Steering. Review the 810 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 142 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

41 crash reports6 fire reports17 injury reports

Steering complaints

810 reports

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130,000 miles · Dec 16, 2013

Steering

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2006 CHEVY MALIBU MAXX. 3.5 ENGINE. WHEN EXITING A RAMP TO ENTER THE EXPRESSWAY THE STEERING ON OUR 2006 CHEVY MALIBU LOCKED UP PULLING THE CAR ACROSS TWO LANES OF TRAFFIC ON THE EXPRESSWAY BEFORE I COULD GET THE VEHICLE UNDER CONTROL . THEN I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. I WAS THINKING LOW TIRE OR BROKEN DRIVE BELT ON THE POWER STEERING AS THE POWER STEERING LIGHT WAS ON. AFTER STOPPING AND RAISING THE HOOD I SAW THE BELT WAS OK AND THE TIRE ALSO WAS OK. NEXT I STARTED TO CHECK THE POWER STEERING FLUID TO LEARN THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING DIP STICK. I STOOD THERE LOOKING STUPID THINKING MAYBE THIS CAR DID NOT HAVE POWER STEERING. WELL THIS WAS A VERY COLD DAY I GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND STARTED THE ENGINE WITH NO POWER STEERING LIGHT. I TURNED THE STEERING WILL AND EVERYTHING WAS OK SO I DROVE SLOWLY TO THE NEXT EXIT. AFTER 500 MILES THIS HAS NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10556280

132,960 miles · Dec 9, 2013

Steering

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THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING, AND I ALMOST HIT A CAR AT INTERSECTION WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE AND THERE WAS SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT #10183 (JULY 20, 2110) POWER STEERING ASSIST, BUT MY VIN # WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS COVERAGE, EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THE COVERAGE IS THE SAME. A DIAGNOSTIC SCAN AT DEALERSHIP VERIFIED CODE CO545- POWER STEERING MODULE. THE PART THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED ON MY CAR WAS PART # 25933396- STEERING COLUMN, AS LISTED IN THE SPECIAL COVERAGE. I HAVE BEEN IN EMAIL/PHONE CONTACT WITH GM SINCE THE INCIDENT. AS OF A PHONE CALL TODAY, THEY REFUSE TO COVER THE COST OF FAULTY STEERING COLUMN OR THE LABOR TO HAVE IT REPLACED. THE TOTAL BILL WAS $645. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10555289

98,000 miles · Dec 1, 2013

Steering

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALARMS STARTED DINGING, AND POWER STEERING SHOWED UP ON RADIO. I LOST POWER STEERING AND WHEEL STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. I COULD BARELY TURN WHEEL TO AVOID ACCIDENT. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE FIXED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10554267

53,000 miles · Nov 26, 2013

Steering

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WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED THE STEERING WHEEL PULLS TO THE LEFT BY ITSELF. ON OCCASION THERE IS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND THE LIGHT COMES ON AND NOW IT IS CONSTANTLY PULLING LEFT. IF I WERE TO LET GO OF THE WHEEL NOW,IT WOULD TURN LEFT AND IT FEELS LIKE I HAVE MINIMAL POWER ASSIST WHEN I TURN RIGHT. IN A NUTSHELL IT NOW FEELS LIKE IT HAS HALF ITS POWER STEERING WORKING ONLY WHEN TURNING LEFT. THERE ALSO IS A CLUNKING NOISE UNDER THE CAR WHEN I TURN THE WHEEL HARD .THIS THUMPING HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR . IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING UNDER THE CAR IS BUMPING THE STEERING LINKAGE WHEN FULLY TURNED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10553916

152,803 miles · Nov 24, 2013

Electronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

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WE WERE NEVER NOTIFIED ABOUT A RECALL THAT OCCURRED WITH THE ENTIRE STEERING SYSTEMS FOR MALIBU'S. THE MANUFACTURES EXTENDED THE RECALL UP TO 150,000 MILES. ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2013, WE WERE BACKING OUT OF OUR PARKING SPOT WHEN OUR POWER STEERING WENT OUT ON US. WE HAD NONE. THEN WE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, SUDDENLY IT WAS THERE AGAIN. HERE LIES THE PROBLEM; WE TOOK IT TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND "THEY" INFORMED US THAT THERE WAS A RECALL IN THE U.S. HOWEVER, WE WERE NOT NOTIFIED AND SINCE OUR MALIBU WAS OUT OF THE 150,000 MILES; THEY SAID THE RECALL WOULD NOT COVER IT. HOW CAN OWNERS OF CARS/TRUCKS GET THEIR SAFETY ITEMS FIXED, WHEN THEY HAVE NEVER RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE?! THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, NOT A PHYSICAL APPEARANCE ISSUE. IF I AM DRIVING ALONG A CORNER AND MY POWER STEERING LOCKS UP, OR SUDDENLY STOPS AND I KILL OR MAIM ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? GM? AS I READ THE OTHER "COMPLAINTS" ON THIS SITE; THIS IS NOT ABOUT CAR OWNERS TRYING TO RECEIVE BRAND NEW CARS.WE ALL JUST WANT OUR CARS TO BE FIXED BY THE RECALL REGARDLESS OF THE MILEAGE AND TO BE SAFE! PERHAPS, WE ALL SHOULD GET TOGETHER AND SUE EVERYONE WHO IS INVOLVED WITH NOT GETTING THE INFORMATION OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND GM. JUST A THOUGHT. I DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER OWNERS, BUT I CANNOT RESTART MY CAR IN THE MIDDLE OF A CORNER OR GOING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 55/65 MILES PER HOUR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10553565

