Steering problem 2004 Malibu

I was down in South Carolina for ten days and on the way back the power steering light came on and I lost the Power steering. I brought it to a dealership down there and they reprogrammed the steering column. Two hours later, on interstate 95, the power steering went out again. I was told by roadside assistance that it was safe to drive, just not convienient. It did drive like a tank at slow speeds but at highway speeds it was not too bad. When I brought it back to the dealer that I purchased it from, I was told that all the 2004 Malibus they have sold so far have been back for the correction in the steering column. Apparently this is going to be a recall for all 2004's. There is a technical bulletin out on this problem from GM. I had some very bad luck with a 2003 Malibu I bought last year and I started to have deja vu feelings about the 2004. I hope that this corrects the problem. The Malibu saga continues.


Patrick McLaughlin
Middletown, New York

Most '04 Malibus will need to have the steering column replaced. Question is through what production date. Since mine was made in late April, and the fix was known by then, I'm hoping that I can escape that recall.

The transmission whine (on V-6s, anyway) apparently has no fix from GM yet. I do have that, and I'll bet that becomes a recall as well at some point in the future.