Vehicle stalls at lights and in traffic because of the START / STOP system GM has put in this 2019 Malibu. This is dangerous as the vehicle moves if on incline (sometimes backwards). There is no control. The vehicle then has to be shifted into PARK and then restarted. THIS HAPPENED July of 2024 and August 2025
2019 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu do not stand out strongly from 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
56 reports with mileage · 134 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.
- Power Train. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Electrical System complaints
61 reportsThe contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the message "Shift to Park" was display on the instrument panel while the gear shifter was in park. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to th…
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The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the message "Shift to Park" was display on the instrument panel while the gear shifter was in park. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 53,500.
The Apple CarPlay system, specifically the GPS/navigation function, froze and malfunctioned. This occurred in two separate vehicles I’ve owned: a 2019 Chevy Malibu and now a 2019 Chevy Equinox (the vehicle involved in the accident). Both cars frequently experienced lagging and freezing while using Apple CarPlay. The infotainment…
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The Apple CarPlay system, specifically the GPS/navigation function, froze and malfunctioned. This occurred in two separate vehicles I’ve owned: a 2019 Chevy Malibu and now a 2019 Chevy Equinox (the vehicle involved in the accident). Both cars frequently experienced lagging and freezing while using Apple CarPlay. The infotainment system and vehicle are available for inspection. On June 28, 2025, while driving at night with GPS active via CarPlay, the system froze and gave me an incorrect instruction — telling me to turn left onto a one-way street in the wrong direction. I did not realize I was going the wrong way until reaching the intersection, and by that point, I was involved in a head-on car accident. This presented a significant danger to me and others on the road. The issue has not been officially reproduced or confirmed by a service center, but it occurred consistently in two different GM vehicles. I have text message documentation sent to my family over the months before the accident describing the freezing and lagging of CarPlay. The accident and vehicle were reviewed by insurance representatives, but no inspection was done specifically on the infotainment/GPS system by the manufacturer. There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. However, the symptom was consistent lagging and freezing of the CarPlay interface, which had been happening for months prior. There were no official error codes displayed before the crash.
Not in park warning when shifter is placed in park.
The clutch solenoid started failing without warning or notice. This was finally confirmed by a transmission shop after a warning lamp related to the issue finally popped up after months of issues. My safety was put at risk due to the sudden and intermittent failure to shift into drive. This would sometimes lead to the engine stu…
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The clutch solenoid started failing without warning or notice. This was finally confirmed by a transmission shop after a warning lamp related to the issue finally popped up after months of issues. My safety was put at risk due to the sudden and intermittent failure to shift into drive. This would sometimes lead to the engine stuttering then shutting off while still in drive. Attempts for dealers and private shops to nail down the issue were unsuccessful due to the system not reporting or recording any information related to this failure to shift. Again the danger came intermittently and suddenly when, shifting from park to drive, shifting from park - reverse - then drive. It would cause my vehicle to “stall out” in an active lane of traffic. This issue occurs from probably 60,000 - 90,000 miles when the system finally threw P0700 and P2714 codes to point to the issue.
My vehicle has been having issues for the past 2-3 years with its engine acceleration, the bcm and ecm are faulty and or my fuses continue to fail, my check engine comes on with a service esc, power steering depleted, shift to park, and a service security system warning.
Shift to park sensor does not recognize the vehicle is in park. I am unable to shut off or lock my vehicle. Ongoing prior to ownership.
My wife drove the car into the church parking lot and placed the shifter in park. Turned off the engine and the Display stated "place the car in Park." She restarted the car backed up and pulled back into the space, shut off the engine and it did the same thing again,. She got out and attempted to lock the car with the FOB and i…
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My wife drove the car into the church parking lot and placed the shifter in park. Turned off the engine and the Display stated "place the car in Park." She restarted the car backed up and pulled back into the space, shut off the engine and it did the same thing again,. She got out and attempted to lock the car with the FOB and it stated place in Park, and Key fob in car. It wasn't , and she had started walking into the church with the audible alert beep and headlights behind her. I went out started the car shifted it into park and it did the same thing. I backed up a little bit engaged drive and slowly moved the shifter to park and it worked that time. Will take it to our certified mechanic tomorrow.
Purchased this vehicle (2019 Chevy Malibu) in September 2024. Put the vehicle in park and the display keeps saying "shift to park" when it's already in park.
SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE - CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK AND MESSAGE KEPT COMING UP ON DASH DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND MORE OFTEN NOW. DONT KNOW IF VEHICLE IS IN PARK OR NOT. BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND REPLACED. GM CAR DEALER MIKE SAVIOE AND GM BOTH SAY BULLETIN 19-NA-206 WILL NOT BE HONORED BECAUSE 2019 MALIBU IS NOW OUT…
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SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE - CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK AND MESSAGE KEPT COMING UP ON DASH DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND MORE OFTEN NOW. DONT KNOW IF VEHICLE IS IN PARK OR NOT. BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND REPLACED. GM CAR DEALER MIKE SAVIOE AND GM BOTH SAY BULLETIN 19-NA-206 WILL NOT BE HONORED BECAUSE 2019 MALIBU IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. GM KNEW THIS ISSUE ON 5/21 AND WILL NOT HELP OUT ON CORRECTING THIS ISSUE.
Official recalls
121V649000 · 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.
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.
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