2018 Chevrolet Malibu

SOMETIMES, WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED ACCELERATION IS IMMEDIATE AND THE VEHICLE PERFORMS ACCEPTABLY WITH A SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT RATE OF ACCELERATION. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE SPUTTERS FOR A WHILE, NOT FOR A CONSISTENT PERIOD OF TIME, AND EVENTUALLY ACCELERATION KICKS IN AND THE VEHICLE PERFORMS ACCEPTABLY. SOMETIMES WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES VERY SLOWLY, WITH NO NOTICEABLE SPUTTERING, NO GEAR CHANGE AND DOES NOT KICK INTO ACCEPTABLE ACCELERATION (I HAVE NOT TESTED THE VEHICLE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WHEN IT HAD THIS RESPONSE SO ACCELERATION MIGHT EVENTUALLY KICK IN). INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION HAPPENS WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AT A STOP OR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION IS A SAFETY HAZARD. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ENTERING A FREEWAY WITH HEAVY TRUCKS TRAVELING AT 75 MPH OR MORE, THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE WITH INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION WOULD NOT KNOW IF IT WOULD BE SAFE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC. IF ACCELERATION WAS SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT, THE DRIVER COULD ANTICIPATE THE VEHICLES PERFORMANCE AND MERGE SAFELY. IF DELAYED ACCELERATION OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MERGE SAFELY PROVIDING THE FREEWAY ONRAMP HAD ENOUGH LENGTH AND THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN VEHICLES. HOWEVER, SINCE THE DELAYED ACCELERATION IS INTERMITTENT AND WHEN IT OCCURS, THE DELAY IS NOT CONSISTENT, THE MERGING VEHICLE COULD POTENTIALLY BE REAR-ENDED BY A HEAVY TRUCK RESULTING IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.

AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR 30 MINUTES OR MORE, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL STICK IN THE STRAIGHT POSITION. WHEN TRYING TO MAKE LANE CORRECTIONS, THE WHEEL WILL JERK LEFT OR RIGHT CAUSING THE CAR TO MOVE ABRUPTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A CHEVROLET DEALER FOR EVALUATION, THE SERVICE WRITER CALLED IT 'STICK/SLIP' AND SAID IT WAS COMMON ON OLDER MALIBUS. OF COURSE,THE CONCERN COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED BY THE DEALER. VEHICLE HAS ACTED UP SEVERAL TIMES SINCE DEALER VISIT.

BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN AUGUST 2018. WHEN I DRIVE IT SOMETIMES IT LOOSES POWER WHEN I'M DRIVING FROM A STOP OR WHILE PICKING UP SPEED AND IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S ON THE FREEWAY OR ON THE STREET. THE ONLY WAY I CAN DESCRIBE IT IS IT'S LIKE THE TRANSMISSION GETS STUCK IN A HIGH GEAR AND SLOWLY BUILDS SPEED UP. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE IT LIKE THIS.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW 9/28/2018 WITH 2 MILES ON IT. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THE CAR WILL STICK AT 3400 RPM'S, MAKING ALMOST NO POWER, WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE. THE CAR WILL DO THIS FROM A STOP OR TRYING TO PASS A CAR. BROUGHT TO DEALER FOR 4 DAYS, THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE AS IT DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME(EYE ROLL) IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AS IT WILL GIVE YOU A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY WHEN MOVING INTO OR AROUND TRAFFIC AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. MONITORING THE CAR THRU THE OBDII PORT I PERSONALLY FOUND IT NOT BUILDING BOOST FROM THE TURBO WHEN IT'S HAVING THIS PROBLEM, UNFORTUNATELY THE DEALERS CAN'T SEE THIS PROBLEM...

I RENTED A 2018 MALIBU (11K MILES) WITH THE 1.5 ECOTECH ENGINE FROM HERTZ IN LAKEVILLE, MN STARTING 10/31/18. NO VIN BUT IT WAS RENTAL RECORD #147556754, VEHICLE #02298, LICENSE #IL AW71337. WE PUT APPROX 1100 MILES ON IT THE FIRST TWO DAYS - ALL INTERSTATE DRIVING. ON THE HIGHWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME 'STUCK'. TO MAKE SMALL LANE CORRECTIONS OR CHANGE LANES, I HAD TO MODERATELY FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN. IT WAS COMPARABLE TO HAVING A 'CATCH' IN THE STEERING. ONCE THE FORCE WAS MADE, THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY MOVED 1/4 TO 1/2 A LANE LEFT OR RIGHT DEPENDING ON WHICH WAY I WAS TURNING. AFTER THE FIRST TWO DAYS, THE CAR SEEMED TO WORK FINE. MAYBE IT WAS BECAUSE THE WEATHER WAS COOLER AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE DAYS - NOT SURE. I DID REPORT THIS TO THE LOCAL HERTZ CUSTOMER SERVICE PERSON AND SHE SAID THEY WOULD LOOK AT IT. PERSONALLY, I CONSIDER THIS A GM ISSUE VS A HERTZ ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 4 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUFFERED MINOR BRUISES AND THE CONTACTS WIFE SUFFERED HEAD INJURIES. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. **TR CONSUMER STATED THE CAR WAS DEEMED TOTALED FROM OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. WHEN LEAVING A STOP LIGHT WE WERE HIT ON DRIVER SIDE- THE DRIVERS HEAD HIT THE DRIVERS SIDE WINDOW UPON IMPACT. THE DRIVER WAS KNOOCKED OUT AND TRANSPORTED TO LOCAL HOSPITAL THEN TO A LARGER HOSPITAL. NO AIRBAGS (EVEN THE SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS) DEPLOYED. UPDATED 10/20/18*JB