Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu classic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel independently turned to the left without warning. The vehicle was turned off and back on but failed to fix the issue. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion detached from the subframe and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that only the bushing was replaced and not the rack and pinion. In addition, the contact stated on another occasion the vehicle failed to shift to reverse or go into forward gear while in the middle of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed that the shift cable was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,000.
2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering problems
24 complaints (21% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 80,000. 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 24
- of this car's complaints
- 21%
- typical mileage
- 80,000
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Hydraulic power assist system1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Loss of electric power steering
In performing this engineering analysis, odi determined that the electric power steering system in the subject vehicles can malfunction or fail, causing the driver to lose power steering assistance; however, due to the following reasons, odi has decided that further expenditure of agency resources on this investigation is not warranted at this time: - gm issued customer satisfaction campaign (csc) 04050a indecember 2004 to address the alleged defect in approximately58,700 subject vehicles, encompassing at least 97 percent of thecomplaint and warranty claims population.vehicles outside thecsc 04050a population contain a newly designed torque andposition sensor and have experienced a relatively low complaintrate.this customer satisfaction campaign presently has acompletion rate of 52%. - the impact on the driver?s ability to control these relativelysmall and light vehicles was limited.vrtc test engineers wereunable to induce a failure mode that would cause the eps tosubstantially limit the driver?s ability to turn the vehicle in aparticular direction or to provide the driver with unintendedpower assistance.- there is no risk of fire.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted by the circumstances.(for further details see attached engineering analysis (ea04-018)closing report.)
EA04018
What 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
For some reason the entire interior trim on the door panels have come unglued and detached from the doors. It looks terrible. I recently received a recall notice regarding a knocking noise in the steering. Of course, this has been going on for years and now the notice says my car must have less than 150k miles on it. I dare say there are not many 2004 vehicles with less than 150k miles? Mine is around 164k. We use to spray grease on the joint where it hits when the steering wheel is turned. I had been told a dealer would want to replace the entire rack n pinion on the vehicle, but that would not correct the problem. Guess I am just out of luck.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet malibu classic. The contact stated that the anti-theft sensor and the service engine sensor kept randomly illuminating and the vehicle stalled several times. The contact also experienced difficulty removing the key and getting the key to turn over into an on position to start the vehicle. The contact heard a clicking noise coming from the steering wheel, which occurred frequently and the noise continued while driving. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v400000 (electrical system) and indicated that the dealer was not able to determine when the part would become available to schedule the recall repair. The contact called for months and was not able to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
I was driving on highway and my car chimed and lost all power steering for approximately 3-4 seconds and then the power came back. This type of power loss has happened to me twice since I have owned my vehicle which I purchased in 2008.
Steering wheel was hard to control felt my car moving in outside lanes, the next morning I began to pull my car out steering wheel was so hard to turn it just broke and started spinning around. I was in total shock and happy to be alive.
The steering has gone out twice on me now. So I did some research and it shows there is a recall for steering parts but not for my VIN # of my malibu? What is the deal?
At first, the service engine soon light would illuminate at random intervals. Then engine shut off while car was moving. The problem happened more frequently as time progressed. Then the car would not start intermittently. Finally it would not start at all. The shop found the bad part was the ignition switch. Total cost to replace the switch and do the associated work was $900.
I was driving on the highway and totally lost power steering. I pulled my car into a parking lot and let the car sit for a couple of hours. I was able to drive the car home where I lost power steering again while pulling into my driveway. I was able to drive my car to the repair shop a couple of days later where I had to have the entire steering system replaced.
Driving down the road to drop off the kids at my mothers house and power steering failed.
I was driving along the road, and the yellow wrench popped up,the wheel was difficult to control. Also, while turning the car the wheel was difficult to turn. This problem occurs at least 3-4 times a year. My brake peddle acts up in the snowy months. When I press the brake peddle-the peddle jumps pushes up and down into my feet. When it snows, I worry about running into a car.
Questions about the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering
Does the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic have steering problems?
Owners have filed 24 complaints about the steering of the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic, 21% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 80,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu Classic have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Malibu Classic model years with the most steering complaints are 2004 (24 complaints) and 2005 (20 complaints).
Other 2004 Chevrolet Malibu Classic problems
Electrical 59Lights 11Engine 9Transmission 5Airbags 4Fuel system 4Brakes 3Visibility 3Body 1Driver assistance 1Locks 1Seat belts 1Seats 1Suspension 1Tires 1
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