2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx: jerking or lurching

Filed Apr 20, 2021 · Brakes, Engine · 241,404 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk upon depression of the brake pedal without warning. The contact took the vehicle to jim keras chevrolet (2000 covington pike, memphis, tn 38128) where they performed services to the brake booster, master cylinder, hydraulic brake system, lower control arms, as well as several other unknown services. Three weeks after the repairs, the vehicle would not start and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 241,404.

Filed Sep 25, 2014 · Steering · 164,007 miles · MI

After driving out of my garage, my steering wheel jerked and locked up causing me to hit the brakes. Power steering showed up on the monitor. Turned the car off thinking maybe I should have warmed it up a bit. Started car back up to proceed, steering jerked and locked again. Was too afraid to continue so called for a tow truck. Car is currently at the dealership, they are saying problem is the power steering pump motor and the electronic power assist system. They can replace the pump motor now for $650 and the eps assist when available. Wonder if I am being ripped off here!!! Soon after I purchased the car, the power steering light would come on, I took it back to the dealer, was told they could find nothing wrong. The power steering light has come on several times over the years and steering would feel a bit tight or stiff at times, but never jerked or locked up on me. I thought is was due to the colder temps here in michigan.

Filed Jun 18, 2014 · Steering · 72,102 miles · MI

Steering wheel started jerking to the left intermittently and when I parked it and shut the engine off, I could still hear a motor running and then the steering wheel jerked to the left again and then the motor sound stopped. Took to dealership who said they could not get the problem to replicate and no codes showing. Dealership said my two right side tires needed balancing, I thoroughly explained the problem again and still they said it needed the tires balanced & it would make a difference, $74.10 later no difference and now the steering wheel is jerking back and forth to the left & right constantly, is scary to drive, dealership put my vehicle on list for recall for electric power steering assist part but said no parts available yet, I need this car to get to work and it is not safe to drive.

Filed May 1, 2014 · Acceleration, Steering · 106,041 miles · MI

I was driving my car to pick up my daughter from school 02/04/2014 and as I was turning to leave school I heard a ringing sound from inside of car and my steering wheel started to jerk left and right then I pulled over and stopped and my steering wheel was moving left to right with out me touching it . It was as someone was doing it and I couldn't see them and while driving on freeway it was very unstable to drive so I have to drive slow because it would jerk unexpectedly during my drive I felt very unsafe when I drive with my 4 and 14 daughter and mom year old in the car I have owned a chevy mostly a good part of my life I have been unable to afford to get it fixed and someone told me of the recall . So I called the dealer and was told my VIN number was not part of the recall but it had a 150,000.00 mile warranty on part but he said I have to have a test doing to see if the steering motor is bad for $103.00 and if it is motor for steering it would be fixed and they will wave test charge . It says power steering when it audible sounds in car on radio display panel I could not let him do the test cause I didn't have the money if they said something else is wrong so now it is gone almost completely . My shoulder are very sore from having to drive this car to work and to get my kid and I am still making payments on it to . Maybe after I get into a major crash and my family dies or someone else dies from not being able to control car when it is needed maybe you will do something about it please wave test fee or something so if I take it in to get fixed so you can have a happy buyer of chevy autos.

Filed Mar 17, 2014 · Transmission · 42,000 miles · OH

Transmission: chevy malibu maxx 2006 ltz 6 cyc lurches speed under constant throttle & straight line road surface & steering while driving at medium cruising speeds 30-45 MPH. Our maxx has had this issue serviced twice before; now it is happening again. While maxx was under factory warranty; the mechanic was told to blank the transmission's memory; this instruction was from an internal factory service bulletin. This chevy malibu maxx 2006 ltz has had only one owner. The transmission's memory is corrupted every 40k service miles.

Filed Feb 12, 2014 · Steering · 114,000 miles · CA

Steering wheel jerked to left and I had no power steering but I was still able to turn the steering wheel but was real hard. The indicator on the radio message screen indicated the power steering was not working. I pulled over and turned off the vehicle and restarted my car and the power steering started to work again only to have this happen again just a few miles down the road. I have been reading all the complaints about the steering problem that the 2006 malibu are experiencing. Chevrolet corp. Should have a recall on all the models that have the electronic steering and fix them asap. This is a safety hazard and someone is going to have a wreak and major damage is going to occur to somebody or their family. There is a recall in canada but not in the USA for this safety problem.

