While turning in either direction vehicle made a loud noise. Consumer suspected there was a problem in the steering column.
1999 Chevrolet Malibu steering complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 37 of 37, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Since I've had the car, the brakes have been replaced twice, rotors replaced (also cleaned and other things-to the point they asked me to see if there was a recall on brakes and rotors). The right front passenger window will not work from the driver side to roll down but can still roll it up from there. The air conditioner button(resistor) needed replacing and then the vent button(resistor) needed replacing. Also, had to replace tie rod end and wheel bearing . Not to mention a water pump. We bought the car used from sawyer chevrolet with 38,000 miles on it. It now has 76,000. But within a year and a half of owning it, this is all the work we had to put into it. I've never had a car that needed all that repairing done before it reached 100,000 miles. Plus we had to get new tires because they had firestone tires on them that were warping, etc. But sawyers refused to replace them and firestone did not get back to us in time before our vacation. So we put new tires on ourselves.
This 1999 chevrolet malibu was purchased in july 2001 in had a water leaking problem took 3 tries before they found it needed thermostat gasket didn't even have one in it they sold it to me .this way with a promise it had been fixed. Within the first year I had the car they had to replace both front wheel bearings & strut bushings. Then the alternator went out & it cause my battery to go bad overcharged it they replaced alternator but refused to re-emburse me for the battery. Then ignition switch caused problem with anti-theft system would not start. Had that replaced in march 2002. Then anti-lock brake system went out had to have it replaced window switch very slow had to be cleaned another one not working at all now, not covered under warranty, at this time also had to have anti theft system fixed again light on all the time another bad ignition switch. Also had blower motor & relay switch for heater to go out over the summer most of the interior lights have long ago burnt out & had to be replaced lock out for trunk lid also broke not covered on warranty. Hub caps have lug nuts made in them that screw onto your lug bolts stripped out when took for repairs by dealer refused to replace them because they cost $500.00 for a new set. So I purchased the lug nut part & repalced it myself at a dealership for $10.00 set of 5. November of 2002 brakes & rotors were replaced in jan. 2003 brake pads replaced again in march 2003 pads replaced again in july 2003 pads replaced once again then in sept. 2003 master cylinder replaced in oct. 2003 master cylinder replaced again now it's nov 2003 & master cylinder being replaced again tomorrow.these cars have a real brake problem that needs to be fixed it's costing a fortune.
While turning the steering wheel became hard to turn. *nlm the service dealer found a leak in the rack and pinion. The dealer stated that there was no leak and had given the vehicle back to the consumer. (the rack and pinion was replaced) the AC was found inoperative due to the suction and discharge hose leaked, the engine raced but didn't move due to low transmission fluid, and the left rear tail lamp seal had fallen apart.
When a turn was made, the vehicle made noise, and the steering was difficult to turn.
While making a left turn the steering wheel locked up. The dealer was contacted but the cause of this problem was unknown. *ts
While making a left turn the vehicles steering wheel locked up. Cause is unknown. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide any further information. Ts
The consumer states that when applying the brakes, the vehicle will vibrate. The consumer takes the vehicle to the dealer every 4000 miles for the same vibration/squeaking and they just replaced the brake pads, and trimmed the rotors. The problem still occurs every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. *jb the consumer states that the vibration immediately caused the alignment to go bad and gets very hard to control the vehicle if driving at highway speed. *jb
Dealer replaced power steering pumps on two occasions, and problem was reoccurring. Feel free to provide any further information.
Power steering pump is making a grinding sound at any time, any speed. Dealer has replaced pump 3 times, remedies the problem only for a while, then the grinding sound comes back.
Front wheel started to squeak. This was the fourth set of front wheel bearing contacted dealer ,and dealer stated just keep changing wheel bearings . *akglove box door does not close, headlight brigher than other, fog lamp fell off while driving, foglamp assembly was replaced, passenger rear door queeks when opened / closed, automatic transmission fluid leaks, brakes noisy / squeeking when braking, vehicle squeeks when sterring right, consumer also states failures with struts and strut caps. *tt consumer complains that all four tires worn out too fast, whirring noise from fl tires. No tire information given.
