The power steering in my 2006 chevrolet malibu. The sensor comes on and the steering wheel is very difficult to move. So far it has occurred sporadically beginning back about sept 30, that sat. I took it to the dealership to see if they could look at what was happening, I was told they could do nothing without that sensor on. It has happened several times since then but as the following states I have kind of figured out how to wait and then keep on going. So I finally figured out if I started the car and the sensor appeared, I would turn off the car-wait about 5min, then restart the car & no sensor appearance. It happened once more while I was driving to san antonio, friday night, oct 30 - I had been on the road about an hour or so and the sensor just popped on (it might have been b/c I had the cd player, the A/C, and the cruise control on) anyway thank goodness there were no major turns so I drove the car with it on for about 1more hr before pulling into a rest stop. Then it reset itself again. Now these last 3 mornings (maybe because it is cold) I have started the car and the warning power steering appears, I turn off the car, wait the 5min and restart the car, it doesn't appear but after driving about 2-3min, it will appear and I am usually in am traffic and need to turn at 2 lights & thank goodness the turn space is great or I would not be able to proceed. I get to work and have to park across from where I normally do because I am unable to turn the wheel into my space. Since I was unable to take it to a dealership as they are unable to charge me the $100 diagnosis fee w/o the sensor being on. I called chevrolet. Com and they have connected me with jupiter chevrolet and now I have an appointment to show up at the dealership in the morning and hopefully the sensor will turn on as I get to the dealership so I will not have the problem of turning from traffic into the curved driveway (which also has about 4 turns before even arriving. Wish me luck!
2006 Chevrolet Malibu steering complaints
Page 26 of 28: complaints 731 to 760 of 812, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was driving to work, made a right turn and my power steering just went out. There was no where to pull over on side of the road, I struggled to steer the car into a parking lot which was almost impossible. I was almost hit from behind twice too many times because of this. The dealership has diagnosed this as the power steering system. This exact incident is starting to happen more frequently. This problem happened a year ago but then it drove just fine afterwards and didn't happen again until now and now it's almost every turn. 6 months after I bought the car, I heard a clicking noise but when taken to a shop, I was told there was no noise but after hearing it again, the dealership diagnosed the power steering problem.
I was driving on the freeway in my 2006 malibu lt, when the steering wheel locked up, the steering got really tight and I was unable to control the car on the freeway, after a few seconds the steering went back to normal, and a few seconds later it locked up again. A power steering warning came up on the dash. I took it to a local chevy dealership. They ran diagnostics and said that the power steering motor had gone bad. This is an extreme safety hazard, that did not result from neglect on my part as the owner. Had I not been an experienced driver, or if the roads were wet or slippery, the power steering malfunction could have had bad outcome. Upon doing research on the internet, this seems to be a problem for the malibu, across many model years.
Under normal driving conditions the steering become difficult when turning to the right. Occasionally you can feel "pulsing" while turning. Happens at all speeds. Corrects itself when the vehicle is shut off. Problem began within the last month as a slight pressure whiling turning. Last 2 days the steering has become very difficult. Yesterday problems developed while turning right onto the interstate. No warning lights or alarms. Contacted the dealership and they have no knowledge this issue. Just rolled 57,000 miles.
Bought a new chevy malibu in july of 2006--we have fought tires on it since day 1 and no one would stand behind them--the rims won't seal around the tires. We have replaced the tires and no luck. We have had to "air them up" every other day since we purchased it. Yesterday while driving--my power steering just decided to quit working. If I shut the car off and wait 15 minutes--it will be fine again--until the car gets warm at which point it locks up again. This is a very dangerous issue as you never know when it will happen. I am told there is no recall and the dealership isn't aware of any issues with it. When I went online for help--there are many people having the same issue.
1. Intermittent power steering alert on driver information center 2. Power steering alert comes on and then the power steering turns off while driving. (intermittent). 3. Was brought to repair place, and it is currently being repaired.
2006 malibu power steering trouble light came, dealer diagnosed as sensor in steering column. Was told steering could go out if sensor fails . Found out there are numerous malibu involved.
Power steering failure in a 2006 chevrolet malibu when making a left turn at low speed. Same problem was recalled in 2004 malibu's but no recall on 2006. When power steering goes out, car has to be manually turned until you can turn car off and restart so power steering will be activated again. Very dangerous when you are in traffic and have to stop and start car again.
