2017 Chevrolet Malibu Complaint Log

the brakes failed the vacuum pump went work while driving the car

Every time I shift the car into park, I receive a "shift to park" warning on the informational display. I am unable to turn car off until the car recognizes it. Can sometimes take 10 minutes before I can get car to recognize. This was fixed once before while under warranty and fix lasted 3 years. They cleaned the park switch contacts and installed an online shifter jumper harness but will not cover the fix now that it is happening out of warranty. It's a known issue that mechanics say is so common a recall should be issued.

Approximately 2-3 times a month the car's transmission intermittently fails to engage from a stop. Wont go forward or in reverse. Need to restart the car to fix the issue. Dont feel safe driving the car in traffic where a failure to accelerate could cause an accident. The issue started at under 17000, and the now has only 18846 miles. Chevy Malibu 2017 Premier. Dealer not sure what this issue is but wants to replace the transmission which I dont have the budget to cover. GM only offered to cover 15% of the repair and does not seem concerned about the safety issue.

Rear high mount brake light is loose allowing water to leak I. And around the electrical connections, rear speakers in vehicle have moisture around them, potentially causingin a short and fire hazard

I was driving in my neighborhood I tried to park at my house and my car wouldn’t stop I had to step down on my break hard for it to finally stop my vacuum pump broke into pieces and made my timing chain break

The third break light above the rear windshield doesn't have proper rubber seals which cause water to leak into the housing and the break light to short out, and also water to leak throughout the upper interior and into the truck causing rust and mold.

I am writing to report a persistent issue with my Chevy Malibu, specifically related to the Stabilitrak system. The Stabilitrak light intermittently flickers on and off while driving, which raises significant safety concerns. This malfunction has been ongoing, and despite efforts to diagnose the problem, my local auto mechanic has been unable to pinpoint the exact cause. Services Performed: Initial diagnostic checks were conducted to identify any fault codes related to the Stabilitrak system. The mechanic found no definitive issues but noted that the warning light's behavior indicated a potential underlying problem. Each visit has led to additional uncertainty, with suggestions from the mechanic to proceed through the GM flow chart for further diagnosis. However, this approach may lead to extensive labor costs with no guaranteed resolution. Financial Burden: The recommendation to follow the GM flow chart for diagnosis is concerning, as it may result in significant and unnecessary expenses without a clear outcome. As a consumer, I believe that a properly functioning diagnostic system should provide clarity on such issues without incurring exorbitant costs. The erratic behavior of the Stabilitrak system poses a serious safety risk while driving. This system is critical for maintaining vehicle stability, particularly in adverse conditions, and its failure could lead to loss of control of the vehicle. I have been made aware of other drivers experiencing similar issues with their Chevy Malibu vehicles. It raises the question of whether there is a known defect in the Stabilitrak system that warrants a recall. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter further, as it seems that GM has not taken the necessary steps to address these concerns

Engine power reduced

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the instrument panel displayed the message “Reduce Engine Power” with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle immediately decelerated independently. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 35 - 40 MPH before decelerating again. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and waited for approximately 15 minutes before continuing to drive; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS, Power Train, and Throttle Sensor all had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired by the mechanic. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon arriving to her destination and shifting into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stated that the "Please Shift to Park" message was displayed. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the gear shifter wiring harness and battery current sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. Due to the issue, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the contact was forced to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The contact waited approximately 30-40 minutes before restarting the vehicle and resuming normal driving. The vehicle was previously taken to a dealer; however, no codes were found. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be caused by the floormat being under the accelerator pedal. The contact had the floormat removed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure, and another appointment was scheduled to service the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

On Thursday, [XXX] my [XXX] son was driving my chevy malibu coming down the hill to get home when the brakes went out. He could not stop the vehicle and had to pass our neighborhood and let the vehicle slow itself down. He was able to get stopped and turned around and made it home. Saturday, [XXX] we decided maybe it needed new brakes and took it for new brakes. New brakes and rotors all the way around did NOT fix the problem. The brake was like hitting a brick and would not stop the vehicle. I had the vehicle towed to a repair shop and they found that the vacuum system for the brakes went out. He also noticed that cam shaft was cracked. Upon research through the internet I found that this problem is common and a class action suit has been filed against GM for the same problem. I am unsure why this is not a recall as its a safety issue and my son could have been injured or injured someone else. This has been an EXTREMELY expensive repair for us! When they went to replace the cam shaft there were several parts of the cam shaft just blown all over the engine. We still have not found all of the missing parts. This has caused most of the seals to have to be replaced as well. I do not have a repair receipt yet as the vehicle is still in the shop INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

