There are 38 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibuin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking, and the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,605.
Steering asst warning came on. This happened in 2022 when I got the vehicle and it’s now happening again. When stopped with foot on brake and auto stop engaged , you take foot off brake steering wheel jerks and steering asst warning comes on. There is also a problem with shift to park. Vehicle shifted into park vehicle doesn’t recognize that it in park and vehicle can’t be shut off until it recognizes that it’s actually in park. Chevy knows this is an issue and will cover it under bumper to bumper warranty but will not fix it under a recall or outside of bumper to bumper warranty. Vehicle has a p1101 code that comes and goes. Engine filter has been replaced, throttle body has been cleaned, MAF sensor has been replaced, and the issue continues to persist. There is no know way to fix this. Rear seat belt doesn’t work. Vehicle came like that. Vehicle has had multiple issues. Contacted Chevy they want me to pay for a diagnostic out of pocket and submit to them and possibly they will then help. These are all known issues that they are not addressing.
I've taken my car in now 4 times to Chevy dealers just to be told there was nothing wrong. Turnes out that my torque converter (transmission) is going bad. And I can't get a Chevy dealer to honor my almost expired warranty.
Regular electrical issues that cause the steering assistance to become disable while driving. Faulty sensors that the Chevrolet certified service center cannot resolve, engine light has been on for over 6 months. faulty mass airflow sensor Invalid Data Received From Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) Control See attachment for additional codes over 2 years. I have contacted as many people as possible in order to understand the issue and find a resolution. Began having electrical issues since May 2022. Dyer Chevrolet in Lake Wales Florida has all the records.
My car will stall in the middle of driving will say it is not in drive, the power steering is reduced, and I cannot use the brakes properly. This is a safety issue. As I drive on interstates and highways on my commutes.
My car has auto stop and every time it cranks back up my radio blinks off, my lights blink off, all the lights on my dashboard come on and the error message Steering Assist is Reduced comes on the message center. Sometimes it doesn’t want to crank back up. Today when all that happened the message service stabilitrac also came up. I can’t find any recalls.
My check engine light will come on, a message will pop up on the screen saying, "steering assist reduced drive with care." When i come to a stop and my car goes into auto stop the car will completely shut down. This can be in the middle of the street or during traffic. It will take my car awhile to start back up. I was told it is a sensor that is going bad consistently, this has happened to me 3 times. This is a known issue with a lot of Chevy Malibu.
The steering wheel is jerking when in the position to turn, and waiting at a light. The STOP ENGINE Feature seems to make the jerk motion and also sends an ALERT MESSAGE which is a quick flash STATING "Steering Assist is REDUCED- Drive with Care". According to a SERVICE BULLETIN Provided by GM BULLETIN #19-NA-182 AUGUST 2019. This is a problem that needs to be corrected, for the safety of my family and others in the vehicle and on the road. Next, the car shut off and the command center went blank,
Vehicle is experiencing a electrical issue. When auto stop stops the car, it displays the message "drive assistance reduced, drive with care". The Vehicle does not jave any light displaying a issue but the car is loosing power once it starts after auto stop.
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel would jerk to the left. Additionally, the vehicle inadvertently rolled backward while at a full stop. The steering assist warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,379.
Reduced power steering warning pops up for approximately 3-5 seconds then disappears. No noticeable operating issues while driving.
Recently my car had been shutting off at stops. I know chevys shut down when at stops but now it shuts down my radio lights go off locks on doors unlock then lock. then when it turns back on it says driving assist is reduced drive with caution. Then another alert pops up saying doors are unlocked. Now when I’m driving sometimes it slows down on its own and won’t let me go faster. It’s very scary when on freeway cause I’m worried it’s not going to speed back up and I’m going to get rear ended. Another alert With the first letter S comes on but it turns off so fast I can’t see what the word is. It been stalling when I’m at a stop. It does turn back on after a few seconds. The engine light comes on periodically and eventually turns off. Also when I go from drive to reverse it does not change gear smoothly sometimes it will jerk the entire car and make a loud noise as I’m putting into reverse. There has been two times my radio screen has gone completely black and won’t turn on for several hours. I use my car everyday to commute to and from work. I have two jobs so I do spend a lot of time driving and this is scary not knowing if my car is truly safe to be on the road. I trust the Chevy name that’s why I chose it but now I’m not so sure it is safe.
