10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,555 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #110

Mar 192022

Malibu

  • miles
While I was driving my car went into engine saving mood. My speed was reduces rapidly.

- Chesterfield, MI, USA

problem #109

Mar 012022

Malibu

  • miles
My 2017 Malibu suddenly had the "check engine" light come on, and a message indicating that a "reduced power mode" had been initiated. I drove the car immediately to the local dealer, who said I needed an appointment to have it checked. I checked the OBD2 codes with my personal meter, which showed a p2138 code, indicating a problem with a throttle body sensor. When I started my car the next morning the MIL light didn't come on. At the dealer I was told they couldn't do anything with the car because the light wasn't on. I pointed out that the failure codes were stored in the ECM, but they said diagnosis wasn't possible with the light off. The service writer indicated the problem was not uncommon on GM cars and that even his wife's car had similar problems. When this occurred I was fortunate to be on a local suburban road where reduced speed was not that great of a problem. Much of the time I am on freeways in several major Midwestern cities where aggressive drivers are packed together. I read a number of complaints on the NHTSA site indicating same complaints from Malibu owners. A sudden reduction of speed in a congested area is a recipe for disaster. The service writer even stated that GM had an extended warranty on the pedal assembly and TPI sensors. But he refused to try and diagnose the issue, unless I brought the car in immediately if and when the MIL light was illuminated, even if I was 500 miles away. As this intermittent behavior is a known and common issue I feel that GM should be compelled to do something to correct these defects before a truly dangerous incident occurs, causing devastating results. But I'm sure that this will go on until misfortune causes those in power to ask. Why didn't somebody do something?

- West Bend, WI, USA

problem #108

Oct 202021

Malibu

  • miles
I purchased my vehicle in August of 2020, in October while driving down a main highway the engine light came on with a warning that stated "driving with reduced power". The vehicle slows to 20 mph and will not accelerate any faster. I called my dealers service center and was told this issue was a "quirk that happens" and to "turn my vehicle off and start it again" and that by doing this it would make it go away and it would not happen again. Approximately 8 months later this happened again, so I called the service department and was told that a line was freezing and that I could bring my vehicle in so they could empty & refill the frozen line costing $500, but it would not solve the problem, the dealer then recommended that I park in a heated space to avoid it freezing, but again it would not resolve the problem long term. A month later while driving home from work in a blizzard, my vehicle once again lost power, with the engine light on and a warning that I was driving with reduced power and slowing to 20mph. This put myself and other travelers on this busy main road at risk. When I reached out to my dealer they said that there was nothing they could do that would guarantee a fix, but they could try three different options, again with no guarantee of a fix. None of this is covered under warranty and costs roughly $1500.

- Brainerd, MN, USA

problem #107

Feb 042022

Malibu

  • miles
The vehicle constantly reduces speed when there are no issues with weather or any other issues on the road. This issues can potentially be fatal. I have had it checked and the diagnostic machine says it-??s sensor issue that was reported for recall but my car was not part of the said recall. The car completely shuts off and will turn on by itself after 10 minutes. Uncertain what to

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

problem #106

Jan 192022

Malibu

  • miles
On January 2022, Wednesday the 19th. My husband, myself and our two daughters 12 & 4 are on the Northbound freeway 99 in the far-right lane and the car pops up with the warning -??Engine Power Reduce-?? and then proceeded to decline in speed from 70 MPH to 15 Mph almost instantly almost causing an accident. WE all were so shaken up! Had we been in front of a big rig we would have been crush from the backseat as fast as the speed declined. WE just bought this vehicle 5 months ago no more than 10K miles on it. The dealership says its not there problem to contact GM. Nobody will help this is a death trap vehicle. There are already multiple class action lawsuits about this issue and the vehicle. We are simply being told to buy a newer vehicle rather then someone taking ownership of this issue. This is a deadly issue and why there is not a recall is outrageous, There are cars out there that are capable of causing a deadly crash and killing thousands of people and everyone is turning there head when the consumers are reaching out for help.

- Wasco, CA, USA

problem #105

Oct 152021

Malibu

  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while she was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a stoplight, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle suddenly lost electrical power. The warning message "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with Care" was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued to drive; however, the failure recurred increasingly while depressing the brake pedal at stoplights. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

- Country Club Hills, IL, USA

problem #104

Oct 022021

Malibu

  • miles
Start and stop function at a stop failed car turns off but when releasing the brakes car doesn't turn back on everything is intermittent and can't reproduce check engine code when car goes in to fix the problem when I put it on L gear so the start and stop function won't try to engage but it doesn't sense its on L gear also back up camera not longer work as well as a.c blower or heater doesn't kick on a lot of electrical problems like if the brain is slowly dropping everything it knows and forgetting how to function also engine reduce and abs light as well as a lot of oil cusumption with no leaks a lot of complaints on these cars and you tube videos why hasn't this been recalled please investigate in an honest investigation please.

- Thousand Palms, CA, USA

problem #103

Dec 272021

Malibu

  • miles
Engine Power is Reduced

- Wayne City, IL, USA

problem #102

Nov 032021

Malibu

  • miles
Car voltage stays very high (between 14.8 and 15 volts) for extended periods of time. At which point the windows have fogged up and there is a raw egg smell in the cabin - probably Sulfur. Both the hybrid and the 12v car battery are located in the truck and there are vents that draw air from the cabin to ventilate those batteries. The car voltage will also stay at 12.5 to 12.6 for extended periods of time. During both high and low periods numerous internal systems have failed, including bit not limited to steering assist, anti-locks bakes, Stabilitrack, On star, Hybrid Control Processor and ECM. Car has been brought to the dealer 3 times. First time (early November 2021) it was diagnosed with an hybrid inverter and a software update was installed. Issues continued. As of 12/28/21, Coggin Chevrolet (Jacksonville, FL) has had the car for 2 weeks and can't fix or confirm what is wrong with the car. I have received numerous e-mails from On-star with engine error codes as well as 5 messages saying there is an issue with the Electric Drive Unit in the car. The car has roughly 24K miles on it.