Vehicle will stall at any speed. Please provide more information.
When applying the brakes, the steering wheel shakes and vibrates, dealer informed consumer that there was a problem with the rotor.
Rotors replaced 3 times in one year, worn down. When applying brakes they pulsate, and there is increased braking distance. Also tie rod had to be replaced.
Whenever road is wet vehicle will spin uncontrollably. Minor accident and injuries.
Ignition switch and electrical system kept failing while driving, causing steering wheel to lock up,which almost resulted in crash. Please provide further information.
The brakes have been resurfaced once. The pads have been replaced 3 times and the rotors replaced twice. I have had the car in for the final repair attempt on the brakes. They say there is nothing wrong with them. While the car was in the shop for this, the driver's power window went out. Three people in the service dept. Tried to get it to work. I had to leave the car another day. When I went to pick it up, I was told there was nothing wrong with the window and it is now working. The power locks lock and unlock themselves periodically. I hear air coming in the driver's door. The cd player face gets to hot to touch and I smell burning. I was told this was normal. The steering column wouldn't tilt down because of plastic debris on the assembly. The brake light circuit board melted. The air conditioner control head shorted out. The evap system vapor pressure sensor had to be replaced. The rear doors stuck and had to be lubricated. The glove compartment latch had to be adjusted to stop rattle. The transmission had to be replaced.
Our car suddenly loss all power steering while driving the smokie mt. Parkway in n. Carolina. The car was towed to pine crest chev. And they found that the fluid line to the power steering unit had been incorrectly installed by the factory. The fluid line was against the exhaust pipe and it had burned and worn through causing all the fluid to rapidly spray out onto the hot exhaust pipe. This incident could have easily resulted in a severe or fatal accident due to the sudden and unexpected loss of steering control along with an added threat of a possible fire in the engine compartment from the fluid.
Rack and pinion steering failed which could cause loss of steering, steering is very loose. Consumer has already replaced tie rods and tires.
Holes were too big around the rotors & lugs: nuts came through. Upon applying brakes front end will shimmy. Also, conusmer had to grip steering wheel tightly to keep control of vehicle. When traveling 55mph or higher vehicle moved right to left. Dealer didn't seem to think it was a major concern. *ak
The tires are wearing inthe center, while rest of tire show no wear , and because its wears in the center , owner will not notice excessive wear until tire failure. Tire air pressure has not been found to be a contributing factor to this problem, as first thought by local firestone dealers. *ak( dot number: w2mwaaa039 tire size: 21560r15 )
Consumer was traveling 40-45 MPH and steering wheel locked up. Consumer couldn't straighten out wheel & vehicle spun around & hit concrete wall. Also, airbag didn't deploy until about a minute after vehicle had hit concrete wall.
At less than 3000 miles car started to lose power in acceleration. And transmission started shifting roughly. Has now been to dealership 5 times for the same problem. My children and I have almost gotten ran over by other automobiles numerous times, simply because the car would not go. While the car was in for the 2nd repair of the clock spring they broke the tilt lever and scratched trim on steering column. Tires are wearing unevenly dealer stated this was normal for a malibu. This car has been nothing but problems since the first day. I have driven more loaner cars than I have my own that I continue to make payments on. Most of the miles on my car has been due to repeated visits to the shop. I am very unhappy with this car, the dealership, the service dept., and the way gm has handled the case. *ak( dot number: 93t m + s tire size: p2155or15 )
Front end shakes due to defective front rotors. Also, steering wheel locks up due to defective power steering pump.
While operating the vehicle the RPM gauge started to show max RPM readings to 0 and changing rapidly. The car was being driven to the repair shop to have this checked when at a intersection the vehicle just cut off. The engine did not stop but the car could only be moved very slowly until a minute or two past then the speed went up a bit. The repair facility found a crankshaft sensor and the computer to be the fault. Currently the vehicle runs good, but the gas mileage is only about 17-18 mpg. Will turn it back into the german dealer to have this checked.
Nut work itself loose on the tie rod causing loss of steering ability.
This is an intermittant problem. Upon light acceleration from a stop, the steering wheel turns sharply to the left. The service department calls this "normal".
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