2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx Steering Problems

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering assist assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V064000 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 204,000.

NHTSA ID

11647569

Incident

Feb 1, 2025

Mileage

204,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to pull over, but the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to pull over, shut off and restart the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there was no recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 241,000.

NHTSA ID

11539214

Incident

Mar 17, 2023

Mileage

241,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed and attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel failed to turn left or right. The vehicle continued to move forward. The power steering assist fault light was illuminated. The contact had to push the vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her about a power steering sensor failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.

NHTSA ID

11505829

Incident

Jan 10, 2023

Mileage

111,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 206,203.

NHTSA ID

11460929

Incident

Apr 1, 2022

Mileage

206,203 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle inadvertently lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel remained difficult to steer. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence with manual steering. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. Consumer stated "Failed component/part Information", it is incorrect to identify the failure in the hydraulic power assist/power steering fluid. The power steering on my car is electrical assist.

NHTSA ID

11442562

Incident

Dec 2, 2021

Mileage

140,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. The contact stated that while stationary or while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would fail to operate, and the power steering warning light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the steering wheel would lock as the failure occurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with power steering failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was given a case number. The vehicle has been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11435948

Incident

Sep 7, 2021

Mileage

168,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, A GRINDING NOISE BEGAN AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK. THE STEERING VIBRATION CONTINUED PERMANENTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE BEGAN EVER SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED IN OCTOBER OF 2018, BUT HAD BECOME WORSE OVER TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC OR A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11219969

Incident

Jun 13, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

THERE WAS A RECALL FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MINE WAS TAKEN CARE OFF BEFORE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, IT LOST ELECTRIC POWER STEERING AGAIN AND IS NO LONGER UNDER RECALL WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11219735

Incident

Jun 12, 2019

Mileage

206,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING FAILURE THAT CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO SEIZE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 14V153000 (STEERING), 14E044000 (STEERING), AND 15V064000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11181114

Incident

Feb 15, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING POWER STEERING ASSIST WAS LOST WHICH RESULTED IN A DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITION. RECYCLING THE IGNITION KEY RESOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR A DAY OR TWO BEFORE REPEATING. IT APPEARS THIS VIN IS NOT APPLICABLE TO THE GM RECALL FOR THIS KNOWN PROBLEM. RECOMMENDATION TO NHTSA IS TO REOPEN THIS RECALL AND EXPAND THE VIN RANGE TO INCLUDE VEHICLES WITH THIS PROBLEM AND NOT A SELECT FEW JUST TO SAVE MONEY. THIS INCIDENT OCCURS WHETHER DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS OR JUST STARTING THE CAR AND ANYWHERE IN BETWEEN.

NHTSA ID

11180151

Incident

Jan 5, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

CAR LOSES IT'S ELECTRIC POWER STEERING RANDOMLY, WHICH IS A SAFETY CONCERN. APPARENTLY, THERE ARE 2 SEPARATE RECALLS ON THE STEERING COMPONENTS FOR 2006 MALIBUS. GM SAYS THAT 1 OF THE RECALLS RELATED TO MY CAR AND THE REPAIR WAS MADE. SINCE THIS IS A "CLOSED" CASE AND THE REPAIR WAS MADE I HAVE BEEN GETTING THE RUN AROUND FROM BOTH THE DEALERSHIP THAT MADE THE REPAIR AND GM HEADQUARTERS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ISSUE IS THE EXACT SAME ISSUE THAT THE RECALL WAS FOR. CLEARLY, THE RECALL WAS JUST A BAND-AID, NOT A FIX AS I HAVE READ SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE! RADIO ILLUMINATES THAT THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED (WHICH IS WHAT THE RECALL IS FOR). THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE 1. INVESTIGATED 2. FIXED BY GM AND NOT THE OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO PAY $130 TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM AND THEN CHARGE ME TO REPLACE THE SAME PART THE RECALL WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX! THIS IS CRAZY AND DO WE REALLY NEED TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHEN IT CLEARLY SAYS (AND I CAN FEEL) THAT THE POWER STEERING IS FAILING? PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AS IT IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11174527

Incident

Feb 2, 2019

Mileage

84,000 mi

I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AND FOR THE LAST YEAR THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE COMES ACROSS MY RADIO DISPLAY EVERYTIME THE VEHICLE IS ON AND STAYS ON. MY POWER STEERING PUMP IS ELECTRIC AND OCCASIONALLY I WILL LOSE MY POWER STEERING WHILE I AM DRIVING

NHTSA ID

11165759

Incident

May 13, 2017

Mileage

215,830 mi

POWER STEERING ALERT ON DASHBOARD. POWER STEERING HAS BEEN AN ISSUE FOR MY CAR IN THE PAST AND SIMILAR MODELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILING OR HAVING ISSUES.

NHTSA ID

11144767

Incident

Nov 1, 2018

Mileage

144,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. DAVE HALLMAN CHEVROLET (1925 STATE STREET, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA 16501, (877) 260-0369) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSIS PERFORMED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

11131893

Incident

Jul 2, 2018

STEERING GETS VERY TIGHT AT TIMES AT ALL SPEEDS. SUSPECTED THAT ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST MECHANISM IS BAD. THIS PART WAS RECALLED IN 2015 FOR FAILURES.

