general problems of the 2001 Chevrolet Malibu

I backed up my car, put it in drive and the anti theft system disabled the motor. I started rolling backwards and lost my perspective. I rolled backwards into a telephone pole causing a huge dent on my rear drivers side quarter panel. Thank god the pole was there or I might not have realized what was happening. Behind me was a rout iron fence and beyond that was a 20 ft drop (driveway has a retainer wall that it is built on top of. I had filed another complaint. The car had disabled itself on a bridge that has no slow lane to stop in. I can take pictures of the damage in the daylight if needed.

Was told the subframe rusted out and broke off from rack and pions. The wheel wont trun and lost all functions.

Vehicle became difficult to turn to the right. After having it looked at by a mechanic the entire steering cradle is rusted and has become detached from the frame. Upon turning the steering wheel to the right the power steering box shifts approximately two inches. Currently the car has not been repaired. The sub-frame is also rusted and cost for repair is currently unknown. After reading multiple complaints online and on this site this problem seems to be very common and gm should be held responsible.

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear passenger side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired, but the results of the diagnostic testing were unknown. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 180,744.

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the steering wheel seized as the brake lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 60,000.

My wife was driving through the college parking lot at approximately 15 mph. When she went to turn the car in a turn lane she had no control over the direction of the car. She ran over a curb with the car before coming to a stop. The local auto maintenance shop said the steering mechanism broke in the front causing loss of control. Because of this she ran the curb and broke off the left front wheel. After reading the almost 600 complaints on here my problem seems to be a very. . . Very common one. I called the local chevy dealer and chevy. They both told me sorry, but sorry. They couldn't do anything for me. "I" broke the car. They are ignoring huge safety issues with the 2001 Malibu. My wife could have been on the interstate and this happened. She could have died, and I would have brought chevy down in court. Basically, chevy needs to grow a pair and man up by fixing these real issues that are putting peoples lives in danger. Chevy is a great example of what is wrong with America today. . . . . Corporate greed at any expense so people can make copious amounts of money without worrying about making a great product or keeping consumers safe. I will never. . . Never buy another chevy. They do not stand behind their products at all. What a shame for an "american" company. Oh wait, they are own by the u. S. Government and fiat. Aka not american anymore.

After experiencing numerous steering lock up and key not turning in ignition (locked up) my Malibu would not budge out of the lock position when inserting key. I had to call a tow truck and since the key would not turn in ignition the Malibu had to be dragged onto tow truck with wheels locked. Car was towed to dealership at the cost of $70. 00. At the dealership the Malibu had the ignition lock cylinder and case replaced and reprogrammed theft system at (labor) $247. 50. The cylinder kit was (parts) $225. 90 and subl code new cylinder was (other) $20. 00 for a total of $493. 40. With misc. Charges of $5. 00 and sales tax at $29. 90 the total was $528. 30. Add the additional $70. 00 towing expense and total is $598. 30. I believe I am entitled to reimbursement for my expenses as this has been a recalled vehicle. I experienced on numerous occasions a locked ignition and steering which caused me to have to sit and try and try to get my key to turn the ignition. Many times I was late for work/school as I could not get the key to turn. I had to call friends and family for rides.

I went to start the car and it wouldn't start. The theft light came on and wont go off. I only had the car for two days and this happens. I don't have the money to take the car to the dealership or get another car. I lose my job in a week due to the place closing down.

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact attempted to make a left turn while depressing the brake pedal and a hissing sound was heard from the steering wheel. The steering immediately became steering difficult to maneuver. After depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle regained steering. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Steering became stiff to turn when making a right turn. Upon investigating the problem, we discovered that a thin mounting tab on the front cross member where the steering box was attached to had rusted away leaving the steering box hanging free. I have seen many internet complaints with this same problem.

The contact owns a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at 55-60 mph on March 4, 2007 the steering wheel began to automatically turn on its own and a fraction of the steering wheel became detached. While depressing the brakes the contact struck a brick wall. The vehicle and contact were unharmed. The vehicle was towed. The current and failure mileage were 87,000.

When the consumer attempted to turn the vehicle, the steering wheel became hard to turn.

When vehicle was leaving highway steering was lost. Consumer said that with a finger could turn steering wheel, but vehicle will not go anywhere.