2016 Chevrolet Malibu Complaint Log

I was parked idling in a parking lot for about five minutes. I went to leave pulled out of the parking lot, hit my brakes at the light and it sounded like my whole front end was going to fall off the brakes had no pressure and it sounded like it was metal on metal, I had to get home so I thought I could take the long road home that has barely any lights on it. By the time I got down the road they were back to normal and now it’s done it twice again. I also have some electrical stuff happening where my radial to shut off or not work at all. Also had a couple pistons that had to be replaced earlier and they tried to get me for failure to maintenance but I took my car in faithfully every time I needed oil and I also took it in early because I was using fully synthetic had another 2000 miles to go for me to not have any oil in my car was ridiculous. They ended up only charging me for the seals, but in the beginning it was like 3900.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that an electrical failure and power train failure was present. No additional information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.

The low oil pressure - cut engine off notification appeared on the speedometer & as i was getting on the freeway the car literally cut off. All the electrical worked but power to the engine & everything stopped completely.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, an alarm sounded and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V502000 (Electrical System, Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 40,000.

After driving during the morning with no prior issue with brakes I proceeded to drive along a residential street going 15 miles per hour. When I began to press brakes while approaching a Stop - the brakes began to grind horribly, I let up off the brake and pressed again, same sound (grinding as if something was going to fall out the bottom of the vehicle around the pedal). I put the car in reverse and brake again, same sound, tried going forward a bit further, same grinding sound. Car seemed to be Immobile, undrivable. Called a tow immediately and towed to dealer - they kept vehicle overnight but the issue could not be duplicated while in their possession. They inspected the brakes and found nothing wrong. I picked up car but felt it was unsafe to drive so I drove only local area for the next week. The same issue occurred while leaving home about 1wk. later. Car was not drivable - brakes were hard and grinding horribly. I towed the car a second time immediately to another GM Dealer. The vehicle was kept for several days, the issue would not repeat itself @ dealership so it went undetected (they actually insisted that I needed a battery and a dead cell could cause the issue I was having and more) While this mad no sense, I went in to the dealer myself and drove the vehicle around the lot until the issue occurred again. The Technician came out an said, that's horrible and unsafe I know exactly what that is, it's the BRAKE Booster and it was very dangerous to drive like that. This faulty issue could have resulted in an accident had I been on the expressway, or even worse. it took 2 tows and 2 Dealers to find and confirm the issue. This issue is a dangerous hazard and - there should be a Recall on the BRAKE BOOSTER! It resulted in a costly $$ and dangerous hazard that could be avoided by having the vehicle recalled. e.g. *The engine light displayed intermittenly when this issue occurred but the Dealers were unable to detect the issue or any diagnostic problem.

Numerous times my vehicle has not allowed me to shut it off, start it, or move the vehicle because it says that the vehicle is not in park when it very clearly is. I googled the issue and found that numerous other owners have had this issue, and the tech advisor at the dealer confirmed numerous people have had this issue as well. The issue was a faulty switch in the transmission control. 2 different major safety concerns resulted because of this. First, I was unable to start my car in a very bad neighborhood for over a half hour because it kept saying shift to park to start vehicle. Second, I could not shut the car off while parked in the garage because it said shift to park to shut off the vehicle. Both times I was fully in park. This problem is widespread as a simple google search will confirm, however, GM continues to deny it is a problem.

After car restarts from auto start, a warning is displayed on the MFD “Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with care”. Puts my self, passengers, and other drivers. If the power steering reduction happens while driving or during a turn, it could result in a collision. Has not been inspected at this point. Notification pops up on Multifunction Display Screen

Loss of power not wanting to go faster than 25 missing and spitting and sputtering bad

I have had several issues with my 2016 Malibu. 1st: Putting my vehicle in park sometimes it does not register that it is in park. I have to turn the car on again and try moving the shifter until it registers. 2nd: when accelerating at times i get a stabilitrak error and a check engine light that causes a loss of power. This can happen in the middle of the highway which will cause an inevitable accident. 3rd: saving the best for last. Thw vehicle has recently lost power while driving and won't allow acceleration. Once i stop the vehicle stalls out completely and won't register the gears so i can't out it into park or anything. I was stuck at an intersection and couldn't move. It wouldn't turn fully off because it didn't register it was in park. And it won't turn on or start because it isn't on or off. I maintain my vehicles and correct all fixes recommended. Brought it in to have the issue looked at and was told that there were A LOT of error codes. They cleared them. But this has gotten ridiculous. GM needs to figure their stuff out..