NHTSA ID

11122908

Incident

Aug 6, 2018

Mileage

145,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK YESTERDAY MORNING AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP SO THAT I COULDN'T TURN LEFT OR RIGHT. THIS CONTINUED TO HAPPEN ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AS WELL TO THE POINT IT WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EVEN AN INCH TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND WAS ON BOTH SIDE STREETS (20-30MPH) & THE HIGHWAY (65MPH).

NHTSA ID

11122893

Incident

Aug 27, 2018

Mileage

109,000 mi

POWER STEERING HAS FAILED INTERMITTENTLY AND BRIEFLY WITH NO WARNING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND UPON MOVEMENT FROM A PARKED POSITION.

NHTSA ID

11120179

Incident

Aug 13, 2018

Mileage

173,000 mi

UNDER ACCELERATION WHEN CHANGING LANES TO PASS POWER STEERING LOCKED AND WARNING CHIME RANG

NHTSA ID

11105136

Incident

Jun 29, 2018

Mileage

202,000 mi

14V153 RECALL WAS DONE AND PROBLEM CAME BACK WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO PAY FOR INSPECTION / DIAGNOSTIC. COMPUTER SCAN SHOWS SAME FAIL OF SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR

NHTSA ID

11098316

Incident

Jan 2, 2016

Mileage

159,000 mi

LOST POWER STEERING ON ACCELERATION ONTO HIGHWAY SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST 2 WEEKS. COULD NOT STEER UNTILL IT RESET AT SPEEDS OF 50+ MPH

NHTSA ID

11084702

Incident

Apr 3, 2018

Mileage

150,000 mi

STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENT 8/17/2009 AND AGAIN 10/29/10 AFTER RECALL. FAILED AGAIN AND JUST HAD TO REPLACE. GM DID NOT NOTIFY CUSTOMERS THAT THERE WAS A SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT - POWER STEERING ADJUSTMENT ISSUED 5-23-2012. UNDER THIS I WAS COVERED BY MILES BUT NOT BY DATE. THIS WAS CLEARLY A WAY FOR GM TO NOT FIX THIS PERSISTENT PROBLEM. THEY CLEARLY KNEW THIS WAS A PROBLEM BUT DID NOT NOTIFY CUSTOMERS. THEY WOULD NOT COVER THIS WORK EVEN THOUGH THEY CLEARLY USED SUB PAR PARTS IN THERE RECALL WORK.

NHTSA ID

11083406

Incident

Apr 2, 2018

POWER STEERING LOSS: WHEN STARTING THE CAR AND ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYS ON THE DASHBOARD AND POWER STEERING IS NO LONGER ACTIVE. IF THE DRIVER STOPS THE VEHICLE AND TURNS THE ENGINE OFF, THE POWER STEERING MAY BE REACTIVATED BY RESTARTING. THIS VEHICLE HAD A RECALL ISSUE SERVICED AT A GM DEALER FOR A TORQUE SENSOR ON 10/8/2014. 3-1/2 YEARS / 30,000 MILES LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS JUST DIAGNOSED WITH THE SAME ISSUE (TORQUE SENSOR) AT AROUND $800. THE DEALER AND GM IS REFUSING TO PROVIDE ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE WITH THIS CURRENT REPAIR. IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING THAT A SAFETY ISSUE SUCH AS THIS, WHICH APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE FOR THIS MODEL YEAR, IS NOT BACKED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING, REQUIRING EXTENSIVE EFFORT TO TURN, CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH TO THIS VEHICLE'S OCCUPANTS AS WELL AS OTHERS. IF A REPAIR FOR A SAFETY RECALL ONLY LASTS 30,000 MILES BEFORE RESURFACING, I WOULD CALL THIS A TEMPORARY BAND-AID, NOT A "REPAIR".

NHTSA ID

11082584

Incident

Mar 26, 2018

Mileage

117,000 mi

MY STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY STARTED MOVING BACK AND FORTH WHILE STOPPED OR PARKED. I CALL GM RE: RECALLS. IT SEEMS THEY ARE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM. MY COWORKER HAS A MALIBU AND HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. HERS IS 2008. I'VE BEEN RESEARCHING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND HAVE COME ACROSS 25 PEOPLE THUS FAR WITH THE SAME PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11081908

Incident

Mar 24, 2018

Mileage

119,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED BEFORE OR DURING THE FAILURE. THE DEALER VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIRS. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V064000 (STEERING) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION HOWEVER THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT NHTSA REGULATED WHAT VEHICLES WAS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND TO CONTACT NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 190,000.

NHTSA ID

11081480

Incident

Mar 26, 2018

Mileage

190,000 mi

WARNING COMES ON RADIO WITH WARNING BEEPS AND ALL POWER STEERING IS LOST UNTIL YOU TURN OFF CAR AND RESTART. IT CAN HAPPEN DURING ANY DRIVING SITUATION AT ANY SPEED. THE CAR HAS ALREADY HAD THE INITIAL RECALL TAKEN CARE OF FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM EVEN THO WE NEVER EXPERIENCED A PROBLEM WITH IT THEN. NOW EVEN THO ANOTHER RECALL WAS ISSUED THEY SAY MY CAR ISN'T IN THAT GROUP. MAKES NO SENSE.

NHTSA ID

11073938

Incident

Feb 20, 2018

Mileage

75,000 mi