The steering wheel is jerking when in the position to turn, and waiting at a light. The STOP ENGINE Feature seems to make the jerk motion and also sends an ALERT MESSAGE which is a quick flash STATING "Steering Assist is REDUCED- Drive with Care". According to a SERVICE BULLETIN Provided by GM BULLETIN #19-NA-182 AUGUST 2019. This is a problem that needs to be corrected, for the safety of my family and others in the vehicle and on the road. Technicians must replace or reprogram the POWER STEERING control module with the latest and most up to date one. I am aware there in no specific RECALLS but this issue is new and I do not feel SAFE and I would like it corrected.
When car restarts after being in Auto stop start mode the steering wheel jerks uncontrollably. The car obviously has a suspension problem. Dealership failed to repair issue properly after several attempts. Also appears dealer made false diagnosis to prevent repairs under bumper to bumper warranty. GM Dealer also refused to repair issue under Power train warranty. Another dealer wanted $555 just to check issue. A couple of weeks ago I suddenly lost control of the vehicle. I was at a red light. Car went into auto stop start mode. When light changed and car restarted, as I proceeded to take off the steering wheel jerked away from my hands, and I lost control of the wheel and car. Luckily it was a single turning lane and no other vehicle was next to me turning. I pulled off side of the road in shock. I drove about half mile and warning light displayed on dash. Warning Message States STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE" what was a brand new 2018 Chevrolet Malibu purchased in 2019 is now unsafe and inoperable. This steering component issue along with several others were brought to dealerships attention and were not acknowledged and were dismissed. After several other failed attempts this dealership purposely ignored this issue months ago while car was still under bumper to bumper warranty. Dealership also refused to repair this issue under powertrain warranty. 2018 Chevy Malibu has had 5 recalls to my knowledge. This has been spontaneously producing white smoke from underneath the hood on several occasions. I have video and witnesses. This car was sold as a brand new car. This car had recalls at the time of purchase and never disclosed the recall information. Also be advised that I cranked the car today just to keep the battery in tack because car has been sitting since June 10. The car choked, head lights went flickering, car could barely stay on. it appears to be an engine issue. These cars should not be on the road. They are not safe.
DURING AUTO STOP FEATURE OF 20108 MALIBU, CAR WILL POP UP WITH "STEERING ASSIST REDUCED, PLEASE DRIVE WITH CARE" MESSAGE AND DISAPPEAR. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT OFF AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING AUTO STOP. CHEVY DEALERSHIP WILL NOT CALIBRATE CAR TO FIX ISSUE.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TRACKING LIGHT, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP , LOW ENGINE AND CAN'T EXCEED 45 ~ 50 MPH ALL HAPPENS WHEN IN MOTION
2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU LT, WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A FLAT SMOOTH ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL WILL STICK IN THE STRAIGHT POSITION. IT REQUIRES EXTRA EFFORT TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS POSITION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO JERK AND EXTRA CORRECTION IS NEEDED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN CONTROL. IT HAS HAPPENED ALMOST EVERYDAY SINCE BEGINNING OF JANUARY 2021.
DELAYED ECCEL ELECTRICAL STEERING AN BATTERY LOSS. TIRE LOW WARNING RESET FOR ALL TIRES CONTINUE TO COME ON, BATTERY DIES BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER THEY SAI IT HAD ONLY 1 RECALL AN IT WAS FIXED
WHEN CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE WAITING FOR GREEN LIGHT TO CHANGE, CAR SHUTS OFF AND WHEN IT TURNS BACK ON, I HAVE A WARNING SIGN THAT APPEARS ON MY DASHBOARD THAT SAYS "STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED, DRIVE WITH CARE" AND THEN IT DISAPPEARS. NO ISSUES WITH CAR JUST THAT WARNING SIGN.
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR THIS MORNING THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, I WAS IN A STOP WHEN I WOULD RESTART THE CAR TO GO MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD DO A QUICK SHIFT TO THE LEFT THEN BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION THEN I WOULD GET THE STEERING ASSIST REDUCED SIGN FOR SECOND THEN DISAPPEAR. IT DID IT 4 TIMES IN A MATTER OF AN HOUR AND A HALF. AND DID IT ONCE LAST WEEK WITH NO MASSAGE DISPLAY.
Showing 1–20 of 38 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026