Chevrolet Malibu Complaints

293 consumer complaints on file.

#11714125January 29, 2026
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly. The driver pulled over and was informed to turn off the vehicle and restart the vehicle with the assistance of a Police Officer. The vehicle was restarted but failed to exceed 10 MPH while driving. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no coverage for the repair and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710885January 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a recall repair related to the fuel pump control module. After the repair was completed, the contact experienced a new failure. While attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle became inoperable and could not be turned off. The message “Shift to Park” was displayed while the vehicle was shifted to park. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly turned off after the contact exited the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shift lever had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710591January 13, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When car in park and I turn engine off I get a notification - !shift to park I turn car back on put in reverse and back to park turn engine off and get the same message , I do this repeatedly 3x
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709803January 8, 2026
STEERING
When coming from a stop the steering wheel jerks and a warning message appear on the dashboard display, "Power Steering Assist Is Reduced. Drive with care."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11709408January 7, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
My vehicle sometimes will not start when I press the Start Button and press the brakes at the same time. The dashboard will light up with a message that says “Service ESC” followed by “Engine Power is Reduced”. When it does start, I can drive the vehicle for a moment before it does the Engine Power Reduced mode where the car feels like its pulling more. It has done this several times while I’m driving on the highway which often times causes me to have to pull over to the side of the road, or make my way to the slow lane so I can pull into a gas station or somewhere public at the next exit. When the dashboard lights up with “Service ESC”, ALL of the hands on my dashboard (i.e the hands for the speedometer, gas, the car temp AND the RPM) move radically back and forth while the car is driving. Sometimes the speedometer will say 0mph even tho the car is moving. Sometimes I am able to pull over and turn my car off and back on and the lights will go away, but often times this doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it feels like it only exacerbates the problem because when I shift it into park and then attempt to turn off the vehicle, it says “Shift to Park” even though it IS parked. In fact, this morning when the vehicle wouldn’t start after I tried to start it with the button, I attempted to turn the vehicle off (because the radio would come on and I can see lights on the dashboard, but the vehicle itself won’t start) and it said “Shift to Park” even though it is parked and has been since last night. I contacted the nearest Chevy dealership and they informed me that they have dealt with plenty of these complaints lately. I have not had an inspection completed by the dealership because my extended warranty is up and I do not have the funds to pay for a diagnostic inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707590December 29, 2025
AIR BAGS
When I was in a car accident I was hit on the rear passenger side of my vehicle, right near where my side air bags are supposed to be located. I was hit at 50 mph and the airbags did not deploy.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707527December 29, 2025
ENGINE
Check engine light came on. Took car to Autozone and O'Reilly's to be given the same P0299 code which is a failed turbocharger. Reduced engine power, car goes into limp mode. GM has issued a special coverage program for 2022 Chevy Malibu as of Nov 2025 but for some reason my car is not covered!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707356December 28, 2025
AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
On December 24, 2025, the contact's 2023 Chevrolet Malibu was involved in a severe side-impact collision. The vehicle was struck on the rear passenger side by a full-size pickup truck traveling at high speed (est. 60 mph) that failed to stop at a red light. The impact caused the contact's vehicle to spin approximately 180 degrees and strike a concrete median sideways, generating high lateral G-forces. FAILURE 1: AIRBAG NON-DEPLOYMENT. Despite the severity of the impact and the violent spin into a curb (rollover trip point), the side curtain airbags and front seat-mounted side impact airbags failed to deploy. The failure of the restraint system caused the driver to be thrown against the driver-side door structure, striking their head on the window and B-pillar. The driver sustained a concussion, cervical strain, and lumbar strain. Medical records confirm the injuries are consistent with impact against the vehicle interior due to non-deployment. FAILURE 2: EMERGENCY TELEMATICS MALFUNCTION. Immediately post-collision, the driver attempted to manually activate the OnStar/SOS emergency buttons. The system failed to connect to an advisor. Instead, the vehicle's infotainment screen malfunctioned, opening a voice-to-text transcription application. The system then bypassed the vehicle's internal telematics module and attempted to route the emergency call to the owner's personal cell phone, indicating a complete failure of the vehicle's emergency communication hardware. This resulted in a 34-minute delay in coordinating professional assistance. Contact notes; while this vehicle currently shows 0 open recalls, the failure mechanism (sensor non-response during side impact) mimics the defect described in NHTSA Campaign 22V923000 (GM Recall N222392300), where improper welding of the front impact bar causes crash sensors to fail. The vehicle is available for inspection. Police and medical reports confirm the incident details. No warning lights were illuminated prior to crash.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11706649December 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Water is pooling in the trunk of my car. I took it to the chevy dealership for a diagnostic and today, they told me water is leaking into the car because of a faulty seal. I just did some research online and have learned that this has been a common issue. I read that warranties have been extended to cover this defect. I would like chevy to extend my warranty to cover this defect, which they've known about for quite some time. As they know, water pooling in a car can lead to other problems.