PURCHASED MY 2019 MALIBU LT IN SEPTEMBER. ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO THE SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE STARTED APPEARING. IT SOMETIMES TAKES ABOUT 1O MINUTES TO FINALLY GET T HIS CLEARED.
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.
What owners actually said
190 reportsWhen car is shifted in to park it is not registering that the car is in park and a message comes up that says to “shift to park” even though the car is already shifted in park
“Shift to Park” message appears on dash information screen and prohibits the vehicle from fully powering off and can cause battery to fully discharge. This appears to be a known problem, as referenced in GM TSB 19-na-206.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled in the middle of the roadway. The ESC, traction control, check engine, and powertrain malfunction control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local mecha…
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The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled in the middle of the roadway. The ESC, traction control, check engine, and powertrain malfunction control warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000
Unable to leave vehicle because the car thinks the gear shift is not in park. The car is actually in park . I’ve tried wiggling the gear shift, turning the car back on several times and putting into gear and back in park. Nothing seems to work and it goes off whenever it decides to go off. This is causing a safety issue for me p…
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Unable to leave vehicle because the car thinks the gear shift is not in park. The car is actually in park . I’ve tried wiggling the gear shift, turning the car back on several times and putting into gear and back in park. Nothing seems to work and it goes off whenever it decides to go off. This is causing a safety issue for me personally since I can’t leave the car. This started about 2months ago.
The throttle body charge pipe popped off there was a recall that on this car says it’s fixed. We replaced o ring and clip on charge pipe drove car. When we sped up to pass a car the charge pipe popped off car shut off. We had to push the car out of traffic. The car would not start. Error code check engine and engine power …
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The throttle body charge pipe popped off there was a recall that on this car says it’s fixed. We replaced o ring and clip on charge pipe drove car. When we sped up to pass a car the charge pipe popped off car shut off. We had to push the car out of traffic. The car would not start. Error code check engine and engine power loss. Three hours under a Houston TX bridge got a tow. Only to be told that the gasket and clip needed to be replaced. Replaced again gm parts, car still can’t go up hills or sped up. Charge pipe will pop off. The throttle body was checked and the lip on throttle body is still good. But there is too much oil build up on throttle body it appears and the charge pipe can’t stay on. Causing engine failure. This almost got us killed on the highway. Very unsafe please help.
Vehicle has 38,000 miles and I keep getting the “Shift to Park” error message. The dealer said it is an “ongoing problem” with these vehicles as the “electronic sensor” is not registering that the car is in “park”. Problem is all features (parking lights, dash message, alarm “Bong-bong sound” and radio stay on and drain the batt…
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Vehicle has 38,000 miles and I keep getting the “Shift to Park” error message. The dealer said it is an “ongoing problem” with these vehicles as the “electronic sensor” is not registering that the car is in “park”. Problem is all features (parking lights, dash message, alarm “Bong-bong sound” and radio stay on and drain the battery. I am getting it replaced but if this is a “known problem” why don’t they do a recall and fix it?
The turbo charge pipe keeps popping off while driving and the car loses power.
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the gear shifter was placed in Park, the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed while turning off the vehicle with the push to start/stop button. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the sensor and gear shifter needed to be replaced.…
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The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the gear shifter was placed in Park, the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed while turning off the vehicle with the push to start/stop button. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the sensor and gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that she had to pay out of pocket for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Front driver low beam Front passenger side marker Back passenger break light All won’t turn back on. Dealership cannot find a reason why lights won’t turn on.
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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