general problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after driving vehicle and shifting into park(p), there was a dinging alert sounded, with the “shift to park" message displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to turn off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue and was related to NHTSA campaign number: 16v502000 (electrical system, power train). The local dealer was contacted and instructed the contact to shift to neutral and then park. The instruction worked once, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called an independent mechanic who was uncertain of how to repair the vehicle and suggested that the contact check for recalls. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

My car will rev up to 4000 rpm’s and my car will not go about 20 mph. My cruise stopped working after my car went into reduce engine power. The dealership said they fixed all issues but was back to doing the high rev within a week. It started this week telling me to shift to park even though my car was in park. The shift to park cable has been replaced twice now. I have been dealing with this since July of 2025. My car has been in the shop more times than I can count.

I am filing a complaint regarding ongoing and worsening issues with my Chevrolet vehicle, which appear to point to broader defects involving the engine and electrical systems. Months ago, while driving, the car suddenly lost power and displayed "engine power reduced. " I had to keep using it due to work needs. Over time, it hesitated more during acceleration and felt increasingly unsafe. When I finally brought it to a Chevrolet service center, I was told the issue involved the pistons. The vehicle also regularly shows a "shift to park" warning even when the gear is in park, raising concerns about the transmission's reliability. The power loss continues, especially when going uphill — again triggering the "engine power reduced" alert and dropping the speed to no more than 35 mph. A diagnostic showed a p0302 code for a cylinder 2 misfire. The radio head unit, already replaced once under warranty, failed again after just 9 months. Prior to the worsening idle and gear issues, I also received network-related codes involving the ecm and transmission computers. Although I’ve replaced the alternator, the car still shows "service electric system" warnings, suggesting ongoing electrical problems. I also noticed gm’s n182195660 campaign involving predictive monitoring for stochastic pre-ignition (spi) on scp platforms. My car has the 2. 0l turbo engine, and I’m concerned it may be experiencing spi or coolant intrusion issues affecting overall performance and system integrity. I’m requesting that Chevrolet investigate these problems thoroughly and determine whether my vehicle qualifies for recall, extended warranty, or defect coverage. These issues are persistent, serious, and deserve immediate attention. Thank you for your time. I hope to see resolution soon.

Car showing warning : engine power reduced car decelerate unexpectedly car won’t accelerate past 20 mph intermittently - when putting car in park, car won’t recognize when in the park positioned and shows warning : shift to park.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that occasionally while shifting into park(p), the computer failed register that the vehicle was in park(p). The message "shift to park" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that during the failure, the doors failed to lock. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the shifter, shifter harness, and the shifter switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000.

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding an ongoing issue I have encountered with my 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Recently, I experienced a significant problem with the vehicle’s trunk and rear seat release mechanism, which has made it impossible for me to access the trunk or fold down the rear seats. The specific issues I am facing are as follows: trunk latch stuck: the trunk latch has become stuck, and I am unable to open the trunk manually or with the remote key fob. The latch mechanism appears to be malfunctioning, and it will not unlatch when attempting to open it. Remote key fob failure: the remote key fob, which is typically used to release the trunk, no longer works, making it impossible to access the trunk from outside the vehicle. Seat release mechanism: additionally, the release button for folding down the rear seats is also not functioning, and I cannot lower the seats from inside the cabin. Typically, this release mechanism can be accessed from the trunk; however, due to the trunk being inaccessible, I am unable to release the seats, which is an urgent issue. This situation is highly inconvenient and concerning, as I rely on the trunk and rear seats for storage and daily functionality. The inability to access the trunk or fold down the seats creates a major safety and usability issue, especially in situations where I need access to the trunk in emergencies. I kindly request that this issue be investigated and resolved as soon as possible. Ideally, I would like to have the trunk latch mechanism repaired and the seat release system fixed so that I can safely and reliably use my vehicle. Please let me know how we can proceed to address this matter, whether through an inspection, repair, or replacement of the defective components. Thank you for your prompt attention to this complaint. I look forward to your swift response and resolution to ensure that my vehicle remains functional and accessible.

