2010 Chevrolet Malibu Steering Problems

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel was shaking and locked up, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. A dealer or an independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the warranty on the vehicle had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.

NHTSA ID

11751580

Incident

Jul 18, 2026

Mileage

146,000 mi

Power steering has gone out.

NHTSA ID

11738341

Incident

May 16, 2026

1.The ESC system and power steering lights come on and sometimes go off making it extremely unsafe to drive due to not having proper control of the steering wheel. It is available for inspections at any time. 2.Being able to turn and use steering wheel correctly puts me and my family at risk for collisions. 3.confirmed by a code reader. And personal Mechanic. 4. No inspections have been made at dealership u called and they said there was no recall. 5. No other than the steering wheel moving on its own when at a stop light.

NHTSA ID

11737052

Incident

May 3, 2026

Power steering went out and I'm told it's a sensor that is in the steering column. Very expensive to have fixed due to location of the sensor. I seen a recall for this problem however it is only good for 150,000 miles or 10 years. I just purchased this car 2 years ago with 172,000 miles. This recall should still be valid if it hasn't been repaired. I almost wrecked the car not realizing this happened while driving.

NHTSA ID

11736746

Incident

Mar 1, 2026

The power steering goes out at times. When I start up or when I am driving my steering will get harder and I get a power steering warning on the dash. If I shut the car off, sometimes it goes away but most of the time it does not.

NHTSA ID

11722023

Incident

Feb 26, 2026

In 2014 there was a recall issue on 2004 to 2009 Chevrolet malibus 2.4 l motors with the electric power steering assist motor. They were to be replaced with labor and free cost. A recall is a safety issue that has no expiration date. In 2015 GM issued a special coverage adjustment for 2010 through 2012 Chevy malibus. This special adjustment is for those vehicles 2010 through 2012 to have the power steering assist motor replaced for up to 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original service date. The problem with that is I have a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu that has the exact same electric power steering assist motor that the 2004 through 2009 half but yet I only have a special coverage adjustment which is not even close to a recall where there is no expiration date on when the manufacturer would replace the electric power steering assist motor free of charge. The issue with the electric power steering assist motor was a malfunctioning of a bushing issues in the motor. I have the same electric power assist motor in my Malibu that all the recall Malibu's 2004 to 2009 have. So what made the difference after 2009 with this product the electric power steering assist motor? Today February 13th 2026 my electric power steering assist motor will only work when I reset the system. I almost had an accident because the power steering went out and I was driving. Took my Malibu to repair shop called Express pro in Indianapolis Indiana and they diagnosed it power steering assist motor failing. I do not fall under the special coverage adjustment although that's really for non-safety concerns a recall is first safety issues with no expiration date and my 2010 Malibu should be in the recall. I cannot afford $1,500 to get this motor replaced which I had no clue there was even a recall until today. The car will set until there is a recall issue which is the only fair thing to do when it was issued for 2004-2009 Malibu's since there was no change in the electric power steering assist motor.

NHTSA ID

11717933

Incident

Feb 13, 2026

My steering wheel is twitching & possibly failing due to the torque steering sensor & it is very unsafe to drive

NHTSA ID

11717284

Incident

Feb 4, 2026

Power Steering Randomly Goes off taking the Traction Control with it. Terrible for the snow roads to have. Have to life the steering wheel slightly when starting to the car get it to work. Steering Angle Sensor or Torque Position Sensor Maybe??

NHTSA ID

11705344

Incident

Nov 19, 2025

I lost power steering while driving, making the wheel hard to turn. While the car is idle, the steering wheel shakes. Also “ESC” pops on on the dashboard.

NHTSA ID

11697960

Incident

Nov 3, 2025

Lug studs repeatedly snap at wheel no matter how installed.

NHTSA ID

11668298

Incident

Jun 21, 2025

My power steering quit working

NHTSA ID

11651517

Incident

Jan 2, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated while making a left turn, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver and the steering wheel vibrated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11640675

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

Mileage

120,000 mi

Steering not working correctly it is ver hard to turn steering wheel. Cluster lights went out so dashboard lights do not work, brake lights not working seems to be electrical problems with the vehicle

NHTSA ID

11632940

Incident

Nov 29, 2024

• Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. • The failure of the power steering system made it extremely difficult to steer the vehicle, especially at lower speeds, which put my safety and the safety of others at risk by increasing the likelihood of an accident. It would turn on and go off by itself at random spurts, which was very unusual. • No, the problem has not been reproduced by another dealer. • The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer’s service department. As well as, not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. • No it just randomly had a warning light one day when I got in it to crank it like a normal day. But never warned me before hand, but when it did come on, But it appeared on the dashboard indicating a power steering issue, and abs and brake warning light. The abs and brake warning light first appeared about two weeks before the complete failure of the system. Which I became without a vehicle for about 3 months because of it.

