The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the contact noticed a vibrating and clicking sound coming from the steering wheel. The “Service ESC” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, and the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed torque sensor within the steering column. The contact was informed that the torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
Chevrolet Malibu steering noise problems
188 of the 19,367 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Malibu describe clunking or noise when steering, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 188
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 66,204
By model year
Often reported together
Harsh shifting 35Power steering loss 22Knocking 20Jerking 12Steering lock-up 10Grinding brakes 10Pulling 8Loss of power 7
Trouble codes mentioned
P0352 1P0302 1C0545 1C0277 1
What owners say
It grinds ,steering wheel make noise when backing out wobbling in front when on highway it feels like the back end of being pushed and stalls sometimes
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a knock, clicking, and looseness in the steering column while turning the steering wheel in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V153000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,000.
The dash is displaying service power steering service tire monitor system service ESC and traction control. All of which have been recalled on other 2008 Chevy Malibus with different VIN numbers then mine. I feel my Malibu is unsafe and needs to be inspected and placed on the recall list as well. I am available to have the car inspected as soon as possible. The steering is popping and grinding when I turn. The steering wheel jerks when I drive over bumps and the car sways and swerves which makes it hard to control. This is a family vehicle my young child rides in the car daily and I worry about his safety due to the steering locking up like the other recalled Malibus. I am scared to drive it I feel like it is very unsafe. The vehicle has only been inspected by my Certified mechanic. There were warning lights displayed on the dash as I stated above. They've been since I bought the car at the beginning of February.
There is a clicking noise in the steering wheel column while it jerks both left and right while driving. Happening every time it is driven hard to turn steering wheel both left and right.
Rack and pinion failure causing play in the steering, pull to one side, clunking and rapid shaking of the steering wheel when braking.
My cars steering wheel started to make noise in the steering wheel then it started to move slightly.very slightly while I was driving. After a little bit more of driving the same day. The problem got worse and the steering wheel would lock and only locked once while I was driving at low speed
I bought my car used from a buy here pay here and maybe a month or so after buying my car I started noticing different little quirks here and there with my car, like if it's wet outside my brake lights either do not work or it looks like I am riding my breaks, if it's wet out my car hesitants while driving, my check air bags light is on, the traction control signal is on, my steering arm makes a very weird noise sometimes the list goes on and when I decided to check and see if my car had any recalls on it, to my discovery there is at least 4 one just from 2019 and all sounds so very much like what my car has been doing for months. I am hoping to receive some information back on what to do next.
Steering operation at low speeds makes clicking noise, both in forward and reverse, sounds like it is coming from under the dash. Steering still operates normally.
While driving car steering wheel started to make a clicking sound both left and right then when I stoped car battery needed to be jumped started become hard to control car and it seemed as if car wanted to lose power I was on waterman and baseline. On the street when it began..07/15/2020 I had recall n140226 14116 with a chevy manufacturer malibu dealership
Related recalls
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
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
Steering: rack and pinion
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These retainers could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began on february 5, 2004. Owners should contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080; chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438; oldsmobile at 1‑800‑630‑6537; or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668.
Recall number 03V527000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Malibu steering noise
Which Chevrolet Malibu years have clunking or noise when steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (52 complaints), 2006 (34 complaints) and 2004 (27 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix clunking or noise when steering on the Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 21 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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