NHTSA Complaint #11073952 — 2007 CHEVROLET MALIBU

WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ONE EVENING, MY CAR MADE AN ALARMING CHIMING NOISE TO SIGNAL ME THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I THEN SAW THE WORDS "POWER STEERING" APPEAR ON MY DISPLAY. AT THAT VERY MOMENT MY STEERING WHEEL FROZE UP TO WHERE I BASICALLY COULD NOT MOVE IT ANY MORE. I COULD NOT TURN LEFT OR RIGHT, WHICH FORCED ME TO KEEP STRAIGHT. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND HAD TO KEEP GOING UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO MAKE A STOP, TURN MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON, THEN IT ALLOWED ME TO DRIVE HOME. FROM THAT POINT ON, MY STEERING WHEEL ITSELF HAS BEGAN TO TWIST AND TURN BACK AND FORTH WHILE VIBRATING, WITH NO ASSISTANCE FROM ME, AND IT DOES THIS ALL WHILE I'M DRIVING. I'M FORCED TO BASICALLY HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL WITH A TIGHT GRIP TO KEEP IT STRAIGHT. SINCE THAT DAY, MY POWER STEERING HAS WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING ABOUT 4 OR 5 TIMES, AND MORE THAN THAT IF YOU COUNT WHEN I FIRST START IT UP IN THE MORNING. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO EXPRESS MY CONCERN IN WHICH THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY SERVICED MY VEHICLE FOR THIS PROBLEM ON 11/26/16... WHICH WAS A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO, SO I AM NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN, DUE TO A POSTCARD I RECEIVED ABOUT A FEW RECALLS, I WAS NOT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING WHAT SO EVER. I AM ABOUT 3 MONTHS SHORT OF A YEAR AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IF THIS PROBLEM WAS FIXED PROPERLY, HOW IT WOULD BECOME A PROBLEM FOR ME SO QUICK! I HAVE 2 CHILDREN I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR AND I RELY HEAVILY ON MY VEHICLE. FROM READING ONLINE, THIS IS A SERIOUS, COMMON, AND VERY WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. AS STATED BEFORE, AT THE TIME THEY SAY THAT THEY SERVICED IT, IT WAS NOT AN ISSUE FOR ME. SO IS IT COMMON FOR THIS TYPE OF WORK TO GO BAD WITHIN A YEAR? I REALLY NEED MY CAR AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY THE HIGH COST FOR THIS REPAIR, BUT MOST IMPORTANT I CAN NOT RISK DRIVING MY CHILDREN AROUND IN A VEHICLE THAT IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. I NEED HELP