speeds. While stopped, the steering wheel will turn left and right on its own. When this occurs at highway speed control of the car is dangerous. Two hands are needed to keep car in lane and not cross the line into other vehicles. Problem…
ODI 10419604
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 65 mph the steering wheel became stiff and the power steering stopped functioning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the dealer the power steering failure was a known issue caused by a defective power steering module. The…
ODI 10416956
Steering
Problems with my 2008 chevy malibu. Upon starting the vehicle the steering wheel shutters and noise comes from steering column. The "power steering" display message comes up. The owners manual refers to seeing the dealership for this issue, but they can seem to fix it for me. It can be cleared, but is very annoying to happen to your car everyday. This issue started roughly 3 months after i purchased the vehicle in…
ODI 10446758
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the steering column locked and the electronic power steering was pulling the steering wheel to the left and right involuntarily. The steering wheel began to vibrate once the vehicle was stopped. The failure recurred at different speeds on an intermittent basis. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for…
ODI 10413428
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and while stopped, the steering wheel would begin to turn back and forth. The vehicle was in the process of being taken to have the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 17,000.
ODI 10415149
Steering
Driving on i 40 at 70 mph steering became erratic and jerking, it took extreme effort to stay in proper lane, pulled to shoulder and stopped. I killed the car and restarted and steering was normal until i exited freeway and there was a short episode of loss of power steering but soon started to work normal. A popping noise is now heard sometimes at slow turning speeds and is not always heard.
ODI 10411301
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 55 mph, the steering wheel began to shake vigorously. The failure recurred intermittently when driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technicians were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
ODI 10449566
Cooling Unit And Lines · Headlights · Hub · Seat Heater/Cooler · Steering
Letter from senator brown on behalf of constituent re concerns about 2008 chevrolet malibu (respond to cleveland office *tgw the consumer stated the transmission cooler lines and front hub assembly were replaced. Also, the power steering light illuminated and the headlights had condensation which caused the bulbs to blow out. The dealer found a seal around the parameter of the capsule was not properly sealed at the…
ODI 10414355
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that when driving various speeds, the steering wheel would wobble from left to right and would occasionally become extremely tight. The contact was concerned that the steering wheel would eventually fail and seize. The vehicle was not repaired and neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000 and…
ODI 10426258
Electrical System · Steering
Steering wheel shook violently when the car was at rest and then began to shake while driving down the highway at approximately 49k miles. Took it to dealer and had the steering column replaced. Then the power door locks began to fail; both passenger door locks and the driver's lock must be operated manually now (well, the driver's door lock works 1/2 of the time...never know if it is actually engaged unless you do…
ODI 10508511
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would jerk abnormally. The contact mentioned that the vehicle would become hard to steer once the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the steering wheel had to be re learned. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. The…
ODI 10430707
Steering
Steering wheel randomly jerks right and left while driving. Is very "notchy" and difficult to return to the precisely desired position. *tr
ODI 10418549
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was in park the steering wheel would move from left to right on its own. The failure was not diagnosed by the dealer. Whenever the contact made a left or right turn the power steering system shut off and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was 51,852.
ODI 10409263
Steering
Steering wheel moves left and right 20 degrees at stop or while moving. Problem comes and goes. *tr
ODI 10405882
Latches/Locks/Linkages · Steering
2008 malibu - drivers door latch does not work. Often driver gets stuck in vehicle. In addition, there is a loud knock in the steering and it has had a ring gear replaced already, same problem 12,000 miles later. *tr
ODI 10403926
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering light was illuminated on the instrument panel. Over time, the contact began to hear a popping noise coming from the steering column while making turns at various speeds. The contact also stated that the steering wheel would shake whenever the vehicle was shifted into gear. The vehicle was taken to an…
ODI 10405391
Latches/Locks/Linkages · Steering
Back in april i started having problems with my driver side lock. It would get stuck. Sometimes the door wouldn't even open. I would press the button to unlock the door, and that wouldn't work. I would have to use my key, ans sometimes that didn't work either. I am still having problems with the lock, and pretty much everyday i have to use my key to open the driver side door. I was told to use wd-40 and that sill…
ODI 10417143
Steering
The power steering is acting up, there is no warning or engine light signals, i have looked up for recall and all i have found in many other chevy malibu owners 2004 -2009 having the power steering issues. In some cases this has cased some of the drivers to lose complete control of their vehicle power steering an result in a crash. Today my wife swerved off the road and just barely hit a guard rail and almost ran…
ODI 10396573
Steering
2008 chevy mailbu. The steering wheel shakes and pulls from left to right when the car is in park and first turned on. It also happens when driving on and off the highway. The problem is intermittent. Car had 36,000 when problem stated. Pulling and shaking is getting worse and harder to control and keep car in lane. *tr
ODI 10409401