NHTSA Complaint #10611381 — 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THE CAR STALLS WHEN I GO FROM A COMPLETE STOP INTO FAST-MOVING TRAFFIC. THE LUG NUTS ON THE WHEEL COVERS DO NOT STAY SECURELY FASTENED. I HAVE INCREASING PROBLEMS WITH MY POWER STEERING FUNCTION. IT WOULD RANDOMLY FAIL AND THEN CORRECT ITSELF INITIALLY. SOMETIMES IT WOULD GO OUT WHEN I BACKED UP AND THEN COME BACK WHEN I WAS IN DRIVE. SOMETIMES IT WOULD GO OUT FOR 5-10 MINUTES AND THEN COME BACK. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE OUT FOR A DAY OR TWO AND THEN COME BACK. THEREFORE, I BROUGHT IT IN TO THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. A FEW MONTHS AFTERWARDS, IT BEGAN TO GO OUT AGAIN, BUT JUST FOR A MOMENT AT A TIME. THIS SEEMED TO SUBSIDE. HOWEVER, THIS BEGAN HAPPENING AGAIN FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN I WOULD MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY. WHEN I ACCELERATE, THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT COMPLETELY, THE CAR YANKS VERY HARD TO THE RIGHT, AND THE LIGHTS AND INFORMATION DISPLAY ALL BLINK REPEATEDLY. THIS NOW HAPPENS EACH TIME I ACCELERATE TO EITHER MERGE ONTO THE FREEWAY, GO INTO PASSING GEAR TO GET AROUND TRAFFIC, CLIMB A HILL, OR SIMPLY QUICKLY SPEED UP ON THE ROAD. I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP CITING THIS PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE JUST HAD THE PROBLEM FIXED RECENTLY. FOR ALL OF THESE, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND NO RECALLS FOR MY CAR MAKE AND MODEL. I DO NOT HAVE THE OPTION OF DRIVING ANOTHER CAR OR AFFORDING A NEWER ONE. THIS IS A CONTINUALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I AM FEARFUL THAT THESE DEFECTS WILL CAUSE ME AND MY FAMILY HARM. WHEN THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY WENT OUT AND THE CAR YANKED HARD TO THE RIGHT JUST LAST NIGHT AS I WENT OVER A RAISED BRIDGE, I WAS AFRAID THAT I WOULD HIT THE GUARD WALL AND PERHAPS EVEN GO OVER IT. I HAVE HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID BEING HIT FROM BEHIND BECAUSE THE CAR STALLED AS I GOT INTO TRAFFIC. I DO NOT KNOW IF MY WHEEL IS LOOSE OR IF THE WHEEL COVER IS GOING TO COME LOOSE WHILE I DRIVE. *TR