The steering locked up when the brakes were pressed and the steering wheel was turned to avoid crashing with another car. The result is the crash happened and damage to both cars. Thankfully traffic was only going around 10 mph. If this had happened at high speed my son may have been seriously injured or even killed. The mechanic is working on it now and has reported the power steering module and power steering motor has to be replaced.
2005 Chevrolet Malibu: steering wheel locks up
45 of the 975 complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 45
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 120,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 18 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
What owners say
Steering shaft inadequate support of u-joint. The steering wheel shakes going down the road. You can feel a clicking in it when you turn. It's like the steering wheel could break or something. Also every now and then there is a sudden loss of power steering. Power steering goes out and steering wheel locks up. It's done this numerous times over the years. And when we take it in they say the recall won't cover it. I've tried calling dealership and they say theirs no open recalls for the vehicle.
Turning left off the highway onto a road the steering froze. I had to stop and back up to release the steering. This has happened 2 or 3 times both right or left turn. The steering column is making a noise and I believe it is the intermediate shaft. Mayploe chev replaced the steering column.
I started to have a issue with the power steering assist a few days ago. The car had a weird noise on the steering and the steering wheel will shake on its own when the vehicle was on. It was not until yesterday that the power steering locked up as I was driving. Steering became heavy. It was very dificult to perform sharp turns. There was a message and a chime upon the steering getting stiff. I took my vehicle to the dealership and was told that although there is a recall notice for my particular vehicle that when using the VIN code no recalls come up so that they would not perform the service.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the instrument panel indicators illuminated and the "power steering" message was displayed. In addition, the steering wheel seized. When the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel unlocked. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 136,327.
I was on my way to work driving on the 405 freeway in california going around a ramp in my steering wheel locked up on me I hit the brake it released the next morning on my way back home from work I was on my way on the freeway so I accelerate on the gas and my steering wheel locked up as soon as I took my foot off the ignition gas it released. And just recently about 3 days ago today is november 7th so november 2nd on my way home from work all of this happened on my way to work in from work but on my way from work I went down to start my car and steering wheel starts shaking real bad start jerking real bad and from there other things to start happening to the car steering wheel starts shaking real bad as I put on my seatbelt the seatbelt sign will not go off and we'll make a beeping sound every few minutes also the total contraction sign also cut on and then for some reason I had a half tank of gas in my tank but the fuel light will come cut on and on the dash will save fuel low when I had just filled the tank up
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 25 MPH and attempting a turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road to a complete stop. Approximately three minutes later, the steering returned to normal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the "u" joint for the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact called kristal auto mall (2859 flatbush avenue, brooklyn, ny 11234) where an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. While driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with an electric steering motor failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact stated that the electric steering motor needed replacement, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact to call a local chevrolet dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to uftring weston chevrolet (1600 w war memorial drive, peoria, il 61614, (309) 686-2500) where the electric steering failure and replacement were confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 (steering) in 2014. The manufacturer was contacted again, but offered no further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. While driving 45 MPH, the contact noticed that the steering wheel locked up and the instrument panel illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, turned it off, and restarted it, and the vehicle performed normally. While driving home, the steering wheel locked up again. The manufacturer was contacted. The dealer (uftring weston chevrolet, 1600 west war memorial drive, peoria, il 61614) stated that due to the recall repair being previously performed, there would be an out of pocket cost for the repair. The failure mileage was 135,071. *tt
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. While driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized and became difficult to maneuver. The power steering warning indicator illuminated and the brakes failed to respond. When the vehicle was being refueled, the fuel spewed out the fuel filler pipe. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The failure mileage was 295,000.
Power steering locks up during acceleration and service air bag light never goes off, and after new brake rotors/pads the brake light stays on. Brake fluid light on with full fluid.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. While driving at approximately 60 MPH, the contact heard a dinging noise coming from the vehicle. In addition, the power steering warning indicator illuminated and the steering wheel seized. The failures recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v153000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides a vibration analysis worksheet the technician can use in conjunction with...
- Steering
- Special coverage. some vehicles may have been built without a steering gear umbrella seal. without the...
- General motors : TSB contains an owner notification letter
- This TSB comntains an owner notification letter
- Electric Power Steering Assist
- Summary to be provided on a future date.
- Buick/cadillac/chevrolet/gmc/pontiac/ saturn: there is fluid leaking from power steering system, along a...
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
- Risk
- If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, Saturn at 1‑800‑553‑6000, and Pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
Recall number 14V153000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu?
45 of 975 owner complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu (5%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu?
There is 1 recall and 18 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu
Power steering loss 118Headlights 60Steering noise 52Loss of power 48Stalling 45Check engine light 42Harsh shifting 38Fuel gauge 28Won't start 26Engine failure 25Jerking 23Knocking 22Fuel pump 19Adaptive cruise 15Overheating 12Pulling 11Ball joint 10Grinding brakes 9Fire or smoke 9No deployment 8Door locks 8Airbag light 7Tire blowout 7ABS 6Brake failure 6Battery drain 5Won't shift 5Transmission failure 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2005 Chevrolet Malibu?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history