I bought the car and the next day it randomly locked up my steering in the middle of traffic. If I turn my car off then turn it on while jerking the wheel side to side it will allow me power steering for just a short moment. Once it worked for a month continuously without shutting off on me then it randomly started locking up again. There’s no symptoms or warning except for the car steers on its own while in park. The wheel moves and makes a screeching noise. It’s locked up on me in traffic numerous times. It’s a huge hazard. Trying to get off the street when it locks up is just a safety hazard for everyone around.
2007 Chevrolet Malibu: jerking or lurching
54 of the 977 complaints about the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu describe jerking or lurching.
- owner complaints
- 54
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,200
- typical mileage
- 100,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 47 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Jerking or lurching by model year
What owners say
Our 2007 chevy malibu ls has 83,000 miles on it. We bought it new at red wing chevrolet in 2007. 82,000 miles were put on it the first three years we owned it. The rest were when we only drove it in the summer time to special occasions. Lately we have been noticing that the steering jerks once in a while. Today the warning "power steering" came on the display. I called gm and they said that there was a recall that was only VIN specific, and our car wasn't one of them!! Hello, we have a 2007 malibu and it does have that problem!! There should be a legal obligation for them to cover the cost of this repair.
Power steering shuts off intermittently. The steering wheel jerks from side to side and shakes whether the power steering is working or goes out. This creates a dangerous situation while driving. This happens every time I drive the vehicle. Having small children makes this issue even more dangerous and it is not covered under a recall.
The power steering is locked and stiff while driving making it hard to turn and it jerks when I power the car on.
Driving and the steering got kind of jerky, car wanted to wander and made it hard to drive straight, then above the radio it displayed "power steering" does this on and off wherever you're driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. While the vehicle was at a stop, the steering wheel jerked and there was a strong vibration. Also, the eps indicator flashed. The vehicle was taken to bommarito chevrolet south (6127 s lindbergh blvd, st. Louis, mo 63123, (314) 487-9800) performed an unknown recall repair, but the failure continued within less than sixty days. The dealer indicated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed and repaired again. The vehicle was repaired for now. The manufacturer was notified and provided a $100 voucher. The failure mileage was not available. *bf consumer stated the use of this particular electric steering column was a design flaw and that they should address the issue. Electric motors should never be used on steering columns. Hydraulic pumps have always been the safe design. If a hydraulic pump fails it still works till you get fluid.*jb 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).'
My car will shake back and forth intermittently while driving. When I stop and park, it may also continue to do this. This happens regardless of the road that I am driving on and regardless if I am on highways or city roads. Certain times, the steering wheel will jerk on its own one way or the other and I have to overcorrect the jerking to ensure that I stay on the road.
STEERING WHEEL TWITCHES WHEN THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM ACTUALLY WORKS, BUT IN MOST CASES THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK. THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM WILL ALSO GO OUT AND QUIT WORKING AS I AM DRIVING MY VEHICLE CAUSING A SUDDEN JERK IN THE STEERING OF MY VEHICLE. Consumer stated sensor has been replaced twice now and power steering currently is not working again. This is a safety concern because power steering would randomly quit working while driving. Consumer found a similar recall for this issue on other year Chevy Malibu but for some reason consumer's model is not included in the recall, but is still having the same issue.
Power steering failed while making a turn onto the freeway. Steering wheel locked up and jerked the car to the left and almost made us go off the ramp if we had not gained control. Chime started going off but no light in dash indicating something is malfunctioning. Steering wheel shakes left and right while car is idle and while driving. Chime is frequent while driving because of steering wheel shaking.we have a video of this happening when car was on idle.
I started paying on my 2007 chevy malibu last year and now the power steering is going off randomly. There was a recall in 2015 but not all of the malibu's were part of it acording to gm. I will be going down the road and it will just stop working and the steering wheel will jerk to the right. It goes off when your sitting stationery or even turning also. This is a safety hazard to anyone who has a malibu not just some malibu's with a specific VIN number.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet malibu. While driving 25-30 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel jerked and went in another direction. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact purchased power steering fluid, but was unable to locate a reservoir. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 146,098.
Steering wheel will sometime wiggle back and forth on its own while stationary out some times while driving and while driving sometimes feels like it is trying to turn on its own, info panel popped up saying"power steering". Turned the car off and looked under to see if fluid was leaking, it was not. Turned the car back on and steering was fine for a while then jerky again, seems similar to torque sensor recall for other malibus but my VIN is not listed as having that recall
Service bulletins that may apply
- This service bulletin provides information on some vehicles that may rock or move slightly forward or...
- GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities
- This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid.
- This Warranty Admin service bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required...
- The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle...
- Power train
- This bulletin provides information on Policies Applicable to All U.S. Dealers for Engine and Transmission...
- This service bulletin provides information on OEM and Remanufactured Engine and Automatic...
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- 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
Questions about the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu jerking
Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu?
54 of 977 owner complaints about the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu (6%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2008.
How much does it cost to fix jerking or lurching on the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,200 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu?
There is 1 recall and 47 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu
Power steering loss 198Steering lock-up 90Fuel gauge 66Check engine light 57Engine failure 54Loss of power 52Airbag light 45Adaptive cruise 27Harsh shifting 20Steering noise 18Fuel pump 16Stalling 14Pulling 11No deployment 9Won't start 7Ball joint 6Grinding brakes 6ABS 5Knocking 5Seat belt 5Shudder 5
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