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2017 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Malibu years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than the model-year median of 310.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

397 reports with mileage · 305 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 253 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 139 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints

53 reports
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57,423 miles · Oct 20, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Vehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR DISPLAYED A WARNING ON THE DASH THAT THE POWER IS REDUCED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE SPEED REDUCED TO 20 AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER A MINUTE AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WENT OFF BUT TH…

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I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR DISPLAYED A WARNING ON THE DASH THAT THE POWER IS REDUCED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE SPEED REDUCED TO 20 AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER A MINUTE AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WENT OFF BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. THE CAR THEN DROVE AT NORMAL SPEED THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. THIS IS TERRIFYING AS I DIDN'T HAVE A SHOULDER TO PULL OFF AND HAD TO PULL IN SOMEONES DRIVEWAY. LUCKILY NOBODY PLOWED INTO ME. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR ANYWHERE

NHTSA ODI #11365463

41,102 miles · Oct 11, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)SteeringUnknown Or Other

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR STARTED TO SAY DRIVING ASSISTANCE OFF PLEASE DRIVE WITH CARE THEN IT ACTS LIKE IT'S GOING TO TURN OFF. NOW ITS SYING

NHTSA ODI #11363771

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)

CAR WON'T START AND THEN GET A MESSAGE SAYING STABILITRAK. CAR HAS UNDER 60,000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI #11352073

56,735 miles · Aug 4, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power TrainService Brakes

DRIVING AND MY CAR WOULDN'T STOP BECAUSE MY STABLITRAK AND ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND NOW THE DEALER IS SAYING I NEED A VACUUM PUMP AND THROTTLE CHANGE. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUES IN THE GM CARS JUST SEEN ON GOOGLE THAT A GLOBAL LETTER WAS SENT OUT AUG OF 2019 ABOUT THIS ISSUES BUT I NEVER RECEIVED IT. THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED …

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DRIVING AND MY CAR WOULDN'T STOP BECAUSE MY STABLITRAK AND ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTION AND NOW THE DEALER IS SAYING I NEED A VACUUM PUMP AND THROTTLE CHANGE. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUES IN THE GM CARS JUST SEEN ON GOOGLE THAT A GLOBAL LETTER WAS SENT OUT AUG OF 2019 ABOUT THIS ISSUES BUT I NEVER RECEIVED IT. THESE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED AND WE SHOULD BE GIVEN OUR MONEY BACK. I HAVE 2017 CHEVY MALIBU AND I FEEL THIS PREMEDITATED MURDER BECAUSE THEY KNOW IT'S A ISSUE AND I COULD HAVE LOST MY LIFE JULY 30 2020 AT 959PM

NHTSA ODI #11343119

83,400 miles · Jul 9, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

EVERYTIME I STOP AT A RED LIGHT OR BRAKE THE VEHICLE(WHEN COMING TO A STOP IN TRAFFIC)THE CAR COMPLETELY CUTS OFF.THE ALERT STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED, DRIVE WITH CARE CONSTANTLY COMES ON WHENEVER THERE IS AN AUTO STOP AND THE CAR RESTARTS. THE RADIO AND AIR WOULD ALSO TURN OFF WHEN AUTO STOP IS ACTIVATED. THIS TURN OFF ALSO CAU…

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EVERYTIME I STOP AT A RED LIGHT OR BRAKE THE VEHICLE(WHEN COMING TO A STOP IN TRAFFIC)THE CAR COMPLETELY CUTS OFF.THE ALERT STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED, DRIVE WITH CARE CONSTANTLY COMES ON WHENEVER THERE IS AN AUTO STOP AND THE CAR RESTARTS. THE RADIO AND AIR WOULD ALSO TURN OFF WHEN AUTO STOP IS ACTIVATED. THIS TURN OFF ALSO CAUSES THE RADIO SCREEN TO GO BLACK FOR A SHORT TIME UNTIL IT RESTARTS. WHICH IS A BIG PROBLEM AND DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC. THE NORMAL AUTO STOP WOULD BE SOMEWHAT SILENT, BUT WHEN IT TURNS BACK ON NOW IT HISSES AND TURNS BACK ON. I ALSO HEAR SOMETHING AS IF WATER IS PASSING THROUGH PIPES AFTER AND/OR DURING AUTO STOP SOMETIMES. LASTLY, LAST NIGHT(7/8/20)I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON MY CAR AND BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAR TURNED ON BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT DID NOT ALLOW ME TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEARS OR ACCELERATE. I NOTICED THE LIGHTS THAT ILLUMINATE,D,R,L,ETC. WAS NOT ILLUMINATING AT THAT TIME WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT GEARS. I THEN TURNED THE CAR OFF BUT IT STATED SHIFT TO PARK. NOTE THE CAR WAS IN PARK. AFTER I LET IT SIT IN PARK FOR A WHILE I TRIED RESTARTING THE CAR AND IT RESTARTED. THE CAR SHIFTED IN TO GEARS AND ACCELERATED. NOTE: THE CAR ALLOWED ME TO MOVE THE SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEARS BUT IT WAS NOT CATCHING. THE STOPPING ISSUE WIT THE STEERING REDUCED ALERT STARTED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO(AROUND JUNE 25,2020). HEARING THE WATER SOUND BEGAN AROUND THE THE BEGINNING OF MARCH 2020. LASTLY THE SHIFTING ISSUE BEGAN LAST NIGHT,7/8/20. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I DO THE SPEED LIMIT 60-70 MPH. ON THE CITY STREETS I DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT RANGING 25MPH-40 MPH.

NHTSA ODI #11338341

Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2020
Electrical SystemElectronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

CAR STALLS WHILE OPERATING, CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND FAILS TO RESTART WITHOUT WARNING. "SERVICE STABILITY" 'BATTERY SAVE MODE' 'SHIFT TO PARK' ALL BLINK WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION IE STOP SIGNS, TRAFFIC LIG…

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CAR STALLS WHILE OPERATING, CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND FAILS TO RESTART WITHOUT WARNING. "SERVICE STABILITY" 'BATTERY SAVE MODE' 'SHIFT TO PARK' ALL BLINK WHEN THIS HAPPENS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION IE STOP SIGNS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, STOP & GO TRAFFIC...ETC. THE CAR HAVING NO POWER THAT I CAN'T EVEN PUT MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON. THIS HAPPENS FOR THE LAST TIME ON 6/11/2020 CARS BRAKES BECAME TOUGH TO PUSH COULD BARELY STOP THE CAR, ONCE STOPPED THE CAR LOST ALL POWER SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY INTERSECTION I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED. CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND HAD TO BE TOWED ONCE AGAIN. ALL THE SAME WARNING LIGHTS. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY BROKE DOWN AND NOT STARTING AT ALL. ALSO I HAVE 2' OF WATER IN WHEEL WELL CAR LEAKS WATER INTO SPARE TIRE WELL. CAR IS MOLDING DUE TO THIS ISSUE. THIS CAR MODEL SHOULD BE RECALLED. THIS COULD CAUSE SOME HORRIBLE ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF A MALFUNCTION/ DEFECTIVE PART THAT WAS INSTALLED. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MANY MANY PEOPLE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. PEOPLE ARE SPENDING LOTS OF MONEY FOR REPAIRS AND RENTAL CARS. IM A SINGLE MOTHER OF 3 CHILDREN, THIS CAR IS SUPPOSE TO BE SAFE TO DRIVE. IT'S BY FAR FROM THAT. THE MONEY I'M SPENDING ON A RENTAL CAR SO THAT I CAN GO BACK AND FORTH TO WORK IS NOT CHEAP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11330160

32,000 miles · Apr 2, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)

SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH OR SO MY CAR HAS DISPLAYED A WARNING THAT SAYS ENGINE POWER REDUCED, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING HIGHWAY SPEED, WILL REDUCE YOUR SPEED DOWN TO AROUND 20 MPH. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS AROUND 6PM IN BUSY TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO WRECK. IT STOPPED HAPPENING FOR A WHILE, BUT…

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SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST MONTH OR SO MY CAR HAS DISPLAYED A WARNING THAT SAYS ENGINE POWER REDUCED, AND EVEN IF YOU'RE GOING HIGHWAY SPEED, WILL REDUCE YOUR SPEED DOWN TO AROUND 20 MPH. THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS AROUND 6PM IN BUSY TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY, ALMOST CAUSING ME TO WRECK. IT STOPPED HAPPENING FOR A WHILE, BUT NOW IT HAS DONE IT OVER 20 TIMES IN THE PAST 48 HOURS. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOUR VEHICLE IS IN MOTION.

NHTSA ODI #11320005

65,640 miles · Apr 1, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineUnknown Or Other

LATELY WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION MY VEHICLE AUTO STOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO GO THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND SHUT THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF UNTIL IT RESTARTS. ONE OF THE WARNINGS READ STABIL AND ANOTHER READS POWER SHUT OFF AS WELL AS BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE. I HA…

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LATELY WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION MY VEHICLE AUTO STOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO GO THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND SHUT THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF UNTIL IT RESTARTS. ONE OF THE WARNINGS READ STABIL AND ANOTHER READS POWER SHUT OFF AS WELL AS BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG SO THEY RESET THE SYSTEM HOWEVER, THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE REMAINS. THIS STARTED THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND HAS CONTINUED.

NHTSA ODI #11319950

12,000 miles · Mar 21, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Steering

VEHICLE STABILITY TRACK DISABLED AND STEERING GET STIFF AND HARD TO CONTROL. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND 1000'S OF PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED IT. DEALER WANT TO CHAR $2,700 TO FIX FOR AN ISSUE THAT WAS REPORTED AS A DANGEROUS AND KNOWN TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE WARNING COME ON INTERMENT AND MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CON…

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VEHICLE STABILITY TRACK DISABLED AND STEERING GET STIFF AND HARD TO CONTROL. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE AND 1000'S OF PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED IT. DEALER WANT TO CHAR $2,700 TO FIX FOR AN ISSUE THAT WAS REPORTED AS A DANGEROUS AND KNOWN TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE WARNING COME ON INTERMENT AND MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL SPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEED. ALL OTHER SAFETY FEATURES SUCH AS ACCIDENT WARNING OR LANE DEPARTURE GETS DISABLED

NHTSA ODI #11318870

55,656 miles · Mar 20, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR BEGAN BEEPING AND DISPLAYED 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN. THE TRACTION LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. THE CARS SPEED WAS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER …

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WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR BEGAN BEEPING AND DISPLAYED 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN. THE TRACTION LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. THE CARS SPEED WAS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR TWICE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE DRIVE IT HOME. THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING SITUATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. UPON GOOGLING THIS ISSUE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL! IF MY REACTION TIME WASN'T A FAST AS IT WAS TODAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, OR WORSE. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS.

NHTSA ODI #11318797

Official recalls

4

21V649000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners; Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

Aug 20, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Seat Belts:critical Fasteners

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

18V400000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Jun 14, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

16V870000 · Air Bags:side/window

Dec 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Insufficient welds could cause the inflator to separate and propel air bag debris into the cabin during a crash. Also, the inflator could fail to inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.