ENGINE POWER REDUCED WARNING CAME ON WITH ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHT CAR SPEED DROPPED
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
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.
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
135 reportsMY VEHICLE HAS 6X,XXX MILES ON IT. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED A "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" MESSAGE ON NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AFTER DRIVING 15 MILES, TURNING THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, AND STARTING THE CAR AGAIN. I CALLED ON-STAR TO RECEIVE A DIAGNOSTIC REPORT, WHICH RETURNED A P2138 CODE. I LIMPED THE CAR HOME ON A RURAL ROUTE WITH REDUC…
Read full complaint
MY VEHICLE HAS 6X,XXX MILES ON IT. I FIRST ENCOUNTERED A "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" MESSAGE ON NOVEMBER 27, 2019 AFTER DRIVING 15 MILES, TURNING THE CAR OFF FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES, AND STARTING THE CAR AGAIN. I CALLED ON-STAR TO RECEIVE A DIAGNOSTIC REPORT, WHICH RETURNED A P2138 CODE. I LIMPED THE CAR HOME ON A RURAL ROUTE WITH REDUCED POWER. ONCE HOME, THE CAR WAS TURNED OFF FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. WHEN I TURNED THE CAR ON, THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BUT IT RAN FINE. THE LIGHT EVENTUALLY TURNED OFF. THE CAR RAN FINE UNTIL THE EVENING OF MONDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2019. THIS TIME THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER CONDITION OCCURRED AS I WAS IN TRAFFIC COMMUTING HOME FROM WORK, MOVING AT A LOW SPEED. LUCKILY THE ROAD WASN'T BUSY AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL INTO A GAS STATION. I POWERED THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, AND IT RAN FINE ALL THE WAY HOME. BASED ON SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I BELIEVE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR IS FAILING. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES. I WILL BE REPLACING THE PART ON MY OWN. THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS VERY HARD TO FIND, SUPPORTING MY SUSPICION THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD AND LIKELY AN ISSUE THAT GM IS AWARE OF.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE AND ENGINE REDUCED INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVE RAYMAN CHEVROLET (678-269-7886, LOCATED AT 2155 COBB PKWY SE, SMYRNA, GA 30080) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL CABLES…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE AND ENGINE REDUCED INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVE RAYMAN CHEVROLET (678-269-7886, LOCATED AT 2155 COBB PKWY SE, SMYRNA, GA 30080) WHERE THE TECHNICIAN PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND REPLACED THE THROTTLE CONTROL CABLES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000.
CAR WILL INDICATE 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED' AND WILL ABRUPTLY REDUCE SPEED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN NOT ONLY TO MYSELF BUT OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AS WELL. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM? I SEE IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THESE MODELS OF CHEVY MALIBU. HAPPENS EVERYDAY, MOST OF THE TIME MORE THAN ONCE. MY COMMUTE TO…
Read full complaint
CAR WILL INDICATE 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED' AND WILL ABRUPTLY REDUCE SPEED. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN NOT ONLY TO MYSELF BUT OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD AS WELL. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM? I SEE IT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THESE MODELS OF CHEVY MALIBU. HAPPENS EVERYDAY, MOST OF THE TIME MORE THAN ONCE. MY COMMUTE TO WORK IS ABOUT 25MIN AND IT DID IT 3 TIMES TODAY.
REDUCED ENGINE POWER IS A NORM FOR THESE NEW CHEVY MALIBU'S MY ENGENDER IS REDUCING POWER AGAIN. THEY CHARGES ME $345 LAST DECEMBER 3018 TO REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THIS OCTOBER 2019, IT'S DOING THE SAME THING. IT WILL REDUCE SPEED ON HIGHWAY UNDER 50 MPH AND I COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY OTHER CARS IF THEY DID NOT NOTICE.
CAR STALLS WHILE OPERATING, CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND FAILS TO REBOOT WITHOUT WARNING. I EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIME WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION IE STOP SIGNS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, STOP & GO TRAFFIC...ETC. MOST RECENT ISSUE VEHICLE PROMPT "STEERING ASSIST IS R…
Read full complaint
CAR STALLS WHILE OPERATING, CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING AND FAILS TO REBOOT WITHOUT WARNING. I EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIME WITHIN THE LAST MONTH. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT DOWN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS NOT IN MOTION IE STOP SIGNS, TRAFFIC LIGHTS, STOP & GO TRAFFIC...ETC. MOST RECENT ISSUE VEHICLE PROMPT "STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE" OR SERVIC STABLITRAK
CAR INDICATING TO PLACE IN PARK AFTER PLACING THE SHIFTER INTO PARK AND SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR THIS HAPPENS WEEKLY AT LEAST I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST COMPLETELY SHUT OFF NO POWER DASH FLASHED A FEW TIMES I PUT IT IN PARK, THEN I PUSHED THE BUTTON TO START IT DIDNT START. IM STUCK AT STOPLIGHT ON BUSY STR…
Read full complaint
CAR INDICATING TO PLACE IN PARK AFTER PLACING THE SHIFTER INTO PARK AND SHUTTING DOWN THE CAR THIS HAPPENS WEEKLY AT LEAST I WAS COMING TO A STOP AT A LIGHT AND THE CAR JUST COMPLETELY SHUT OFF NO POWER DASH FLASHED A FEW TIMES I PUT IT IN PARK, THEN I PUSHED THE BUTTON TO START IT DIDNT START. IM STUCK AT STOPLIGHT ON BUSY STREET DURING MORNING TRAFFIC. SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED
HAVING ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION (HARD SHIFTING, NOT GOING INTO GEAR, NOT GOING INTO PARK). THIS STARTED WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES OF OWNING THE CAR. THE POWER STEERING ALSO GOES OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THE CAR GETS SIGNIFICANTLY HARDER TO STEER, OR TURN. HAPPENS WHEN LANE DEPARTURE IS TURNED OFF AS WELL. ALSO THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE…
Read full complaint
HAVING ISSUES WITH TRANSMISSION (HARD SHIFTING, NOT GOING INTO GEAR, NOT GOING INTO PARK). THIS STARTED WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES OF OWNING THE CAR. THE POWER STEERING ALSO GOES OUT AT RANDOM TIMES. THE CAR GETS SIGNIFICANTLY HARDER TO STEER, OR TURN. HAPPENS WHEN LANE DEPARTURE IS TURNED OFF AS WELL. ALSO THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE AS CONSTANTLY FAILING. ALMOST LIKE THE CAMERA JUST STOPS WORKING, AND THE ENTIRE SYSTEM SHUTS DOWN, OR IT SAYS ITS STILL ENGAGED AND CANT SEE THE CARS IN FRONT SLOWING DOWN. SOMETIMES THE HEADS UP DISPLAY ALERT DOESN'T EVEN GO OFF WHEN IT SHOULD. NOT SURE IF THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE, OR EACH INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM HAS PROBLEMS. CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER ABOUT 6 TIMES NOW WITH THE SAME ISSUES. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE THE CAR, AND HAVE HAD IT FOR ABOUT 25 DAYS NOW. ALWAYS THE SAME OUTCOME... "WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT". THEY EVEN HAD A SPECIALIST COME IN AND REPROGRAM THE TRANSMISSION TO TRY TO "FIX THE PROBLEM". IT HASN'T FIXED THE PROBLEM YET. TRANSMISSION ISSUES USUALLY HAPPEN STATIONARY, GOING FROM DRIVE TO PARK, SOMETIMES YOU WILL GET A LOUD AND VERY HARD SHIFT INTO GEAR, SOMETIMES IT SAYS ITS IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, AND TAP ON THE GAS AND NOTHING HAPPENS. IT ACTS AS IF ITS STILL IN PARK. IT WOULD ALSO SAY "SHIFT TO PARK" AFTER YOU ALREADY HAVE AND WONT LET YOU TURN OFF THE CAR, UNTIL IT REGISTERS YOU IN "PARK". AS FOR THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE, IT HAPPENS WHILE IN MOTION. ITS GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE I CANT EVEN USE IT ANYMORE. IT MAY WORK FOR 3 MILES, THEN COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. STEERING ISSUE HAPPENS WHENEVER IT FEELS LIKE IT. SOMETIMES WHILE PARKED, SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING. DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER SPEED WISE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY DECELERATE TO 10 MPH OR LESS. ALSO, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO BRAKE AND ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL CRASHES. VANDEVERE CHEVROLET (1490 VERNON ODOM BLVD, AKRON, OH 44320) REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TWICE IN SIX MONTHS AND REFERRED THE…
Read full complaint
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY DECELERATE TO 10 MPH OR LESS. ALSO, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO BRAKE AND ALMOST CAUSED SEVERAL CRASHES. VANDEVERE CHEVROLET (1490 VERNON ODOM BLVD, AKRON, OH 44320) REPLACED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TWICE IN SIX MONTHS AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. THE MANUFACTURER GAVE THE CONTACT A CASE NUMBER AFTER LEARNING THAT SHE CONTACTED THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
I BOUGHT A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU IN JUNE OR JULY OF 17. NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER ON 11-10-17, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD AN OXYGEN SENSOR SHORTING. THEY FIXED THAT. THEN ON 2-2-18 I WAS DRIVING 40MPH AND LUCKY I WASN'T ON THE FREEWAY BECAUSE MY CAR INSTANTLY SLOWED DOWN AND WOULD NOT ALLOW BE TO GO OVER 15 MPH. THEY SAID I…
Read full complaint
I BOUGHT A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU IN JUNE OR JULY OF 17. NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER ON 11-10-17, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I HAD AN OXYGEN SENSOR SHORTING. THEY FIXED THAT. THEN ON 2-2-18 I WAS DRIVING 40MPH AND LUCKY I WASN'T ON THE FREEWAY BECAUSE MY CAR INSTANTLY SLOWED DOWN AND WOULD NOT ALLOW BE TO GO OVER 15 MPH. THEY SAID IT WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. HOWEVER, ONSTAR SENT ME MESSAGE STATING MY ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE CHECKED. SO THEY ENDED UP REPLACING THE PEDAL AND "FIXING" THE PROBLEM. I GOT MY CAR BACK ON 2-5-18. IN THE SAME MONTH ON 2- 9-1818, I WENT TO GO PICKUP MY DAD WHO IS AN EXPERIENCE SEMI-TRUCK DRIVER AND HE WAS 2 HOURS AWAY. ON THE WAY THERE MY CAR KEPT FISHTAILING AND I THOUGHT MAYBE I AM JUST OVER EXAGGERATING AND MAYBE IT JUST ME. BUT, WHEN I GOT TO MY DADS DESTINATION I ASKED HIM TO DRIVE BACK AND HE DID. HE ASKED ME WHAT WRONG WITH YOUR CAR? IT FEELS LIKE ONE SIDE OF THE CAR IS PULLING FASTER THAN THE OTHER. HE THEN SAID WE NEED TO TAKE THIS TO GET SERVICED IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE THIS IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. HOWEVER, THIS WAS THE WEEKEND SO I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL MONDAY. 2-12-18 I BROUGHT IT IN TO BE SERVICED HOWEVER MY CAR WAS BACK TO ACTING NORMAL. ON 2- 22-18 . MY CAR KEPT CALLING ONSTAR EMERGENCY AND KEPT EXPLAINING TO THEM IT WAS MY CAR. THEY TOLD ME TO PULL OVER, TURN MY CAR OFF AND THEY WOULD TRY TO SEND TO SIGNAL TO MY CAR. THE LADY SAID SHE DID COULD NOT GET ANY SIGNAL FROM MY CAR AND I SHOULD TAKE IT TO BE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY. THE ONSTAR VOICE KEPT RUNNING I COULD NOT TURN IT OFF OR DOWN. ONCE AGAIN THIS WAS A WEEKEND. I HAD TO WAIT UNTIL MONDAY. THEY FIXED THAT PROBLEM. NOW AGAIN ON THE APRIL 1, 2019 I TOOK IT TO BE SERVICED AGAIN DUE TO MY CAR NOT ALLOWING ME TO GO OVER 20MPH. MY CAR IS UNSAFE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT SLOWED DOWN LUCKY I WAS IN THE FIRST LINE AND WAS ABOUT TO GET OFF SAFELY.
Official recalls
421V649000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration