general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

I’ve reported this problem but as I got into the repair their was far more damaged that was caused due to the vacuum pump. It took out my exhaust camshaft and sent metal through out and the timing needs replaced as well. A shop would rather total my car than what it would cost to fix. I’m attempting to fix it myself but have been without my car for months now. This is created such a hardship and the money it’s continues to take as more and more needs to be fixed or replaced as well as all the gaskets and screws that are only one time use as well as parts like my high pressured fuel line I mean this lost keeps going. I and to replace the water pump as well and all due to this vacuum pump that’s been reported and reported and nothing has been done this is outrageous that what’s caused is so much more then just a vacuum pump it can destroy your vehicle miles don’t matter the less or if you have more the pump goes out when it feels like it. Creating more issues then it should and potentially totaling out a vehicle as it’s been said mine should be. So I’m trying to fix my car to prevent losing it and it’s been one thing after another and such a nightmare. The fact that this issue continues to be ignored is unacceptable and a complete disregard to public safety due to the serious safety issue as mine I could barley get my car to stop the breaks were hard and unable to push down without basically standing on them to get into stop at only 7-8 miles per hour I was moving when the vacuum booster went out. Someone should not have to die to have this issue addressed and to be taken seriously and made right! I can’t believe nothing has been done and that it’s not required to have to address this issue with the severity it bring to one’s safety as well as public safety is beyond me. This is a major lawsuit and people’s lives and lovely hood should be taken more seriously and instead nothing is being done. It’s very concerning to think what has to happen for this to be addressed!.

I get a engine power reduced warning and check engine light is on for 3 start cycles and goes away. Auto start/stop after stopping, lights flicker and power is slow to come back on upon auto start and I get a power steering reduced warning. ,.

I own a 2018 chevy Malibu. At approximately 57,000 miles, the original engine experienced a vacuum pump failure that resulted in catastrophic engine damage. The engine was replaced by general motors under the vehicle's warranty. I then drove the vehicle for approximately another 52,000 miles with the warranty replacement engine. At that point, I experienced a sudden loss of braking while driving. My vehicle was again diagnosed with a vacuum pump failure, and the vacuum pump was replaced. Approximately one week after the vacuum pump replacement, the warranty replacement engine suffered catastrophic failure. The repair facility diagnosed cylinder #3 scoring and informed me that the engine required replacement. I was told that the engine failure was related to the vacuum pump failure. Because the warranty replacement engine was no longer covered under warranty, general motors initially declined to cover the repair. Initially, neither general motors nor the Chevrolet dealership was willing to accept responsibility for the issue. After continued discussions, general motors ultimately agreed to provide partial financial assistance as a goodwill adjustment. However, I was still left responsible for paying a substantial amount out of pocket to purchase and install a third engine. The cost has created a significant financial burden that I have struggled to afford, especially because the repair involved a component that I was informed has a known history of failure. I was also informed that vacuum pump failures are a known issue with these vehicles and that general motors is aware of the problem, although no recall has been issued. I am submitting this complaint because I have experienced multiple vacuum pump failures, two catastrophic engine failures, and have now required three engines in the same vehicle. This has resulted in significant financial hardship, loss of use of my vehicle, and serious concerns about the safety and reliability of this vehicle.

Multiple components and/or system failures/malfunctions, exact cause is unknown. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risks include engine power reduction issues that result in unexpected deceleration, and/or sudden/dangerous loss of power/acceleration. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Vehicle component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, representatives, or any others other than diagnostic trouble code testing at o’reilly auto parts due to illuminated check engine light. Vehicle displays error messages “engine power reduced,” while driving and/or idle, and “shift to park” when vehicle has already been shifted into park. No obvious symptoms of the problem prior to failure, unknown when first appeared. Vehicle-2018 Chevrolet Malibu lt l4-1. 5l 1490cc 91ci gas di turbocharged VIN t lfv-4 valve dohc (mileage-145000). Primary powertrain diagnostic trouble code “p0014 - exhaust camshaft position system performance (code p0014 indicates that the bank 1 exhaust camshaft position timing was advanced beyond limits for a predetermined period of time),” with additional powertrain diagnostic trouble codes “p0011 - intake camshaft position system performance,” and “p1101 - intake air flow system performance. ” also receiving abs diagnostic trouble code “u0422-71 - invalid data received from body control module - invalid data. ” suggested solutions included “replace variable camshaft timing (vct) solenoid,” and “replace variable valve timing (vvt) solenoid. ” believed to be related to NHTSA id numbers 11643630, 11586483, 11581989, 11569471, 11568501, 11565871, 11564692, 11635526, 11457416, 11420146, 11416774, 11325303, 11561528, 11559451, 11555493, and approximately 30 other related NHTSA id numbers for same error message(s), and/or problem code(s), NHTSA campaign number 19v642, NHTSA campaign number 19v642000, gm special coverage number n182188250, and gm recall number n192221960.

