What 921 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR NEVER DRIVES STRAIGHT, ALWAYS VEERING SLIGHTLY LEFT OR RIGHT. THE STEERING WHEEL STICKS WHEN YOU TRY TO CORRECT. IT TAKES A SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. WHEN THE WHEEL FINALLY MOVES, IT HAS NO RESISTANCE AND OVER CORRECTS. I DRIVE 70 MILES A DAY ON THE HIGHWAY, AND IT DOES IT EVERY SINGLE DAY CONSISTENTLY AT SPEEDS OVER 45. THE CAR GOES ALL OVER THE ROAD AND IS DANGEROUS. I LOOK LIKE A DRUNK DRIVER AND PEOPLE TRY TO GET AWAY FROM MY CAR WHEN I'M NEXT TO THEM. CONCLUSION: IT'S DANGEROUS; SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED EVENTUALLY; CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE DEFECT; NHTSA IS ALSO AWARE OF THE DANGER, BUT NO RECALL? CHEVROLET AND NHTSA ARE GOING TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT DEATH. GET A RECALL ON IT. *TR

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2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER STEERING CONCERN. *SMD

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LETTER FROM CONGRESSMAN JOLLY ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE AN ISSUE WITH 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU THAT GENERAL MOTORS WILL NOT RECALL (ATTN: BRENDA FRANTZ) *SMD THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM GM REGARDING POTENTIAL PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, IT WAS NOT RECALL, RATHER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS BEING ISSUED ON THE PART, IF IT THE PART SHOULD FAIL WITHIN THE NEXT TEN YEARS. *JB

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2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE STEERING SYSTEM ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS, THE STEERING MUST FAIL, BEFORE IT CAN BE FIXED. *JB

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CLEANING OUT THE TRUNK DISCOVERED NO SPARE TIRE. ONLY SEALANT AIR COMPRESSOR. HOW STUPID. WAS NOT INFORMED BY THE DEALER, WHO OBVIOUSLY KNEW THEY WOULD LOSE A DEAL IF CUSTOMER INFORMED. THIS IS A BIG TIME SCAM AND COVER UP. I CAN SEE REAL TROUBLE IF I HAVE A BLOW OUT! STUPID!!! *TR

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HARD STEERING AT 55-65 MPH SPEED WHEN GOING AROUND CURVE. *TR

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THE CAR ENGINE STALLS, LOCKS GO UP AND DOWN, PANEL LIGHTS GO OUT, POWER STEERING IS DISABLED, RPM GAUGE REVS UP TO 7000+, THEN ENGINE COMES BACK ON. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES NEARLY CAUSING CRASHES AND CAUSING EXTREME ANXIETY. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYS NO ERROR IS STORED ON THE CAR COMPUTER AND THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE INCIDENT. AFTER 2 DAYS IN THE SHOP, I GOT MY CAR BACK, DROVE 378 MILES AND THE INCIDENT HAPPENED AGAIN. IT HAS OCCURRED WITH EVERY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY. I WANT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY OR I WILL CONTACT AN ATTORNY BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED NOT AFTERWARDS. *TR

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STEERING BECAME STIFF WITH SLIPPAGE WHEN BEARING LEFT OR RIGHT. TOOK IT TO DEALER IN SAVANNAH WHERE PURCHASED. WAS TOLD THIS WAS AN ISSUE FOR QUITE A FEW PEOPLE. POWER STEERING MOTOR WAS REPLACED. ALSO HAD AN ISSUE WITH HEATER VENTS BLOWING HOT AIR EVEN WHEN TURNED OFF. HAPPENED ON START UP SEVERAL TIMES. DEALER SAID COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPROGRAMMED. HAD A FLAT AND SIDE OF TIRE HAD A HOLE. THE KIT IN THE TRUNK (INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL TIRE) WAS NO HELP AT ALL. HAD TO CALL AAA FOR A TOW. HAD TO BUY AN AFTER MARKET RIM AND TIRE SO I WOULD HAVE A SPARE. THE DEALERS SELL THEM AT AROUND $500.00. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS CAR.....CHEVY HAS LOST A LOYAL CUSTOMER DUE TO THEIR GREED AND THE DEALER IN SAVANNAH WILL NEVER GET ANY BUSINESS FROM US FOR SELLING US A CAR THAT THEY KNEW HAD ISSUES. *TR

