10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,838 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 2019 Chevrolet Malibu:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #41

May 092024

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle occasionally hesitates to accelerate past 1st or 2nd gear & produces no power until the turbo & gears finally kick in. Has put myself & my passengers (my children) in danger of traffic-??s way while trying to merge into traffic from a stop. Have had to pull to the side until the car is able to go past 5-15 miles per hr. Have taken the vehicle for inspection to Chevrolet of Watsonville & the tech there was unable to replicate the issue & was told to take it back when present. The issue recently happened again late evening but then resolved on its own when I planned to take the following morning. The vehicle has horrible MPG ranging from 18-24MPG when the rated MPG is 27-36MPG. I don-??t understand how I am supposed to resolve this issue if the problem doesn-??t persist when I am able to finally get an appointment for the vehicle to get seen. This issue is very concerning & would like help as I am nearing the manufacturer 100k warranty expiration mileage. Also There are no service lights present on the vehicle.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #40

Jan 222024

Malibu

  • miles
I've had a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu since December 2018. After my last visit to the dealership to have my oil changed (January 22), I began experiencing a "Park to Shift" alert appear after I had shifted the car into park and turned it off. This happened within the first day of having it serviced. Since then it has happened pretty much every time I've driven the car and turned itr off. I'd say it's happening 90% of the time. Sometimes it's resolved if I cut the car back on shift to Drive or Reverse, then back to Park (usually have to do that a few times to get it to stop). Just today, I could not get it to go off while making a quick stop and had to leave the car essentially on while I hopped out. Once, I was able to "jiggle" the gear shift for a few seconds to get it to stop. I don't understand why this is suddenly happening. It was not happening before the visit, although I am aware that it is a known issue - however no recall has been issued. What are my options beyond spending another chunk of money to have this fixed?

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #39

Nov 282023

Malibu

  • miles
Check engine light came on and the car shut down while stopping.

- Mishawaka, IN, USA

problem #38

Oct 042021

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, and releasing the accelerator pedal the auto Start/Stop system engaged with delay, and the vehicle shuddered while resuming normal driving. The instrument cluster and the infotainment system were inoperable and turned off temporarily while driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while attempting to drive from a complete stop. Messages indicating low fuel and key fob malfunction were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that the Start/Stop system operated as needed after the battery replacement. Additionally, the contact stated while driving an undisclosed speed in a parking lot, the auto Start/Stop system engaged inadvertently, and the vehicle shut off. The message "Shift to Neutral. Restart Vehicle" was displayed. The contact followed the instruction and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving 5-8 MPH, and making a turn from a middle lane, the failure recurred while there was oncoming traffic. The contact shifted into neutral (N) and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the message "Power Steering Reduced. Drive Carefully" was displayed when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced 4-5 times; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that each battery had lasted 9-10 months. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed and informed the contact that they would consider buying back the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #37

Jul 312023

Malibu

  • miles
The vehicle has failed to shift to park. I have pulled the vehicle into a parking spot on multiple occasions and placed the shift knob into park. A message on the screen pops up after I turn the car off, that says "Shift Vehicle to Park." I then have to start the car again and backup and pull forward attempting to get the car to engage into park.

- Idaho Falls, ID, USA

problem #36

Jun 212023

Malibu

  • miles
Unknown cause of issue. Vehicle states a notice to -??Shift to Park-?? after it has already been shifted in to park and prompted to turned off. The electricity in the vehicle will not shut off until the notice disappears which doesn-??t happen unless the button on the shifter is pressed multiple times. This issue will cause the battery to die in the vehicle if not treated, which in turn, will leave myself and any passengers stranded where the vehicle is.

- Allen Park, MI, USA

problem #35

May 122023

Malibu

  • miles
SERVICE ESC flashed on my dashboard along with the car jerking when braking. Car has not been abused as this a new development. Check engine light stays on. Service ESC and LOW FUEL appear at the same time the brake jerk happens. Car has less than 50k miles despite being used everyday. Car does not perform accurately with the ESC not working.

- Ellicott City , MD, USA

problem #34

Mar 012023

Malibu

  • miles
Shift to park switch malfunction. Switch is bad

- Meridian , ID, USA

problem #33

Apr 122023

Malibu

  • miles
Check engine light lit up on the dashboard. Did not go away, took car to dealership next day. Turns out that the fuel pump system (P & A Fuel Pump & Sending System) was faulty and also needed an ECM update to the programming system. The fuel pump breaking down confuses me because the car will only be 4 yrs old at the end of May, with only a little bit over 31,000 miles on it. This system should not have needed replacing this soon in the cars usage.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #32

Mar 292023

Malibu

  • miles
GM 2019 Chevrolet Malibu - Report Shift to Park Issue - Mileage 13,784. I would like to report a Shift-to-Park problem I had with my 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. Approximately two weeks prior to this service call I started experiencing a problem with Engine Start/Stop button and -??shift to park-?? message on instrument panel. Pressing Start/Stop button would not turn off engine. It took several attempts to completely turn off engine. Two weeks and issue was getting progressively worse. Finally on Wednesday, March 29th and having started driving errands, I could not turn off engine at all. I could not get out of the car without warning beeps going off. I immediately drove to Dealer Service as I felt unsafe to drive. Dealer Service performed and I picked up car on Thursday, March 30, 2023. They replaced shifter switch and installed jumper harness. Again, I do want to report issue as this car has only 13,784 miles. Thank you,

- Bethany , CT, USA

problem #31

Mar 242023

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle cuts off daily. This has been going on for months. A message shows up saying put the car in neutral to restart. Battery and alternator have been tested more than once and they are not the issue. The car cut off while I was in traffic driving across a bridge! I had to get help pushing the car to the side of the road. This particular time the car would not start back up without a jump. Majority of the time while at a red light, it cuts off. After replacing rotors, brake pads, and brake pump, braking is still rough with screeching and grinding leaving lots of brake dust on the wheels. At times the brakes go all the way down.

