general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu - part 2

Reduced power to engine . Previously had recall for this issue, which was replaced by chevy service center. About a year later I had the same problem but had to pay out of pocket because there were no active recalls on the issue. As of today, I am receiving the same “reduced power to engine” error and check engine light keeps coming on. This happens randomly but frequently almost every single day. Error will shut off after restarting car and then happens again not long after. I’ve had this issue with multiple chevy Malibus that I have owed and there is currently a class action lawsuit against gm for this exact issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the message "engine power reduced" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after 20 minutes of consecutive driving, the vehicle drove sluggishly and lost power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the check engine warning light was reset, but the diagnostic result was not provided. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic where a diagnostic test could not be performed because the machine was unable to remain connected to the ecm. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. The contact stated that an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that three fuel injectors were weak, there was a crack in the lower oil pan, and that the oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was partially repaired by replacing the oil pan, but the fuel injectors were not replaced. The contact stated that on several occasions during the summer, after turning the vehicle off, the message "shift to park" was displayed. The vehicle was turned on and the shifter was shifted several times and was turned off several times until the correct gear selection was recognized. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the message "engine power reduced" had displayed and the vehicle would not properly accelerate past 30 mph. Also, while pressing the brake pedal the vehicle did not immediately stop and the pedal was hard when pressed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights were flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, and the contact was informed that there was no oil in the vehicle. The contact refuted the mechanics findings and had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The contact then stated that while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle lost power with the message "engine power reduced" displayed. The contact pulled over to the shoulder and turned off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the failure reoccurred. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle back to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there was a warranty on the vehicle that covered the failure; however, the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

Saturday morning this is now the 3rd time it's been fixed and safe to drive. Once by the dealership in baltimore towson area. Check engine light came on I ran diagnostic I bought at the store to get the codes come to find out class actions for wrongful death because company knew about it. As I also see hundreds of he same complaints here. My wife on 695 95 baltimore MD at the merge. She went from 60mph to 35mph. Then the car shut off with zero control of steering. Once in neutral she slightly touch the brakes which let it start up. Thank god no one was killed we have 2 beautiful 6 n 7 yr old girls what would I tell them. This needs addressed it happens after the batt needs changed I know 4 other owners 1 had just got one that's what triggered his same codes problems. Im I've googled it but not one person solves it. It's gotta do w the start stop system.

While driving on highway, check engine light came on as well as message saying "engine power reduced". Car immediately decelerated on the highway and brakes pedal became rock hard and unable to press.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mhp, the message "engine power reduced" was displayed and the vehicle decelerated to 30 mph. The contact stated that the speed would no longer exceed 30 mph. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure had also previously occurred but after taking the vehicle to the local dealer no cause of the failure was found. The failure mileage was 110,653.

Transmission surge accumulator system performance. The car fails to accelerate once it comes to a complete stop, traffic lights, etc. The car will rev up to 5000 rpms but will not reach 10 mph. This causes problems when driving and I was almost hit on several occasions (more than 8 times) on my drive home to be safe again. The car was taken to the dealership and was reported to have been fixed, after paying a $100 deductible, but only ran properly for one day. Again, I was almost hit 5 times while driving back home, after the repair was made. The check engine light came on after the car presented issues, as I was out running errands, the car was losing power and was not performing well. About 20 minutes after the initial issue, the check engine light came on. I took the car to auto zone where they were able to run the diagnostic that came back with the code, p171d transmission surge accumulator system performance. This took place twice in one week, with the dealership fixing the issue on Tuesday and it failing again on Saturday (after the car sat idle for 3 days, while I was on vacation).

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 mph, the vehicle started losing motive power with an unknown engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the engine power was reduced. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated to approximately 15 mph and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality. The contact was able to stop the vehicle. The contact attempted several times to restart the vehicle however, the vehicle was unable to be restarted. The contact stated there was an abnormally strong odor of gasoline in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact opened the hood, and the odor of gasoline was very strong. The contact looked underneath the vehicle and saw gasoline in a puddle underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been taken to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact had not informed the manufacturer of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v642000 (electrical system, fuel system, gasoline, engine). The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Engine power reduced defect in chevy Malibu vehicles. Had the "engine power reduced" message show up countless times.

Vacuum booster pump failed while driving on the highway with my girlfriend and her small child in the car and this common problem for this specific Chevrolet motor and endangered our lives significantly. Over 500 complaints on NHTSA website. No recalls to date. $4,000 damage. Filed official complaint and requested that Chevrolet cover the costs.

Service stabilitrak warning will pop up on my dash. The car loses power. Push on the gas and it sputters. Had it serviced by GMC 2 years ago and now it is happening again. More frequent in colder weather. There are thousands of reddit posts about this same issue from other 2018 chevy Malibu owners. GMC refuses to acknowledge it is a quality or performance issue on their end.