Power steering cut out at random times.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 60 MPH on normal road conditions, the steering wheel locked without warning. The driver intermittently experienced extreme difficulty while steering. The vehicle was steered in one direction and suddenly, within a few seconds there was a clicking noise; followed by the steering wheel system locking. The contact was able to resume normal operation. The authorized dealer was notified of the malfunction. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was unavailable. The current mileage was 97,912.
I have a 2006 chevy malibu that has a system error "low steering fluid". The kicker is the car doesn't take fluid. I call the dealer and they state there is a discussion of recall for the electronic steering but nothing yet. Reading on line this appears to potentially be a major safety problem. Is this car at risk to drive if I can't afford to fix this problem right now?
Gm/chevrolet/malibu 2006 1st occurrence about a month ago. Three times - several hundred miles apart. Power steering fails when car in motion - manual steering requires significant effort to get car to side of road. Turning the ignition off then restarting the car reset the power steering. No indication on instrument panel before or after. Immediately called dealer. They said there might be an overvoltage problem and would order the part. Have heard nothing more. (springhill motors - springhill, la) today the power steering failed three times in less than a mile. Finally muscled the car home without power assisted steering. I was able to reset the power steering while in park. While still in park, turning the wheel the slightest bit to the left causes power steering to fail. If wheel turned right immediately after restart, the steering does not fail - but turning it back to the left brings immediate failure. If this has not become an issue and a recall, it certainly needs to become one. I doubt I would have been able to react in time had I been on at highway speed in a curve. The initial feeling is not that steering has become difficult, rather that steering has become locked and impossible.
Today 21 september 2009, the electronic assist power steering on our 2006 chevrolet malibu stopped functioning, resulting in the vehicle aggressively pulling to the left. The result of this failure at highway speed makes this vehicle unsafe for passengers and for other vehicles adjacent to the car. Attempts to correct this failure by resetting the ecu have failed, and the vehicle continues to pull aggressively to the left even while stationary.
2006 chevrolet malibu displayed "power steering" on information screen while driving. Other times, all the dash displays go dark for several seconds. Sometimes the dash displays take several seconds to "light up" on starting the car. Dealer found no "codes" to indicate what the problem is. Dealer speculates there is an internal short in steering motor.
We have a steering problem. The car now has 19,636 miles on it. Earlier this year while I was coming home from work the steering locked up on it. I managed to get off the road. But it's very difficult to steer. A power steering warning message came on. Last week the same thing happened but this time I was still on the parking lot. When you turn the car off and restart, the steering will be ok but I never know when it'll lock up again. It makes me scared to drive it. My husband took it to the dealership but nothing showed up when it was tested. I contacted gm with the problem. It's awful to have a nice car and to be afraid you'll have an accident when you drive it.
Power steering warning indicator on dic, eps motor failure. The steering will lock up while in the middle of driving. Typically, worse in highway speeds. Very dangerous! The vehicle is 3 years old and has been replace 14 months ago. Now, needs the eps motor replaced again. Screams of product flaw/defeat to me. Chevy should do something before someone is killed.
Electric power steering locks up at any speed.
Power steering failure on chevy malibu 2006 gm. The power steering light almost always pops up on the dashboard. It was most worst when the steering wheel locked on me on a 70 MPH highway and I was going about 65. This put my family's life in danger and mine, but were able to avoid an accident. By putting the car in neutral and restarting the car.
The power steering on our 2006 chevy malibu locks up intermittently. Just purchased it as a used vehicle two weeks ago for our 16 year old daughter and it has already happened twice. Each time we have brought it into the dealership. The first time they said there was nothing wrong and it checked out fine. We didn't even have the car back a week and it happened again. It is a definite safety hazard, especially for a new and inexperienced driver. It is in the shop now and they say it needs a new steering column assembly. I have researched this problem via internet and found numerous similar stories. There have been people who have hit guard rails and other vehicles because of the steering locking up. The most recent incident date is listed below.
Steering wheel locks up while driving - happens at random - at all different times. Dealer acted like it was no big deal and of course they want me to pay for it when I have now found out that I am not the only one complaining about this problem. It is dangerous, and it could cause fatality. Some kind of new steering system - gm better idea - probably because it is cheaper!!!
