NHTSA Complaint #10876629 — 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU

THESE PROBLEMS OCCURRED ON PAVED OR CONCRETE CITY STREETS. AT LEAST ONCE LAST MONTH AND 3 TIMES THIS MONTH I EXPERIENCED TRANSIENT EPISODES OF WHAT I CATEGORIZE AS POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. THREE OF THESE TIMES WERE AT REDUCED SPEEDS LESS THAN 20 MPH DURING A TURN AND ONCE TRAVELING 65 MPH DOWN A STRAIGHT SECTION OF THE HIGHWAY. ON TWO OF THE TURNING EVENTS I MANAGED TO AVOID HEAD ON COLLISIONS WITH OTHER VEHICLES AT THE INTERSECTION/PARKING ENTRANCE. THESE EPISODES ARE SHORT DURATIONS AND MAY BE CHARACTERIZED BY SUDDEN STIFFNESS IN THE WHEEL, JERKING TO ONE SIDE OR WHAT SEEMS LIKE A POWER STEERING FAILURE. ON THE LAST EVENT TODAY A POWER LOSS TO MY CONSOLE WAS NOTED. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND GIVEN MY NEAR MISSES IN THE SHORT TIME I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR, I HAVE TO WONDER HOW MANY OTHER OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM WERE OUT THERE THAT ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT. ON A SAFETY NOTE, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ANYONE WITH THIS PROBLEM TO MAINTAIN A FIRM GRIP WITH BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL WHEN MAKING A TURN ON A SEPARATE NOTE I MENTIONED THAT I ALSO HAD TROUBLE WITH THE TIRES. THIS HAPPENED YESTERDAY AS I WAS GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN A MODERATE DOWNPOUR. THE CAR SEEMED TO LOSE TRACTION ON EVERY PUDDLE I HIT. IT MADE FOR A VERY SCARY RIDE AND FORCED ME TOO CAREFULLY REDUCE SPEED TO A MINIMUM OF 45-50MPH. THIS IS STILL VERY SUBJECTIVE AND I STILL NEED TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT, BUT IT DID NOT FEEL LIKE HYDROPLANING AS I KNOW IT.