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706516December 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2022 Chevrolet Malibu is experiencing the known “Shift to Park” defect and an “Air Induction System” fault. The vehicle repeatedly refuses to recognize the Park position even after moving the shifter into Park. This causes the vehicle to stay powered on, prevents it from shutting off, and forces me to shift back and forth multiple times to get the car to register Park. This is unsafe because the vehicle could roll, fail to secure, and I cannot legally leave or lock the car when this happens. This issue is widely documented on Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. GM has an established technical bulletin and extended coverage programs for this problem (example: TSB 19-NA-206 and related bulletins), but my VIN does not show access to these programs even though I am under 60,000 miles and still within the 5-year powertrain warranty window. When I contacted GM and the dealership, they admitted the defect exists but refused warranty repair unless I pay $370 out-of-pocket diagnostic fees first. This defeats the purpose of warranty and prevents consumers from getting confirmed major safety defects repaired. The warning randomly appears at different times while the car is stationary, parked, or driving. The issue has been happening consistently and appears to be worsening. I am reporting this because it is a safety concern involving the transmission and electrical controls of the vehicle, and Chevrolet is refusing to cover or recognize it under their known defect programs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11706422December 21, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Purchased the car February 14 2025 with 102,664 miles on it. About 2 weeks ago I was merging on a highway and it went into limp mode and I almost get rear-ended. It felt like it lost all power. The check engine light came on and I drove it to Auto Zone to have it scanned and code P0299 was the code, turbo underboost. I then went to O'Reilly's for a second opinion and their scanner also said turbo underboost. I have replaced all sensors that interact with the turbo thinking maybe it was a sensor but negative. Turbo failure
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11705743December 17, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While the vehicle was in motion, it unexpectedly shut down, resulting in a sudden loss of power. No warning lights, alerts, or malfunction indicators were displayed prior to or during the shutdown. Additionally, no crash detection or safety alert was activated. This sudden failure caused the vehicle to be rear-ended.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11705573December 17, 2025
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled and then went into LIMP Mode with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbo charger had failed, causing oil to leak into the turbo charger. The contact was informed that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704551December 11, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle has a repeated issue recognizing that it is in park when trying to turn vehicle off. This causes concern that the vehicle may not actually be in park, will not fully power down therefore draining the battery and leaving driver stranded, or lead to other body control module/shifting problems. This is a known issue with GM spanning multiple years and multiple models. The only official fix is to replace the entire shifter assembly with an updated version which can be a couple of thousand dollars. GM refuses to cover the cost knowing that they installed a faulty part during assembly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703168December 5, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Shift to Park light remains on and car will not shut down when it is in Park already. This is an existing issue with Chevy Malibu but no recall yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702470December 2, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Transmission failed to engage gear properly after backing up. Grinding sounds heard when vehicle was in drive. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by Chevrolet dealership. Vehicle is available for inspection. Occupants safety was at risk because gears could have locked up during commute causing vehicle to be undriveable, leaving driver and passengers stranded. Blind spot feature is unavailable randomly, which can cause a possible side swipe crash. When radio is playing suddenly switches to bluetooth randomly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702394December 2, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The component is D automatic transmission shift to park switch. The vehicle is and will be available for immediate inspection upon request. Safety was put at risk when the car lost power while they’re celebrating install in the floor of traffic, causing other cars to swerve around and blow horns. The underlying issue with the car was confirmed by independent service center. There was no reason to have your vehicle inspected all by manufacturer , police insurance for others the warning sign once the car installed and attempted to like it was gonna turn off with service ESC and the light stayed on for four hours
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701211November 24, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle has experienced ongoing engine performance and safety-related warning events. The first major issue was a single occurrence of an overheating condition that displayed an “Engine Overheating – Idle Engine” warning. After that event, the vehicle was taken in for repairs. Following the repair attempt, the vehicle began displaying repeated check-engine warnings and multiple occurrences of “Engine Power Reduced.” During these episodes, the vehicle lost acceleration ability and hesitated. One of the “Engine Power Reduced” incidents occurred while driving at highway speeds with a passenger onboard. The vehicle was unable to maintain speed and required pulling out of active traffic, creating a safety risk. These issues have continued despite previous service attempts and diagnostics. The warning messages and power loss are unpredictable and create a potential hazard, especially during highway driving, merging, or transporting passengers. There has been no crash, fire, or injury, but the repeated sudden loss of power presents a serious safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700083November 18, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
shift to park issue and at times could not turn engine off
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696003October 28, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving when coming to a stop, my brakes became stiff causing me to almost hit the vehicle in front of me. Also, the car has been stopping while I am driving and on busy roads when I am at a stop light and press the accelerator to proceed, the vehicle just stop and cuts off completely leaving me stranded while trying to restart the vehicle. Also the vehicle has a long crank before it starts. I have been without my vehicle for a month now and it’s very inconvenient due to these issues. It has been to the dealership where they quoted me over 8,000 to fix the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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