I have owned this new 2013 Chevy Malibu LT since April. Before I bring it back to the dealer, I thought I would check with some of the other owners here to see if any of you are experiencing the same issue.
Something is seriously wrong with the steering on this car. It is hard to describe, but I'll try: The car's steering doesn't have any true center. This means basically, when you're on a straight, flat highway, and let go of the wheel, the car wants to track either left or right - but never dead center. The driver's reaction to this is to correct the course the car is going in by nudging the wheel in the opposite direction. When doing this, I can feel the power steering "skip" past center, in favor of gently tracking in the opposite direction.
The skipping effect is best described as a "void," a place in the steering where the resistance in the power steering diminishes. Once this resistance returns and the driver completes correcting the course in this manner, the car starts to subtly pull in the opposite direction. It's impossible to center it. What should be a pleasant cruise down the highway turns into an infuriating tug of war between the car which wants to go one way versus the driver's corrective efforts, which leads the car to track the other way.
This problem is obvious only when driving on a straightaway on a flat surface at highway speeds. But, the fact that it can be noticed under these conditions only tells you that it's a problem that is always present, and is compromising the drivers' ability to control the car under ALL conditions, even if not particularly noticeable.
Are there any recalls that deal with this? Are there any other drivers here who have experienced this problem? I would like to hear some feedback so that I can better describe this problem to the dealer when I take it back.
Thanks!
Rob
Something is seriously wrong with the steering on this car. It is hard to describe, but I'll try: The car's steering doesn't have any true center. This means basically, when you're on a straight, flat highway, and let go of the wheel, the car wants to track either left or right - but never dead center. The driver's reaction to this is to correct the course the car is going in by nudging the wheel in the opposite direction. When doing this, I can feel the power steering "skip" past center, in favor of gently tracking in the opposite direction.
The skipping effect is best described as a "void," a place in the steering where the resistance in the power steering diminishes. Once this resistance returns and the driver completes correcting the course in this manner, the car starts to subtly pull in the opposite direction. It's impossible to center it. What should be a pleasant cruise down the highway turns into an infuriating tug of war between the car which wants to go one way versus the driver's corrective efforts, which leads the car to track the other way.
This problem is obvious only when driving on a straightaway on a flat surface at highway speeds. But, the fact that it can be noticed under these conditions only tells you that it's a problem that is always present, and is compromising the drivers' ability to control the car under ALL conditions, even if not particularly noticeable.
Are there any recalls that deal with this? Are there any other drivers here who have experienced this problem? I would like to hear some feedback so that I can better describe this problem to the dealer when I take it back.
Thanks!
Rob