Just found my resonator cracked at the back end where the pipe exits, my hobby continues. I am in anticipation of what will go next, my first and last Malibu.
your hobby does seem to be never ending...sorry for all your issues here.....same year here as well, but a Maxx LT....but add 100K to the mileage and have had only one major issue...just had to replace a tire rod......you must have gotten the one built on Mon or Fri.......... :sick:
I to have a 05 Malibu and have had it to the dealer ship several time due to steering. Once again only after a couple months that my warranty ran out the noise started again. I called the dealership and they will do nothing so I called GM and they said to call and make a complaint to NHTSA. I hope now that I have done that they will get to the bottom of this and do a recall.
I have a 2005 malibu LT that has a clunk (very perceptible) when turning past center. This is the second rack the car has had. It has 80K miles and the second rack was replaced at about 40K. Is there a factory bulletin out on the older steering racks?
If the noise is a popping/clunk when turning the wheel, it seems to be a common problem with Malibu owners. My 2005 has had two steering rack assemblies and the noise comes back. Looking at several message boards this is not an uncommon problem. I have even had the problem when getting a Malibu as a rental car. If you have a fix for the problem, great!
As the steering column transitions from under the dash through the firewall, there is a coupling between the two sections. I put a couple of squirts of a synthetic lubricant right into the joint. I then turned the wheel 180 to allow access to the opposite side. Then I turned the wheel back and forth a couple of times. My car now has about 133K on it and the noise is coming back but it's slight. I'll try this "fix" again. Hopefully it's that and not something more serious.
good to see another high mileage one here....04 Maxx with 145K on mine....as far as the clunk...check your tire rods as well.....had the same noise....and I had a bad right tire rod.....once replace....all good again.....
if you havent figured this out yet then i'm going to tell you how to get rid of this noise at high speeds. if its the rattling noise your talking about it is actually coming from outside the vehicle. near your wipers on your windshield is a plastic covering thats the length of the winshield. you will find that if you press on it a little you can see where it is obviously a little loose. get some 3M moulding tape and run it underneath this plastic covering. It will get rid of the noise as i did this same cure and solved the noise.when i was going to college we had an online automotive repair reference center that gave you factory bulletins from gm for maintenance. the bulletin said to do this and it worked. i would get that noise quite often but since id did that no noise its been great. now i'm sure you'll start to get that clunk noise in your steering. there is a bulletin to lubricate the intermediate shaft. you would think that gm would do a recall to fix these things being that so many people are having the same problems but nope no recalls. cheap bastards. last chevy i buy when i had a ford they may not have lasted 200,000+ miles but at least they did there recalls and service was good. Chevy has nice looking vehicles and gret mpg but they are plagued with problems such as these and they do nothing to help the consumer out except try to get you to spend money to fix it when its a factory problem.
I owned a 2003 Impala and this car had a steering clunking noise that took several trips and was never fixed, then I sold it purchased a Malibu LS V6 2003. On this car I only have 14,000 miles and I already have a problem with the steering system. Feb 21, 2009 I took it in for a clunking noise, they replaced the steering shaft, it got better but now is clunking again, Then I took it in on May 21, 2009 because when parking there was a creaking noise when turning wheel, they replaced front strut bellow booths, jounce bumpers worn. Creaking noise still there, took it back on June 13, 2009 and this time they told me they replaced the right front strut and bearing because excessiveli worn. Creaking noise is less but still there. I had called GM on the second repair and complained but they said to take back and dealer to fix it. I am glad I have the extended warranty but it still costed me $ 100.00 for each of the 3 visits and the car has only 14,000 miles! I will never purchase GM cars again. Francesco M
Sorry on my previous note I posted my Malibu as a 2003 I owned a 2003 Impala and this car had a steering clunking noise that took several repairs and it was never fixed, then I sold it purchased a Malibu LS V6 2005. On this car I only have 14,000 miles and I already have a problem with the steering system. Feb 21, 2009 I took it in for a clunking noise, they replaced the steering shaft, it got better but now is clunking again, Then I took it in on May 21, 2009 because when parking there was a creaking noise when turning wheel, they replaced front strut bellow booths, jounce bumpers worn. Creaking noise still there, took it back on June 13, 2009 and this time they told me they replaced the right front strut and bearing because excessively worn. Creaking noise is less but still there. I had called GM on the second repair and complained but they said to take back and dealer to fix it. I am glad I have the extended warranty but it still costed me $ 100.00 for each of the 3 visits and the car has only 14,000 miles! I drive with the worry to lose control, especially on the expressway ! I will never purchase GM cars again. Francesco M
I put the silicon lubricant on the steering column joints but the noise remained. Had the tie rods checked as part of the annual inspection, still good. Had it at the dealer for another issue and they looked at it and indicated the steering rack needed to be replaced to get rid of the clunk. Only 40K on this steering gear.