Steering asst warning came on. This happened in 2022 when I got the vehicle and it’s now happening again. When stopped with foot on brake and auto stop engaged , you take foot off brake steering wheel jerks and steering asst warning comes on. There is also a problem with shift to park. Vehicle shifted into park vehicle doesn’t recognize that it in park and vehicle can’t be shut off until it recognizes that it’s actually in park. Chevy knows this is an issue and will cover it under bumper to bumper warranty but will not fix it under a recall or outside of bumper to bumper warranty. Vehicle has a p1101 code that comes and goes. Engine filter has been replaced, throttle body has been cleaned, maf sensor has been replaced, and the issue continues to persist. There is no know way to fix this. Rear seat belt doesn’t work. Vehicle came like that. Vehicle has had multiple issues. Contacted chevy they want me to pay for a diagnostic out of pocket and submit to them and possibly they will then help. These are all known issues that they are not addressing.

The car is saying “shift to park” on the dash panel as if the car is not in park. Sometimes this continues to read to the point it will not let you shut the car off and then you can’t get out of the car. This is a safety concern as well as an issue with the car wanting to continuously run.

The dashboard displays “shift to park” when I try to turn off my car even though it’s in park.

When you put it in park it tells you to shift to park, even if it is already in park.

I was informed the vacuum pump went bad and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle would lose acceleration, shut off during auto stop and caused me to block traffic. The brakes also locked up, which almost caused me to crash in a residential neighborhood. I tried to see if there was a recall on this but I was told the recalls were handled in January of 2020 but I started driving the vehicle between July and August of 2020. This incident I'm reporting just happend 3 weeks ago. I realized there are many other issues regarding this matter and need this addressed because this almost caused bodily harm. The dealership wants me to pay for repairs on a vehicle that seem to have defective parts that jeopardise customer safety and is not being rectified.

Shift to park.

Ever since 2020 I’ve that shift to park issue. Luckily my car was under warranty the first time and was resolved only for the problem to reoccur again within 2 years. I then I got it fixed again in 2023 only for it to occur again less than a year later. I’ve had to buy a new battery because of this issue. What happens is I turn my car from the drive shift to park shift and push the shut off engine button. A message pops up on my screen stating “shift to park” the is in park. After 2-4 minutes of me waiting for he message to go off my battery is being drained. I refuse to pay hundreds of dollars again to get this fixed a third time only for it to return again. Please fix this issue. Myself and others with issue are seeking lawsuits for this defect.

I am writing to formally report a serious safety concern with my 2018 chevy Malibu related to the brake booster vacuum pump. My vehicle has exhibited dangerous symptoms, including a hard brake pedal and reduced braking power, which I’ve now learned may be connected to a known defect affecting 2013–2022 Malibu models. These issues have significantly compromised my safety and that of others on the road. I’ve had to deal with sudden braking difficulties, and the repairs have caused financial stress I was not prepared for. I am now aware of the pending class action lawsuit (johnson v. General motors llc) that details this same problem.

Continuously receiving warning for "engine power reduced," causing check engine light to stay on, as well as a loss of power.

Shift to park issue.

Shift knob found grounding inside shifter. . Had to pay out of pocket. $1087 to have shifter replaced!.

The back up camera cuts out while backing up. The lines vanish and leave only the picture. The check engine light comes on with the throttle body being the culprit.

My vehicle will randomly tell me to "shift to park". Happens at least daily. I bought my car in October 2024 I do plan to take it in with my limited warranty. I don't think I should have to cover a rental for however long it will take them to see it happen, diagnose the problem, possibly wait for part(s) to come in them fix it. On top of running the chance it'll happen again in the future and possibly have no warranty as well as rental fees. I think it's very wrong that gm won't recall this and refuses to just fix it all.

While driving 65 mph on the highway my car displayed a message saying reduced engine power. The car dropped down to 40 mph and continued to drop down. I was able to navigate to the shoulder of the road and turn the car off. It started back up but the check engine light was on and remained on for the remainder of the drive.