NHTSA ID

11595843

Incident

Apr 22, 2023

Casi tengo un accident por q mi power steering dejo de funcionar se puso duro y e visto muchos malibu con el mismo problema

NHTSA ID

11575709

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

Power steering and yes it is. Not safe to drive because of the steering. The dealership has changed the part under the recall as well as the warranty Yes by several people No warning lights or anything came on to show that there was a issue

NHTSA ID

11572419

Incident

Mar 4, 2020

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the engine / it stopped while I was driving / dealer charged me $2000 for a replacement engine, then after that my Power steering gave out , My ESC turns off and on / car jumps while driving my whole dashboard goes crazy How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the car stopped while i was driving multiple times , my kids were in the car for 2 of them, it stops with out warning. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes the Used car dealership i bought it from is well aware and basically not helping at all Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no , no warnings signs came on until after the engine was changed and they go on and off

NHTSA ID

11560147

Incident

Jun 26, 2023

My service esc light and no esc light randomly pop up and I lose power steering in my 2010 malibu. I've heard there are warranties for this but only if your vehicle is at 150000 miles. Mine is at 160k. Ibe changed the torque sensor and motor to power steering. No fix. It seems that if gm knows about this problem, they should be responsible. I can't afford to keep dishing out money on parts that aren't working. Super annoying

NHTSA ID

11549929

Incident

Oct 13, 2023

THE ESC IS HARD TO STEER AND THE SEATBELT LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN WHEN I'M WEARING MY SEATBELT

NHTSA ID

11535178

Incident

May 7, 2023

I was driving down the road after I bought the car and the steering suddenly went out the DIC said "service esc" and "service traction" and I could barely move the steering wheel I was lucky to be on a country road because if I was on the highway I could have lost complete control and caused an accident I took it to a mechanic and they said "the dielectric grease in the bcm connector wore out" when I googled it I saw there was a recall but when I contacted the dealer they said there was nothing they could do for me. this is very concerning as who knows how many malibus steering could randomly go out over such a stupid problem i could be available if you would like to inspect the car/systems

NHTSA ID

11528235

Incident

Apr 1, 2023

after starting car, orange triangle indicator light came on (traction control I believe) and Message: "eng reduction loss of power steering, drove to Midas for oil change a couple miles away with manual steering(more difficult that my 61 Pontiac Tempest). I turned car off and immediately restarted and power steering was restored, car was fine driving home after oil change. In addition, I've owned the car about two months and have put on around 4,000 miles(Drove it back from Arizona), I've already had the thermostat replaced in S. Dakota, fuel pump replaced in Wisconsin and exhaust manifold in Michigan.

NHTSA ID

11521835

Incident

May 12, 2023

First off the power steering goes out and can only be fixed by applying dielectric grease to the bcm but that will fix it. second the airbag light will randomly go on but this can also be remedy by fixing the yellow connection under the passenger seat try jiggling it if that doesnt fix it just cut the two wires off the connector's and splice with crimp connectors. hope this helps you as much as it did me :)

NHTSA ID

11517767

Incident

Apr 12, 2023

Power Steering and ESC light on

NHTSA ID

11513273

Incident

Mar 22, 2023

Hello I am very upset I was driving down the street normal day then all of a sudden my steering wheel got hard to turn... Then esc/power steering light came on. My steering wheel does shakes a little because it's dangerous to drive. I called to the Chevy dealership they said that they couldn't fix the problem because it was pass the due date. But there's a big problem with this because there were recalls for this problem and I know about the special coverage but there's no way I should have to come out of pocket for this failure that Chevy knows about! Please help it's very dangerous to drive this car the way it is... Really my only transportation back & forth to work

NHTSA ID

11512149

Incident

Mar 4, 2023

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel had become very difficult to turn to the left or right. The contact stated her son was able to pull off the road and stop the vehicle. The steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering failure was intermittent, but eventually became constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering column torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB Number: 15356 (Steering). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,643.

NHTSA ID

11509587

Incident

Jan 16, 2023

Mileage

118,643 mi