- St Augustine , FL, USA

problem #101

Dec 232021

Malibu

  • miles
Was driving to work at 5:00 am today and merged onto a busy highway. After accelerating to 60 mph, there was a message that appear on my dashboard that read engine power reduced. It was not safe traveling at the speed that I was. The check engine light came on as well as the Stability Control symbol and my car reduced its speed and would not accelerate back to a safe speed. I am going to take it to the dealership and try to get the problem diagnosed. I really hope this issue gets resolved.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

problem #100

Mar 012019

Malibu

  • miles
My vehicle has been flashing the Shift to park warning for about 2 years now. It never happens when I take it in but I have made dealership aware. I am report it now because it starting to happen everyday and is taking longer to go away. They say they can-??t fix it if they can-??t see it when it happens

- West Memphis, AR, USA

problem #99

Sep 032021

Malibu

  • miles
STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE message comes on car screen. The steering wheel jerks and acceleration is reduced. This is putting everyone in my car at risk as we are not able to accelerate fast enough if anything were to happen. Car has been taken to the dealership and they are unable to identify the problem. I checked online and multiple Malibus are having this problem. If you're looking for a safe car for your family member this is not the car. These cars have these errors built in the system and the dealership are unable to find the problem costing a lot of money on diagnostics to get no results. Please notice all the complaints I hope my word is heard. If mine is not heard I hope the next persons will be.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #98

Jul 022017

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
Ever since I purchased my car I have had many issues under 36,000 miles. 1) locked out of my cars for the first 2 years and eventually there was a recall for a bad module, was replaced. 2) My gear is parked and getting notification not parked and had to fix it. 800 Switch 84733196 and harness 84955381. Parts $41.27 Labor $280 Total $321.27 @Gordon Chevrolet. 3) Engine light has come on and off since I purchased the car. Repaired ECM Calibration update and 02 sensor replacement 2 12701634 sensor Parts $143.92 Labor $420 Total $563.92. It was repaired on 8/26/2021, once again engine light is on again. 4) A/C needed a new replacement condenser which cost $907.39. I didn't buy a brand new car from now spending way too much time at the dealership to fix it and this needs to be investigated for recall. Dealership did inform me it happens a lot with 2017 Chevy Malibu. Please advise. Invoice No. [XXX], 33753 miles in / 33760 miles out. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Canton, MI, USA

problem #97

Oct 042021

Malibu

  • miles
I get a -??Shift to Park-?? message when car is placed in PARK and turn off ignition. This is not covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty since it is over 3 years old, but I only have 28,800 miles on the car. This shouldn-??t be failing after so soon. This happened about 2 years ago, but it stopped and has worked fine for two years. Now it's back and won't go away. There seems to be no way to shut off the car unless it is in PARK. Until I an able to get it fixed I am concerned it won't shut-off one of these times, and what happens if it won't shut-off? None of the options are good if I'm driving after hours and the dealer or service center is closed. This can easily turn into a dangerous situation. (Repair is scheduled for next week.) This seems to be a common error reported on many 2016 through 2020 Chevrolet vehicles. There are service bulletins with regard to this problem. Why has Chevrolet/GM not had a recall for this widespread issue of a faulty micro switch?

- Taneytown, MD, USA

problem #96

Jun 012020

Malibu 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that since purchasing the vehicle, the check engine warning light had remained illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would vibrate and stall without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer as well as several independent mechanics where various repairs were performed; however, despite each repair, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the independent mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #95

Aug 162021

Malibu

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light would remain illuminated. Additionally, after the auto start, the fuel-saving feature was activated, the vehicle was hesitant to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 97,000.

- Killeen, TX, USA

problem #94

Aug 162021

Malibu

  • miles
Get "SHIFT TO PARK" after putting car in park to shut it off. I am unable to turn the car off - so do I leave it running in my garage? This is a known error that they charge to fix. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10186071-9999.pdf Attached is my bill to have this known error fixed.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #93

Aug 182021

Malibu

  • miles
There needs to be a recall on the third brake light on the Chevy Malibu. Everyone that I speak with that has a Malibu has had to replace the third brake light because of it breaking and when it rains water leaks into the car.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #92

Jul 102021

Malibu

  • miles
2017 Malibu with less than 36000 miles, complete shutdown of all power. Engine auto stop shuts down engine but does not restart. Have sat in traffic for 15 minutes or longer before the engine would start. When restarted there is no volume on the radio. Has happened 10 to 12 times in the last 2 months. Dealership said they could not recreate issue and gave a load bull as to why it may happen...

- St Cloud , MN, USA

problem #91

Jul 102021

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving on the interstate and the dashboard said Engine loss of power. It was very dangerous because it reduced my speed drastically in the middle of traffic! My whole family was in the car and this is the 3rd time this has happened to me since purchasing the car. And now my check engine light is on. I don-??t understand why this happens, but defective parts that create this problem put our lives in danger! Why is there not a recall on this" This is very important and should be fixed immediately! I almost wasn-??t here to write this so please show me and other owners of these cars in these model years how to not die in your vehicles please"!

- Atlanta , GA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »