general problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

Service esc service traction light came on the steering wheel locked and I almost wrecked there has been a recall for this but it closed and the dealer won't fix it no recalls have been fixed open or closed can u please help me get the fixed.

My car's check engine light has been on and flashing for the past two weeks. I have had my car repaired several times by autobody shops. A diagnostic test have never been done before today. My car is pulling to the right. The rack and pinion was replaced last year. I hit a deer and according to the repair shop I only had body damage. Six months later they are telling me I need to replace my engine. I have replaced the brakes on this car more than seven times. I am in the process of getting the rotors replaced. Then every four months I have to get my tires replaced.

My vehicle has been running just fine until the other day when my vehicle out of nowhere went into �limp mode� and I couldn't go over 20 mph. The notifications on my dash were �eng pwr reduced� and �service esc�. After looking online for possible causes, it is very clear that engine power reduced and service electrical system is an extremely common problem with chevy Malibu's from older models to newer 2016-2018 models). Not only is it common, but most people that experience the same issue I did, end up spending thousands trying to fix the problem. Repairs range from changing the throttle body to sensors to battery cables & terminals. A few get lucky but for the majority of Malibu owners, the problem returns within days or if they're lucky, they get a couple of months before the error codes come back. All one has to do is search the forums of cargurus. Com or youtube for videos to find the countless posts of chevy Malibu owners all experiencing the same problem. I personally read of many accounts where owners were on the highway when all of a sudden they have the engine power reduced. This is a huge safety concern and eventually someone or multiple people are going to get killed when they lose power at a high rate of speed. Chevy is undoubtedly aware that there's a problem and are choowing to turn a blind eye instead of issuing a recall. What's it going to take for gm to admit there's a problem? multiple deaths? mechanics, even those that work for gm know there's an issue but don't know how to fix it permanently. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I can't afford to pay thousands for guess work. I shouldn't have to even consider it because gm knows there's an issue and aren't doing anything about it. Before people get killed, an investigation needs to be conducted & a recall issued!.

Random lose of electric power steering, on highway at freeway speeds. . The steering wheel will lock and cause you to be unable to keep the car in control. . I've contacted general motors after being advised this was and is a known issue and in most cases is covered under recalls and extended coverage. They said this vehicle wasn't covered.

I was driving my car and my power steering light came on while on the highway and the wheel became hard to turn.

I will be driving down the road and my esc light comes on and it causes my brakes to engage by there selves it has happened several times now.

My car was showing service esc I looked it up and found that there was a recall on that so I took it to dealership in June to be repaired and while I was driving on a city street the car started running funny and the service esc light came on again.

Esc warning light, service esc, esc off, service traction, traction off lights are continuously coming on when driving, front end shudders/shakes when this happens and I lose speed.

There have been multiple times now where my power steering light will turn on my dashboard, then it turns to manual steering which is very difficult to turn and almost caused me to crash my vehicle when trying to merge off to the shoulder. Seems to be more common when going 30 mph or under but has happened when going 75 mph on highway. Last time was today when I went to get new set of tires and it locked up on the technician. It will happen at random times and if I restart my car problem seems to go away for awhile.

Keep getting a message saying �esc off� , �traction control off� comes and goes. Sometimes seems like the vehicle is stuck in a gear makes a loud roar. Starts to vibrate while driving at certain speeds. Having a problem with brake light staying on a even after replacing switch. I have the recall problems for this year/model car but VIN doesn't seem to meet the qualifications.

While driving on a city street the electric power steering failed. The vehicle could not be steered at low speeds preventing me from turning into my driveway. The dash lit up like a christmas tree and the power steering failure notice appeared. It is obvious that the prior recall was not large enough and did not cover the population of defective vehicles. Time for NHTSA and gm to expand the recall and eliminate this danger.

The service traction light, esc off, & service esc lights have all come on in the dic. Sometimes engine slows & jerks whie driving. I had my drivers side front axle and wheel bearing fixed a month ago. I dont understand why these lights are on.

Tl the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the electronic stability control, electric power steering, and traction control warning indicators illuminated intermittently. The contact felt a strong vibration coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel frequently seized. The contact had to turn the vehicle off and back on to reset the computer. In addition, the rear brake lights failed to illuminate when the brakes were applied. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14e044000 (steering) and 14v153000 (steering). The contact felt that the vehicle exhibited the same failure as listed in the recall campaigns. Ocean city Chevrolet (2366 ocean hwy w, shallotte, nc 28459, (910) 364-9917) was notified of the failures, but did not diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic who was to provide further technical information concerning the diagnostic trouble codes and recommendations. The independent mechanic indicated that the failures needed to be addressed by the manufacturer to receive repairs from an authorized dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures to determine their guidelines to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was not available.