A couple days ago I went to drive my car and it took a second to actually turn on and it was shaking way more than usual and pooped up with a message saying “engine power is reduced” I haven’t drove my car since because I tried and it was moving very slow, and I also didn’t wanna cause further issues. For some time now my car has been shaky. I have taken it in and balanced my tires because of this issue and nothing had helped. I am always scared to drive it because it has been so shaky but now that this message has popped up it’s even worse and it’s during my whole drive. Also every time I park it isn’t connecting and says “shift to park” even though it is shifted into park. I have to shake it and press some button to go all register that it is shifted into park and can shut my vehicle off. I have read every where that this issue has happened to so many 2016/2017 chevy Malibu’s. I have read the dangers and I do not feel safe driving my car like this. I also didn’t have my car when there was a recall on this exact part before. And I’m guessing the dealership who had it before me did not fix it, causing the problems to worsen other parts of my car. I can’t drive this car due to the safety and I believe it should be a recalled. I am not totally sure what is doing it but as of all the other people online, they said it has to do the gas pedal (2k replacement) and fuel pumps and also could have burned wires which my car also has. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the shift to park message was displayed while parking the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no open recalls on the vehicle. The contact stated that an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called another local dealer, reedman toll Chevrolet (1700 Lincoln hwy. , langhorne, PA 19047), but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that there was no recall coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The main head gasket fails on these vehicles causing oil to leak everywhere and on top of electrical wires. The lost of oil has caused the engine to reduce the engine speed randomly on the highway which had risk of accidents multiple times, by unable to move the vehicle off the road at a reasonable time. The oil sips land on top of electrical wires which creates the risk of fire.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while shifting into park(p), the vehicle failed to recognize that the transmission was in park(p). The contact had to manipulate and maneuver the gear shifter several times before the vehicle recognized that the gear shifter was in park(p). The message to "shift-to park" was illuminated. While receiving a routine oil change, the vehicle failed to start. The mechanic charged the battery; however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was inspected, and it was determined that the was experiencing the "shift to park" failure. The contact found information of NHTSA campaign number: 16v502000 (electrical system, power train); and linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

On may 23,2024 I was on a very busy highway going 66. All of a sudden my 2016 Malibu lt aburtely slowed to 27 miles an hour and two warnings lights came on 1 -engine power is reduced 2 - speed reduced to 27 I barely avoided getting hit by two semi trucks, as well as a car. The car is available for inspection on request. An independent service person confirmed it was indeed a defective electron control and acceleration peddle position sensor. How very irresponsible of you not to put out a recall on the 2016-2018 models knowing very well of the many class action law suits that have arrived from this issue. I probably can guarantee none of you own a Malibu. How very incredious it is that you put people lives in danger knowing that there was issues with the problem. Unbelievable. I almost got killed because of the lack of responsibility because you dint make a recall.

Vehicle check engine light on, showing "reduced engine power. " vehicle still able to be driven, but will not accelerate with any proper pace or power. Cannot get above 3000 rpm without losing power, has put me in two dangerous situations in the last two days that almost made me lose my life. On highway, trying to accelerate to match traffic speeds, lose power and had to dive to the emergency lane to not get plowed by a truck. Today, was city driving, at a red light, could not accelerate and had to dive to a crawl the vehicle into a turn lane where I ended up sitting for about 10 minutes till the engine offered enough power to keep driving. By all information I can find online, it seems it is similar to the issues presented by others online and might tie into "special coverage n182188250 loss of continuity within accelerator pedal position sensor circuit" that I found here: https://experience. Gm. Com/ownercenter/recalls?VIN=1g1zb5st9gf171156, this issue has been going for about 3 weeks to a month and is only getting worse. I did stop at mccarthy Chevrolet of overland park to have codes run about on 5/14, the codes showing do not show in the above link. . . Codes: u1502, u0422, p06de, c0760. . . Those all present on the paper as "current. " I have not had it diagnosed yet, planning to, service is just so expensive. I have had the car in my car for 1 year and 1 month, purchased from max motors in harrisonville, mo. Reporting here as I also saw online that others are facing the same symptoms, and that there is a suit that might be addressing these issues: https://topclassactions. Com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/auto-news/chevy-malibu-class-action-alleges-engine-power-reduced-defect/ every time the car is turned on, the warning mentioned above shows. See picture attached. Does not matter what type of driving or set "speed limit" issues show.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting to park, the message to shift to park was displayed. The failure occurred intermittently and had become more persistent over time. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

*accelerator pedal position sensor- it is available upon request. * due to the malfunction of the accelerator pedal position sensor, the check engine light comes on and it flashes "engine reduced power" which slows the car down to a very low rate of speed not allowing the driver to go any faster. I was on the highway going speeds of around 75mph and that light came on and slowed my vehicle down which caused the car behind me to almost run into the back of my vehicle. I've had this occurrence with this problem several times. * unknown *unknown , absolutely nothing prior to the check engine light and "engine reduced power". The issue is sporadic and happens at any given moment. There is no warning that alerts when this happens.