2006 malibu power steering stop working while driving down the road. There are tons of complaints about this and even a recall on 2005 for the same thing. This problem makes the car unsafe. The dealer thinks they can fix it for about $1000.00 dollars. This is a safety issue it needs to be taken care off by gm. I am afraid to let my wife drive it. Every other day the '!@#$% thing quits working.
Loss of steering while driving. It happens anytime, anyplace, without warning. When you stop and restart it works again sometimes. Restarted 20 times today and did not work. Waited 3 hours steering worked fine. My wife will not drive this car anymore, nor do I want her to. This is definitely a safety problem and needs to be researched and a recall issued. It is a gm defect and they should take some of the millions in tarp money taxpayers are giving them and fix this problem. I called gm and they pretty much told me to get out my wallet and take it to the dealer.
There were no events leading up to the failure. The power steering on my 2006 chevy malibu lt 2.2l cuts off without warning. The steering wheel has a tick and makes a grinding noise. When it first started, it only occurred occasionally. Now it happens when I start my car, idling, and while I'm driving. I searched online and found that many other malibu owners are having the same problem. Thankfully, there have not been any crashes but many close calls.
Steering wheel locks up while driving p.s its not the first time it happens.
My car was driving decent then one day out of the blue I was pulling out of my driveway and the power steering went out. After sitting for a while trying to figure out what was wrong it reset itself. Then while turning in a major intersection it went out again leaving me barely able to get through the intersection on to the side of the road out of traffic. Again the power steering went out 4 more times that day on my way to the dealership. They tell me it has to have a new steering column and motor which we do to the sound of $500. Two months later backing out of my driveway and it starts again. I have 3 young children and afraid that one day we may not be able to get through the intersection since there is no warning when this may occur. This is a sever danger to not only me but to those unfortunate to be around me when this happens, not to mention I am now out $500 dollars and the problem is still there.
Wife, mother-in-law, and two daughters on 400 mile trip while traveling approximately 70mph on interstate, the car makes a sudden and violent left turn. My wife pulls hard to keep the car on the highway and manages to keep control. After determining there was no fix, they proceeded home with constant pressure on the wheel to keep it from turning left. At home I inspected the car. When you start it, the wheel will turn full left all by itself. I can turn it right with alot of effort, but if I let go or slip, it turns full left. There is no lights, bells, warnings or anything. Took the car to the dealer, and they said the electric power steering column was way out of calibration, and I had them calibrate it. It worked for 1 day and not turns right. Gm refuses to admit this is a safety issue, but I don't see how it cannot be. The owner is a 65 year old lady on ss and cannot afford the $850 repair bill and gm does not admit any issues. She cannot safely drive the car without it trying to turn to the ditch at any moment. Right now it is constantly turning to the right.
While driving, I accelerated and turned right to switch lanes, it was fairly hard acceleration. Suddenly during the acceleration I lost the power steering assist, it almost felt like the steering locked up and fought my turning the steering wheel. After I let up on the accelerator the power assist returned. This is the second time this has occurred, the first time in june 2009. At that time a warning chime went off and a power steering warning flashed briefly on the dic display.
2006 chevy malibu 3500 3.5 l v6 power steering goes out. My steering wheel locks up. Almost hit a car in the other lane.
I have a 2006 malibu which we purchased last may with 50k miles. The car originally started making a clunking noise when turning about 6 months after we bought it. That I can live with but now we have power steering problems. The power steering comes & goes & the steering wheel starts vibrating & turning all on its own. We took the car to the shop & discovered that the steering column needs replaced. After researching the last few months on the net I've seen that this problem is huge in all malibu's 2004 - 2008 models. I find a gm parts bulletin in which you can get these parts replaced at gm's cost for a 2005 with the same problem but nothing for a 2006. I feel like this should be a recall because it can be life threatening. The car gives you no warning of a problem, the steering wheel just starts going crazy. Special bulletin in reference to the 2005 model is #07126. How can gm justify only replacing 2005 models when all seem to have the same defect. Please let me know if there is a parts bulletin & if I'm just over looking it. *tr thanks rhonda barnes
My steering wheel locks up tight .. Cannot use have to pull off road wherever I'm at...2006 chevy malibu...was looking online and it is very common with the make... Will gm wait until people die before they go good with this problem? They are aware and don't seem to care...this year and model should have recall on the steering column....very dangerous.
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