from what I ve seen on the board...replacing the column is problematic for getting rid of the clunk....have had a slight one in mine for over two years now....and havent worried about it....147K on my 04 Maxx LT...and doesnt seem to have a any long term effects....still on the original steering column......replaced the right front tire rod..during a state safety inspection....around 142K......no other suspension issues
We recently had the same clunking in out front wheel! When we took it to the garage, they sad that the ball loint needed replacing and it cost us $500.00. Now it is back and we can't get any relief from the problem! To make matters worse, we complainded about the same problem twice when the car was under warrenty and they never seemed to fix it! I will never buy another GM car! We ahd a Malibu back in 2001 and then ther were radaditor peoblems.
We have replaced the turning signals on our 2005 Malibu about 15 times, some under warrenty, but most off warrently! Malibus seem to have such a lot of problems with them. We also had problems with the seat coverings, the radio knobs coverings fell off, the CD player went, and the back panel on the front passenger seat had to be replaced twice. The trunk locks were replaced and besaides the major probelme with the clunking on the left side, which they never fixed under warrenty, the back passenger spring had to be replaced and we don't carry anything big all this before 70,000kms. what a rip off GM is and now they decide to try and tell us that they make quality cars, what a joke?
Took ours to the garage when it was there for another issue and dealer said the steering unit needed to be replaced. Have had the ball joints and tie rod ends checked and they were good. The dealer indicated that there were known problems with steering unit and they would replace it for 1/2 price.
for the turn signals...all you need to do is simple rebend the contacts so the base fo the bulb makes contact...they do seem to work loose over time..for some reason......seems like you do get your share of issues concentrated on one car...which is unfortunate......again....mine as been a great car for almost five years now...and almost 250K KMs...or 148K miles.....
I feel your pain, mine 04 fell apart at 43K. Steering rack, rear passenger spring, resonator cracked, and both axle seals leaking. Also turn signal problems, they use the headlights on newer models for DRL.s. Went with a G6 with a 5 year 50 K warranty, when out of warranty it is gone.
Just this week, my 2005 Malibu steering wheel quivers back and forth slightly if I let go of it and I can feel it while holding it. When I make a turn the wheel feels like it grabbing or going over some rough spot of some kind. No noises that I can hear. I checked the fluid level and eyeballed everything I can see and do not see anything out of the ordinary. Any suggestions or advice?
Well its happend again and we are not very car savey but we did take off the front headlight and fooled around with it. It came back for 1/2 half a day, so perhaps your right we need to fix the contacts so the bulb gets a better connection!
We've had a ball joint replaced (which I'm not sure needed to be replaced), the tie rods all checked and it seems that the front end is very in tack! It seems that it is all about lubing the front end! That's my next try!
The first time my rear alignment was out (toe in) it chewed my Bridgestone serenity's with only 30,000k down to slick. After realignment at 6000 kms it's happening again with mainly highway driving. The outside tread is wearing faster. Any ideas what's causing the alignment to go out? Dealership has inspected the rear suspension and sees no indicators.
This describes exactly the problem we are having. It tends to happen at higher speed for me 45-65 mph. My wife said it locked up on her as she was slowing for a light the other afternoon. Also, when she started the car in the store parking lot, the steering wheel shook back and forth. (???) Have you found anything out?