- Columbia , SC, USA

problem #30

Mar 172023

Malibu

  • miles
2nd time putting car in shop to fix the parking sensor. When you place the vehicle in park get a alert to place vehicle in park. Had it repaired once and problem is back. Have to shift to park several times before it will work properly. Already paid once to repair it and the dealer said it's a common problem. I think a recall is needed. I called the dealer and the service advisor said a new support bracket is needed. I called GM to complain and they said they issued a service alert to it's dealers on how to fix it. But refuse to cover the cost of repair. I feel a recall is a fair solution. I can not safely park the car with out worrying if it truly is in park.

- Roswell, NM, USA

problem #29

Apr 112022

Malibu

  • miles
all gauges shut off and turn back on while driving tire says it is flat and it is not car shuts off completely, resets, and turns back on while driving braking system not working code steering wheel jerks off to the side aggressively on its own while foot is on brake car hesitates to start up and hesitates to accelerate sometimes there are warning messages sometimes no warning steer assist turns off and shows message and jerks my wheel sideways AC control board only works half the time entertainment and GPS system blacks out randomly and doesn't turn back on the unpredictability is dangerous. the performance of this vehicle is unacceptable. having not one chevy service center properly repair this issue poses a extreme safety risk as the car's power toggles randomly and has to be restarted Multiple Chevy service centers have not given me definitive diagnostic. no one has fixed the issues. they only get worse daily. the service centers charge me money to "grease wires" and send me home every time.

- Clearwater, FL, USA

problem #28

May 032022

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
I bought the car from Variety Auto in Abingdon VA, and then I had the accident on May 3rd 2022 I took it to the collision center and then after they repaired the body they noticed the airbag lights and the restraint system lights came on also, and when Ramey-??s started doing the work for the air, module and wiring harness and air bag they noticed that the wiring harness was not working properly and the air bag was cut completely out they put diodes in the wiring to keep the lights off, they sold me the car saying that there was no airbag deployed but we later found out that it was, and also when I had the accident it didn-??t deploy and that-??s why is because there wasn-??t a airbag in it to start with, if you need anything else we have all the proof of deception by someone and if you need anything else here is my phone number [XXX] you can call me anytime, thank you!!! I tried to up load all the pages and everything but it would only let me do the first Paige, so if need these let me know and I can probably get them faxed to you, thank you!!! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tazewell , VA, USA

problem #27

Mar 152020

Malibu

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while using the Auto START/STOP feature, the vehicle would sputter before accelerating as needed. The contact stated that the failure only occurred during hot weather conditions with the vehicle on an incline. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the battery and the battery terminal had failed. The contact stated that the battery was replaced; however, the contact was unaware if the battery terminal had been replaced. The failure had increased in frequency despite road or weather conditions. The contact stated that occasionally while driving, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving. The vehicle also displayed a driving assist reduced power message. The contact had returned the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired a second time. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,500.

- Northport, AL, USA

problem #26

Sep 282022

Malibu

  • miles
The electrical system was refusing to acknowledge that my car was in Park & kept giving me a -??Shift to Park-?? message on my dashboard. Took 3 or 4 tries of starting & shutting off the car for it to go away. Took the car to the Dealer & turns out that a faulty shifter was the problem. The gear shifter had to be replaced, but not the shifter harness underneath the shifter.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #25

Oct 132022

Malibu

  • miles
When you park the car and shift the car into park a message appears on the dashboard stating "Shift to Park" the car does not think it is in park and is telling you to put it into the Park Gear to turn off the car. You can not shut off the car as long as this message is displayed on the dashboard. Sometimes turning the car on and off 5+ times may get the message to go away but as time has gone on it has been harder to get the message to go away. At times we have been stuck in the car for over 10 minutes trying to shut off the car.

- Wellington, FL, USA

problem #24

Apr 162022

Malibu

  • miles
I have no Brake Lights when applying the Brakes and cruise control no longer works due to Service ESC message on display. I was advised by replacing the battery this would clear the ESC but it did not. I believe the service ESC message is tied into the brake lights and cruise control not working.

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #23

Sep 242022

Malibu

  • miles
This car is displaying a shift to park on the dashboard. I have read several complaints and even lawsuits filed about this matter on the internet. Why hasn't this been recalled to fix on these vehicles it drains the battery and you aren't able to put the vehicle in park or lock the doors or anything

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #22

Sep 162022

Malibu

  • miles
After shifting into park and turning off the car, a warning message to shift into park comes up. Pressing on the button on the shifter several times eventually gets it to stop.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »