10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,366 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 2018 Chevrolet Malibu:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #184

Jun 242022

Malibu

  • miles
Son was driving my 2018 Malibu with 90,000 miles. Check engine light came on and car reduced speed from 75mph to 40mph on interstate! Autozone reading says replace Variable Camshaft Timing Solenoid. Very dangerous situation. Chevy should have to fix this.

- Nacogdoches , TX, USA

problem #183

May 272022

Malibu

  • miles
I-??ve brought the car in for the same thing -??engine power reduced -?? and they never were able to fix has been going on since February of 2019. codes related to the engine power reduced still occurred and are occurring on my vehicle, reported it to Gm ( have the emails) they offer me $2500 for a new car but won-??t put it towards fixing this car, as it-??s not a guaranteed fix as the vehicle has been brought in over 4-5 times for the same engine power reduced and never fixed it. I received a letter from GM regarding they will cover anything to do with -??engine power reduced -?? at no charge and now they won-??t fix it. The last email gm said to report it to the dealership giving me the run around. This is one of MANY almost got in an accident today on the highway cause I was going 70 and it dropped to 40 out of no where of course with the engine power reduced message. I need help, please. I been going on since I bought the vehicle in 2019. Gm is doing nothing but taken advantage of for years

- Chelsea, MI, USA

problem #182

Nov 162021

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle Stop feature engaged independently as designed, causing the engine to stop running. However, upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled and shut off. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact shifted into the park, depressed the pedal, and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #181

Feb 252022

Malibu

  • miles
Warning: Reduced speed, car stalled in the middle of traffic. Took to dealer ship and they charged me $279 and said it was the battery, from the looks of everyone else-??s complaint, which we have the same complaint, I got ripped off. I deserve a refund and we all deserve our cars serviced.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #180

May 082022

Malibu

  • miles
Experienced electrical issues and engine issues since car was purchased in 2019. The car will stall randomly if stopped at a light or moving slowly in traffic. The breaks also skip when slowing down, I taken by break check and they advised the breaks where good, just had them done 2 years ago, max. I had the batteries replaced twice in the last 2 years, there is no faulty in the battery. Right now my car is not working at all, the breaks became stiff while driving, constant error saying "Reduced Engine Power". The car would turn over but it will not hold. I took it to my local mechanic, who advised he replaced all parts that could be the issue but the car still will not run right. He states it's and Engine or computer issue. There are a few recalls already issued by chevy, my car was made in July of 2017, and the issues described is the exact same issues I'm having.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #179

May 082022

Malibu

  • miles
Certain @018 Chevy malibu models has a recall for asoftware problem could disable the fuel injectors And im currently having this issue where my vehicle will not start all of the time and is misfiring.

- Reynoldsburg, OH, USA

problem #178

Apr 292022

Malibu

  • miles
UNKNOWN. Stabilitrak, power steering drive with care, and steering assist is reduced drive with care light turned on. I was on the freeway with my newborn and the car was slowly giving out and suddenly stopped while in the carpool lane. Took it to the car dealer and did a diagnostics and codes u100, u0101, u0415, and u0073 popped up. This is the second time this same exact thing has happened to me same messages popped up so I took it to the dealer and codes p0300 came out and p050D came out. This malfunction could have caused a serious injury to myself or my family.

- Paramount , CA, USA

problem #177

Mar 202022

Malibu

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH independently. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road for five minutes. The contact was able to continue to drive with no other issues. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred twice while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

- Columbus, IN, USA

problem #176

Feb 162022

Malibu

  • miles
The car is going slow when you put it on drive a jumps then when you press on the gas it goes real slow then it kicks in at a faster level but when am at like 30 mlp it Jenks as if it wants to lock on

- Bakersfield , CA, USA

problem #175

Mar 172022

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle won't start and dealership determine it was the battery. Replaced battery now vehicle shuts off completely when making a complete stop. Vehicle will maintain in normal operation if shifted into neutral upon stopping. The vehicle was taken to Harper Motor Dealership where it was determine the starter was bad. After replacing the starter the next the problem remained. Took the vehicle back the next day and after three days it was determined a GM expert was needed to determine the issue. One week later and a proposed bill of $3500 to repair I decided to write this down. This appears to be a major safety issue that could cause harm or death. This has been an issue since 2013 in the Malibu and the issue has still not been corrected.