I heard a dinging sound, looked at my display and it said" Power Steering". At that moment I realized that I had no steering! As the 2005 malibu is an electric unit there is no fluid. I took it to my local service center (not GM) and he said the code in the computer called for replacing the steering column. When I started it back, the light was off and my power steering was back. I made an appointment at the dealer, who claimed they never heard of this problem. Sure. I cancelled the appointment. Since then it happened several times. In the morning, soon after starting. I shut the car off and start it again and all is fine. I'm going to clean the 80 amp fuse. Any other suggestions, and anyone else had this problem? My car has 130,000 miles and has been very good until this.
I have a 2005 malibu and cannot find the 80 amp fuse. There are several fuses that are 60 amp, but no 80 in the fuse box. Additionally, I cannot find a fuse for the power steering. Do you know where this is? IS it numbered in the fuse box? gindelm7@aol.com
Just want to log in here that my 04 Malibu also has had steering problems. First took it to the dealer because the "power steering" DIC light came on in August 08 (46,000 miles) They recommended I replace the steering column (my own expense of course) at about $600. I went for the less expenive ($228) replacement of intermediate steering shaft, since the car had no problem with steering except that check power steering light had come on. A year later, 9/9/09 (56,000 miles), the power steering stopped working while I was driving it. Yikes! Scary. This time I had the steering column replaced ($686). So far, no problems with steering, but it's only been two months. I asked for a review by Chevy at their 800 number. After several weeks, they told me tough luck, as it was out of warranty. No apology. No acceptance of poor engineering, etc. I asked them if it was normal to expect that the steering column would go out on their cars at 45,000 miles. No response. Chevy has lost another customer -- I did love the Malibu until I discovered that mine is a lemon. :lemon:
Are you sure of the parts? Have they gone to some weird design? Traditionally, power steering has nothing to do with the steering column. The column is usually just mechanical shaft with maybe a U-joint or two connecting to the rack and pinion with power steering built into it or in the older units steering gear box with power steering in it.
I would definitely report or make a complaint to NHTSA and hang on to receipts. I would think that loss of power steering would be a safety issue and they may force a recall getting you reimbursed. Years ago, to absorb vibration, etc. they used a disk of rubber with several layers of cord in it. At two points on the circumference, 180 degrees apart, it was fastened to one section of the shaft, the other two points in between were fastened to the abutting shaft, and it transferred motion from one to the other. Somewhere in the changes to collapsable columns, Ford used an insufficient design where this was done inside where the sections of shaft (square) slid over the other. To absorb and keep shaft tight they used feathered edges of teflon/plastic at the corners. (on later models of Taurus) Those thin edges of plastic break off after some time and allow slop in steering wheel. So, Chevrolet has come up with what sounds like a stupid idea. I personally see no reason they could not put the electrical pickup portion next to the column, rather than build into. (I am taking a stab in the dark since I don't have details of design) And even if the sensor needed to be around the column, no reason to not remove it by slipping off one end.
the electronic steering is a notorious weak point in the 04 Malibu's..it is a documented problem and has been raised at the highway safety admin website....I would ask the BBB to get involved and start an arbitration filing with them...
seems you either have the problem or not....mine is 6 years old..155K on it and no problems at all
I am experiencing a squeaking noise in the rear of my 2005 Malibu - it only occurs when the outside temperature is below 50 degrees or so and it is dry outside. It is very loud and seems to be in the suspension as it creeks and squeaks when going over any little bump. Any ideas?
One of my 2005 Base Sedans has the same issue (with the cold-weather trigger).
It had it right from the beginning, in the winter of 2005-2006. After the car was slightly rear-ended in the fall of 2006, and its rear bumper had to be taken off and put back for repainting, the noise got more pronounced, happening always in cold weather.
I looked carefully at both my 2005 Sedans to understand the cause. The plastic parts at the rear feel noticeably looser on the problem car. This, in combination with the "bumper effect" leads me to believe that the source of the noise are some plastic body parts rubbing against each other.
Haven't heard the noise this fall yet, and when/if it starts, I'll probably spray some lubricant over the close-to-the-bumper plastic body parts and see what happens.
Interesting and I'd like to know more regarding this.
