The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal became inoperable and was difficult to depress, resulting in extended stopping distance. During the failure, the air bag warning light illuminated and an abnormal odor emanated from the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, and it was determined that the power brake booster failed and required replacement. The mechanic confirmed the failure and confirmed that the brake pedal felt spongy when depressed. The failure mileage was approximately 88,140.
The worst 2006 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Steering812
- Electrical142
- Fuel system96
- Brakes71
- Lights63
- Engine58
- Transmission43
- Acceleration35
- Airbags34
- Driver assistance31
- Suspension15
- Seats8
- Wheels7
- Body6
- Seat belts5
- Tires5
- Visibility4
- Locks3
Specific symptoms reported on the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
Power steering loss 239Steering lock-up 118Loss of power 81Engine failure 50Check engine light 49Fuel gauge 49Stalling 39Steering noise 34Jerking 28Won't start 26Fuel pump 21Harsh shifting 20Adaptive cruise 19Pulling 18Headlights 13Knocking 11Warning lights 11Airbag light 9No deployment 9Grinding brakes 8ABS 7Ball joint 7
Trouble codes owners of the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu mention
C0545 2C0550 2
Recalls 6
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Chevrolet Malibu and Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured April 1, 2006, to June 30, 2006, and 2006-2007 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured April 18, 2006, to June 30, 2006. 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 replace the torque sensor assembly, free of charge. The recall began February 24, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 or Pontiac customer service at 1‑800‑762‑2737. GM's number for this recall is 14772. Note: This is an expansion of recall 14V‑153 to cover additional vehicles built between April 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006.
Recall number 15V064000 · Recall details
Electronic stability control (ESC)
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
- Risk
- Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020 (Chevrolet), 1‑800‑762‑2737 (Pontiac), 1‑800‑553‑6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
Recall number 14V252000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- What is wrong
- General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
- Risk
- If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑553‑6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
Recall number 14V224000 · Recall details
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
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
- Risk
- If the passenger sensing system malfunctions, the front air bag on the passenger side may be disabled when it should be enabled, or enabled when it should be disabled. In either case, in the event of a crash that requires air bag deployment, a front passenger's level of injury may be increased.
- Remedy
- Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (gm) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in gm's letter to owners. The recall began on november 6, 2006. Owners should contact gm at 1‑877‑477‑1022 to begin the process of repurchasing their vehicle.
Recall number 06V417000 · Recall details
Equipment: other: labels
- What is wrong
- Certain vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." the tire label table specified the 15 inch spare for the front disc/rear drum brake system and it should specify a 16 inch spare tire size.
- Risk
- A 15" diameter replacement spare tire can not be installed on the front axle due to a fit interference with the brake caliper.
- Remedy
- Owners will be mailed a corrected label with installation instructions or the customers could have their dealers to install the label for them. The recall began on november 29, 2005. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438.
Recall number 05V486000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu 762
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This PI communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from TAC.
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Unknown or other
- Electrical system
- Unknown or other
- This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on When and How to Submit a Field...
- Unknown or other
- Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles
- This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding...
2006 Chevrolet Malibu fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2L 4‑cyl | FWD | 21 | 29 | 24 |
| 3.5L 6‑cyl | FWD | 20 | 29 | 23 |
| 3.9L 6‑cyl | FWD | 17 | 24 | 19 |
What 2006 Chevrolet Malibu owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I was driving at a busy time of the day and my steering wheel became almost impossible to turn, and it felt as though my whole car turned off but I gave it gas and went to nearest place I could pull over and noticed my radio was showing that steering fluid or something like that was on the digital part of my radio, so I googled what could the problem be and it said the steering is being recalled or something like that for steering problems, I am driving the car as little as possible because that was very scary especially driving through main street in my town, thank god i was only going 25 miles an hour or this could have really caused major problems. Please let me know what to do next [XXX] [XXX] thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I got the car on June 12th on June 16th when I had a severe car vacation not deploy and the seatbelt did not buckle when I bought the car they stated in the paperwork that the airbags have never been deployed and or never been deactivated and I had to find out the hard way 4 days later and due to the transmission shift gear cable when I was driving the car it went out of control and I had to work well that day
When i drive the car power steering goes out totally and bings when it goes out.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was pushed back into the parking space. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that the steering gear was previously replaced due to a similar failure. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V064000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.
The power steering went out on the car as I was driving down the highway going 65 mph
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. There were three audible dings with the message "Power Steering" displayed on the instrument panel. The contact reset the steering wheel and the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V064000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with STRG shaft torque failure. The contact was informed that the STRG shaft torque needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to contact the dealer. The contact was made aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the recall repair was performed in 2015. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
My power steering goes in and out as I'm driving depending on the speed. I have trouble swerving if needed because the power steering is not working correctly all the time.
Power steering warning light appeared then steering wheel tightened while slowing down to make a turn into my apartment. This occured two times in 3 weeks.
Compare the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
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Other model years
19971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Questions about the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu
Is the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
Owners have filed 1,119 complaints about the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, 1.6 times a typical Malibu model year.
What is the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu year score?
The 2006 Chevrolet Malibu scores 55 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Chevrolet Malibu: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu?
Steering, with 812 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles. Next is electrical (142).
How many recalls does the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu have?
6 recalls, covering steering, electronic stability control (esc) and power train.
Was there a recall on the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu steering?
Yes, 2 recalls: 15V064000, 14V153000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu have bad steering?
The Chevrolet Malibu model years with the most steering complaints are 2006 (812 complaints), 2004 (799 complaints) and 2009 (769 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu get?
Official estimates for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu range from 19 to 24 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.2L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 21 city and 29 highway.
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