I'm getting shift to park error messages on my dashboard when I have already shifted my car to park. The gear shift is locked until the message clears or you wiggle the gear shift. According to gm authority. Com, this is a known issue for 2020-2023 chevy Malibu cars that can cause the car not to start. My car is a 2018 Malibu so this issue has been occurring for at least 7 years now and has not been part of any recall, which it should be since it may leave people in a dangerous situation without being able to car their car.

It has been a known issue that Chevrolet has issue with their shifter assembly creating "shift to park" messages and not allowing the car to turn off. My car has gone through this issue twice now and why should people who own chevys be penalized for their defective parts?.

Whenever I go to park my car, I get a " please shift to park message. This means I am not able to turn off the car because I continuously try to get the park to identify as parked.

I repeatedly get a “reduced power to engine” alert on my dash which causes my car to decelerate and I lose my power steering. This last time, the alert popped up on my dash, my car decelerated, and then my brakes would not work. I could not push the brake down to stop my car and ended up in a ditch. My brakes are now hard and I cannot start my car because of it. I have already had the recall for this issue fixed in the past but this will be the 3rd time I have brought my vehicle in for the same problem. I had diagnostic codes ran on my car soon after the accident happened and have attached the pictures to this form.

When I turn off my vehicle the shift to park indicator pops up.

The gear shift keeps saying shift to park when it is in park and there is no recall on this issue on my car but other Malibu vehicles and mine is doing the same thing as others.

Purchased this vehicle and within first days display said "shift to park" even though I put the car in park. Next problem, put the car in reverse, display said "service rear vision camera. " these are significant safety problems for driver and others.

Service battery charging system note came on, just replaced the alternater and got a new battery put on. Everything else is good and this keeps coming on.

Unknown - when try to park, the shift to park fails. The car will notify me to shift to park when it is already in park. All electrical is still on when I walk away.

To whom it may concern, chevy has had major recalls on their “shift to park” error. This is a very common recall according to much research and they are refusing to fix mine. They are claiming my vehicle is not one of the recalled. However, I’ve found many others across social media and internet forums that are experiencing the same error. When parked my car will say “shift to park” even when it is in park. I am afraid that this will cause major issues with my vehicle.

Car does not recognize when the shift is on park. States to put car in park despite it being in park. Could take up to 10 minutes for the system to finally recognize the gear.

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.

Shift to park coming on every time that I am trying to park. . . And I have to start and stop about 4 or more times before it will go off . . .

While driving my check engine light comes on and then I have a warning come on my screen on the dashboard that my car is shutting down power. So while I’m driving, at any point in time my car shuts down the power and I have to quickly pull over wherever I am so that I do t get into an accident then shut my car off and wait a little bit and then turn it back on and keep driving. I looked into my car and my car was part of a recall in 2019. Supposedly the recall was completed but my car is doing the exact same thing again with the ecm that was supposed to be fixed.

Sunroof…I was driving down the road on March 12,2024 at 2pm and was doing 35 mph and had my sunroof open and all of sudden the glass cracked and broke a little at me a little going into my eyes while driving I was the only one on road and nothing was around nothing flew and hit it it just broke and was like what the hell. . I’ve had sunroofs in all my cars and never shattered at me. . So I’m filling this app out to see for answers because that just don’t do that out of nowhere. .

I put the car in park and got a message shift to park. I then wasn’t able to shut my car off. The car is only 6 years old! this should not be happening!!!.

On Jan 22,2024 while driving on the interstate the speed was unexpectedly instantly reduced, the car would not accelerate over 60 mph and the service engine light came on, the car was safely driven off the highway then towed to the dealership. My safety as well as the safety of other drivers on the highway was at risk when the car suddenly decreased to 60 mph from 75 mph which could have caused a collision. The inspection at the dealership confirmed that the issue was the intercooler for turbo found moisture/oil frozen in charge air cooler causing restriction in induction system, and the part design has been updated to help prevent the issue from happening again. My issue is that if the part has been updated that means that gm is aware of the issue and should be responsible for the cost of the part or there should have been a recall on the part. The consumer should not have to be responsible for the cost of the part or the repair to the vehicle. It is unknown if the part was inspected by an insurance representative but it was inspected by the dealership where the car was purchased. There were no prior warnings, lights or lamps occurring before the date of the incident. I feel like gm should cover the cost of the repair, the total cost should no fall on the consumer and the vehicle manufacturer should take responsibility for the defective part.