A "Shift to Park" message occasionally appears on the dash of my 2017 Chevy Malibu. I currently have 56570 miles on this vehicle. This is the second time that this issue has occurred in this vehicle. The first time it occurred I had 21849 miles on the car. On Dec. 20, 2019, a local Chevy dealership replaced the shifter (8460140 transmission electronic control replacement) at no charge since the car was still under warranty. My warranty is now expired but the same problem has occurred after putting less than 35000 miles on the car. Since this problem started, my back driver's side door will not always lock. This problem may be related to the Shift to Park issue. I have my invoice from the dealership where I first had this problem fixed and am hoping they will fix it again at no cost to me. When I searched this issue online, it appears to be a problem with many 2016-2019 Chevy Malibus. There should be a recall issued by GM for this problem. This is a safety issue because the problem will cause the battery to continuously die and the vehicle to remain running although the shifter has been placed in the Park position.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to the park, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed, and the vehicle could not immediately be turned off. After shifting the transmission selector several times, the message disappeared, and the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000.

Vacuum Pump exploded, my breaks went out on the freeway. Metal pieces from the pump went into engine. Broke the camshaft. Now having to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars to repair. I am missing out on work u til this can be fixed.

Vacuum pump failure caused engine damage.

Vehicle shut down completely while at intersection with no warning including no dash board warnings, recently had vehicle repaired at dealership computer was replaced, injectors cleaned, fuel system flushed. This car is unpredictable at times and not safe if turning off with no warning, if I did get a warning it's after the vehicle shut down then started back up with "Stabil break" code and reduced steering. I have kept up with the maintence on this vehicle since purchase had no wrecks and it's money gone down the drain. I'm not understanding why there hasn't been a recall on this cars electrical component's there seems to be some time of communication issue between the computer & parts causing the car to completely shut down.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. In addition, the message that there was no power was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a blown spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,200.

When powering off car, shift to park message is displayed even though the car is in park. The vehicle will not power all the way down, and the battery will drain.

Shift to park light com s on after I am parked and the the car is parked. My son got out of the car thinking it as off. It since has happened to me at least 8 times the last week

Shift to Park Error. Then the battery goes dead.

I was in the freeway and out of nowhere an alert message popped up on the dashboard saying Engine power reduced. This made my car go from 65mph to 30 mph is the freeway luckily I was able to exit and go to the nearest gas station and was able to keep myself safe as others on the road but it could've easily gone very badly. The car won't go over 30 mph. The car is available for inspection upon request, I seen a PDF in the nhtsa website of a special coverage adjustment for loss of continuity within acceleration pedal position circuit. I will attach it to this message.

The brake booster and vacuum pump keep failing. I’ve replaced the booster 3 times and the pump 2 times the first time the pump went it broke off and broken pieces of metal had to be taken out of the engine. I’m making payments on a vehicle that is in the shop repairing the same issue every 3 to four months.

The infotainment system cycles and will change the radio, activate the gps anything that can be controlled through the infotainment system, it also changes the instrument cluster at times; the lane detection, distance alarm all the features, even the language and MPH to KPH. This can cause a sudden shock and safety issue as you are now unaware of the vehicle speed and even cause eratic driving as this can be a shock and take you by suprise.

Since buying this car a year and a half ago, I have had to have the pedal position sensor replaced 5 times, my car has been broken down since April due to an oil leak issue and the pedal position sensor.