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AROUND THE TIME I BOUGHT THE CAR, ON 11/30/12 AT 5812 MILES, UNKNOWN TO ME THE CAR HAD A CONCERN OF LOSS OF BATTERY CHARGE WHICH CALLED FOR AN INSPECTION OF THE GENERATOR CONTROL MODULE. SO A GEN CONTROL MODULE PERFORMANCE TEST PER RECALL WAS PERFORMED. IN MAY OF 2013, I STOPPED AT RED TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE ENGINE WAS IDLING, WHEN I PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE BY PLACING MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL AT THE GREEN LIGHT, THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF ON ME. THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE AUTOMATIC SHUT-OFF THAT CONSERVES ENERGY. ON 6/24/13 AT 14006 MILES, I TRIED TO GET THEM TO DO A DIAGNOSTICS AND I DON'T THINK THEY DID A DIAGNOSTICS EVEN THOUGH I WAS STILL UNDER BUMPER-TO-BUMPER AND POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. THEY SUGGESTED A TEST DRIVE WITH A MECHANIC FOREMAN TO SEE IF THE ISSUE WOULD PRESENT ITSELF AGAIN. THE ISSUE DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN. IN JULY OF 2013, I THEN COMPLAINED THAT THE CAR HAD POOR ENGINE ACCELERATION ENTERING ONTO A HIGHWAY AND TOOK IT IN FOR SERVICE AT 14810 MILES. THEY DID A R&R ECM RECALIBRATE CONTROLLER PROGRAM. ON JULY 26, 2014, I DROVE EARLIER IN THE DAY FOR QUITE A FEW HOURS THROUGH THE CITY AND A LITTLE ON THE HIGHWAY. I ACCELERATED ONCE ON THE HIGHWAY AT WHICH THE ISSUE OF ACCELERATION PRESENTED ITSELF AGAIN. AT 38,548 MILES, THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES WAS SHOWN ON MY DASHBOARD: 1. BATTERY SERVICE NEEDED 2. POWER STEERING SERVICE NEEDED I THEN CALLED ONSTAR AND I ASKED THEM TO DO A DIAGNOSTICS AND THEY GAVE ME THE FOLLOWING MESSAGES: 3. ENGINE CONTROL MODULE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM NOT PERFORMING AS EXPECTED. (P155A) 4. POWERTRAIN SYSTEM HAS DETECTED MALFUNCTION RELATED TO CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM. CRUISE CONTROL DISABLED. (C0800) 5. POWERTRAIN SYSTEM HAS DETECTED MALFUNCTION RELATED TO TRANSMISSION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NOT ILLUMINATE. VEHICLE PERFORMANCE AND SHIFT BEHAVIOR MAY BE AFFECTED. TOP SHIFT FEATURE WILL BE DISABLED IF EQUIPPED. (P0826) *JS

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I WAS DRIVING MY SON TO WORK AND I LOST ALL POWER TO MY VEHICLE. I HAD NO BRAKES, POWER STEERING AND MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL. I MANAGED NOT GET IN A ACCIDENT AND GET INTO A PARKING LOT. THANK GOD. MY BACKLIGHTS HAVE HAD ISSUES AS WELL THEY HAVE STAYED ON AND HAVE CUASED ME TO GET PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. ON ANOTHER OCASSION, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE OUT PARK AND THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR ON NUMEROUS OCASSIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCASSIONS FOR THE FAILURE WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING GEAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED TWICE BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,692 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE 11,246. DR..UPDATED 08/11/14 *BF UPDATED 08/19/2014 *JS

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ON THE FIRST INCIDENT I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. IT HAD BEEN RAINING EARLIER SO I WAS GOING SLOWER THAN USUAL. WHILE DRIVING THE STEERING WOULD VEER TO L OR R AND ACT AS IF IT WERE STIFFENING. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER WHO SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG THAT IT WAS PROBABLY "JUST THE RAIN". THE FOLLOWING WEEK IT DID THE SAME THING, NO RAIN! THIS HAS PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE AND I HAVE TAKEN IN FOR A REPEAT TRIP TO BE TOLD THE SAME THING, TIRES ARE FINE, ETC.......YET WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HIGHWAY/INTERSTATE THE STEERING TENDS TO LOCK/STICK AND REQUIRE FORCE WHICH IS DANGEROUS! *TR