Filed Aug 25, 2013 · Steering · 80,000 miles · WA

This has happened dozens of times before gm did the "campaign" to lessen the affect on the steering. Normally while accelerating hard around a corner or up a hill, the powersteering would literally jerk the wheel from your hands and attempt to straighten the wheel. Obviously this is extreme disconcerting and dangerous at any speed. Symptoms are the ding ding ding warning and the very brief flash, like they don't want you to see it, of power steering on the radio display. That lasts maybe 1.5 seconds before it goes away, so you have to know to look at the radio very quickly when the ding ding ding goes to see the "error" message. It took 2 trips to the dealer on the recall to "resolve" the problem in gm's eyes. What they do is replace the column, and some settings in the computer that reduces the amount of force the motor exerts against the driver. The wheel no longer completely jerks from your hands, but it still will change your course when on a turn if you don't have a tight grip on the wheel. I consider this such a safety issue, that I rarely allow anyone but myself to drive it because it would just scare the bejeavious out of them for the car to take the wheel from their hands. Was back in the dealership yesterday on the extended campaign of 150k miles or 10 years. They indicated the fault was that the motor tossed an overheat code and that was causing computer input issues out of what was expected. I advised it does it even when the car is cold, not driving for more than a mile. Their response was the motor has an internal fault that causes it to overheat quickly, just by starting the car. Repairs costs are well over $700 parts and labor, and reading on the internet, this problem may not even be resolved by such a costly repair.

Filed Nov 29, 2010 · Steering · 83,740 miles · IN

The powersteering unit in this car has quit working several times. The information center reads powersteering. And the wheel jerks back and forth. The wheel is very hard to turn and is dangerous to drive. Sometimes the steering wheel while sitting at a stop light the wheel will turn to the left by itself. If you shut the car off and leave it sit for five minutes it will reset itself and be alright for awhile and then it happens again. General motors knows of this problem and has done nothing about it. I have read several complaints about this and wonder if someone has to be killed first before anything is done. This auto belongs to my stepson and he has a 8 month old daughter, I won't sit and watch anybody get killed because a stupid mistake like this electric power steering.

Filed Oct 30, 2010 · Steering · 69,000 miles · MN

I have a chevrolet malibu maxx and the power steering has failed on 2 separate occasions. The first incident was when I was taking a left turn and the power steering failed half way through the turn. Luckily I was able to pull off into a parking lot and turn off the vehicle. There was a ding and the front displayed "power steering." the next day when reversing out of a parking lot I had the same thing happen although this time the steering wheel shimmied, then the ding, failure of power steering, and the display. I was once again able to turn off the vehicle and restart. Upon restarting the power steering resumed. Since these two incidents I have noticed that the steering wheel jerks a little with any turns. I am so glad I was not going at a fast speed or in heavy traffic as an accident definitely could have been caused. I have called and reported it to chevrolet and set up an appt with a dealer on monday. Chevrolet stated that it is infact a "special coverage on power steering" and in other cases have involved replacing the entire steering column. I am shocked that this has not been a recall and that other customers are put in this danger. Thank you for looking further into this.

Filed Aug 24, 2010 · Steering · 67,810 miles · MI

My 2006 malibu maxx has been have issues with the steering system. Started out with an intermittent clunking noise several months ago. The car has only 67,000 miles on it. Now it clunks every time you turn the steering wheel. The front end has always road ruff like a steering vibration but thought it was just the make of the car. Our 00' monte carlo and 00' impala in comparison never road like this. Thought it was the tires so we upgraded to a better riding tire, did not make a difference. Over the last couple weeks steering noise getting worse, sensor light came on indicating power steering. Check with mechanic and cannot find anything that appears wrong on vehicle. Just this weekend on the entrance ramp on the interstate the wheel just jerked to the right. Was able to bring it back to central position quickly but was concerned. Happened today to my wife on the way to the store on a two lane road. Luckily it jerked her to the right and she was able to steer it back to the center position. Concerned of potential for serious accident and will not be so lucky next time. After plugging in steering issues with malibu maxx's, I was shocked to see hundreds of complaints on forums and consumer sites regarding a range of years with the maxx. Gm needs to wake up, does it take people dying or seriously getting hurt before they will pay attention to all these people and their issues and serious ones at that. My husband is a ford mechanic and wanted me to buy a ford because of quality issues, but I love the style of the maxx, the cargo capacity and now I'm having second thoughts as no one seems to be getting help other than gm has some solutions that are costing the consumer lots of money and there are still issues after the fixes. I'm seriously considering getting rid of it and settling for a car that will insure me a safe ride and keep my passengers safe. Wise up to this before people are seriously hurt. Thank you.

Filed Jul 29, 2010 · Steering · 48,900 miles · CT

Power steering failed on the highway. Warning light lit up on dashboard. Car jerked sharply to the right. Several hours later same thing happened upon backing out of parking space.