general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu - part 2

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to reduce speed. As a result, he collided with the vehicle in the right lane on the rear driver's side. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, but no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine vacuum pump, resulting in a lack of vacuum for the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA campaign number 18v576000 (service brakes, hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.

My brake vacuum pump seized while driving in the far left lane on the freeway. My car began to lose power and my rpms dropped and rose back up quickly making my car lunge forward and back quickly multiple times. My check engine light came on and a warning saying my engine was losing power flashed across the dash. I exited the freeway and pulled over to a safe location, when attempting to stop my car I noticed that the breakes were stiff and would not move and I had to push the emergency break to stop the car completely. I had my car full of family members and all of us were extremely sacred and worried for our safety and those of others around us as the speed was no longer under my control.

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.

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.

While picking my kids up from school my car suddenly lost braking ability and I heard a weird noise under the hood. Like it needed an oil change. Tension from the brakes and couldn’t stop when tried. Definitely gained anxiety from this event. I did get the part replaced however I’m concerned for the engine and any possible damage that may have been caused. I still have the original part to the vehicle as well.

Brake power booster, vehicle not starting. Not catching, brakes when completely out couldn’t stop.

My car will stop and have no power now the heat shut off and won’t come back on it’s just doing some crazy stuff I looked up all the recalls for 2018 Malibu and it was a lot so why mines isn’t listed.

My car just stopped in the middle of the road , and would not start again for a few minutes. Then is was in low power mode , no brakes either after that , found that problem to be a bad vaccum pump , which g m didn’t even have , and a faulty accelerator pedal sensor !.

8 months ago brakes failed, you could stop but they were hard and stretched stopping distance, vacuum pump failure was the cause, when it failed it broke apart and sent parts into the engine, (valve cover ). Replaced vacuum pump removed valve cover and fished out the broken pieces, was lucky on this occasion, fast forward 8 months later , the mother of my kids was on freeway and car completely died,, got it to dealer and was informed, vacuum pump failed again sending metal fragments into the valve cover but this time pieces destroyed the cam and caused the reluctor to slip thus causing ecm to shut down engine. I’m concerned with there not being some sort of housing inside the valve cover cupping the side of cam that meets vacuum pump to shield engine components from metal pieces incase vac pump broke into pieces since vacuum pump isn’t part of the engine itself and the torque of cam shaft up against the gear on vac pump is very high, the expectation of parts braking off is highly likely, and there nothing protecting your engine from those fragments. . I’m not the smartest but I would not think a $100 external part could destroy and engine and take your braking function without any warning. I guess if I happen once I wouldn’t think to much into it but for the third time and being extreamly lucky on the first two occasions and taking responsibility for repairs are totally uncalled for , so now I have to replace and engine, wow. . . I hope this can be addressed before someone actually gets hurt, I’m so lucky that my kids mother was able to coast off the highway b/c it could have been bad. .

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard as the vehicle failed to stop as needed without warning. After the failure occurred, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon parking the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where they discovered that both the vacuum pump and cam shaft sensor were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000.

The vacuum pump on my vehicle has gone out for the 3rd time in 2. 5 years. This creates a safety issue as that the brakes stop working and it takes an extreme amount of pressure for the car to stop. This has occurred once on the freeway and twice in heavy traffic areas. This could cause an accident and potentially seriously hurt or kill someone. This has occurred once before the engine was replaced and twice since it's been replaced.