This caught my eye because of my run on I-95. In addition to the tires not behaving as expected, I feel play in the steering wheel. That is "some movement" before the vehicle starts to respond. The type of play you'd get if you had a bad steering column, worn steering rack or gear box, bad tie rod ends, etc. Also, annoying that with a crown in the road it takes more effort to hold the vehicle straight than I'd expect. This could be tires, alignment, or a really weak power steering.
Replying to your request for more information. The dash console showed "power steering" for about two years before I finally had the steering column replaced, since there did not seem to be any problem with the steering, though the light came on quite often. The dealer said it was a faulty sensor and there was nothing wrong with the steering, but he recommended I replace it. Well, for a $700 decision, I needed more reason than that to say yes. Then, about 18-24 months later, the power steering stopped working while I was driving the car. I could still steer, but not with power. No choice then, but to spend the money. No one at the dealership nor at Cheverlot's support service number would admit to me that it was not acceptable to have a car with about $50,000 miles need a new steering column. I loved that Malibu until this happened, but now I'm steering away from them!
OMG! I dropped mine off, 09 Malibu, because of the looseness in the steering wheel, yesterday. Several local dealers now use Hertz for the loaner car and they put me in an 08 Saturn with the AT4. I'm insulted with GM's thinking. This is the Malibu! There are some minor cosmetic differences. The guy at the counter and I chatted and he said many think the Saturn rides better than the Malibu. Certainly not the one I got. First it has the looseness in the steering also, only worse. But you have to be perceptive to notice it. Vehicle has 25K miles, several scrapes and small dings including large scrapes and cracks in left side wheel covers. The short distance I've driven, I suspect warped rotors or more likely a bent wheel. It sure seems to have been abused. My Malibu better hold up far better or I might park it in the Senate building or White House lawn. I also noted that they can't even come close on tire pressures. One side reads 32 and the other 39 psi. The one they picked me up in was slightly upscale, real leather, but I can only suspect someone applied something they should not have. The leather was hard, almost brittle, and slick. I will say that I prefer the AT6 coupled to the 2.4, hands down. In the past few days I've seen several stupid design things about the Malibu. (and Saturn) The little piece of rubber piece that sits in the bottom of the hand grip on the arm rest, they are not attached and easily sucked into a vacuum. The rubber weather seals that run the length of the vehicle along the roof line and rear window are easily distorted out of position. Poor design. And I live in a humid climate. Only three months old and lots of black mold growing on the paint surface around the trunk lid. The area concealed when the lid is closed. This is common around here, but it likely could have been prevented if they also sprayed the clear coat there.
Something I had not noticed on mine, but on the Saturn, some sort of anti-vibration device. It is located on the lower cross brace just behind the cooling fans. I will certainly have to check if mine has one.
And the SB about the missing diode from the cooling fan circuitry, the dealer knows nothing of it yet. This should be of a very high priority because its absence can damage any electronic component in the vehicle. Damage that leads to an early death and something that GM should therefore be responsible of. I will search for that SB and post back details and if we start experiencing problems because of the bad design, maybe we can start a class action. Big enough that their lawyers get shut down and decide to cover it.
Hello all. wonder if anyone can help me with my problem. I have a 2006 Malibu LT. I recently replaced the front left wheel bearing due to the typical "howling" noise at highway speeds. Now I have another problem. I noticed a very low clunk noise while turning the steering wheel in the front end. I jacked up the vehicle and check to check the ball joints and tie rod ends. While checking the left wheel is tight with no play at all. The right side has a slight side to side play. There is no movement in either the ball joint or the tie rod end. I had my wife turn the wheel while it was in the air and I did hear a slight creak coming from the strut. While wiggling the wheel the whole steering knuckle move back and forth. Is this a problem?
When checking ball joints, the weight needs to be on wheel. Many front end jobs were sold by the mechanic taking a big pair of channel locks and squeezing at the joint and exclaiming, look at all the play. In truth, there was spring pushing the ball into the socket and nothing wrong. You need to describe your situation a bit more, specifically what is attached to the joint in question. It does not sound good.