143,218 miles · Nov 23, 2013

Electrical SystemSteering

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AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT A MESSAGE CAME ACROSS MY RADIO/TEMP SCREEN AND SAID POWER STEERING. ALL OF A SUDDEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I DROVE IT A FEW BLOCKS TO MAKE IT HOME WITH ABSOLUTELY NO POWER STEERING. IT WAS TOUGH, BUT I MADE IT HOME. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET CONCERNING MY POWER STEERING. I SEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID ONCE THEY STARTED THEIR CARS AGAIN THE POWER STEERING WORKED, BUT ALSO WENT OUT AGAIN INTERMITTENTLY. SO I WENT OUTSIDE AND STARTED MY CAR AND SURE ENOUGH MY POWER STEERING IS WORKING....FOR NOW. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IT AGAIN FEARING IT WILL GO OUT AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT AND CAUSE A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT. GM NEEDS TO RECALL THESE CARS BECAUSE THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10553522

26,000 miles · Nov 15, 2013

Steering

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WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN THE GARAGE, THERE WERE 4 CHIMES, AND A MESSAGE ON THE DIC 'POWER STEERING.' THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING HAD FAILED AND WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BACK THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE. THE CAR WAS THEN SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED WITH NO RECURRENCE OF THE PROBLEM. IT HAPPENED AGAIN 3 DAYS LATER, SAME PROBLEM. THEN AGAIN, 4 DAYS LATER, SAME SITUATION. WE HAVE NOTIFIED GM OF THE SITUATION. TO US IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. THERE WAS A RECALL IN CANADA WITH GM CARS WITH THIS PROBLEM AND THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED. WHY DOESN'T GM RECOGNIZE THAT THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN THE USA? AS I STATED, IT DOES NOT OCCUR ALL THE TIME. WE WERE TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR TO OUR CHEVROLET DEALER BUT UNLESS THE PROBLEM OCCURS AT THE DEALER, THERE IS NO WAY THAT THEY CAN DETECT THE PROBLEM. THE COMPUTER ONLY STORES 'ERROR CODES' FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. WE ARE FEARFUL OF DRIVING THIS CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10552459

40,000 miles · Oct 30, 2013

Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE STEERING CONTROL MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHI…

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NHTSA ODI #10550114

71,750 miles · Oct 24, 2013

Steering

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MY CAR HAD A DINGING AND THEN ACROSS THE RADIO IT SAID POWER STEERING AND THE CAR WAS VERY HARD TO STEER, I LOST POWER STEERING. I AM AN OLDER LADY AND SLOWED DOWN AND PULLED TO THE SHOULDER AND I COULD NOT EVEN TURN THE WHEEL. I CALLED MY SON TO COME HELP ME. HE GOT IN AND STARTED THE CAR AND THE RADIO DIDN'T SAY POWER STEERING ANY MORE. HE PULLED OUT AND I FOLLOWED HIM. WE GOT TO OUR STREET AND HE STARTED TO TURN RIGHT INTO OUR DRIVE WAY AND HE ALL OF A SUDDEN THREW UP HIS ARMS. HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND CAME AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR STALLED AND THE BELL DINGED AND POWER STEERING CAME ON THE RADIO. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 8/12/13. THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAR AND SAID THE POWER STEERING ASSIST MOTOR WAS SHORTING OUT AND IT WOULD COST ME 699.03 TO FIX. I HAD NO MONEY TO GET IT FIXED AND THE DEALER SAID THEY RE SET THE COMPUTER AND SAID I SHOULD HAVE IT FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. MY SON TOOK THE CAR HOME AND IT HAPPENED TWICE ON THE WAY HOME. ON 9/25/13 WE HAD OUR LOCAL DEALER REPLACE THE MOTOR. THEY TOLD ME THE CODE THE COMPUTER READ SAID IT WAS EITHER THE ASSIST MOTOR OR THE STEERING COLUMN. THEY SAID THE MOTOR WAS THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE AND REPLACED IT. THE TOTAL WAS 643.78 AND THE INITIAL INSPECTION WAS 99.53. ON 10/18/13 I HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN AS I WAS DRIVING INTO THE LOCAL MARKET PARKING LOT, DING,DING, DING AND I LOST POWER STEERING. I ALMOST HIT A PARKED CAR IN THE LOT AND COULDN'T STEER IT. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY SAID IT IS THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT OR THE STEERING COLUMN AND HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM AND CHARGED ME ANOTHER 90.00 TO LOOK AT IT. I CANNOT AFFORD 1200.00 TO FIX THE COLUMN. MY SON SEARCHED THE INTERNET FOR 2006 MALIBU STEERING PROBLEMS AND FOUND TRANSPORT CANADA RECALLED 67,414 2005, 2006 AND 2008 MALIBU'S, PONTIAC AND SATURNS. WHY HAS THE US NOT OFFERED A RECALL. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT NOW. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10549439

41,000 miles · Oct 24, 2013

Steering

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED AS THE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE WARNING ALARM SOUNDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND UPON RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMALLY. THE FAILURE WAS RECURRING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE TORQUE CONTROL AND STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.

NHTSA ODI #10549317

Official recalls

15V064000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Feb 4, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

14V252000 · Electrical System:wiring; Electronic Stability Control (esc); Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch; Vehicle Speed Control:cruise Control

May 14, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Electronic Stability Control (esc)