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I RECENTLY JUST BOUGHT A 2013 CHEVY MALIBU AND I WAS EXCITED, NOW I AM JUST HAVING REGRETS. I HAVE NOTICED THAT MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP AT OR AROUND 45 MPH AND OVER. MY CAR STARTS TO DRIFT TOWARDS THE YELLOW OR WHITE LINE, AND I WILL TRY TO MAKE THE MINOR ADJUSTMENTS (JUST LIKE I WOULD IN ANY OTHER VEHICLE) AND I FIND MYSELF TUGGING PRETTY FORCEFULLY TO BREAK IT FREE, WHICH THEN RESULTS IN MY CAR JERKING OVER QUICKLY IN THE OTHER DIRECTION AND THEN I HAVE TO TRY TO CORRECT MY DIRECTION AGAIN. IT ALSO HAPPENS WHILE I'M ON THE HIGHWAY GOING AROUND A CORNER AT 55 MPH. I CAN'T TAKE IT ON THE FREEWAYS EITHER KNOWING THAT I CAN BARELY HANDLE MY CAR AT 55 MPH, LET ALONE HOW I WOULD MANAGE AT 65-70 MPH WITH A LOT MORE TRAFFIC AND BARRIERS WITHOUT POSSIBLY HITTING SOMETHING. I EVEN HAD PASSENGERS MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT MY DRIVING, SAYING THEY FEEL LIKE THEY ARE A PING PONG BALL AND THAT I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE. I ASSURE YOU I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE DROVE MANY OTHER VEHICLES, INCLUDING MY MOTHER'S CHEVY AVALANCHE, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. I CAN'T ENJOY DRIVING THE ONLY NEWEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER HAD AND I CERTAINLY CAN'T HAVE ANYONE IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME ANYMORE, ESPECIALLY MY 1 YEAR OLD NIECE, BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE AND NOW I'M TAKING IT TO MY DEALER LATER THIS WEEK. WHILE ON THE PHONE WITH MY DEALER, THEY WERE TRYING TO SAY THAT THERE PROBABLY ISN'T A PROBLEM BECAUSE I NEVER OWNED A CHEVY PREVIOUSLY AND THAT I WAS JUST NOT USE TO THE WAY THE NEWER VEHICLES HANDLE. I EVEN MENTIONED THAT MY BROTHER HAS A 2013 CHEVY MALIBU AND IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS SO IT'S NOT JUST A RANDOM OCCURRENCE. I AM NOT A VEHICLE EXPERT, BUT I KNOW THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND NOW I DREAD DRIVING MY VEHICLE FOR FEAR OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND/OR INJURING OTHERS. GENERAL MOTORS DEFINITELY NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE BEFORE SERIOUS INJURIES OR FATALITIES OCCUR. *TR

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THE STEERING CONTINUALLY LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. IT TAKES A SHARP PULL TO GET IT UNLOCKED. THIS SEEMS TO HAPPEN WHEN I GO OVER 40MPH. *TR

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STEERING WAS GREAT UP TO ABOUT 7000 MILES, THEN GRADUALLY SEEM TO LOSE ITS CENTERING CAPABILITY. STEADY DRIVING, ESPECIALLY HIGHWAY CRUISING, BEGAN TO REQUIRE CONSTANT CORRECTIONS AND EACH CORRECTION BECAME AN OVERCORRECTION BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL SEEMED TO BE STUCK IN POSITION. THE JERK FROM BEING STUCK CAUSES ANOTHER OVERCORRECTION THE OTHER DIRECTION. DRIVING THE CAR HAS BECOME VERY ANNOYING, AND I SUSPECT WILL EVEN BECOME A HAZARD VERY SHORTLY. I NOW HAVE 12K MILES. MY SECOND VISIT TO THE DEALER (ABOUT 10K MILES) RESULTED IN NOT BEING ABLE TO FIND THE PROBLEM. WILL TRY AGAIN NEXT WEEK. *TR

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL EXHIBITED A SLIGHT DELAY AND A JERKING MOTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO A COMPUTER GLITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 7,000.

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WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH THE STEERING GETS STUCK AND I HAVE TO PULL IT BACK TO THE RIGHT. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THERE IS NO RECALL ON THE POWER ASSIST AT THIS TIME. I FEEL THAT WITH THE STEERING GETTING STUCK I MAY HAVE A HARD TIME GETTING IT BACK SO AS TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS STEERING MECHANISM. *TR

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STEERING HAS A DEAD SPOT AT NEUTRAL AS THOUGH THE STEERING LOCKS UP AND A FORCE MUST BE APPLIED TO BREAK IT LOOSE. DISCREPANCY OCCURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT BUT IS INCREASING IN FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE. DEALER SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG. SUSPECT A PROBLEM IN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPUTER PROGRAMMING. *TR

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WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY CEASED WORKING AND A SERVICE WARNING CAME ON. THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING OR PROBLEM. AFTER PULLING OVER, STOPPING THE AUTO AND A WAIT OF 90 MINUTES, THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY. THE DEALER "REPROGRAMMED AND INITIALIZED POWER STEERING MODULE, CLEARED CODE AND CONFIRMED REPAIRS". *TR