ENGINE POWER REDUCED WHILE DRIVING ON I83 ON MY WAY TO WORK. I WAS DRIVING AT 65MPH AND IT WAS REDUCED TO 25MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. SINCE THERE IS NO SAFE WAY TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME, ( I HAVE TO CROSS THE SUSQUHANNAH RIVER WHICH IS ONLY DONE BY HIGHWAY) I AM HAVING IT TOWED AND DROPPED OFF AT MY LOCAL MECHANIC. I ALREADY HAD THE GAS PEDAL SENSOR REPLACED IN 2019 AT FAULKNER CHEVORLET IN LANCASTER, PA. I ALSO HAVE ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE CAR SINCE EARLY 2018, WHEN I PARK THE CAR, IT SAYS SHIFT TO PARK, EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE ELECTRONICS IN THE CAR DO NOT SHUT OFF. WHEN I TOLD FAULKNER ABOUTH THIS THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY CAN DO SINCE IT WASN'T HAPPENING WHEN I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP.

P0301 Error - Cylinder 1 Misfire. First the Check Engine light and Service Stabilitrack light turn on. Then seconds later, the car began to violently shake and sometimes the gas will not go resulting in the car being stuck in the middle of the road for about 60 seconds before moving again in stop-and-go traffic. These warning lights turn off and on. The dealer says this is the result of a plastic piece breaking due to general wear-and-tear and the only solutions are to replace the pistons or replace the whole engine. Multiple smaller repair shops say this is a known issue and it doesn't have any open recalls. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On March 18, 2024, I noticed that water began to enter the car when it was in the carwash. I opened a claim with the insurance company and an investigation was carried out that lasted approximately 3 months. On June 11, the body shop received my car to diagnose and provide a quote to the insurance company for the necessary repairs due to this water damage. The workshop considered it to be a problem in the upper rear brake light and mentioned that this is a Chevrolet recall on these cars. The insurance company called me and told me that I had to go directly to the dealer to have the necessary repairs made to my car that were caused by this water problem. However, I cannot find information about this recall online.

High pressure fuel pump blew out while driving on the highway going to Minnesota from Illinois. Fuel was spraying onto the engine and leaking onto the ground. I immediately pulled over and stopped the car, turned off the engine and raised the hood. The car was taken to a Chevy dealership today and I was informed that the high pressure fuel pump literally "blew out." This could have resulted in an engine fire and fortunately that didn't happen. Online research reveals that Chevy had a recall on some 2016-2018 model Malibu's for this very reason.

While driving my vehicle the engine light turned on with a message stating ‘engine power reduced’. I am unable to drive over 20 miles per hour.

The warning light comes on and off and is showing (P0498/P0449) which is the evaporative emission system vent control electrical circuit signal has low voltage for a predetermined period of time. Its calling to replace the evaporative emissions canister vent solenoid and I have seen 3 vehicles the same as mine needed the same thing fixed. When the vehicle is in park you can feel it jerk and also while pressing gas when you pull off it stalls. When cranking you can smell fumes .

I keep getting a message that goes on and off saying engine power reduced, which slows the pick up and the car down while driving.

The vehicle showed no warning signs prior. The vehicle was being driven and it STOPPED as it If the breaks had been pressed in the middle of driving on a highway. Afterwards a message popped up that said engine power reduced. After that message appeared the car came to a stop and would not start back up.

Car will NOT recognize being shifted to park so transmission stays engaged, lights stay on you are basically trapped in your car until it recognizes the shifter is in park

The Power Brake Vacuum Assist Failure nearly caused a wreck. The part failed while we were driving on [XXX] going 65 miles per hour on a busy highway. As the breaks gave out the engine light said “Reduced Power”. Moments later, the breaks stopped working and the engine stopped running. We were able to coast off the highway and into an HEB parking lot and have the vehicle towed. The mechanic took the part off and found that it was in pieces causing further examination of the engine to look for the missing metal. Pictures are available to see the damage. Even after completing the repairs the vehicle is showing reduced power. We are still trying to get it fixed but understand that the Chevrolet company is aware of the issue but never issued a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the "Reduce Power Mode" message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a mechanic discovered an accumulation of ice and sludge on the throttle body. Due to the failure, the oil became contaminated when released from the throttle body. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 10228956 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the service bulletin. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized, and the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. The “Service Power Steering” soon warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,544.

