NHTSA Complaint #10622096 — 2006 CHEVROLET MALIBU MAXX

MERGING ONTO INTERSTATE AT 55 MERGE SPEED AND AS ENTERING ONTO FIRST THRU LANE THE POWER STEERING DIED OUT AND ACCELERATION DROPPED ON ITS OWN. NEARLY HIT BY AN 18 WHEELER THAT HAD BEEN SAFELY BACK FROM MY ENTRY POINT BEFORE THE STEERING AND ENGINE BOTH FAILED. I PULLED AS HARD AS I COULD TO THE RIGHT AND A BELL RANG BUT THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANY OTHER INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE STEERING. WHEN I BRAKED, THE STEERING CAME BACK AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE RIGHT OUT OF HARMS WAY. THERE WAS NO OTHER CAR ON THE ENTRY RAMP OR I AM SURE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED AT HIGH SPEED THIS HAPPENS OFTEN IN ORDINARY TRAFFIC AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 ONCE THE CAR IS WARMED UP WHEN I ATTEMPT TO CHANGE LANES AND SOMETIMES A BELL RINGS AND OTHER TIMES IT DOES NOT. I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE #13036 AND IT DESCRIBES SYMPTOMS INCLUDED HERE AND ADDITIONAL POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. THE PART IS NOT YET AVAILABLE AS GM HAS BEEN TELLING ME SINCE MARCH OF THIS YEAR. I HAVE DISCONTINUED DRIVING THIS CAR UNLESS IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY AND IF THE DISTANCE IS LESS THAN 5 MILES BECAUSE IT HAS NOT YET WARMED UP TO CAUSE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT AND WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN KILLED BY THE 18 WHEELER. *TR