Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving 10 MPH around a curve, the brakes did not respond and the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The traction control light became illuminated and the vehicle accelerated and crashed into a ditch. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained an injury to the right arm that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 161,000.
2006 Chevrolet Malibu: power steering locks up! Locks up to the point it take two people to turn the wheel, this happens while driving! Headlights and brake lights go out and when bulb is replaced they burn instantly. T/c never turns off! Recent complaints from people in other states have been made there are also evident recalls but Chevrolet fails to honor the recall and refuse to fix because the cars are 2006 and the uear now is 2018. This is not fair! What are we supposed to do? This is a saftey issue! It is morally unethical and illegal for Chevrolet not to acknowledge and honor this recall regardless if the car we have is used. If the recall was made and was not fixed they must acknowledge that the repair was not made and fix the problem for the car owner! I am sure Chevrolet has a database and is aware at what and how many vehicles have been repaired due to this recall. …
I have owned my 2006 Chevy Malibu since later 2018. It is now nov 1st 2020. A few months after I got the vehicle I had issues. I have had all recalls replaced by fredericksburg virginia Chevy dealership (they say that they did?) the entire time I have owned this vehicle the steering vibrates at high speeds. Also the entire time I've owned this car, when I speed up any hills my steering locks up my battery light comes on and the car pulls to the left or right depending. This is extremely unsafe! Dealer didn't know what could cause it. I learned to immediately take my foot off the gas and the steering goes back to normal. This is not easy on a curvy hill road. This can cause a serious wreck. I have a 10 month old baby. This is frightening if it one day it doesn't fix by taking my foot off the pedal. Now my steering is stiff and is so hard to turn when driving at slow speed. …
First when I turned the car on I wouldn't have power steering so it took a couple of try's turning the car on and off to get power steering on. When I was driving on the highway I lost power steer in my Malibu it flashed on the screen and I lost power steering on the highway going 65. So I brought it to the dealership to fix it because I saw that there was a recall on that system. But little to my knowledge that recall was "fixed" in July 2015 so I passed the warranty on the recalled part. First concern comes to my mind is how does a company put a one year warranty on a part that already is faulty. My next question is if my car was perfectly fine when I brought it into the shop for that recall 2 years ago how do I know they actually replaced that part? I feel like I've been scammed by the dealership somewhere and now I'm paying for it. …
2006 Malibu VIN number shows no active recalls but my wife who drives the car informed me that the car was acting funny so I took for drive and first turn wheel hesitated like it didn't want to turn and when it did could feel it on the column like something was moving that wasn't suppose to this is main road through city heavy traffic so immediately headed for home and have to cross tracks to get there and when I went over sounds like front end wants to come off the car sounds like loose stability bar or joint and to top it off I noticed fuel gauge was going from full to empty and back up so in actuality she has know idea how much has she really has in vehicle I seen a lot of complaints about these things happening to this model and I send my wife and kids off daily in this vehicle with these problems that could pose a huge threat to their safety if it happens to her on main road or rr …
I was told that there was a power steering issue with many 2006 Chevrolet Malibu's and mine was not one of them. I have had issues with my power steering for the past 5 years and every year it goes out between the winter months of January-March. And every year I am told that my car is not one of the recalled vehicles. I have had lighting issues, electrical issues, and power steering issues back to back. This is a hazard because they all seem to malfunction all at the same time and/or while I'm driving or parked. I have children but I'm scared to have them in my car. Please help me, I know that this is apart of the recall this car is a safety hazard. I will attach a photo but I also have video.
When driving, go to turn wheel and it hesitates and sticks for a second. Does it very often whether turning left or right. Start the car sometimes and warning bell sounds, power steering appears on radio screen and power steering has failed. Turn car off for awhile, turn it back on and power steering is working again, sometimes. And last, start car, start driving and the gas gauge goes from full down to empty. Warning bell sounds and low fuel appears on radio screen. All these things happen randomly while driving on a street. Have seen recalls for these things on other 06 malibus but never for mine. My garage wants hundreds of dollars to fix these problems. Something I can not afford.
When I accelerate quickly to enter traffic, merge with traffic or pass a car (going 25 - 50 MPH), I hear ding, ding, ding warming bell and the steering wheel pulls to the right and momentarily becomes locked. I grab it with both hands and let off the gas and it recovers. It is totally unmanageable for those moments and very alarming. I have had my car in four different times since nov, 2011 for power steering problems/recalls. This current problem is a safety factor!!!! Updated 09/15/15....updated 10/01/15 the consumer stated the steering column and column sensor were replaced twice. Updated 10/13/15.
Traction feature fails when braking. The brakes will not operate properly causing the vehicle to continue to travel forward although the brake pedal is being pressed. This happens most often when braking on an incline or in wet conditions. It happens whether the speed is fast or slow. Have brought vehicle to graff Chevy for recall repair, but continue to have problems. Had brake pads and rotors checked by Firestone who stated that neither of these needed repair, and therefore, are not adding to or causing the problem.
We were never notified about a recall that occurred with the entire steering systems for Malibu's. The manufactures extended the recall up to 150,000 miles. On Friday November 23, 2013, we were backing out of our parking spot when our power steering went out on us. We had none. Then we turned the car off and back on, suddenly it was there again. Here lies the problem; we took it to the local dealership and "they" informed us that there was a recall in the U.S. However, we were not notified and since our Malibu was out of the 150,000 miles; they said the recall would not cover it. How can owners of cars/trucks get their safety items fixed, when they have never received the recall notice?! This is a safety issue, not a physical appearance issue. If I am driving along a corner and my power steering locks up, or suddenly stops and I kill or maim another individual who is responsible? GM? …
Traction Control complaints in other Malibu years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, 3% of the model year's 1,117 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Chevrolet Malibu traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 127,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to stability & traction control problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.