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle to park(P), the "Shift to Park" message was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that even after the vehicle had been turned off, the warning light, radio, and audible chime was activated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10198852; Manufacturer Communication Number: 19NA206 (Power Train). The failure mileage was 29,340.

UNKNOWN the air bag on my dash board come on and off ALL THE TIME even if I have no one sitting in my passenger seat.I got this vehicle for the winter thinking it was going to help me save gas and be a good reliable car for my daily routine to work, school, and my kids school. But it’s definitely the opposite. I’m struggling financially and In a hole now the engine light is on and I can’t get to my destination without going more then 30-40mph because “engine speed reduce” appears on my dash board and reduced the speed and not only is this inconvenient and annoying but also dangerous I dam almost got into accident because of this I was driving in the highway about 65-70 mph when this happen with a 18-wheeler behind me not only was my daughter’s life and mine put in danger. But the person driving the 18-wheeler. He definitely lost somewhat the control to swerve my vehicle it was a miracle of god no other cars where next to us and that nothing happened.their is so many 2016 Chevrolet malibu like this that I hope from the bottom of my heart that their is some compassion for this issue where they can make the issue get recalled. To help people like me I’m struggling to make ends meet day to day and I have forcefully have to keep using my car on the daily. I have no other transportation. And like i said not only for my safety but everyone around I am not the only one with this issue if the make in model. Their is hundreds of us !

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was firm. The contact used the parking brake to slow and stop the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. On another occasion, while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started overheating and smoking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine needed to be replaced due to metal fragments from the defective vacuum pump. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was 141,943.

Water leaks into the trunk and back seat of the vehicle because the seal around the upper brake light in the rear glass is faulty, causing a mildew/mold odor in the trunk. It is not available for inspection as I had it repaired and sold the vehicle. The problem was confirmed by the glass company to did the repair for much less than the quote the dealership provided. The vehicle was inspected by the dealership. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure.

The brake booster vacuum pump failed, twice. There wasn’t any warning messages prior to the failure. It is available for inspection. Both incidents happened on the freeway, which put mine and other drivers at risk. The first time it failed was in July 2022, then 3 months later in September after being repaired, failed again. The problem has only been confirmed by multiple mechanics. Not only did the vacuum pump fail, it’s extremely difficult to find a replacement part, new or used.

It is currently an intermittent problem on my 2016 Chevy Malibu with 27,880 miles on it. Once shifting the vehicle into park, the gear selector is indicating the vehicle is in park, but the dash board reads "shift to park" and does not allow you to turn off vehicle, it remains in accessory mode. You do not know if the vehicle is really in park because the dash board warning reads "shift to park". If you try several times to put it in park or jiggle the gear selector, the warning will go out and then you can shut down engine. This is unsafe as you don't know when this happens if your vehicle is really in the "park" mode. If you vehicle is not, it could roll or injure someone standing near the vehicle or it's operator or passengers entering or exiting (if it should move unintendedly). I was informed that this is a known issue This defect should be deemed to have "special coverage" and not be an out of pocket repair and a recall campaign should be initiated as it is a safety related concern.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine power reduced warning message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,132.

I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I to tried to restart and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said Engine Power is Reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed. Lights and radio were still working.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, she attempted to depress the brake pedal when the brakes locked and failed without warning. As a result, the contact rear-ended the rear of another vehicle. The contact sustained soreness and the other driver of the other vehicle sustained an injury to the back that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her place of residence. The contact scheduled an appointment with an independent mechanic. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that information will be sent but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I turned my car off and tried to turn it back on and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said Engine Power is Reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed.

When driving the car it will stop mid drive and slow to 20MPH. The car has broken down in the middle of the road on multiple occasions. It has locked me in the car where I am unable to get out. On one occasion the battery was dead and the car had locked me out. I had to have someone unlock it. The next day the car was fine with no signs of issues. The car has been taken to multiple mechanics and no one knows the issue. Car doesn’t throw any codes or show any symptoms of issues.

The engine light has illuminated due to a cylinder 1 misfire and ECM lost connection with the fuel pump which also caused problem with the pistons on the vehicle. All of these issue are related to the engine and it’s only 94,343 miles on the car

1. The car when s parked the electronic system does not recognize this and the electronics of the car remain on. Draining the battery and sometimes taking several attempts or more at having to restart the car, shifting through gears in order to get the car to properly turn off. 2. I have been driving down the highway doing approximately 65-75 mph and the car out of no where, with no other cars around has slammed on the breaks and decreased in speed instantly. This has happened twice. 3. Stabilitrak light has come on several times, car violently shakes while ideling. I have already had to replace a piston in the engine. At the time the car was at about 50,000 miles. It is now at 75, 000 and still happens every so often.

