Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
870–25K
12025–50K
11050–75K
5275–100K
22100–150K
6150K+
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
What owners actually said
702 reports
Mileage unknown · Dec 28, 2021
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control
Driving on highway at about 65 mph on family trip to Delaware. . Car suddenly gave reduced acceleration error and speed started declining while in traffic. No warning.checked chevron app on phone and it did not see anything wrong. There was NO check engine or anything. Got to a dealer and they said it was probably a sensor for …
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Driving on highway at about 65 mph on family trip to Delaware. . Car suddenly gave reduced acceleration error and speed started declining while in traffic. No warning.checked chevron app on phone and it did not see anything wrong. There was NO check engine or anything. Got to a dealer and they said it was probably a sensor for gas pedal. 5 days later driving home to Georgia from trip on highway around same rate of speed. No warning . The check engine light and reduced engine power warning message came on. This time the Chevrolet app notified me of trouble and said I needed the car seen within a day. .Got to a dealer and now they say they think it may be the cam shaft based on the code but they cannot replicate issue. I took a photo of the alert from the second incident . Car has about 46,000 miles and is well maintained . Our safety was at risk both times but especially the first time as we were in traffic and speed declined .
NHTSA ODI #11445198
Mileage unknown · Dec 23, 2021
Electrical SystemEngine
Was driving to work at 5:00 am today and merged onto a busy highway. After accelerating to 60 mph, there was a message that appear on my dashboard that read engine power reduced. It was not safe traveling at the speed that I was. The check engine light came on as well as the Stability Control symbol and my car reduced its speed…
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Was driving to work at 5:00 am today and merged onto a busy highway. After accelerating to 60 mph, there was a message that appear on my dashboard that read engine power reduced. It was not safe traveling at the speed that I was. The check engine light came on as well as the Stability Control symbol and my car reduced its speed and would not accelerate back to a safe speed. I am going to take it to the dealership and try to get the problem diagnosed. I really hope this issue gets resolved.
NHTSA ODI #11444789
Mileage unknown · Dec 22, 2021
Engine
I was at a red light waiting for the light to turn green like normal I press the pedal the car goes at it's normal pace until one day I was at a red light and when I press the pedal the car suddenly shut off and didn't want to start I pulled over called a mechanic couldn't really describe what was going on at the time but i mad…
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I was at a red light waiting for the light to turn green like normal I press the pedal the car goes at it's normal pace until one day I was at a red light and when I press the pedal the car suddenly shut off and didn't want to start I pulled over called a mechanic couldn't really describe what was going on at the time but i made a appointment for the next day I started up the car up again and it drove and when I reached 30 mph the dashboard flashed engine speed reduce so I took it home and didn't drive to the morning to the mechanic he change a variety of things battery, alternator,sparks plugs, throttlebody ,and mass airflow, and nothing work I finally took it to a dealer and the dealer said it's turbo bypass valve or the actual turbo they don't know which it's either you buy the part and see if it fixes the problem and if it don't buy a whole new turbo
NHTSA ODI #11444654
Mileage unknown · Dec 14, 2021
Electrical System
My vehicle has been flashing the Shift to park warning for about 2 years now. It never happens when I take it in but I have made dealership aware. I am report it now because it starting to happen everyday and is taking longer to go away. They say they can’t fix it if they can’t see it when it happens
NHTSA ODI #11443716
Mileage unknown · Nov 24, 2021
Engine
after 4 years My 2017 Malibu Engine light is on now with power reducing power periodically. Thus is dangerous and was not fixed at the dealer. This is serious. Why isn’t there a recall. I know there is a class action suit. The is not acceptable at all.
NHTSA ODI #11441641
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 17, 2021
Power Train
Intermittent shifts, no reverse, MIL illuminated Happened in rush hour traffic, could not move out of EMS workers way because of reverse failure. Nearly ran into vehicle in front of me due to such harsh sift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Currently being inspected by local Chevrolet dealer. No warning light when incident occurred,…
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Intermittent shifts, no reverse, MIL illuminated Happened in rush hour traffic, could not move out of EMS workers way because of reverse failure. Nearly ran into vehicle in front of me due to such harsh sift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Currently being inspected by local Chevrolet dealer. No warning light when incident occurred, only came on when I was able to turn the car off and back on. Extremely dangerous circumstance that could have easily been prevented had GM issued a recall on Service Bulletin 18-NA-081.
NHTSA ODI #11440807
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 · Nov 10, 2021
Electrical SystemEngine
Ever since I purchased my car I have had many issues under 36,000 miles. 1) locked out of my cars for the first 2 years and eventually there was a recall for a bad module, was replaced. 2) My gear is parked and getting notification not parked and had to fix it. 800 Switch 84733196 and harness 84955381. Parts $41.27 Labor $280.0…
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Ever since I purchased my car I have had many issues under 36,000 miles. 1) locked out of my cars for the first 2 years and eventually there was a recall for a bad module, was replaced. 2) My gear is parked and getting notification not parked and had to fix it. 800 Switch 84733196 and harness 84955381. Parts $41.27 Labor $280.00 Total $321.27 @Gordon Chevrolet. 3) Engine light has come on and off since I purchased the car. Repaired ECM Calibration update and 02 sensor replacement 2 12701634 sensor Parts $143.92 Labor $420.00 Total $563.92. It was repaired on 8/26/2021, once again engine light is on again. 4) A/C needed a new replacement condenser which cost $907.39. I didn't buy a brand new car from now spending way too much time at the dealership to fix it and this needs to be investigated for recall. Dealership did inform me it happens a lot with 2017 Chevy Malibu. Please advise. Invoice No. [XXX], 33753 miles in / 33760 miles out. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11440023
Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2021
Unknown Or Other
My car shut off when I stopped at a blinking traffic light (normal). There was a higher than normal amount of traffic on the route I was waiting to turn onto. So the car remained off for close to 5 minutes. When I removed my foot from the brake the car did NOT RESTART ON ITS OWN (not normal) and after trying to restart the car …
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My car shut off when I stopped at a blinking traffic light (normal). There was a higher than normal amount of traffic on the route I was waiting to turn onto. So the car remained off for close to 5 minutes. When I removed my foot from the brake the car did NOT RESTART ON ITS OWN (not normal) and after trying to restart the car manually it still wouldn't restart and I couldn't roll down the driver's window to wave several cars around me at a dangerous intersection. I had to open the driver's door to wave vehicles around me. A message came on on the Driver Information Center (D.I.C.) that read "Stabil" and those are the only characters I could see in the small character box. It took me several tries to rest the car. Very dangerous situation. I will try to contact the dealer about this.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2017 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year