Rear steering knuckle and control arm knuckle.my car moves side to side. I have replaced everything in the rear end. I just recently bought this car.
Chevrolet Malibu ball joint problems
140 of the 19,367 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Malibu describe ball joint or control arm failure, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 140
- worst model year
- 1997
- typical repair cost reported
- $981
- typical mileage
- 77,000
By model year
Often reported together
Power steering loss 8Harsh shifting 7Check engine light 7Wipers 6Steering noise 6Premature wear 6Fuel pump 5ABS 5
What owners say
Got this car Oct 16 2025 and check engine lights on the place in Greenbriar dreka passed emmission and the shop explicit auto sold me car for 7500 been having problems with car since owner told me to do what I need to do no refund nothing in writing saying as is this car needs axles ball joint lower arm control and more car not safe for me and my kids this car go get emission passed so when u take title to DMV you can get a tag for a car that not passing emissions also purchase a second car same day Oct 16 2025 and this car need oil pump oil sensor brake sensor brake caliber and more and explicit auto wont fix cars the man that sell these cars are on Instagram and dolufree and explicit auto is the name of both Names if you look you'll see light on in every car he post and sell to people for high price and no results when you bring car back every car sold from them need to be investigated. We need help I have two cases that I cannot drive and I was charged 13,500 for both cars and this is illegal for someone to use someone else access and get these cars and sell them under someone else license the address for business have a old national address but cars being sold at 2263 metropolitan pkwy and I don't know what to do at this point
The EPS began sporadically and severely jerking the steering very powerfully while driving and stationary and draining the battery at an accelerated rate necessitating multiple replacements of and charging 2 batteries to get to and from my job and anywhere else making everyday life very difficult beginning in early 2024. A couple months before this issue became a daily and constant occurrence in in February 2024 between the 6th and 13th I had a stabilizer link and control arm on the right side replaced and an alignment done at Firestone, on the document for the alignment it states no manufacturers recommended services necessary on suspension. The mechanic who replaced the parts told me that the EPS issue is a likely cause for the steering system damage as a vehicle is not meant to remain stationary while the wheels are forcibly turned as is the case when the EPS takes over and jerks the wheel often to the extremes of its function. I have video of this on multiple occasions and it can be inspected still occuring. I took it to Hendrick Chevrolet Shawnee Mission in April 2024 and explained the services done recently and the mechanics opinion on the EPS. They held my vehicle for 3 days not saying it would take so long, during which I had to use a truck I had just bought and was not ready to be driven to get to work, it's transmission blew and has sat since. They called me to come pick it up and only once there told me they had refused to replace the recalled EPS unit "due to loose steering" as quoted from the document Given to me. I asked them to reconsider since this was the only vehicle I had running and charging batteries and being nearly forced off of the road or into other cars daily was very concerning, they simply told me to take it to another dealership for "a second opinion" I stated I didn't have time for another dealer to hold my car for days because my truck had just gone OOC, they held their position and I drove it until forced to buy a new car in 03/2025
I am financing a 2007 chevy malibu from r n r car co on 411 gratiot in mt Clemens has had one problem after the other first the brakes went fix I told them there was a sway problem up front wanted it fixed before I took it off the lot they did not I could’ve been seriously hurt the sway bar tie rod n control arm went in the front of the car dealership said would help with half the bill didn’t help fixed now my car wants to shut down and hesitate to go over 45 miles an hour the crankshaft position sensor wire n some button might need to be fixed im on social security seeking4 help from the va to help me get it fixed told dealership abt this wants 100 an hour from me to fix it plz advise thank you monica wheeler
The power steering light came on on my car after driving on the highway. Pulled over turn car off and on then sign went away. Two days later the power steering and esc light came on and then it went away. Took it to Holm dealership and they requested I change the outer tie rods and lower control arms. Made them changes and the power steering still twitches. This can be a deadly situation if this aint figure out. I don't feel like I should pay all these fees to try to figure the cause of this. Everything I read come up with this electrical power steering sensor.