Car will not completely power down, radio and headlights stay on draining batter due to an error stating “shift to park”. Car shows that it is in park. Moving gear shift through gears and turning on and off does not reset. Only way to get car to turn off is to disconnect battery.

When the vehicle is in drive, the display will say "reduced engine power" and will drop the car to 25mph even on the highway. I've almost wrecked from this issue. I've seen where GM has had class actions on this prior but it was never recalled.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was firm while depressed. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal grinding sounds with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with brake vacuum pump failure. The dealer replaced the brake vacuum pump. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

I was driving all of a sudden my car goes from drive to park on the freeway. Then it goes into reverse.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the gear selector indicator started fluctuating between park(P) and reverse(R). The vehicle started to jerk and hesitate while driving. The contact was able to stop and turn the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,000.

The dash will say my car is in park, by listing 'P' by the odometer and the shifter is lighted 'P', but my car doesn't want me to turn it off. It tells me to 'Shift to Park'. I purchased this car from a dealership about 10 days ago, and it only has 17,000 miles on it

When I accelerate, it hesitates to pick up speed. Once I made it to 75mph, a warning message came on that said engine power reduced and the check engine light came on. I looked up the issue and saw that several people with the same car were having the same issues. I added a gas treatment like they suggested but the light is still on. I have not been to a dealership or mechanic shop yet due to not having the money. But if this is a common problem then Chevrolet needs to pay for repairs. If my car fails while I’m driving, I could cause an accident.I have had the throttle body cleaned before and the wheel sensors but I am still having issues.

I was driving on the freeway at about 65mph, and the car shut down on me. It was extremely dangerous to get over on the freeway with no power. 2 warning lights came on. The Stabilatrak, & the check engine light. I pulled over & called for help. I had the car taken to the service department at the dealership. They contacted me & informed me that a piston was cracked, & the ECM had to have a software update. They are charging me $5,389 to repair it. The car only has 8,000 miles on it. There are recalls for this exact problem, but do not apply to my specific VIN#. My car is a 2016, so I am out of warranty, but this should not happen with a vehicle with this low of mileage.

When I was driving to work, a light appeared on my dashboard stating that my "Engine Power Reduced". When I was in the left lane passing a vehicle, my car slowed down to 40pmh instead of accelerating when I had pressed the gas pedal. The car behind me almost re ended me in the process. This has happened now on a couple of occasions afterwards.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the traction control and steering reduced warning lights were illuminated. There was also a message stating reduced power; drive with care. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,800.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the check engine warning light would illuminate intermittently whether the vehicle was idling or while driving at various speeds. The contact stated there was an abnormal sound of liquid moving around in the dashboard and underneath the hood while driving, especially while accelerating. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was an engine misfire. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,500.

Check engine light. Loss of power/acceleration and can’t go above 45 mph. Transmission control module?

Car began to lose power while driving down the road, then began sputtering gas and creating black smoke. Engine pistons appear to be shot. Car has a little over 100k miles.

When I turn my ignition button off, the dashboard on my vehicle will have the letter P showing that it is in Park, but will have a message pop up on the dash that says "Put in Park". I have to wiggle my transmission lever around while it is in park until it finally clears the message.

Tires came on vehicle OEM Firestone FT140. 205/65/R16. The vehicle, a 2016 Chevy Malibu LS, has 25, 652 miles on it. The tires are maintained, rotated regularly, correct tire pressure etc. No signs of uneven wear, cupping etc. no wheel alignment needed etc. as per dealer. The tire tread is down to 4/32 in the rear and 6/32 in the front. Tread wear seems to be excessive for the rear tires on a vehicle with only 25K on it. I reached out to Firestone and Chevrolet. OEM tires should not be wearing out this premature. When I asked the Firestone rep about tread life they told me that they did not know what the expected tread life was on OEM tires because they were made to specifics provided by vehicle manufacturer. If I were to buy the same again now as a replacements, they have a 50K tread life warranty, nut I am concerned about the premature tread wear. I will need to replace the tires at close to $1000, an an unexpected cost with such low mileage.

Brake booster pump failed ( gm part # 12704586 ) Causing limited braking and severe damage to internal engine components, camshafts ,timing chain have been damaged This is a ongoing problem in which i have had this pump replaced at my expense several times. The problem stems brake booster pump is lubricated using the engine's oil . Booster pump has a small screen to filter oil, this filter can easily become clogged resulting in booster to run dry and grenade into top of engine. These pieces then interfer with camshafts and timing gears other components

While in drive and at stop sign the car starts to shut off. It can be very dangerous due to the fact it completely cuts off at while in drive. There are multiple reviews on this issue on youtube and chevy review websites regarding this issue. If I did not put my hazard lights on I could have been badly hurt and even worst. Someone came to assist me off the road and I had to call pop and lock to come jump start the car and after I did that I made it home but tired to restart the car it was completely dead. By the way I have a new battery. And not Starter or alternator issues during being tested. I am so thankful my children were not in the car. This can be a life threatening situation.

my car will not go into park. i have had this problem repaired while under warrenty and now its happening again!!

Reduced engine power on my display for the 3rd time since I purchased the vehicle. This is ridiculous and needs to be addressed. Good thing it never happened on a highway. This is a safety hazard to people and property. Regards, [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I purchased this car new and continue to own it. During the past 6 years I have had this engine issue several times. I purchased this car from a Chevy dealership, [XXX] u now [XXX] in Flint, who denied there was a problem several times. In the past week, I was driving North on I75 from Edgewood KY and, once again, my engine power cut out. I had a semi behind me, a semi ahead of me and a semi at left side of me, all driving at 70 miles an hour. I was near the Middleton exit. My car would not go faster than 35 mph. I immediately put on my flashers and exited the expressway in about 3 miles. I and my dog could have been killed. This engine issues has occurred more than a dozen times, with no assistance from NHTSA. I ashamed that your organization has Never addressed this issue with a recall. [XXX] “INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Bought car 4/27/22 with 94,602 miles. Within a week vehicle shown problems in the engine leaking oil most likely from the oil cooler causing a bad smell of burnt tire, the shocks most likely cause the car to shake once you hit 50 mph or let go off the break pedal they need to be replaced and the tail light is retaining or holding water on the inside also the hose connected to the coolant reservoir has a small leak I don’t think the clamp was placed properly by the last person who worked on it, plus how long should it take my car to cool up so far minutes and has to be on max and 2 tires are different brand

All of a sudden my Pistons just went in my car the whole engine block actually. There was never any warning or anything I got an oil change and after the oil change the check engine light came on plus it said service stabilitrak. Without the stability track you can get into an accident because the car is not in control the way it's supposed to be. The Pistons being worn in the engine block going. Without any notice of anything being wrong. Causes bad emissions leaks etc. The dealership knows about it. They can't give me a reason why the Pistons and the engine block went. Or why this service to stabilitrak came on. They're trying to say it's a pipe that has a dent in it. But the entire system is rotted out it only has 34,418 mi on it.

My vehicle is stuck on “shift to park message” and can’t turn vehicle off. The vehicle has been displaying this message even thought the car is already on park.

being unable to shift the vehicle into park. And when it is in drive and my car turns off because of the auto stop feature and turns back on it stated to act crazy and glitch …this really scares me because when I am on the road and my kids are in my car the car shuts off. Very dangerous situation and I can’t believe that there is no recall in place for this. This is such a liability on GM knowing about this issue and not paying for the repairs and leaving it up to the owners expense knowing that this is a malfunction in the Chevy Malibu‘s

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was a popping noise in the rear-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear shock absorber outer housing was coming into contact with the shock. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was water leaking through the panel housing of the third brake light onto the headliner and the rear seats and trunk of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the third brake light panel housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

I was driving to the clinic I go to everyday in the mornings I was in the freeway going about 70mph when suddenly I get a msg saying “engine power reduced” also engine light came on and the car starts slowing down and it’s not letting me go more than 20mph on the FREEWAY! I could have caused an accident, (this is very unsafe specially since my 2 and 4 year old were in the car with me) I got off on the next exit and pulled in to a gas station and turned the car off and waited about 10 mins I turned the car back on and the msg was gone but the engine light was still on about a minute or 2 later the msg comes back on so I have to pull over again, it did it about 5x before I can make it to my destination not to mention the way back home I had to stop about 3x more. This is very unsafe and something has to be done as it is not only my car with this problem.

I was driving down the highway and the gas pedal came completely off. It completely unattached.