While driving, my car’s dash suddenly showed a warning message that state “engine power reduced”. I was driving around 45mph at the time of the incident.

Engine power reduced.

I was driving the vehicle on a busy road and a message came up on the display above the steering column saying engine power reduced. I went to brake and was unable to push the pedal in as it was extremely stiff. There were vehicles around me and I tried to use both feet and stand on the brakes and was able to get a little bit of movement but the car still didn't slow down. I had my significant other and brother-in-law in the car and we were all horrified we were going to get into an accident. I turned the hazard lights on and was able to steer to avoid hitting several vehicles and when traffic finally cleared I was able to get over and off the road into a gas station that was uphill and allowed us to slow down and finally stop because I put the vehicle in neutral tried the parking brake which got us to a complete stop and shut the vehicle off. There had been no previous issues with the brakes or messages such as the one that came up right before this issue occurred. The vehicle had to be towed and the repair shop told me the cam driven vacuum pump failed which caused the brake booster to not function. When this failure occurred, it damaged the intake and exhaust camshafts, crankshaft, and several other components. The cooling system and oil to be flushed out as I was told there was metal debris from the damaged parts caused by the vacuum pump failure in the fluids which had been all completely flushed and changed including cooling system, transmission fluid, and oil change the total cost of repairs as a result of the vacuum pump failure setting off a domino effect of damage was $3536. 40.

My check engine light will come on, a message will pop up on the screen saying, "steering assist reduced drive with care. " when I come to a stop and my car goes into auto stop the car will completely shut down. This can be in the middle of the street or during traffic. It will take my car awhile to start back up. I was told it is a sensor that is going bad consistently, this has happened to me 3 times. This is a known issue with a lot of chevy Malibu.

The auto start stop function malfunctioning at a red light, causing vehicle to turn off completely. Vehicle will turn on once the brake is released. The transmission is slipping as well switching from first gear to second gear and causing a delay in departure.

I was driving on the interstate at 75 mph and I went to hit the brakes and they didnt work I had to take my feet off the gas and let it stop on its on and it was scary. I glad to be alive. And when I put the car in park it stated the I needed to shift to park and I couldnt cut the car off so after calling someone to come get me from off of the side of the ride. I had to keep putting the gear in park for it to go in park anf the message went away but it keeps coming on.

While driving on the highway my dashboard displayed a warning of “reduced power steering “, engine light came off and on, loss of speed , and “stabilitracking” light came on. Brakes also vibrated badly as if they were unable to hold a grip. I was unable to accelerate and was really in danger. The car was taken immediately to the dealership where they replaced the battery and told me it was repaired. On my return from the airport the next morning at 4:30 the same lights and warnings displayed on the dash once again and I had it towed immediately to the dealership. We are now 3 days in and I have gotten no explanation as to what is going on with my vehicle.

Shift to park but vehicle us in park engine control module, causing engibe power to be dropped reduced.

Check engine light constantly comes on . Pedal position sensor is faulty. Engine power reduced pops up.

Vehicle will not stay started will stop when ever even while driving. I haven’t driven the car in 8 months because it’s not safe.

Purchase car in December 2018, had 3 engine replacement. I am currently in the 3 engine replacement. And still experiencing the same issue - check engine light permanently on for 2 months now. Issues a whistling sound from an opening vent in the hood since last engine replaced. Call stalls, reduces speed and jerk when trying to accelerate . Have reached out to reed lallier Chevrolet they making it seems that normal and ok. I am scared to drive and cause an accident because the car stalls before picking up. When you put the car in park, the car still not registering at park it is still moving you have to sit and clear the dash board (shift to park, even thou it is in park). Chevrolet only gave 1 engine replacement and $100 gift card. Every other expense is on me, when I still have to pay for the lemon. Unable to locate most recent engine replacement sheet. But can retrieve from dealership if needed. This car is full service and maintained in the allocated time frame reed lallier has the file of needs be.

Cam-driven brake booster vacuum failure without warning. My engine died, my brake pedal and steering wheel stiffened, while in moderate traffic. I had use excessive brake force to slow my vehicle to a stop. Currently have 78,012 miles as it is sitting in the repairs shop. This is the first time it has happened, but I worry it may happen again because upon further research, it is a very common part failure.

The car continuously is throwing a code p2138 and a warning comes up on dash saying reduced engine power. This happened 6 times to me yesterday wherein I was traveling on 1 lane winding roads in my neighborhood so the speed drops from wherever it is down to 10mph instantly. On 1 lane roads in the area where I reside there’s no safe place to pull over. This is extremely dangerous and a massive safety hazard and risk to my life!.