Takata recall, my 08 Malibu will not start after driving no matter how long. I've been stranded multiple times. I bought a new starter, relay switch, ignition, switch, and paid for multiple diagnostic tests. Every mechanic sends me to the dealer ship and says they can't find the problem but believe it's the ecm. I'm taking it to the dealer today and praying this doesn't cost me another car!.

Esc always turning off. Brake light illuminating randomly and not working randomly when in motion. Cruise control disengaging if esc light comes on when control.

About a month ago my traction control light started coming on and I would have to shut the car off to reset it after that I was notified that my brake lights would stay on while I was driving and would turn off when I hit the brakes pretty much working in reverse now at the moment it is happening all the time and it is making it very unsafe for me and my child to drive in. Also when I am driving on the highway my car will shift from fifth gear down to 4th gear and I would have to switch to the manual shift mode to shift correctly due to the car not shifting correct.

I have had nothing but problems with my electronic power steering amongst other things as well. The steering wheel locked up on me for the first time while parked. I turned the car off then back on & it went back to normal. I've been having issues with it making a sound in the steering wheel column & the steering wheel will move on it's own & will stick while I'm driving which makes it hard to control my vehicle. Also there is other electrical problems causing security light to come on & my car will lock up & I can't start it. The "service esc" light came on around the same time as well. The seatbelt light will come on when everyone has their seatbelt on too. There is obviously something going on with wire connections or something. I'm aware of recalls on the same exact year make & model as my vehicle for the same issues I'm having but no recalls have been issued for my specific vehicle. I have owned nothing but gm vehicles & this one has been nothing but problems!.

I was driving down the road and stopped at a stop light and my power steering went out.

Car states engine power reduce on my car, will be driving and the codes will come on, speed reduced, traction turned off, acceleration is slow. No warning this is going to happen, can happen while driving high speeds or regulars speeds. Has happened or city streets and highway. If you fix one thing code some back saying it's another thing. Don't feel safe in driving the car, never know when this mode will come on.

Vehicle has electrical lighting issues interior and exterior, service air bag and check tire sensor is flashing on the dashboard when u start the car and stays flashing, on some occasions the vehicle randomly throws off the traction and that light comes on.

When driving brake light continue to stay on. When pressed they go off and pressing to floor they come on but when released around 6 seconds later they come on again. Was taken to dealer ship to be fixed for a recall . Worked for less than a month and it continues again. Had brake pedal switch replaced and it still continues. Now I'm getting the lights coming on saying esc off and also a traction light. In my opinion all chevy Malibu's should be recalled and done right. Worst car I ever owned. Fix your mistakes please. These things I'm describing happens anywhere I'm driving constantly.

It saying service power steering. Then I can't turn the car. I turn it of and back on then it works. I've had proplems with this car since I bought it.

When I start the car the steering wheel does not move at all. On the dash it says power steering then esc off pops up. I have to restart the car a few times in order for it to be able to move and the message is gone. When im driving the steering wheel shakes and turning gets a little stiff. I drive both city streets and highways im afraid it will lock up on me when in motion.

Brake lights illuminate during normal driving when brakes pedal is not being pushed. Brake lights then turn off when brake pedal is pushed and don't come back on until brake pedal is pushed at least half way down. Cruise control doesn't work when this is happening. Problem happens when driving at any speed. This has been happening for about a month this time. Was previously fixed under a recall but the fix is not working.

There is a recall no 14116 and 14116b involving the torque sensor on 2008 Chevrolet Malibu but not on my particular VIN. It causes a loss of power steering which I am having. I do not understand why my particular model is not covered in this safety issue and what can I do about it. I have had no accidents yet but have to pull off the road and restart my car.

Traction control light comes on, esc turns off, vehicle sputters when these lights illuminate and engine light blinks while driving down the road, similiar recall for older model was found NHTSA recall 14v252 but my year of vehicle is not included, can this be the same issue.

As I'm driving down the freeway going about 70 mph I hear about 3 or 4 dings go off all at one time. The service esc , engine pwr reduced, service traction, and esc off warnings came on my 2008 chevy Malibu lt dash as well as the traction warning light and check engine light. My car almost instantly starting to decelerate at an acceptional speed. I had to "floor it" to make it stop and then it slowly accelerated. Once I got home I googled the problem and a lot of people were saying it has to do with the fuse box or throttle body or both. I don't know what is wrong with it and I don't have a lot of extra money right now so I'm kinda stuck driving it like this for awhile since it is not under any type of warranty and I have to go to work.