12/27/2021 I started my car to leave work & noticed a loud tap. I've worked for dealerships in the past & was part owner of my own repair shop for many years. Popped the hood, checked the oil level which was good, & figured I'd be fine to drive it home to park it & then hook the scanner up. Mid-way home I received an engine performance notification on my dash, but other than that it seemed safe with no diminished speed. Less than 3 miles from home I went to stop at a red light & had the hardest brake pedal I've ever felt in my life. I was fortunate nobody was around me so I put all the weight of my body on the pedal to stop the car at the light. The engine was sputtering & the steering felt tight & it felt like it was stalling, with a green turn arrow I risked crossing the highway & was able to safely park in the community's rec center. I'm not one who is quick to take anything to the dealership because many times the techs are lazy, so I hit the web & found two things. One - there is an extended warranty on the tps sensor which is the entire gas pedal itself. This could explain the engine performance notification, but not the lack of brakes. Upon hours & hours of additional reading I found the problem - the vacuum brake pump. We ordered it & replaced it but I can tell you my engine likely needs an additional camshaft replacement for it to ever be right again. Two codes remain: p0014 & p0017 - exhaust camshaft/crankshaft position not plausible. What was the condition of the vacuum pump? it was shattered & had spewed chunks of metal directly into my engine. I was lucky that day, had I gotten 1/4 mile down the road I could have wound up in a lake instead of a parking lot. Gm should be ashamed of this design & it's continued failure to not only address the issue, but lie about it in the process. First owner, failure occurred at 54,500 miles - no warranty. What scares me the most, is how many times the same owner has had this pump fail again & again.

My vehicle acts as if it doesnt want to start after being at a red light or stop sign when my feet is released off the break it takes a few seconds to start back up. Also I have issues with check engine light coming on took it to auto zone and they received a code dealing with the wiring on the battery not the actual battery needing to be replaced.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up. Additionally, the brake pedal was applied but was hard to depress. The engine power reduced message was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where NHTSA campaign number: 19v642000 (electrical system, fuel system, gasoline, engine) was completed. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the contact had to pump the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. Additionally, the "shift to park" warning message was displayed even after the vehicle was in park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer initially diagnosed that the brake pedal needed lubrication. The dealer lubricated the brake pedal; however, the failure recurred with a chemical odor detected. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the brake pump system and shift gear were faulty. The dealer replaced the brake pump system however, the chemical odor was still detected and the "shift to park" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

On December 2, 2020 at approximately 545pm I was leaving the biloxi cspire store and as I drove about half a mile, the car completely went haywire. All the instruments went crazy and then I had no brakes at all and the car had no power. . I was barely able to get the car in a safe spot and myself out of danger sitting in the middle of a busy road. I tried to turn and get off road and car had no brakes at all and no power. Then once I was able to get in a parking lot the car and safe. I tried cranking the car 2 or three times and all it would do is turn over are making a starting noise and wouldnt stop. The brakes were hard as a rock and would not depress at all.

Car went back to dealership Monday because of problem I had last year. Lights comes on in dashboard : stabiltrack, engine icon, reduced steering, low fuel. On my way to work Monday just made it out my driveway and started up the hill and the lights started flashing. Brakes had to be pushed ask the way to the floor for it to stop rolling back down the hill. I let it roll back to get the car out of street. The car wouldn't turn off when I pressed the start/stop button. Pressed the button again the car turns off but all lights are on in the dash. Press button again and lights go out but the start button is lit. Shift to park comes on dash. It's in park. Couldn't get engine to turn on. Couldn't move gear shift that has no lights on column or dash to tell what gear it's is in. Got car towed to greenway in tuscumbia, al. Had to find a ride to & from work because they didn't have a loner . Picked car up Tuesday(they said the battery needed to charged & there was a recall they fixed) made it home ok. Went to store, no problem. Got in car to go to work Wednesday and it starts acting up again. And when I got out of the car at work, there was smell like the brakes were really hot. Called dealership didn't get through to service but guy said he would get my number & have someone call, no one did. Got in car to leave work the lights started again but I was able to come home with no further incidents. The engine icon was still on though. I'm sick of this car! and I'm tired of going to the dearship every couple of days or every 2 weeks! buy this lemon back!.

When I put my car in park a notice comes up in my dashboard saying “shift to park” even though when I take my foot off the break it’s in parked. I took it to a chevy dealer and said it will $500+ to fix. I have asked 5 other people with my same car (2018 or 2019) and they have the same issue. Now my car is having issues when shifting gears. There seems to be a delay in gear shifts when I go from drive to reverse or to park.

