No serious failures mechanically or otherwise on this Malibu. Cruise control has failed to work for more than 4 months at a time since I have owned it.
Ergonomically I have no complaints behind the wheel. Controls for everything are just where they belong.
One thing I should point out: Trying to eliminate blind-spots with side-view mirrors is well-nigh impossible in the 2004-2007 Malibu!
One weekend I lost an entire 6-wheel BOX TRUCK in my blind-spot, but was able to accelerate ahead of it to merge. The mirrors I feel are too far "back" from the front of the car. I feel like I have to turn my head too far to see them, taking my focus off the road ahead and my rear-view mirror.
The hands down best mirrors I ever had on a car were in my 96 Ford Contour. I saw everything seamlessly in there!
The steering. Ahh yes. Variable-assist electric power steering. The worst automotive invention of the last 10 years! The best description of the electric power steering on this Malibu is "mushy". The wheel doesn't feel nearly tight enough and it's sometimes hard to know if the wheel is centered. This form of power steering is replacing good old hydraulic big time in many Asian and European cars. Instead of trying to save fuel by re-inventing power steering, auto builders should look elsewhere to improve fuel economy.
You will have a blind spot on any car. I guarantee you.
GM's electric power steering has a checkered record. There are apparently two failure modes, and yours may have the first: excessive play in the steering column. The second involves grease contamination of the steering sensors. See the answer at
www.justanswer.com/questions/17qp6-bought-2005-chevy-malibu-2 for more on this. Repair consists of replacing the steering column with a new version (same reference).
My daughter has a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. She just had her first failure of her power steering. The steering started making a bump or thump noise whenever she went around a corner.
Last night here idiot light came on, and there was a light on the dash that said power steering with a figure of a wrench in it. She didn't go very far and she lost her steering so the car was no longer under her control. She is a cop for the county we live in, so it isn't cuz she doesn't know how to drive.
I checked another site called Auto Beef and found 48 people who have had the same thing happen to them. The dealers don't seem to know what's wrong either. All they can think of is to put in a new rack & pinon steering assembly for $1000.00. And from what I've read, that doesn't fix the problem.
I can't see how GM can get out of a law-suit if some-one gets killed or crippled for life on account of their junk electric power steering. I suppose they would file bankruptcy again.
Mad in Wisconsin.
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