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severe 190 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $700 · see steering across all vehicles →
Of the 190 steering complaints filed for the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 125,000-150,000 mi.
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
Steering accounts for 21% of all owner complaints filed against this vehicle, across 12 categories tracked.
Owners have filed 190 steering complaints against 1 active recall — roughly 190 complaints per campaign.
A joint bearing that fails prematurely may cause separation of the u-joint resulting in a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
My power steering just went out on me in the middle.of driving got real stiff on the 10 freeway going home from.redlands to hemet and my power steering eis electrical and its hard my mechanic said its too much to fix and told me that its a high demand in recall for this and that I need it fix I turned it on and ti works for 5 minutes a drive or two and out of no where even while driving will…
I bought a 2012 malibu for my daughter who is 15 years old. Nice car, but when she was pulling into a parking lot, "service etc" illuminated on the dash and she completely lost power steering. Hit a curb.
Driving approximately 30 MPH down the road my steering stiffened and I heard a chime and service ESC across the dash warning system, I could not turn the wheel. The electronic steering control was not working and I had to try to manually steer. I had my 1 yr old and 4 yr old in my vehicle and the roads were snowy and icy, and no way to steer my vehicle safely.
'takata recall ' I was driving down the road at 35mph and all of a sudden my service ESC light came on , my traction light came on, the power steering light came on and I lost steering capability of the vehicle and almost caused me to wreck . It made it nearly impossible to try to turn to even get my car off the road .
It's a meaningful issue. 190 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $700.
Across the 134 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most steering failures cluster between 73,610 and 138,000 miles, with the median around 107,800. A quarter of owners report trouble before 73,610; a quarter make it past 138,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
Independent shops typically charge around $700 for steering repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Yes — 1 active recall(s) cover steering issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.