2007 Chevrolet Malibu STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO TURN. THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING ASSIST WAS PREVIOUSLY REPLACED HOWEVER THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 149,000. UPDATED 05/19/14*LJ THE STEERING WHEEL POSITIONING SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 MALIBU AND TURNING A CORNER WHEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. LUCKILY I WAS IN AN AREA WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES AT THE TIME. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME, WHEN I STARTED IT AGAIN THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND MODEL FROM WHAT I HAVE READ. THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING AND COMES BACK ON AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR. THE ISSUE RECURS WITHOUT WARNING. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE 2007 FOR THIS KNOWN ISSUE. *TR

I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE MY HOUSE IN MY 2007 CHEVY MALIBU AND WHEN I WENT TO TURN MY WHEEL TO GET OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY I COULD NOT TURN IT. I PULLED BACK IN THE DRIVEWAY AND TRIED AGAIN, SAME THING. WE HAD A FRIEND COME OVER WITH A DIAGNOSTIC AND IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING. FROM READING ALL OF THE OTHER NUMEROUS COMMENTS, I AM SURPRISED THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. HOPING GM DOES SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.

WHILE MAKING A TURN AND ACCELERATING IN MY 2007 MALIBU, THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WENT OUT AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO GO STRAIGHT, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO GO UP THE CURB. AFTER LETTING OFF THE GAS, THE STEERING CAME BACK AND I WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL. DURING THIS TIME, THE DASH DISPLAYED "POWER STEERING" AND MADE A CHIME. *TR

THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED IN 2010, BUT HAS PROGRESSIVELY BECOME WORSE AND MOST CONSTANT. THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL STEERING WILL SHAKE AND JERK UNCONTROLLABLY AT TIMES. THE CAR DOES NOT ALWAYS SHAKE AND JERK, BUT THIS OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE PER DAY. SOME DAYS IT WILL SHAKE AND JERK NON STOP FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, OTHERS IT WILL BE SHORT AND QUICK. THE CAR GENERALLY WILL SHAKE AND JERK FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN WILL DISPLAY ON THE DISPLAY "POWER STEERING" AND CHIME. THE SHAKING OCCURS WHILE DRIVING AND ALSO WHEN IN PARK. DEPENDING ON THE SEVERITY, THE JERKING CAN JOLT THE CAR INTO THAT DIRECTION. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THIS COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE JERKS ARE NOT CONTROLLABLE BY TWO HANDS. OFTEN WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR LOOKS AS IF IT IS JERKING BACK AND FORTH IN ITS LANE DUE TO THE ROUGH JERKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS IS THE MOST NERVE RACKING WHILE DRIVING IN WEATHER SUCH AS SNOW OR RAIN, WHERE THE ROAD IS SLICK OR SLIPPERY. HAVING THE CAR JERK AROUND ON ICE IS JUST AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. WHEN THE PROBLEM FIRST OCCURRED, I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A GM DEALERSHIP AND HAD IT INSPECTED. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THAT THE ONLY OPTION WAS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN BUT THEY COULD NOT SAY IF THIS WOULD FIX THE ISSUE. AFTER REVIEWING MANY COMPLAINTS AND CONCERNS ONLINE, I RESEARCHED FOR RECALLS. I FOUND THAT MANY MODELS SIMILAR TO OURS HAVE BEEN RECALLED, BUT NOT OUR SPECIFIC YEAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY MALIBU WHEN SUDDENLY THE STEERING BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. I MANAGED TO PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. I PULLED OUT MY MANUAL FOR THE 2007 CAR AND I WAS DIRECTED TO THE KIND OF POWER STEERING THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE INSTALLED IN MY CAR. THE MANUAL INDICATES THAT THE 2007 MANUAL FOR MY CHEVROLET MALIBU LTZ WITH A V6 ENGINES SHOULD HAVE A HYDRAULIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM IN PLACE. IT ALSO SHOWS BY ILLUSTRATION THE POSITION OF THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR. I TOOK THE CAR TO A CHEVROLET DEALER IN ARLINGTON, MA. AND THE MECHANIC SAID THIS CAR HAS NO POWER STEERING RESERVOIR. I SHOWED HIM THE MANUAL AND HE SAID THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG HERE. CALL GM CUSTOMER CARE AND MAYBE THEY CAN RESOLVE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY WROTE THE MANUAL. *TR