Receive intermittent �shift to park� light on dashboard once car is placed in park and will not completely shut off. Driver must pull shift back to drive, then neutral then reverse and back to park before the �shift to park notice shuts off� . If not repaired this can ultimately drain battery or even damage battery.

Low fuel, engine light, service stability track, shift to park lights come on. The low fuel light comes on first. The next day the engine light comes on sometimes it stays on then goes off. This happens when I'm driving. I've had all the recalls done. Ecm replaced. 2 weeks later the same thing. All dials go to zero. Slow take off after I've stopped at red light or stop sign. Is as if the transmission is going out. If I put on brakes they will throw me in the dash like I've crashed into something. When I take it dealership-no codes are found. Trying to turn car off, it says shift to park. It's already parked. I've taken it back to the dealership several times for this same problems-no codes. I've gotten a rental (for a week)so they can keep the car to try and recreate it- they can't. This car was bought new in August of 2018. Chevy Malibuls 4dr sdn black. The date below "when did this happen" outs the latest date.

Well I got in a wreck yesterday around 4 pm in city limits in bumper-to-bumper traffic and the lady had stop somewhat abruptly so I had to stop abruptly and my brakes locked up on me and this isn't the first time at these brakes have done this before just a second wreak I've had with this vehicle in eight months and I don't have wrecked vehicles this is all new so I want to get my car checked out see if there's something malfunctioning with my brakes because both times the brakes locked up on me when they should've stopped because I wasn't going to fast.

Tl-the contact owned 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while turning into a driveway the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle independently accelerated to approximately 60 mph and crashed into a tree. The air bags did deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a fractured right foot, whiplash, and several bruises which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to weil towing and storage. The vehicle was not repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were contacted or notified of the failure. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 18v576000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The approximate failure mileage was 15,000. The vehicle was destroyed. Ah.

Tl the contact owned a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact's student attempted to place the vehicle into park; however, the vehicle continued to move forward independently. The driver attempted to place the vehicle into reverse, but it continued to move forward. In addition, the contact mentioned that the check engine and low power mode indicators illuminated. The vehicle continued to roll as the driver attempted to stop and it crashed into a boulder. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The contact spoke with crain Chevrolet (9911 I-30, little rock, ar 72209, (501) 436-4484) and was informed to tow the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was sent to the collision department and the contact had the vehicle towed back to her apartment for insurance purposes. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact not to touch the vehicle. The contact was informed to take the vehicle to an authorized Chevrolet dealer so that it could be assessed by an investigator. After some back and forth with the original dealer, the vehicle was towed to gwatney Chevrolet (1301 t p white dr, jacksonville, ar 72076, (501) 295-4448) where an investigator determined that they could not find any fault with the vehicle. Recently, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 19v642000 (electrical system, fuel system, gasoline, engine) the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 29,196.

After diagnostic troubleshooting from dtcs on a check engine light, it was discovered that the brake vacuum pump connected to the engine was completely nonfunctional. Previous symptoms included stiff brake, loss of brake power at random brake periods which could have cause and accident with other drivers, and finally malfunctioning sensors attributed to the exhaust system. This also led the vehicle to be unable to pass state regulated emissions testing because of the inability to maintain proper emissions levels. Brake vacuum pump that was removed from vehicle to inspect and diagnose is still available for inspection. Recent findings show that Chevrolet/gm is aware of the issue in their vehicles but refuses to address or replace faulty brake vacuum pumps. It is a common problem amongst 2013-2022 Chevrolet Malibus. Vehicle that is in question was inspected by a certified mechanic shop with failed emissions test. Solid check engine light appeared once the brake had become harder to push and stop the car. Obd scans show dtc codes that were pertaining to maf and map malfunctions in readouts and communications to the ecm. After further inspection, the abs module had been acting as "backup" for hydrolic brakes system that had zero vacuum to power the brake booster, this could have caused the engine to stall, longer than normal stopping distances (stronger risk of rear ending other drivers), and multiple components and sensors to fail, requiring them to also be replaced.