Five problems related to power steering hose, piping, and connections have been reported for the 1997 Chevrolet Malibu. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While driving vehicle was making a funny noise, had vehicle serviced. This was a result of a leak in power steering fuel hose. Contacted dealer.
The return line for the power steering is located right under the exhaust and rests upon it. It got hot and subsequently melted a hole in the pressurized lines causing all the fluid to leak out and not hold any more fluid.
Power steering failed and almost caused an accident. My investigation revealed that the power steering line had a hole in it. This was caused by the exhaust pipe which burned through the insulation and the line. The loss of power steerig caused loss of control and could have caused a fire because the fluid was leeking onto the exhaust pipe. I feel this is definately a safety problem which should be looked into right away. My car will be towed to the dealer on Monday morning 11june 2001.
Consumer experiencing problem with power steering hoses not holding up properly. The hoses were replaced and repaired. Both times the hoses failed to hold, causing steering lock up due to loss of fluid. Dealer/manufacturer notified and were willing to repair until warranty ran out.
Consumer has replaced steering fluid more than often. Dealer has been contacted, couldn't duplicate problem . Please provide further information.