[aliciagarcia6]

Hi, first time posting. I have a 2018 Chevy Malibu LT. About a week ago I was in a drive thru and while sitting at the order window my steering wheel stopped turning and I got 3 error messages on my dash that said “Power steering reduced - drive with care” “Ice possible drive with care” and then “Stabilitrak”. I had it taken to a shop and it wouldn’t do it when they drive it so I got it back thinking it was a one time error for some reason and then as soon as I turned my heat on about 5 minutes later I got the same error messages again. I took my car back and explained that it starts doing it when the car heats up. The shop I took it to has never seen anything like this and i’m having trouble finding anyone this has happened to.

 

[campb292]

I have not read that exact behavior before but have read similar symptoms. If you have taken it in and they could not reproduce or diagnose the issue, I have a pretty good guess that the battery is getting weak. A 2018 battery is somewhere between 3.5-5 years old depending on the exact purchase date. When the battery gets weak the charging system can't keep up and you get glitches like this. If my car was doing this the first thing I would do is make sure the battery connections are clean and tight (careful). Assuming they are, I'd replace the battery - it is due anyway. The battery is an AGM and must be replaced with an AGM battery with the same or better specs than the original ACDelco 48AGM.

 

[aliciagarcia6]

I just had my battery replaced about 3 months ago because my car started loosing power to everything including windows, radio etc. Then about 1 month ago I got up one day to remote start my car for work and it would turn on so I went out to push start it and absolutely none of the electronics would turn on and my car wouldn’t start so I took it back and they said I had a loose terminal so they tightened it back up and I haven’t had any problems until now with this

 

[campb292]

I just had my battery replaced about 3 months ago because my car started loosing power to everything including windows, radio etc. Then about 1 month ago I got up one day to remote start my car for work and it would turn on so I went out to push start it and absolutely none of the electronics would turn on and my car wouldn’t start so I took it back and they said I had a loose terminal so they tightened it back up and I haven’t had any problems until now with this

If you have any more new information feel free to share. That way others won't waste their time like I wasted mine. Good luck.

 

[aliciagarcia6]

I will share anything that ends up happening, so far right now it’s just sitting in the shop. The mechanic said he’s chasing wires but needs to get under the dash to see the rest which could be a 14+ hour job so he’s having a guy come in who knows more about electrical work so if they find anything out I will post

 

[3rdcamaro]

I had a similar problem two months ago on my 14 3LT. Battery tested okay, but cranking voltage was 11.3 volts. Battery was 4 1/2 years old so replaced it. No problems since then. Some of these models have parasitic drain so voltage is low enough after a couple of days so stabili Trac loses memory. Change the Battery.

 

[aliciagarcia6]

Update:: not a very good one but they have tested the new battery that was replaced about 3 months ago and it’s not causing any issues. They have replaced a sensor in the steering column and replaced the body control module and the steering wheel still locks up after my car heats up so right now we are waiting on my warranty company to come inspect and hopefully approve the next step with replacing some different wiring system. I’m not car smart so i’m not really sure what anything means but going on 3 weeks now with a rental car feeling like absolutely nothing is going to fix my car at this point 🥲

 

[DrivenDaily]

A fast test would be to use a known good battery, such as from a vehicle with no issues, and see if it changes things...

 

[repairman54]

Possible that steering motor is heating up and failing. Not a common issue but anything is possible. And it's a hard thing to diagnose.

 

[aliciagarcia6]

I wish I could find anything on the internet that has experienced this but I hit a dead end everytime. He’s replaced several different things on it and the wheel is still locking up. I’d hate to ask him to check the battery as I hope to assume that was one of the first things he did and I don’t want to make it seem like I think he can’t do his job 🧐

 

[DrivenDaily]

If he can't do his job, now is the time to find out.

 

[campb292]

they have tested the new battery that was replaced about 3 months ago and it’s not causing any issues.

I’d hate to ask him to check the battery as I hope to assume that was one of the first things he did and I don’t want to make it seem like I think he can’t do his job 🧐

 

[aliciagarcia6]

I just need the car fixed bc I have 2 kids and a job and i’m worried about taking it elsewhere with my warranty and everything I don’t want to end up paying $$$ for nothing

 

[aliciagarcia6]

Well it’s been almost a month since I posted this. I am just getting my car back today from the dealership. Turns out it was the steering column wiring harness(?) and they had to fight with my warranty to order the part because my warranty company did not want to pay for it so to it be an 8hr fix but I finally got it back running like normal now!!