- Gibsland, LA, USA

problem #174

Mar 112022

Malibu

  • miles
Driving at highway speed and the speed decreased to 20 mph engine power reduced along with engine light came on extremely unsafe. Purchased Dec 10, 2018 39,000 miles. Kids and myself could-??ve been hurt.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

problem #173

Feb 242022

Malibu

  • miles
Reduced engine power occurs while driving and will indicate a traction control issue and the check engine light will engage. The first time it happened, it was during a snowstorm on 2/24/2022, but it has occurred two other times while driving on a highway on sunny days (3/3/2022 and 3/8/2022) with no snow on the ground, road completely dry. Car speed dropped from approximately 55-60 mph to 20. I have to pull the car off the road, turn it off, and let set for at least one minute turned off before it will have engine power restored. Code for car was checked, and it was P2138, throttle/pedal position sensor switch.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #172

Feb 272022

Malibu

  • miles
While driving o Leo noticed temp gauge going up. Pulled into a parking area. All my antifreeze had drained through a hole in the lower radiator hose. It had worn through because it was against a pully.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #171

Mar 032022

Malibu

  • miles
While driving at 55 miles my vehicle displayed engine speed reduced on the dashboard. My vehicle slowed down to only 20 miles in the middle of traffic And wouldn-??t pick of speed.I had to put my hazard-??s lights on and get to the side of the road as quickly as possible. I turn the car off than turned it back on same thing on dash engine powered reduced. I haven't took the car to the dealership yet

- Roseville , MI, USA

problem #170

Jul 162020

Malibu

  • miles
We have had this car since 2020 & frequently the "reduced engine power" warning comes on & the car will not/or very slowly accellortate. Along with the engine light on.We have hooked it up to a computer many times but nothing solves the issue. Lately it has been staying on constantly. Huge safety risk as my two children are in the car daily & we do take main roads/highways! When this comes on, the car will not remote start as well, also this is random in doing so, it has came on when I 1st start the car in the morning, while driving at 35mph, stopped at a light, or turn on any time I turn the car on. Doing some research and many others have had issues as well as their engines giving out at 60,000 milles (ours is at 57,000) & nothing resolved for them either. This is a huge safety issue and needs recalled. Us malibu owners should not have to pay to get this looked at constantly nor worry about owing on a car that could give out at any given time. We keep maintenance up on our car and this is the only constant issue we have that cannot be fixed.

- Wauseon, OH, USA

problem #169

Feb 222022

Malibu

  • miles
engine shuts off with out warning. shuts completely off sitting a stop light and has to be put in park and restarted. shuts of in drive through and scared it will begin doing while traveling down the highway. no warning lights or nothing on. was told at dealer if not doing all the time or there was no light on indicating a failure that there was nothing could be done. very dangerous problem

- Bay, AR, USA

problem #168

Aug 152021

Malibu

  • miles
My car always go in engine power reduce mode.

- Louisville , KY, USA

problem #167

Feb 062022

Malibu

  • miles
As I was driving with cruise control on a freeway at 70 mph the car suddenly displayed a warning to reduce speed. I continued to try to get to the next exit but almost instantly it started reducing my power and slowed me down to a crawl. I pulled over on the freeway and it would not restart. The tow truck to it to a chevy dealer and the next morning they called asking for details as the car started right up and they drove it around for 10 minutes without issue. They kept the vehicle all day but were unable to recreate the problem so they told me there was nothing they could do. They pulled 17 codes and said that's too many to diagnose so nothing to do. I drove 15 miles home with no issues. The next day I went to get the oil changed and they tested the 12V battery and told me it failed. I went to buy a battery and drove home. The next day I drove around 10 miles and then it dies again as I was slowing down to a stoplight. I pushed it to a parking lot and installed the new battery. I took the old battery back to the store to get my core deposit back and asked them to test it. They said it tested fine but I went ahead and gave it to them as I already had the new battery installed and it's a pain in the rear to do. On the 3 mile trip home they car jerked/slipped shifting briefly and the check engine light came on. OnStar sent me a notification the first time telling me the battery was drained and I needed to charge it. The second time I received a notification that there was an issue with the "electronic drivetrain" and needed to take it in for service. I'm taking it to the dealer I purchased it from tomorrow to see if they can figure it out.

- Leawood, KS, USA

problem #166

Jan 242022

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving on a crowded city street in St. Louis and my car suddenly reduced power and I saw a message on my dash that said Engine Power Reduced! I could not go faster than 15 miles an hour and had to pull into a gas station. I restarted my car and still had the message. I restarted again and the check engine light was still on, but I was able to drive at a normal speed. My concern is that I was a short distance from getting on a busy interstate highway and it could have happened while I was on the highway and could have been struck by a car.

- Saint Peters, MO, USA

problem #165

Jan 222022

Malibu

  • miles
My 2018 Chevy Malibu has been working fine then all of a sudden the warning light came on and the message warning light read ENGINE POWER REDUCED While I was driving on the freeway at 60 mph dropping my speed to 25mph instincts told me to pull over, so I did! Then I tried to drive again still no power it was like a strong pullback! So I again pulled over and turned my car engine off! Let it sit a few hours before driving up to local automotive parts store to use the ODII code reader and it read the code P2138 Throttle/ Pedal Position Sensor Correlation The part to order is $120 I am not able to get it today so I googythe problem and found out that this is a possible RECALL "?!!?"

- Clackamas , OR, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »