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
157,000 miles · May 14, 2025
Wheels
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated upon attempting to change a flat tire, the contact was unable to replace the wheel because the lug nuts were swollen. The contact called Roadside Assistance, who informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen, and Roadside Assistance replaced the wheel with specia…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated upon attempting to change a flat tire, the contact was unable to replace the wheel because the lug nuts were swollen. The contact called Roadside Assistance, who informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen, and Roadside Assistance replaced the wheel with specialized equipment. The vehicle was taken to Goodyear Tires, where the front tires were replaced with new tires and the rear tires were rotated. Additionally, the contact was advised that the lug nuts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the lug nuts were swollen due to cold weather. The dealer charged a fee and replaced the lug nuts with the same parts. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be contacted later. The manufacturer later informed the contact that no assistance could be provided because the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.
NHTSA ODI #11660841
75,000 miles · May 9, 2025
Engine
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted and referred t…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
NHTSA ODI #11659953
Mileage unknown · Apr 19, 2025
Service Brakes
Breaks are locked up, car won't start due to faulty Vaccum pump and brake booster!
NHTSA ODI #11655635
Mileage unknown · Apr 14, 2025
Service Brakes
Yes, my brakes have failed twice with my children in my car both coming to a stop sign almost causing us injury or death. I have contacted Chevrolet several times about this issue. It has happened again costing me close to $4000 in repairs.
NHTSA ODI #11654403
80,000 miles · Apr 7, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelera…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the "Reduce Power Mode" message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a mechanic discovered an accumulation of ice and sludge on the throttle body. Due to the failure, the oil became contaminated when released from the throttle body. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 10228956 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the service bulletin. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11653160
Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2025
Unknown Or Other
When I came to a complete stop, the car stalled out and completely shut off.
NHTSA ODI #11651902
Mileage unknown · Mar 23, 2025
Unknown Or Other
When you put it in park, you will get the "Shift to park" message and it can be very difficult to get it to go off.
NHTSA ODI #11650018
124,000 miles · Mar 19, 2025
Engine
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low engine power" message was displayed. The contact was able to arrive at the destination where the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to…
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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low engine power" message was displayed. The contact was able to arrive at the destination where the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
NHTSA ODI #11649298
Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2025
Unknown Or Other
When putting vehicle in park message goes off stating to put vehicle in park you have to wiggle it to make the message go off or it will drain your battery
NHTSA ODI #11647742
Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2025
EngineService BrakesVehicle Speed Control
I was driving in my neighborhood I tried to park at my house and my car wouldn’t stop I had to step down on my break hard for it to finally stop my vacuum pump broke into pieces and made my timing chain break
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