I'm having a problem with the car going into park. When it's in park, the doors will not lock in the vehicle will just drain the battery.

Acceleration to the engine malfunction no power to engine going excessive speeds on interstate failure light appeared car shut off one stopped car turn right back on. I’ve reported this incident of the last two years to the dealership GMC to 2016 chevy Malibu that has already had this instance back in 2019 and now has occurred at once again mileage since the last engine was replaced is 10,000 miles on the new engine.

The contact's finance owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the brake pedal would hardened when depressed without warning. While driving at 15 mph, the contact crashed into another vehicle due to the hardened brake pedal. The driver side air bag failed to deploy as needed; the air bag slightly popped out of place but did not deploy. A police report was filed; no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the mechanic verified that the vacuum pump needed repair. In addition, the contact mentioned that the vehicle would independently downshift while driving at a high rate of speed as the "engine reduce speed" warning message would appear on the instrument panel. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified the failures; a case was filed with the manufacturer. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

I took my car to to firestone to have the brakes checked because I had a stiff brake pedal and could only use my emergency brake to stop. They did a basic and advanced diagnostic and said that the brake booster that I have has been recalled and also other equipments on my car has been recalled and I must bring it to a dealership. I searched my VIN and nothing popped up even though months ago I was emailed a recall notice on the fuel pump system and air bags and it has never been repaired in my car even from the past owners. There have been 10 recalls from Malibu's manufactured in 2016 and my car shows every sign and indication that it is one of those few selected. My VIN should be updated or investigated for parts in my vehicle that have been recalled. The car stops when idle for two minutes or longer and shuts off the engine and air if you use the usb outlet there is a serious electrical problem which is also a safety hazard according to NHTSA guidelines.

After driving I went to put my car in park and across the information display screen it said shift to park. I have to wiggle the shifter back and forth then the message goes away. Otherwise, the car lights stay on, car beeps at me saying I left the key behind.

I was driving down the interstate when all of a sudden my information center on my was driving down the interstate when all of a sudden my information center on my 2016 chevy Malibu popped up a warning, reduced engine power and drop me down to 20 mph without warning. I barely made it to the side of the road before being run over by 18 wheelers all around me. Once I got it home I read the code, and it shows there’s not enough power going to the turbo in the engine that’s caused by the accelerator sensor. When I start at low speed or from a stop in attempt to accelerate the car hesitates to the point I can’t pull out with any cars around because I will be hit. I’ve been told this is a known problem for the vehicle and it’s a $500 part to fix. It’s extremely dangerous and I am so shocked there has not been a recall for this, it is putting everybody that is in one of these vehicles in danger.

I just bought this car 2 weeks ago. Had to replace the windshield wiper pump. There are at least 10 tsbs on the vehicle I'm on disability I can't afford to fix all that. The rear hub bearing was barely making noise when I bought it. Now tire feels like it's going to fall off. I believe there's a TSB on when you put the car in park and shut it off then it's not going in to gear even though it said it's into gear so I have to get that fixed as well. Can't chevy fix thermostats just like I have to fix my mistakes in life.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park(p) on several occasions, the message "shift to park" was displayed. The contact stated that upon moving the gear shifter from reverse(r) to park(p) several times within five minutes, the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter and the jumper harness had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 38,023.

Intermittent "shift to park" message started to show up when attempting to turn off vehicle. Gm does have a special bulletin 19-na-206 but doesn't have the coverage stated in it. There is also class action law suits as well so this is a common concern.

While driving, my car will read reduce power engine, and go to 40mph and then I have to pull over and turn off my car and restart, sometimes it will dismiss the problem and drive normal but sometimes it goes right back to reduce power engine and 40mph again. My gears sometimes will be stuck in park.

My 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is displaying a "shift to park" message for the second time. We had the automatic transmission control (gm part# 84347430) replaced two separate times already costing us over $1600 in repairs. Also had to replace 2 batteries within the past 3 years which cost over $300. First replaced in March of 2020 and now again in Feb 2023. Current lawsuits for this problem are on-going. No loaner cars were given for these repairs resulting in inconvenience of over 2 months. Manufacturers and dealers are aware this problem exists yet they do nothing. As far as danger it causes is you can't turn off your car, also will lead to battery drain which will leave you stranded in the middle of no where and late for work. Please issue a recall for this problem gm.