There is approx. 78000 miles on the vehicle. Alright, I'll try to describe a bit more. With the car jacked up there is no play while gripping the wheel on the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions and pushing up and down. But while gripping the wheel at the 3 and 9 o'clock locations there is movement while pushing in and out on the wheel. I had my wife do this while I was looking at the steering knuckle and the back of the wheel. The entire assembly had the play in it. I also had her wiggle the stearing wheel back and forth and there didn't appear to be anything irregular then either. There appeared to be no movement in either the ball joint or the tie rod end. I'm thinking it might be the strut but I'm not sure. At first I thought it might be the wheel bearing but there doesn't appear to be any play in the bearing. :confuse:
Is the tie going into the rack showing play, the passenger side rack bushings are known wear problem. I replaced my rack at 40 K for worn bushing , 04 Malibu.
How about pushing in and out at 12 & 6? Again, to determine if lower ball joint is worn, you need to have weight on wheel, or put a block under the joint to support. You may have to remove wheel to get blocking into position, and then it would be best if both side are equally elevated so that the stabilizer bar is not exerting any force.
78K might not be premature if you drive a lot of rough road. Is there damage to the rubber boot? I've many times surpassed 150K without replacing lower ball joint on various vehicles. Have you had the vehicle in somewhere that they might sell front end work and they had it in the air? Unscrupulous mechanics will loosen parts a bit. After some mileage, the part breaks loose from the tight seat and you realize a problem, thus sometimes returning to that last place. Now they sell you the job, and it is much easier to do the work because the parts are already loose.
What type of roads do you frequent? Are not the bushing separate from the rack? How were the inner and outer tie rod ends? I think he is saying he now has problem on driver side. Usually problems develop on the passenger side first.
Only paved roads. The rack bushings are not replaceable, only new rack. Inner and outer tie rods were both good, no wear. On inspection they thought it was worn inner tie rod because of the play, wish it was, rack $329. I have a pickup truck for gravel roads.
Comments
Is there a factory bulletin out on the older steering racks?
Thanks
If you have a fix for the problem, great!
Thanks
Francesco M
I owned a 2003 Impala and this car had a steering clunking noise that took several repairs and it was never fixed, then I sold it purchased a Malibu LS V6 2005. On this car I only have 14,000 miles and I already have a problem with the steering system. Feb 21, 2009 I took it in for a clunking noise, they replaced the steering shaft, it got better but now is clunking again, Then I took it in on May 21, 2009 because when parking there was a creaking noise when turning wheel, they replaced front strut bellow booths, jounce bumpers worn. Creaking noise still there, took it back on June 13, 2009 and this time they told me they replaced the right front strut and bearing because excessively worn. Creaking noise is less but still there. I had called GM on the second repair and complained but they said to take back and dealer to fix it. I am glad I have the extended warranty but it still costed me $ 100.00 for each of the 3 visits and the car has only 14,000 miles! I drive with the worry to lose control, especially on the expressway ! I will never purchase GM cars again.
Francesco M
Mark
Mark
Went with a G6 with a 5 year 50 K warranty, when out of warranty it is gone.
Thanks
06' solara convertible
The first time my rear alignment was out (toe in) it chewed my Bridgestone serenity's with only 30,000k down to slick. After realignment at 6000 kms it's happening again with mainly highway driving. The outside tread is wearing faster.
Any ideas what's causing the alignment to go out? Dealership has inspected the rear suspension and sees no indicators.
Years ago, to absorb vibration, etc. they used a disk of rubber with several layers of cord in it. At two points on the circumference, 180 degrees apart, it was fastened to one section of the shaft, the other two points in between were fastened to the abutting shaft, and it transferred motion from one to the other. Somewhere in the changes to collapsable columns, Ford used an insufficient design where this was done inside where the sections of shaft (square) slid over the other. To absorb and keep shaft tight they used feathered edges of teflon/plastic at the corners. (on later models of Taurus) Those thin edges of plastic break off after some time and allow slop in steering wheel.
So, Chevrolet has come up with what sounds like a stupid idea. I personally see no reason they could not put the electrical pickup portion next to the column, rather than build into. (I am taking a stab in the dark since I don't have details of design) And even if the sensor needed to be around the column, no reason to not remove it by slipping off one end.
seems you either have the problem or not....mine is 6 years old..155K on it and no problems at all
trigger).
