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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

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

135 reports
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83,000 miles · Dec 3, 2020
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING ON A ROAD AT 47 MILES AN HOUR. OUT OF NO WHERE, THE CAR SLOWED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. ON THE DASH BOARD A NOTICE FLASH STATING "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" I WAS BARELY ABLE TO NAVIGATE OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT BEING HIT. THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL HOURS LATER WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME, I HAD TO CONSTANT…

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I WAS DRIVING ON A ROAD AT 47 MILES AN HOUR. OUT OF NO WHERE, THE CAR SLOWED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. ON THE DASH BOARD A NOTICE FLASH STATING "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" I WAS BARELY ABLE TO NAVIGATE OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT BEING HIT. THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL HOURS LATER WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME, I HAD TO CONSTANTLY KEEP PULLING OVER.

NHTSA ODI #11377726

39,838 miles · Nov 26, 2020
EngineVehicle Speed Control

I OWN A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU LT. I WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN SUDDENLY I RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD STATING, 'ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED'. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE AND I HAD TO FRANTICALLY FIND A WAY TO PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT WHILE THE VEHICLE STARTED SLOWING DOWN TO JUST ABOUT 20 MPH. FORTUNATELY, I WA…

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I OWN A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU LT. I WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN SUDDENLY I RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD STATING, 'ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED'. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE AND I HAD TO FRANTICALLY FIND A WAY TO PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT WHILE THE VEHICLE STARTED SLOWING DOWN TO JUST ABOUT 20 MPH. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I RESEARCHED ONLINE, AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS EXACT THING HAS HAPPENED TO MANY PEOPLE WHO ALSO OWN A CHEVY MALIBU 2016-2018. GM NEEDS TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER MAKING THIS A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI #11376430

67,000 miles · Nov 20, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control

IT REDUCES POWER TO THE EGINE

NHTSA ODI #11375567

113,342 miles · Nov 6, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

MY CARS CUT OFF AND THEN DISPLAY POWER STEERING REDUCES DRIVE WITH CAUTION THIS IS SCARY BECAUSE MY SON IS WITH ME IN THE CAR IT'S JUST CUT OFF EVERY TIME I STOP OR I'M DRIVING

NHTSA ODI #11373527

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

45,000 miles · Oct 11, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control

I PURCHASED MY 2017 MALIBU FROM JUD KUHN IN SC, IT HAD 40,000 MILES WHEN PURCHASED. WEEK 2 I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT HIT THE GAS TO TAKE OFF THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE SO I HIT THE GAS A LITTLE HARDER STILL NOTHING THEN SUDDENLY IT JERKED AND TOOK OFF FAST. I THOUGHT MAYBE MY FOOT WASNT ON THE HAS RIGHT. THE NEXT DAY I GOT IN THE CAR…

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I PURCHASED MY 2017 MALIBU FROM JUD KUHN IN SC, IT HAD 40,000 MILES WHEN PURCHASED. WEEK 2 I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT HIT THE GAS TO TAKE OFF THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T MOVE SO I HIT THE GAS A LITTLE HARDER STILL NOTHING THEN SUDDENLY IT JERKED AND TOOK OFF FAST. I THOUGHT MAYBE MY FOOT WASNT ON THE HAS RIGHT. THE NEXT DAY I GOT IN THE CAR TO BACK OUT MY DRIVE WAY AND IT DID IT AGAIN THE SAME EXACT WAY. THE SAME DAY THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ONSTAR SENT ME A EMAIL ABOUT A EMISSION ISSUE. I CALLED THE CAR DEALER TOLD THEM ABOUT THE ACCELERATION ISSUE AND THE ENGINE LIGHT. NO ONE CALLED ME BACK AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT . A FEW DAYS LATER THE LIGHT RETURNED AND I CALLED AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY SERVICED IT STATING THE CAR NEEDED A COMPUTER UPDATE AND CHARGED ME 100 DOLLARS AND STATED THEY COULDNT FIND THE PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATION AND THE UPDATE MAY HAVE FIXED IT. SUNDAY OCT 11TH I WENT TO LEAVE ME HOUSE AGAIN AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE THE SAME THING HAPPENED HIT THE GAS WOULDN'MTOVE THEN TOOK OFF. I GOT OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY ONTO THE ROAD AND IT DID IT AGAIN. AT THIS POINT I'M SCEPTICAL ABOUT THE DEALER AS WELL AS THE VEHICLE AND I HAVE CHILDREN AND AM AFRAID THAT ONE DAY I WILL PULL OUT INFRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND MAY BE HIT BECAUSE OF THE ACCELERATION ISSUES. I'M CALLING THE DEALER AGAIN TODAY

