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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

Steering complaints

47 reports
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106,000 miles · Mar 10, 2022
EngineSteering

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the "Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care" and other unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a nearby independent mechanic who witnessed the failure assisted her with restarting the vehicle with…

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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the "Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care" and other unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a nearby independent mechanic who witnessed the failure assisted her with restarting the vehicle with an unknown device and assisted the contact with pulling to the side of the road. The contact sated that the vehicle shut-off and failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The Used car dealer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The contact stated that the failure occurred the same day she had purchased the vehicle at the Used car dealer. Upon investigating on Carfax, the contact became aware that the vehicle had previously been totaled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ODI #11456000

Mileage unknown · Feb 21, 2022
Steering

While driving the electronic power steering stopped working almost causing me to crash.

NHTSA ODI #11453277

83,000 miles · Jan 19, 2022
Electrical SystemSteering

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while she was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a stoplight, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle suddenly lost electrical power. The warning message "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with Care" was illuminated. The contact was able to restar…

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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while she was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a stoplight, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle suddenly lost electrical power. The warning message "Steering Assist Reduced, Drive with Care" was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued to drive; however, the failure recurred increasingly while depressing the brake pedal at stoplights. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI #11448026

Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2021
Steering

I received steering assist reduce multiple times on the vehicle. I took it to the repair shop the warranty company Silver Rock recommended. The repair company stated my car is having a computer issue. The car also does not go into auto stop, when making a full stop. The car now has to be towed to a Chevy dealership to handle the…

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I received steering assist reduce multiple times on the vehicle. I took it to the repair shop the warranty company Silver Rock recommended. The repair company stated my car is having a computer issue. The car also does not go into auto stop, when making a full stop. The car now has to be towed to a Chevy dealership to handle the issue.

NHTSA ODI #11441409

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE message comes on car screen. The steering wheel jerks and acceleration is reduced. This is putting everyone in my car at risk as we are not able to accelerate fast enough if anything were to happen. Car has been taken to the dealership and they are unable to identify the problem. I checke…

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STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE message comes on car screen. The steering wheel jerks and acceleration is reduced. This is putting everyone in my car at risk as we are not able to accelerate fast enough if anything were to happen. Car has been taken to the dealership and they are unable to identify the problem. I checked online and multiple Malibus are having this problem. If you're looking for a safe car for your family member this is not the car. These cars have these errors built in the system and the dealership are unable to find the problem costing a lot of money on diagnostics to get no results. Please notice all the complaints I hope my word is heard. If mine is not heard I hope the next persons will be.

NHTSA ODI #11440155

Mileage unknown · Sep 18, 2021
Steering

When driving my car and I stop at a red light and then when the light turns green I accelerate. I notice I get a message on my dashboard power assist and reduce speed. This constantly shows up on my dashboard. I have am appointment with Gm on 9/21/21 to take it in to get service.

NHTSA ODI #11433451

39,800 miles · May 8, 2021
Lane DepartureSteering

AFTER GETTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU MINOR SERVICE A FEW WEEKS LATER AS I WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AS I LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL DID A JET AND THE A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT SAID SOMETHING LIKE "STEERING ASSIST REDUCED USE CAUTION WHILE DRI…

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AFTER GETTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU MINOR SERVICE A FEW WEEKS LATER AS I WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AS I LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL DID A JET AND THE A MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT SAID SOMETHING LIKE "STEERING ASSIST REDUCED USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME NOW I'VE SEEN THE MESSAGE MULTIPLE TIMES AND IT ALWAYS HAPPENS AFTER I'VE COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND THEN RELEASE MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO START BACK DRIVING

NHTSA ODI #11415621

83,233 miles · Apr 23, 2021
Steering

MY VECHILE SHUT OFF. AND IT WAS SAYING STERRING ASSIST REDUCED. PLEASE BE CAREFUL. THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME.

NHTSA ODI #11413620

72,000 miles · Feb 10, 2021
Steering

REDUCED STEERING ASSIST DRIVE WITH CARE MESSAGE POPPED UP AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND GO INTO AUTO STOP MODE. CAR WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF AFTER LETTING OFF BRAKE TO HIT ACCELERATOR. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. GM SHOULD ISSUE RECALLS DUE TO BEING A SAFETY CONCERN.

NHTSA ODI #11395536

70,000 miles · Jan 11, 2021
Steering

WHILE DRIVING ON I-85 SOUTH AT 70 MPH THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND I COULD NOT STEER THE VEHICLE AND WHILE BRAKING THE STEERING CAME BACK ONCE I HIT THE EMERGENCY LANE. AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON AND OFF FOR THE NEXT TEN MILES. I AM TURNING THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI #11387580

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.