What 976 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

Torque sensor and my steering column and as I did research GM new that it was faulty

NHTSA ODI 11552239

While driving, my vehicle will abruptly lose power steering and the wheel will lock up. I am unable to turn my steering wheel. I have to stop my vehicle and turn off the ignition in order to the power steering to work properly. This only last for a few minutes and then it will happen again. This is dangerous and I have had to pull over on the highway to stop and start my vehicle. This first happened in March 2023. Also, my vehicles shows a SVC notification on the dashboard. And the tire pressure sensor is always on even with inflated tires. Lastly, my auto start does not work.

NHTSA ODI 11518361

Power steering keeps failing. Steering wheel shakes. Power steering light with the ESC Service light come on. If I turn the vehicle off and back on again, Sometimes the power steering will work again.

NHTSA ODI 11516189

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently stopped without depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a sharp left or right turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The power steering assist warning light, the check engine warning light, the ESC warning light, and the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Napa Auto Parts to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ODI 11509839

The power steering light came on on my car after driving on the highway. Pulled over turn car off and on then sign went away. Two days later the power steering and esc light came on and then it went away. Took it to Holm dealership and they requested I change the outer tie rods and lower control arms. Made them changes and the power steering still twitches. This can be a deadly situation if this aint figure out. I don't feel like I should pay all these fees to try to figure the cause of this. Everything I read come up with this electrical power steering sensor.

NHTSA ODI 11509937

I have bought multiple Chevy Malibu manufactured in the 2008-2012 year range and I have experienced the same problems on all of them. The first one is almost everytime I remotely start the car and begin to drive the electric power steering feature goes out until I park the car and restart it. Another problem I’ve been experiencing is the the passenger door malfunctions and does not open from The inside or outside even though the locking system is working properly. Upon looking online I have also seen there’s been a good amount of people reporting the same problem

NHTSA ODI 11506750

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel started to jerk. The contact stated that the electric stability control (ESC) off warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the electrical pump to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.

NHTSA ODI 11506650

I was driving on 2/5/23 when my car started making a ding sound and the steering wheel locked up. This begin on 1/20/23. There has been 4 incidents with the steering locked while driving. Once results in someone almost getting hit on the side walk as I was turning in the back parking lot. Twice turning left on to my street and once driving around a curve almost hit another car in the other lane.

NHTSA ODI 11505873

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist intermittently failed to operate as needed. The contact also stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that a diagnostic test needed to be performed to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ODI 11503603

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact self-diagnosed the vehicle as having a steering torque sensor failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 182,000.

NHTSA ODI 11501663

2011 Malibu LS 2.4 power steering keeps going out. Service ESC and traction control keep coming on. Very dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11500969

Power steering failed and locked up the steering wheel. Had to stop car mid road to restart car. Car no longer has any power steering. This is a very dangerous issue!

NHTSA ODI 11498879

Power steering fails when driving. Upon restart of the vehicle, power steering comes back and will go off randomly at a later point. Symptom is felt more frequently at lower speeds and less often at high speeds, but still happens. My car is available upon request for inspection. My safety and other's safety was put at risk because it occurred a few times while driving on highways. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center because I refuse to pay out of pocket for an issue that should be covered under a recall. However, a quick YouTube search will show that the symptom is wide spread and the public is not aware that it is a known issue to GM. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. Symptoms have been identified as part of a GM Special Coverage 15356. The issue is that mass dissemination of this information has not reached the public. Owners of this vehicle, who are now just experiencing this issue, are not included in the special coverage because it expired at 150,000 or May 10, 2021. As an active duty service member, if any letters were sent, they were delivered to my home address and not my physical address, therefore if any attempt was made to contact me or my family would have been futile. Just like many consumers, I only track recalls and not special coverages.

NHTSA ODI 11495565

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 5 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel felt loose and unstable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that failure had been reoccurring increasingly. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering). An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11485455

When I cranked my car, the power steering immediately went out. I had no previous issues and the car uses an electrical power steering component that does not allow me to add fluid.

