IllustrationTHE ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND SAYS ENGINE POWER REDUCE. I HAD A RECALL TO NHTSA DONE, BUT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND VEHICLE STALLS LIKE ITS SHUTTING OFF OR WON'T PICK UP SPEED.
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Malibu years
Owner complaints for the 2018 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
840–25K
8425–50K
8150–75K
3275–100K
17100–150K
9150K+
307 reports with mileage · 388 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 279 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 191 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 169 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports4 fire reports14 injury reports
What owners actually said
695 reportsVEHICLE IS NOT REGISTERING IN PARK, WHEN GEAR SHIFTER IS IN PARK. STARTED DOING THIS APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AGO AND IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE
WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE WITH RANDOMLY DISPLAY ERROR CODE SAYING 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED'. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR'S SPEED REDUCES TO ~25 MPH AND IT'S INCREDIBLY HARD TO ACCELERATE PAST THAT. THIS REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING COMES ON FREQUENTLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING. SOMETIMES IT WILL GO WEEKS WITHOUT DOING IT, AND SOMETIMES IT W…
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WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE WITH RANDOMLY DISPLAY ERROR CODE SAYING 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED'. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE CAR'S SPEED REDUCES TO ~25 MPH AND IT'S INCREDIBLY HARD TO ACCELERATE PAST THAT. THIS REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING COMES ON FREQUENTLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING. SOMETIMES IT WILL GO WEEKS WITHOUT DOING IT, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL DO IT MULTIPLE TIMES A TRIP. EVERY TIME IT HAPPENS, THE ENGINE LIGHT & TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON. THE ONLY THING THAT TEMPORARILY FIXES THE CAR IS PULLING OVER, TURNING THE ENTIRE CAR OFF, THEN TURNING IT BACK ON. THIS OBVIOUSLY IS VERY DANGEROUS WHILE DRIVING WITH ANY TRAFFIC AROUND YOU. ONCE I TURN MY CAR BACK ON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS ON (TRACTION LIGHT TURNS OFF), AND THEN EVENTUALLY TURNS OFF BY ITSELF (GRANTED IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN SOON AFTER). AFTER SPEAKING TO OTHER CHEVY OWNERS, I'VE LEARNED THIS IS VERY COMMON & I'VE EVEN BEEN ABLE TO FIND POSTS ON ONLINE FORUMS REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
AFTER 2 MONTHS OF HAVING THIS CAR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND AFTER THE STABILITRAK LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHICH REDUCED THE SPEED OF THE CAR . THIS WOULD COME ON WHEN I'M DRIVING OR EVEN IF I JUST CRANK THE CAR UP FROM IT SITTING OVER NIGHT . I GOT IT TESTED AND THE SHOP DOESN'T KNOW WHY IT KEEPS COMING ON . THE CHEC…
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AFTER 2 MONTHS OF HAVING THIS CAR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND AFTER THE STABILITRAK LIGHT WOULD COME ON WHICH REDUCED THE SPEED OF THE CAR . THIS WOULD COME ON WHEN I'M DRIVING OR EVEN IF I JUST CRANK THE CAR UP FROM IT SITTING OVER NIGHT . I GOT IT TESTED AND THE SHOP DOESN'T KNOW WHY IT KEEPS COMING ON . THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS READS THAT THE THROTTLE NEED TO BE CHANGED BUT THAT'S NOT THE ONLY ISSUE . MY BOYFRIEND BELIEVES THAT THE HUB BEARING NEEDS TO BE FIX BUT WE DON'T KNOW . THE CAR DOES NOT PICK UP SPEED WHEN THE TRACTION LIGHT IS ON . THE TRACTION LIGHT ALSO READS 'ENGINE POWER REDUCE ' BEFORE THE LIGHT COMES ON . I JUST GOT THIS CAR AND I'M NOW HAVING TO SPEND 1,000+ DOLLARS ON A CAR THAT'S 'NEW' . NONE OF THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH MY CAR HAS BEEN RECALLED AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY .
2018 CHEVY MALIBU. FIRST STARTED WITH CORRODED WIRES UNDER THE CAR WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE USB PORT MELTING MY CELLPHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS FIXED BUT AFTER THAT THE AC/HEATER ONLY WOULD BLOW OUT THE DEFROSTER THAT GOT FIXED. CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES. MY CAR HAD A RECALL FOR THE ECM MODULE NEEDED UPDATED BUT AUTO NATION SAID IT…
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2018 CHEVY MALIBU. FIRST STARTED WITH CORRODED WIRES UNDER THE CAR WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE USB PORT MELTING MY CELLPHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS FIXED BUT AFTER THAT THE AC/HEATER ONLY WOULD BLOW OUT THE DEFROSTER THAT GOT FIXED. CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES. MY CAR HAD A RECALL FOR THE ECM MODULE NEEDED UPDATED BUT AUTO NATION SAID IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE UPDATED AFTER GETTING MY CAR BACK IT WOULDN'T START I WOULD HAVE TO LOCK IT UNLOCK IT OPEN THE DOOR A FEW TIMES AND THEN IT WOULD START, SO MY BATTERY GOT FRIED BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS DRAINING IT PAID 200$ FOR A NEW ONE BECAUSE AUTO NATION SAID THEY DIDN'T TOUCH THE CAR BECAUSE IT DIDN'T NEED AN UPDATE BUT WHAT GETS ME IS THEY HAD TO PLUG INTO IT TO FIND OUT IT DIDN'T NEED AN UPDATE, THEN THE CAR STARTED SAYING (SHIFTER TO PARK) GOT GM CORPORATE INVOLVED AND THEY MADE AN APPOINTMENT 1/13/2020 AT CHAPMAN FOR ME TO TAKE MY CAR IN TO FIGURE OUT THAT I NEEDED A NEW WIRING HARNESS FROM THE SHIFTER TO THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY UPDATED THE ECM MODULE BUT YET AUTO NATION SAID IT DIDN'T NEED THE UPDATE, SO BASICALLY THE AUTO NATION DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CAR MESSING UP. I SAT AT AUTO NATION FOR 45 MINUTES AND THEY DIDN'T TOUCH MY CAR. SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT AND NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. YESTERDAY I PICKED MY CAR UP FROM CHAPMAN 1/27/2020, THEY REPLACED THE WIRING HARNESS FROM THE SHIFTER TO THE TRANSMISSION, TODAY 1/28/2020 I'M GETTING THE SAME MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK'. I'M GETTING TIRED OF THE RUN AROUND WITH BRITTANY AND HAVING 3-4 OTHER PEOPLE CALL THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE SITUATION AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS SITUATION. SO NOW THE MILES ARE AT 59,000 MILES NO WARRANTY. THIS ISN'T A RELIABLE CAR. GM SAID IS OUR FAULT WHY THIS HAPPEN THAT IS WHAT TAYLOR THE ADVISOR TOLD US TODAY 2/3/2020. STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE PARK TO SHIFT AS OF 11/24/2020.
DELAYED ECCEL ELECTRICAL STEERING AN BATTERY LOSS. TIRE LOW WARNING RESET FOR ALL TIRES CONTINUE TO COME ON, BATTERY DIES BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER THEY SAI IT HAD ONLY 1 RECALL AN IT WAS FIXED
WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AS I APPROACHED A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS BUT UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE, UNTIL IT IS JUMP STARTED IT WILL START, I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. ONCE I ARRIVED AT HOME AND I PARKED THE VEHICLE, IT COMPLETELY SHUT…
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WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AS I APPROACHED A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS BUT UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE, UNTIL IT IS JUMP STARTED IT WILL START, I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. ONCE I ARRIVED AT HOME AND I PARKED THE VEHICLE, IT COMPLETELY SHUT ITSELF OFF AND I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE IT JUST STARTED AGAIN. WHICH I WAS ABLE TO LOCK THE VEHICLE WITH THE REMOTE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES NOW ON DIFFERENT DATES.
THE CARS REDUCED ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND OFF, SLOWING DOWN ON THE FREEWAY AND THE TRACTION LIGHTS KEEP COMING ON. AFTER BEING PAID THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX IT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURS.
P2138 CODE THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE.
WHEN CAR SHUTS DOWN WHILE WAITING FOR GREEN LIGHT TO CHANGE, CAR SHUTS OFF AND WHEN IT TURNS BACK ON, I HAVE A WARNING SIGN THAT APPEARS ON MY DASHBOARD THAT SAYS "STEERING ASSIST IS REDUCED, DRIVE WITH CARE" AND THEN IT DISAPPEARS. NO ISSUES WITH CAR JUST THAT WARNING SIGN.
Official recalls
621V649000 · 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.
20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 29, 2020
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
19V642000 · Electrical System:software; Engine; Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
Sep 6, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Engine
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Electrical System:software
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
18V576000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper
Aug 30, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 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 18279.
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.
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.