Shift into park alert on the dash. I have to restart the vehicle to get it to let me leave the car. It tells me to shift into park even tho I already am.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that an electrical failure and power train failure was present. No additional information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.

I was parked idling in a parking lot for about five minutes. I went to leave pulled out of the parking lot, hit my brakes at the light and it sounded like my whole front end was going to fall off the brakes had no pressure and it sounded like it was metal on metal, I had to get home so I thought I could take the long road home that has barely any lights on it. By the time I got down the road they were back to normal and now it’s done it twice again. I also have some electrical stuff happening where my radial to shut off or not work at all. Also had a couple pistons that had to be replaced earlier and they tried to get me for failure to maintenance but I took my car in faithfully every time I needed oil and I also took it in early because I was using fully synthetic had another 2000 miles to go for me to not have any oil in my car was ridiculous. They ended up only charging me for the seals, but in the beginning it was like 3900.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, an alarm sounded and the message "shift to park" was displayed. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 16v502000 (electrical system, power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 40,000.

Numerous times my vehicle has not allowed me to shut it off, start it, or move the vehicle because it says that the vehicle is not in park when it very clearly is. I googled the issue and found that numerous other owners have had this issue, and the tech advisor at the dealer confirmed numerous people have had this issue as well. The issue was a faulty switch in the transmission control. 2 different major safety concerns resulted because of this. First, I was unable to start my car in a very bad neighborhood for over a half hour because it kept saying shift to park to start vehicle. Second, I could not shut the car off while parked in the garage because it said shift to park to shut off the vehicle. Both times I was fully in park. This problem is widespread as a simple google search will confirm, however, gm continues to deny it is a problem.

I have had several issues with my 2016 Malibu. 1st: putting my vehicle in park sometimes it does not register that it is in park. I have to turn the car on again and try moving the shifter until it registers. 2nd: when accelerating at times I get a stabilitrak error and a check engine light that causes a loss of power. This can happen in the middle of the highway which will cause an inevitable accident. 3rd: saving the best for last. Thw vehicle has recently lost power while driving and won't allow acceleration. Once I stop the vehicle stalls out completely and won't register the gears so I can't out it into park or anything. I was stuck at an intersection and couldn't move. It wouldn't turn fully off because it didn't register it was in park. And it won't turn on or start because it isn't on or off. I maintain my vehicles and correct all fixes recommended. Brought it in to have the issue looked at and was told that there were a lot of error codes. They cleared them. But this has gotten ridiculous. Gm needs to figure their stuff out. .

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle to park(p), the "shift to park" message was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that even after the vehicle had been turned off, the warning light, radio, and audible chime was activated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA id number: 10198852; manufacturer communication number: 19na206 (power train). The failure mileage was 29,340.

It is currently an intermittent problem on my 2016 chevy Malibu with 27,880 miles on it. Once shifting the vehicle into park, the gear selector is indicating the vehicle is in park, but the dash board reads "shift to park" and does not allow you to turn off vehicle, it remains in accessory mode. You do not know if the vehicle is really in park because the dash board warning reads "shift to park". If you try several times to put it in park or jiggle the gear selector, the warning will go out and then you can shut down engine. This is unsafe as you don't know when this happens if your vehicle is really in the "park" mode. If you vehicle is not, it could roll or injure someone standing near the vehicle or it's operator or passengers entering or exiting (if it should move unintendedly). I was informed that this is a known issue this defect should be deemed to have "special coverage" and not be an out of pocket repair and a recall campaign should be initiated as it is a safety related concern.

I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I to tried to restart and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said engine power is reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed. Lights and radio were still working.

1. The car when s parked the electronic system does not recognize this and the electronics of the car remain on. Draining the battery and sometimes taking several attempts or more at having to restart the car, shifting through gears in order to get the car to properly turn off. 2. I have been driving down the highway doing approximately 65-75 mph and the car out of no where, with no other cars around has slammed on the breaks and decreased in speed instantly. This has happened twice. 3. Stabilitrak light has come on several times, car violently shakes while ideling. I have already had to replace a piston in the engine. At the time the car was at about 50,000 miles. It is now at 75, 000 and still happens every so often.