It had it right from the beginning, in the winter of 2005-2006. After
the car was slightly rear-ended in the fall of 2006, and its rear
bumper had to be taken off and put back for repainting, the noise got
more pronounced, happening always in cold weather.
I looked carefully at both my 2005 Sedans to understand the cause.
The plastic parts at the rear feel noticeably looser on the problem
car. This, in combination with the "bumper effect" leads me to believe
that the source of the noise are some plastic body parts rubbing
against each other.
Haven't heard the noise this fall yet, and when/if it starts, I'll
probably spray some lubricant over the close-to-the-bumper plastic body
parts and see what happens.
This caught my eye because of my run on I-95. In addition to the tires not behaving as expected, I feel play in the steering wheel. That is "some movement" before the vehicle starts to respond. The type of play you'd get if you had a bad steering column, worn steering rack or gear box, bad tie rod ends, etc. Also, annoying that with a crown in the road it takes more effort to hold the vehicle straight than I'd expect. This could be tires, alignment, or a really weak power steering.
I dropped mine off, 09 Malibu, because of the looseness in the steering wheel, yesterday.
Several local dealers now use Hertz for the loaner car and they put me in an 08 Saturn with the AT4. I'm insulted with GM's thinking. This is the Malibu! There are some minor cosmetic differences. The guy at the counter and I chatted and he said many think the Saturn rides better than the Malibu. Certainly not the one I got.
First it has the looseness in the steering also, only worse. But you have to be perceptive to notice it. Vehicle has 25K miles, several scrapes and small dings including large scrapes and cracks in left side wheel covers. The short distance I've driven, I suspect warped rotors or more likely a bent wheel. It sure seems to have been abused. My Malibu better hold up far better or I might park it in the Senate building or White House lawn.
I also noted that they can't even come close on tire pressures. One side reads 32 and the other 39 psi.
The one they picked me up in was slightly upscale, real leather, but I can only suspect someone applied something they should not have. The leather was hard, almost brittle, and slick.
I will say that I prefer the AT6 coupled to the 2.4, hands down.
In the past few days I've seen several stupid design things about the Malibu. (and Saturn) The little piece of rubber piece that sits in the bottom of the hand grip on the arm rest, they are not attached and easily sucked into a vacuum.
The rubber weather seals that run the length of the vehicle along the roof line and rear window are easily distorted out of position. Poor design.
And I live in a humid climate. Only three months old and lots of black mold growing on the paint surface around the trunk lid. The area concealed when the lid is closed. This is common around here, but it likely could have been prevented if they also sprayed the clear coat there.
Something I had not noticed on mine, but on the Saturn, some sort of anti-vibration device. It is located on the lower cross brace just behind the cooling fans. I will certainly have to check if mine has one.
And the SB about the missing diode from the cooling fan circuitry, the dealer knows nothing of it yet. This should be of a very high priority because its absence can damage any electronic component in the vehicle. Damage that leads to an early death and something that GM should therefore be responsible of. I will search for that SB and post back details and if we start experiencing problems because of the bad design, maybe we can start a class action. Big enough that their lawyers get shut down and decide to cover it.
Any help would be appreciated. :confuse:
You need to describe your situation a bit more, specifically what is attached to the joint in question. It does not sound good.
How many miles on vehicle?
Again, to determine if lower ball joint is worn, you need to have weight on wheel, or put a block under the joint to support. You may have to remove wheel to get blocking into position, and then it would be best if both side are equally elevated so that the stabilizer bar is not exerting any force.
78K might not be premature if you drive a lot of rough road. Is there damage to the rubber boot? I've many times surpassed 150K without replacing lower ball joint on various vehicles.
Have you had the vehicle in somewhere that they might sell front end work and they had it in the air? Unscrupulous mechanics will loosen parts a bit. After some mileage, the part breaks loose from the tight seat and you realize a problem, thus sometimes returning to that last place. Now they sell you the job, and it is much easier to do the work because the parts are already loose.
Are not the bushing separate from the rack?
How were the inner and outer tie rod ends?
I think he is saying he now has problem on driver side. Usually problems develop on the passenger side first.
I have a pickup truck for gravel roads.