In February 2023, we took the Malibu into the dealership for reduced engine power dashboard notification. Light went off when in shop, got the car back and light on once again. When at a red light that turned green, accelerated but car would not go over 20 MPH. Almost rear ended. Dealership replaced the vacuum pump gasket and seal. Fast forward one year later. Once again, reduced engine power notification came on again. Once again at red light, when light turned green, car wouldn't accelerate and was very close to being rear ended and difficult to make it through the intersection. Currently at dealer (1/18/24) with dealer having no idea what is wrong with car (today is 1/24/24). The dealer today stated it will be another 1-2 weeks. That will make it three weeks for a diagnoisis. With reduced engine power, it is very dangerous to drive a vehicle like this. Of course, there are hundreds of other complaints for this issue/make/model.

Ice and sludge accumulated and froze causing the CAC system to fail resulting in engine issues, performance loss this was caused from GM poor design of a shield that they are aware of. GM knows that this can happen and have now designed a new shield to prevent this from happening but it is at the owner’s expense to fix. If GM knows that this will happen they should fix the issue I am now out of pocket 3,000.00 shame on them

Engine reduced power while driving in traffic car gets no power to accelerate and engine light also on.

My car displayed "reduced engine power" and slowed down on the highway while I was doing 65mph. My car would not accelerate past 20mph. There were no issues with my vehicle, and this happened out of nowhere. It caused a lot of other drivers to have to swerve around me, and drastically reduce their speeds as well in order to avoid collision. This was highly unsafe and now I can not safely drive my own car.

Gas pedal locked up can’t accelerate

Water was leaking through the center high mount stop lamp and pooling into the spare tire well. Water was also soaking through the rear headliner. Condensation was building up inside the vehicle due to the pooled water and water soaked headliner. Condensation buildup inside the vehicle with numerous electrical components is not safe. The vehicle has been taken to the Galleria Chevrolet dealership in Dallas, Texas for repairs. Galleria Chevrolet failed to repair the issue even after giving them notice of the service bulletin [XXX] Center High Mount Stop Lamp Water Leak. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I receive a "shift to park" warning when putting the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu I just bought into park. The car will not shut off and if I exit the car it will sound the horn at me 4 times and still not shut off. It's done this at least 6 different times in the 3 days I've owned it. I bought it used on 10/31/23 with 86,741 miles and have only driven it 200 miles. If the car is not actually in park then it is still able to move and can hurt someone. This is clearly a known defect spanning multiple models and years and likely many thousands of cars and it's criminal there's no recall for it with a proper solution.

Check engine light came on. Display stated that the engine will run at reduced power which meant we had to Limp home at 15 MPH which put us in a dangerous situation. I read the code and it was P2122. Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor/Switch “D” Circuit Low Input. This indicates that there is a problem with the accelerator pedal. I replaced the pedal myself at a cost of $114.00. I eventually found a technical service bulletin that admitted that there is a problem with the accelerator pedal on 2016 to 2018 GM vehicles and there was a program that was replacing the pedal until 2020. I called GM customer service and they said there was nothing they would do about it since the program expired in 2020.

Upon turning off car, throws shift to park error driver message. Have to restart the car, then shift to various conditions - R, D, L several times then P then turnoff car again. Repeat unto message no longer appears. Sometimes I cannot restart the car because it’s not sending the ke fob. I read online several complaints. Took car to dealership - they confirm that this problem exists in both older and several new Chevy model. My costs will be around $1k by replacing the gear shifter which I find scary. What if this car had jumped out of gear. What is the life of the replacement shifter? Why isn’t GM doing anything when this condition exist in brand new vehicles?

When the car stops the auto stop turns on, but when the car is ready to move the auto stop will turn the car off or lose power. Another issue is that when the car is in park an error message says shift into park. This will not allow you to turn the car off. The car is in the park.

1, break vacuum pump. I have the defective unit available 2. My safety, my passengers and all other drivers were put at high risk 3. Defective vacuum pump verified my independent mechanic 4. Inspected by mechanic. Have not had anyone else inspect. 5. No warning of complete break failure

My dash warning lights came on and the engine shut off. The battery voltage seems fine, and the car will start but only run for a short time. I cannot drive it for fear of stopping on a highway or main road.

The car continues to say "shift to park" when the car is already in park and its becoming a severe problem. Something is wrong with the shift stick