2018 chevy Malibu over 5 times this happens since we bought it brand new it has "reduced engine power" error come on and the car can't accelerate over 30 miles per hour. This is a continued problem all the time and very dangerous when we are on the tollway that has a 70-mph speed limit, and you can't get the car to go over 30 mph. This same problem happens on our 2017 chevy Malibu that we bought brand new since we owned it too and I have already put in a complaint filed today! this is extremely dangerous and takes you a long time to get home when you can only go 30 mph or less because of the "reduced engine power" limit. Gm needs to recall these Malibu's and fix the dangerous "reduced engine power" error because it's dangerous to the driver in rush hour traffic and on the tollway traffic with no ability to go over 30 mph. All these Malibu's need to be fixed properly and its gm's responsibility to ensure safety for their customers lives.

Was driving to work when suddenly my check engine light comes on and I get a warning reading “reduce power to engine” could feel the power literally reduce. Car won’t go pass 30mph could hear the engine trying to accelerate but struggling too. This is the second time it happens, have noticed other complain about this on going issue with 2016-2018 models.

I got p2138 code, I replaced the accelerator pedal on my cost because the dealer told me my car VIN is not include in the recall, the code keep coming back even after replacing the pedal. The problem it happen two time were I was driving on thruway "65 mph" the speed suddenly reduced to less than 30 mph which put me and the other drivers safety in dangerous situation.

Suddenly loss of power at cruising speeds. Trouble with acceleration and loss of power. Unresponsiveness from the engine. The check engine light illuminate, obd2 call for code p2138. The speed stuck at 30 m/h on the 65 m/h thruway which cause unsafe situation for me and other drivers on the road. When googling this issue on the internet, reviews show it is common problem in this model. Gm refuses to fix this issue at their cost because "according to the VIN number of my car, it is not included in the recall list" which it does not make sense.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 65-70 mph and overtaking another vehicle, the vehicle decelerated to 45 mph unintendedly, with the "engine power reduced" message displayed. The contact exited the highway and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and also occurred while driving 25 mph. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

On Nov. 18th 2022 while driving on county rd at 55mph I slowed to make a left turn. As I went to accelerate at about 30mph the vehicle lost power, I pulled over shut off the vehicle. I started the vehicle and the engine symbol appeared, I continued to drive, I had power so I entered the interstate. About 2 min. Of driving the vehicle went from 70mph to 40mph. I pulled into a dealership to see if I could get the vehicle looked at. They said they were booked up that it would be about ten days. I continued to my destination there were no other issues beside the engine light staying on. At a half tank of gas I filled up, when I went to leave the the engine light was off. No other issues since.

I keep getting a reoccurring message saying engine speed reduced, I can be driving going 60+mph and randomly my car speed is reduced. This is becoming a safety issue as I have noticed this is a ongoing issue wit the 2016-2018 chevy Malibu's.

Engine reduced while driving.

The steering wheel is jerking when in the position to turn, and waiting at a light. The stop engine feature seems to make the jerk motion and also sends an alert message which is a quick flash stating "steering assist is reduced- drive with care". According to a service bulletin provided by gm bulletin #19-na-182 August 2019. This is a problem that needs to be corrected, for the safety of my family and others in the vehicle and on the road. Next, the car shut off and the command center went blank,.

I paid a significant amount to have my car fixed after bringing it initially the first time in may. Since then I have had to return my car multiple times every other month because the engine light continues to come on and they don’t know why. I have worked directly with jr and have gotten no result. The engine light continues to come on and they continue to not be able to know why, they keep my car for multiple days and can’t explain why the light is on or what they did to remove it and then it comes on a few days or months later with the same issue that they cannot explain. I bought my car in over five times already I have contacted corporate to no avail. When I brought it back the second time they claimed a bunch of things were wrong with it that weren’t wrong the first time, every time there is a new issue but they can’t describe what is the cause of the issue or can they give me an explanation on what keeps happening the last time they claim it was an electrical malfunction but could not explain any details and waited until they were closing to contact me. My engine light has since come back on which means I would have to bring it in again. I contacted corporate they were supposed to call me back, never heard from anyone. I’ve been working directly with jr who I constantly contact and he does not follow up at all or call me back like he says he would and the issue continues to happen and he is very aware of it for my initial review. They have to leave my car there for multiple days to not get updates to not get any information, they don’t look at it they don’t even know what’s going on with it, it doesn’t even make any sense at all now I’m driving a car that could potentially be unsafe and I’m bringing it to the only dealership that is closest to me Chevrolet and they can’t even help. My car is a 2018 chevy Malibu that I take extremely good care of yet no one knows why the engine light keeps coming on.