NHTSA ODI #11363775

62,520 miles · Sep 30, 2020
SteeringVehicle Speed Control

RECENTLY I HAVE A MESSAGE APPEAR ON MY DISPLAY SCREEN. WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT OF COURSE THE CAR SHUTS OFF BUT WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNS GREEN AND THE CAR STARTS BACK, I GET THE MESSAGE STEERING ASSIST REDUCED. I'VE BEEN SEEING THIS MESSAGE FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW. THIS MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK, ONCE AGAIN THE MESSAGE APPEA…

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RECENTLY I HAVE A MESSAGE APPEAR ON MY DISPLAY SCREEN. WHILE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT OF COURSE THE CAR SHUTS OFF BUT WHEN THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNS GREEN AND THE CAR STARTS BACK, I GET THE MESSAGE STEERING ASSIST REDUCED. I'VE BEEN SEEING THIS MESSAGE FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW. THIS MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK, ONCE AGAIN THE MESSAGE APPEARS AND THIS TIME MY DOORS UNLOCKED & LOCKED, THE VEHICLE REDUCED SPEED AND I DROVE IT AT THAT SPEED UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO MERGE OFF THE HIGHWAY. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED THE CAR. I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO WORK BUT CONSTANTLY PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL OR PARK WHEN I GOT TO A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. THIS REALLY SCARED ME WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. SEVERAL CARS HAD TO GO AROUND ME DUE TO REDUCED SPEED. I SEE SEVERAL PEOPLE WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. GOT TO BE A RECALL. I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A CHEVY DEALERSHIP ON TOMORROW AND HOPEFULLY I'LL GET SOME ANSWERS. PRAYING WHATEVER THE PROBLEM IS UNDER WARRANTY. I NEED ANSWERS!!!

NHTSA ODI #11362091

45,745 miles · Sep 21, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE POWER REDUXE LIGHT CAME ON DASH. VEHICLE DECELERATED RAPIDLY ON MAJOR HIGHWAY WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY SEMI TRACTOR TRIAILER. WAS ABLE TO TURN CAR OFF AND IT WENT AWAY. BUT HAS RETURNED NEXT DAY. I CONTACTED GM 09/21/20 AMD THEY STATED THEY WERE AWARE OF ONGOING ISSU…

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WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND ENGINE POWER REDUXE LIGHT CAME ON DASH. VEHICLE DECELERATED RAPIDLY ON MAJOR HIGHWAY WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED BY SEMI TRACTOR TRIAILER. WAS ABLE TO TURN CAR OFF AND IT WENT AWAY. BUT HAS RETURNED NEXT DAY. I CONTACTED GM 09/21/20 AMD THEY STATED THEY WERE AWARE OF ONGOING ISSUES AND I COULD BRING IT IN TO GET LOOKED AT BUT WOULD HAVE TO PAY A DIAGNOSTIC FEE

NHTSA ODI #11360187

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

76,775 miles · Jun 29, 2020
EngineVehicle Speed Control

ENTERED ON-RAMP TO HEAD SOUTH ON I-93 AND HALF-WAY UP THE RAMP IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND THE SPEED DROPPED IMMEDIATELY. I COULDN'T TURN AROUND AND GO HOME, SO I CONTINUED DOWN THE INTERSTATE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE BREAKDOWN LANE TO AVOID UPCOMING TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO DE…

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ENTERED ON-RAMP TO HEAD SOUTH ON I-93 AND HALF-WAY UP THE RAMP IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND THE SPEED DROPPED IMMEDIATELY. I COULDN'T TURN AROUND AND GO HOME, SO I CONTINUED DOWN THE INTERSTATE GOING IN AND OUT OF THE BREAKDOWN LANE TO AVOID UPCOMING TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO DEALERSHIP AND DROPPED OFF VEHICLE. I HAVE BEEN WORKING FROM HOME SINCE MARCH 15, 2020, SO I PROBABLY PUT APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES ON THE VEHICLE SINCE THE ECM WAS REPLACED. THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON THAT THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. HOWEVER, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE!!! I'M THINKING PEOPLE HAVE DIED BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE - IT IS SO UNSAFE!!!! I AM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI #11331509

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.