Power locks have only worked for front doors for as long as ive had the car, about a year. . . . . Over the past month - service air bag light came on shortly after starting the car one day. A few weeks later, service esc and traction control popped up after starting the car. Now my power steering has gone out and does not reset upon restarting the car.

Takata recall my 2008 chevy Malibu got stuck in reverse when I was backing out of a parking spot and I fixed it with zip ties but the plastic pin that holds my shifter to my transmission got stuck.

Brake lights remained illuminated even if brake pedal was not pushed, both while stationary and in motion. Traction control was disabled while in motion. Body control module was malfunctioning and had to be replaced. Brake lights remained illuminated on all roads, in all conditions, and at all times. Traction control was disabled primarily on city streets but sometimes on highways. The Chevrolet dealer service department said the cause was a malfunctioning body control module and had to replace it. The problems with the car are the same as those in NHTSA campaign number 14v252000, although a search by VIN reveals no outstanding recalls. The vehicle is currently undergoing repair and I will have repair invoices after the repairs are completed.

Takata recall I lost control of my 08 chevy Malibu as it was in motion. Driving to school the abs, brake, traction control and battery light turned on and the power steering locked. I had to forcefully turn the steering wheel to get out of traffics way and park somewhere to avoid an accident.

I was turning right at about 20 mph, the normal speed I turn at. My Malibu slid and I couldn't turn the steering wheel. The car beeped at me and it said esc on the dash computer. I called about the recall for eps, and my car does not have one. Kind of weird to see when others are recalled for this issue. I did have the power steering torque replaced in 2015. The car is still drivable, but to me I feel unsafe because the steering wheel now has a mind of its own when turning, and I cannot afford a replacement right now, as well as an accident.

Just took possession of a 2008 chevy Malibu ltz v6 3. 6 with on 36k original miles on it. Have had for only 5 days and got a dash notification of check esc soon, traction control, eng power reduced warning with the check engine symbol. I pulled in my driveway home from work and immediately notified my local dealership. Backed out of driveway to take to the dealership and had no power to go anywhere so pulled back in drive and shut the car off to go inside my house, came back out turn the car back on and put in reverse, all seemed find with power, then proceeded on to the dealership with no power failure, but engine light stayed on. With only 36k miles and lots of reviews I am reading on the internet about this problem seems to be an issue and recurring that no one can seem to find a fix for. How many complaints before there is a recall on this issue. I travel out of town at least two weekends a month and being a single female I cannot afford to get stranded and cause a wreck due to power failure. Seriously when does this problem get recognized and corrected to save a life.

Brake lights would be on when not applying brakes and brakes lights would not come on when applying brakes - esc and service traction indicators remained on. On the way to have this problem repair for the 3rd time, the engine loss power while I was driving approx 75mph on an extremely busy interstate. One of the scariest moments of my entire life. Pulled over, put the car in park & then is shutoff. The engine light came on at the same time as the reduced engine power warning. After waiting awhile, I restarted the car and was able to get to the dealership. Service tech said the brake lights worked find - he had no evidence that they were staying on. He said the esc & traction was related to the reduced engine power & I needed to have the throttle body replaced - $550. Had the throttle body replaced and driving home-approx 30 mins later-the car starts doing weird idle things. In park the rpm hand flucuated between 1. 5-2 and then out of nowhere 3. 0-in park, not applying gas or brakes. I had to apply brakes and put the car in gear to make it stop. When I released the brakes at the stoplight-not applying gas-car accelerated to 20 mph on it's own. Called dealership back-they implied it was my fault for leaving the lot if something was wrong. The only thing that the car did before leaving dealership was for approx 5 secs it was a tad be louder than normal when I started the engine. The other problems did not present until after I was several miles away (interstate) and more so when I was off the interstate where there was more slowing, stopping, etc. I parked after my concern increased. Turned the car and then restarted after a period-that is when it idled up to 3. 0 rpms in park-people walking by looked at me strange as if I was sitting in the parked car just pressing the gas-not. I am just as terrified to drive the car tonight as I was before it was repaired earlier today.

Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the power steering seized. In addition, the power steering and electronic stability control warning indicators illuminated and remained on. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system , eletronic stability control, exterior service brakes, vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Tw.