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DRIVING ALONE IN THE CAR ON A SMOOTH DRY ROAD WITH HILLS AT 40 - 55MPH THE STEERING WOULD PULL THE CAR OFF THE CENTERLINE AND THEN STICK UNTIL I PULLED IT BACK TO CENTER. NOT A LOT OF FORCE REQUIRED TO BRING BACK ON CENTER BUT IT CONTINUED TO DO IT NUMEROUS TIMES. IT APPEARED THE WANDER WAS NOT DUE TO ROAD SURFACE CONDITIONS BUT SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THE STEERING ASSEMBLY. THE STICKING CONDITION IS OF MAJOR CONCERN AS LOSS OF CONTROL WAS A POSSIBILITY BECAUSE IT WAS HAPPENING AT A HIGHER SPEEDS ON A HILLY TWO LANE ROAD. IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS ALLOWING THE ASSIST TO LIGHTEN UP THEN SOMETHING JAMS UNTIL A SLIGHT CORRECTION UNLOCKS IT.THERE IS VERY LITTLE NORMAL ROAD FEEL THROUGH THE STEERING WHEN THIS OCCURS. I HAVE DRIVEN THIS ROUTE A NUMBER OF TIMES BEFORE WITHOUT INCIDENT AND AROUND TOWN AT LOW SPEEDS IT IS FINE.I SHOULD MENTION THIS MODEL IS THE LTZ WITH WIDE TIRES (19 INCH GOODYEAR EAGLE RSA: HORRIBLE TRACTION IN SNOW BUT VERY GOOD ON DRY ROAD SURFACE) THAT ARE INFLATED TO THE PROPER 35PSI ALL AROUND PER THE OPERATORS INSTRUCTIONS. I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT MY PREVIOUS CAR WAS A 2005 MALIBU WITH ELECTRIC STEERING SO I AM QUITE FAMILIAR WITH THIS TYPE ASSIST AND THAT ONE NEVER BEHAVED LIKE THIS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DEALER CAN DO FOR ME BECAUSE IT HAS ONLY DONE THIS ONCE SO FAR AND APPEARS NORMAL ONCE AGAIN. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THIS CAR AT HIGH SPEEDS AT THIS POINT. *TR

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WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE THE STEERING SEEMS TO LOCK UP AND THEN THE CAR WILL SLIGHTLY DRIFT AND THEN YOU HAVE TO PULL ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO BREAK/ UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL. IT MAKES A VERY JERKY MOVEMENT THAT CAN BE UNSAFE. *TR

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THE STEERING CONTINUALLY LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE. IT TAKES A SHARP PULL TO GET IT UNLOCKED. THIS COULD BE DANGEROUS AND SEEMS TO ONLY HAPPY AT HIGH SPEEDS. *TR

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PURCHASED 2013 CHEVY MALIBU ECO IN AUGUST 2013, AND RECENTLY STARTED NOTICING THAT STEERING WHEEL BECOMES VERY STIFF AND FEELS LIKE IT LOCKS WHEN DRIVING OVER 60 MPH AND IN A 12 O'CLOCK STEERING POSITION. I HAVE TO JERK IT WHEN MAKING SLIGHT TURNS OR CHANGING LANES, AND HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. I TOOK IT TO FREEWAY CHEVROLET IN CHANDLER, AZ. THE CAR WAS LEFT THERE FOR FOUR DAYS, AND DEALER SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES. I WAS TOLD THAT THE STEERING POWER IS ELECTRICAL AND THEIR COMPUTER READS THAT THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH IT. WELL, I AM STILL ENCOUNTERING SAME ISSUE AND FEAR I MAY HAVE A FATAL ACCIDENT. NOW THAT I SEE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE, THERE MAY BE A LAWSUIT COMING AGAINST CHEVY. *TR

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WHEN DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE ONE HAS TO CORRECT TO KEEP ON GOING STRAIGHT AND IN DOING SO THERE IS A SLIGHT BUMP IN THE STEERING, ALMOST AS THOUGH THE STEERING WHEEL DOESN'T WANT TO TURN BUT WITH A LITTLE MOTE EFFORT IT GETS OVER THE BUMP. *TR

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ERRATIC STEERING WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WHEN IN THE LEFT LANE THE CAR WILL ALWAYS DRIFT TOWARDS THE DITCH AFTER A FEW FEET. WHEN IN THE RIGHT LANE THE CAR WILL ALWAYS DRIFT INTO THE LEFT LANE WITHIN A FEW FEET. ALSO HAVE ISSUE WITH A 'LOCK' IN THE STEERING WHEEL, WHEN DRIVING FOR A COUPLE OF MILES, WHEN TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT, HAVE TO GIVE STEERING WHEEL EXTRA PUSH TO MAKE IT MOVE, IT FEELS LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKED IN PLACE. EXTRA PUSH IS GIVEN THEN I OVER STEER INTO ANOTHER LANE AND NEED TO CORRECT INTO MY LANE. LOOKS LIKE I AM SWERVING WHEN THIS HAPPENS. *TR

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