2005 Malibu LS popping sound when making left turn

My 2005 Malibu is making a "popping" sound when I make left hand turns. I asked my mechanic to investigate the problem and he thought it was something in the steering rack. The only way to figure out the problem is to do some major digging and I'm thinking that will cost quite a bit of money. Anyone else had this issue with a Malibu? Any suggestions? Thanks!

If you are out of warranty do this.

1. From inside the vehicle, spray GM Superlube, PIN 12346241 (in Canada, use PIN 10953474), into the gap between the inner shaft and outer shaft at the steering shaft for about two to three seconds.
2. Start the vehicle and turn the steering wheel 180 degrees and spray into the gap between the inner shaft and the outer shaft again for about two to three seconds.
3. Wipe off any excessive lubricant that may run down the outer shaft with a shop towel.
4. Cycle the steering wheel lock to lock for two complete cycles.

Go here to see where to lube.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f98/gonogo/1971218.gif

Hello,
I have a 2005 Malibu LT with 30k miles and had the same popping noise. I took it to my local dealer and had it checked out. They said it was the steering gear. They replaced the gear and gave it an alignment. The noise stopped but the slowpoke who aligned it didnt even have the steering wheel straight. So I had to take it in again. That was around August-September of '07 and now it has started making the same noise again. I plan on taking it in on Monday and do it all over. Other than that one problem I haven't had any other probs with the car.
Good Luck!

~Nick

tell them to read the bulletin about replaceing the rack/steering shaft, that says the shaft may be making these kinds of sound due to not being re-installed as per instructions in this release.(not exact wording, but they will get the idea). or you can do this yourself if not covered by dealer. jack and support left front of car. remove wheel if needed for clearence.turn wheel untl you can access the bolt holding lower steering shaft to rack assembly. loosen bolt, but do not remove(makes it easier), use a prybar or suitable substitute to push upward on shaft as if removing it(will not come off, but move slightly as long as you do not take bolt out). while holding shaft upward, tighten bolt and retest.

once again, this is not exact wording, but replaced some racks that were bad, then came back with that popping sound, found bulletin, and after doing this step, no more problems.

I thought popping in front wheel drive cars when making turns meant the cv shafts needing lube and/or going bad. couldn't that be possible in this case too?

I have a 97 Bu and had to have a new tranny put in. A few months after the tranny was put in it started popping when turning and I took it back to the same guy and he said they must have forgotten to tighten down the PS rack it was loose. He tighted up the bolts and now it is fine.
Funny thing is...my sister in law has the exact same thing happen on her Grand Prix. Replace tranny and then popping..loose rack. Might check that.
Rob

these are known issues on the newer mailbu's, could be anything from the rack to the steering shaft. the cv axles will normally make a ticking sound, getting faster as vehicle moves faster.

Update:
I just got my car back from the dealer. after having it for 2 days and a nightmare of a rental car expierence, they replaced the "intermediate shaft" which is the steering shaft. ill give it some time and hopefully all is good. i dont want to have to deal with this crap again.

nick

We bought our car from a used dealership in 2006 and it also was doing the popping noise. We took it to the repair shop and they thought it was the CV joint. So they replaced it under warranty. Then it continued to do the noise even at the repair shop. So they went back in and said that it was the rack and pinnion (I think that is how it is spelled). They replaced it and it worked... for about 3 weeks. Then it started making the noise again. So we took it back AGAIN!! They replaced it again saying that it was a defective part. Well it again worked for about 3 weeks and then stopped working again. By this time the warranty is up and there is no way we can pay a $1000 bucks for them to tear apart my car...... is there anything left to do???

Also seen strut bearings create this same scenario. Jack the vehical up, turn the wheels while looking for the problem, put it on the ground and no noise till it is driven a short while.

hello, not sure of fix but if car is/was under warranty at time of repair then atleast repairs would remain under warranty for 1 year.GOOD LUCK

here is the simplest fix. seen it many times in dealership, then GM came out with the bulletin to fix problem. rack may or may not have been bad, but is moot point now. tell the guy in shop to do this:

1. Loosen but DO NOT remove bolt holding steering shaft to rack and pinion.
2. using prybar or suitable screwdriver, pry upward on steering shaft where it attaches to rack. should move up a small bit.
3. tighten bolt to spec and retest.

this has cured the problem on many cars by my hands alone, and there are plenty more it worked on as well. could be done yourself, or if u wanna have shop take care of it, but would NOT pay them a cent!

to the mods, i know this thread is at the 3 month mark, but this guy needs help, feel free to copy this post into a new thread if it is created, as I will be out of town this weekend and nowhere near civilization to repost it...lol best of luck!

start vehicle
have someone sit in it and turn the wheel back and forth while you have your hand on the spring...if the spring jumps its your strut mount bearings..ive seen this many times...do this with both sides

hee hee. you have that problem too huh. i thought the whole front end was coming loose or something.all you need is a spray can of pb blaster which works way better for this job than wd-40. two poles of the steering shaft just behind the brake pedal just above a rubber boot join together one inside the other. the issue is surface rust gets caught in there and the joint sticks when you turn as they are supposed to slide in and out just slighty when you turn the wheel. spray the joint making sure the spray gets in the joint but the important part is to turn the wheel all the way left then all the way right a few times between sprays then repeat. the noise should stop for a couple of months. it will come back. its not really just the malibus i have seen almost every car have this problem.

Post #2 and #12 were real helpful, for me at least.
06 Malibu Maxx, 56K. Last couple of months would get a 'clunk' or a 'pop' from the steering, most noticeable when turning at intersections. I sprayed the joints on the steering shaft, both in the engine compartment and interior, and did the loosening up/prying on the shaft thing. The popping went away and it drives just like it did when it was new.
I thought maybe it was the rack going bad or something in the steering. What a relief it was to know that it was an easy fix!

Had the same popping issue on my 05 Maxx. Since I am recovering from an injury, I didn't have the ability to fix it myself right now, but the shop put in a steering shaft and all is well. Probably just needed the adjustment noted above, but most mechanics prefer to give their customers the shaft.... :)