NHTSA ODI 11480291

My 2011 malibu has approx 170000 miles. was driving on the highway when one by one, low fuel range, tire pressure, and antitheft lights illuminated blinking in dash. The radio flickers like loosing power, the car jerks pulling hard to right side and the power steering goes out and the car literally shuts down in drive on the highway not even giving me time to get off road. Pushed car to side of road. When i try and restart engine turns but sputters like out of gas. Again and again i try until the battery is dead but car wouldnt stay running. I check battery terminals and fuses, a friend brings gallon of gas and jumps car. Same result. I have towed home. I put battery on charger put battery back in car and it starts immediately and stays running. Again i try to go to town. The same thing happens 2 miles further from where it previously did, this time the ESC was added to the others illuminating on dash. I tried the same things i did before getting same result. I take battery call a ride and go home to put battery on charger. When i return 48 hours later and put battery in, it cranks right up.

NHTSA ODI 11474266

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud cracking sound coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, the wheels failed to respond while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was similar to the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11467800

Warranty policy 15356 on Torque Sensor Steering Wheel. Replaced and repaired by Chevrolet dealership in 2018. Reocccured problem started again on April 13th, 2022. Code ESC power steering started May 6th, 2022 but shaking, vibration, and "twitching" started April 13th, 2022. When turning on the vehicle now the code will show and the steering wheel will lock not allowing power steering. In 2018 this code would show up during driving and lock up not allowing you to use power steering.

NHTSA ODI 11463693

I drove my car to a store and parked, when I returned and proceeded to backup, the steering wheel locked and I couldn’t drive and was stuck in the road. Finally after a while I turned the ignition off and back on and was able to drive home. There was no advance warning that The power the steering needed to be serviced.

NHTSA ODI 11460248

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he had experienced the failure multiple times. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E044000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,719.

NHTSA ODI 11458105

Airbag light and ESC power steering light on at the same time. Service ESC on and of on the screen and after awhile the steering wheel locked and I lost control of my direction while I am turning left on a traffic light. I end up in a ditch. I took it to Chevy service dealership and they find out a diffect on steering torque sensor shaft and they recommend me to replace it. They ask me $1024.00 for labor and part.

NHTSA ODI 11454714

Chevy is aware that around 90k miles the ESC light comes on indicating that the torque sensor has gone bad and indicating you are about to lose power steering. My car is 93k miles, this light came on and the power steering is completely out. My 16 year old son drives this car. This is a major safety issue and Chevy/GM say the special coverage expired in 10/2021 so they will not pay for the repair. Chevy/GM is allowing customers to drive like this without helping.

NHTSA ODI 11451911

While I was driving in the freeway steering wheel became hard . The dash said service ecs , ecs off. Pulled over turned car off and once turned on again car was driving perfectly fine. The dashboard no longer indicated any issues or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11451705

I was driving up a hill and my Service ESC power steering came up and I suddenly couldn’t turn my steering wheel so it had locked up… I slowed down and drove closes to the side of the road as I could safe as possible … after research online I notice this has happen to several others at this mileage and that there was a recall on esc system

NHTSA ODI 11451492

MAP sensor was physically broken and replaced during a particularly cold snap (below -10 degrees F), but the check engine light and "Service ESC," "Service Traction," and "ESC off" messages continued to appear in the following weeks. Acceleration repeatedly dropped off for a split second, and would continue to dip and return until I let off the accelerator and tried again. This acceleration problem always coincided with the three ESC/Traction messages listed above, and happened multiple times every time I drove it. During a second trip to the mechanic, some "frayed wiring" was replaced and the throttle relearned, but the symptoms continued as before, prior to the MAP sensor replacement and the wiring repair. The symptoms progressed to delayed, pulsing acceleration, not just dropping out. The following week, the power steering went out while driving, preceded by a gentle automated jerking on the steering wheel upon startup. The mechanic confirmed that it was electrical, nothing wrong with the physical components.

NHTSA ODI 11451132