I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu i bought it in 2014. I have had the Esc light come on in 2016 but no problem with it untill now of this year in 2022. Not knowing the problem i have already put ALOT into it. I took it to a machanic they told me it was the rack and pinion. So got that done . Apparently it wasn't it took it to another machanic they told me it was struts got that done too n still nothing so i looked it up online got CV joint, inner ,tie rod, wheel alignment. All those done n still nothing fix it. I didn't know what else to do until i made more scratch on my vehicle and i found that it could be a recall .
The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received a notification for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V764000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, she began to lose control of the vehicle upon entering the highway as the vehicle independently swayed from left to right. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the shoulder and inspected the vehicle but could not find any visible defects with the vehicle. The contact initially called the police for assistance and a police report was filed. The contact then called her brother who called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic stated that a tie rod had fractured due to severe corrosion which was linked to the recall. The mechanic replaced the tie rod. The local dealer had been notified of the failure and they referred her to the federal safety agency for assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Unknown. Anytime I go in reverse, then put it in drive, hit the breaks, let off the breaks and turn you can hear this popping noise coming from the rear. A lot of group forums for 2016-2019 Malibu’s are complaining about this. I have 3 kids and was told this is a safety issue and should be a recall as there are a lot of them out there with same problems! Could possibly get in an accident from this. A lot of forums are saying ball joints, axles, rear arm bushings, suspension knuckles and other things. Chevrolet should really look into this and make it as a recall as someone’s life could be in danger from these issues.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle loss control while driving at various speeds without warning. After taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing, the contact replaced the struts, the axles, and inner tie rods himself however, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to a dealer where they linked the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the Vin was not under recall. The contact paid out of pocket to have the u-joints replaced however, the repair did not fix the failure. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer where it remained. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering assistance reduced warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to malcolm cunningham chevrolet augusta (2031 gordon hwy, augusta, ga 30909) where she was informed that she had a defective rack and pinion. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed the vehicle with a defective tie rod and had the tie rod replaced. Recently, the contact stated that an abnormal scraping noise would emit from the vehicle upon depression of the brake pedal as the ABS warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The contact then took the vehicle to johnson motor company of south carolina (490 jefferson davis hwy, graniteville, sc 29829) where they repaired the vehicle for a defective pcv hose. An hour after the vehicle was returned to the contact, the same failure recurred. The manufacturer had been notified several times about the failures and several cases were filed. The manufacturer offered no further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 10,757.
Related recalls
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received an improper amount of electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
- Risk
- A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 27, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N212346640. This recall is an expansion of the federal safety agency recalls 20V‑764 and 21V‑633.
Recall number 21V00F000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately fracture.
- Risk
- A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 30, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on January 3, 2022. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N212330130.
Recall number 21V633000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Buick Regal, 2013 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, or Wisconsin. These vehicles may have rear toe links that received excessive electrocoating (e-coat) corrosion protection, which could cause the e-coat to become brittle and break away when contacted by road debris. Over time, the e-coat may chip away, exposing the metal toe link and making it more susceptible to corrosion. Corrosion may eventually cause the toe link to thin and ultimately to fracture.
- Risk
- A rear toe link fracture may reduce the driver's ability to control the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links and adjuster fasteners free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners were mailed an interim notification on January 27, 2021, and April 15, 2021. A third notification was mailed on August 19, 201. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1‑800‑521‑7300 or Chevrolet customer service at 1‑800‑222‑1020. GM's number for this recall is N202308930.
Recall number 20V764000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- General Motors is recalling certain model year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles, manufactured December 6, 2011, through January 15, 2013. One or more rear suspension bolts may not have been tightened to the specified torque. This may lead to sudden changes in vehicle handling.
- Risk
- Sudden changes in vehicle handling may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and retighten the bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notifications have already begun and will be completed shortly. Owners may contact General Motors at 1‑800‑521‑7300.
Recall number 13V024000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Malibu ball joint
Which Chevrolet Malibu years have ball joint or control arm failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (23 complaints), 1998 (21 complaints) and 2005 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix ball joint or control arm failure on the Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $981 (median of 12 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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