general problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking, and the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,605.

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.

I've taken my car in now 4 times to chevy dealers just to be told there was nothing wrong. Turnes out that my torque converter (transmission) is going bad. And I can't get a chevy dealer to honor my almost expired warranty.

Regular electrical issues that cause the steering assistance to become disable while driving. Faulty sensors that the Chevrolet certified service center cannot resolve, engine light has been on for over 6 months. Faulty mass airflow sensor invalid data received from anti-lock brake system (abs) control see attachment for additional codes over 2 years. I have contacted as many people as possible in order to understand the issue and find a resolution. Began having electrical issues since may 2022. Dyer Chevrolet in lake wales florida has all the records.

My car will stall in the middle of driving will say it is not in drive, the power steering is reduced, and I cannot use the brakes properly. This is a safety issue. As I drive on interstates and highways on my commutes.

My car has auto stop and every time it cranks back up my radio blinks off, my lights blink off, all the lights on my dashboard come on and the error message steering assist is reduced comes on the message center. Sometimes it doesn’t want to crank back up. Today when all that happened the message service stabilitrac also came up. I can’t find any recalls.

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 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,.

Warning: reduced speed, car stalled in the middle of traffic. Took to dealer ship and they charged me $279 and said it was the battery, from the looks of everyone else’s complaint, which we have the same complaint, I got ripped off. I deserve a refund and we all deserve our cars serviced.

Vehicle is experiencing a electrical issue. When auto stop stops the car, it displays the message "drive assistance reduced, drive with care". The vehicle does not jave any light displaying a issue but the car is loosing power once it starts after auto stop.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the steering wheel would jerk to the left. Additionally, the vehicle inadvertently rolled backwards while at a full stop. The steering assist warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,379.

Reduced power steering warning pops up for approximately 3-5 seconds then disappears. No noticeable operating issues while driving.

Recently my car had been shutting off at stops. I know chevys shut down when at stops but now it shuts down my radio lights go off locks on doors unlock then lock. Then when it turns back on it says driving assist is reduced drive with caution. Then another alert pops up saying doors are unlocked. Now when I’m driving sometimes it slows down on its own and won’t let me go faster. It’s very scary when on freeway cause I’m worried it’s not going to speed back up and I’m going to get rear ended. Another alert with the first letter s comes on but it turns off so fast I can’t see what the word is. It been stalling when I’m at a stop. It does turn back on after a few seconds. The engine light comes on periodically and eventually turns off. Also when I go from drive to reverse it does not change gear smoothly sometimes it will jerk the entire car and make a loud noise as I’m putting into reverse. There has been two times my radio screen has gone completely black and won’t turn on for several hours. I use my car everyday to commute to and from work. I have two jobs so I do spend a lot of time driving and this is scary not knowing if my car is truly safe to be on the road. I trust the chevy name that’s why I chose it but now I’m not so sure it is safe.

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. Technicians must replace or reprogram the power steering control module with the latest and most up to date one. I am aware there in no specific recalls but this issue is new and I do not feel safe and I would like it corrected.

When car restarts after being in auto stop start mode the steering wheel jerks uncontrollably. The car obviously has a suspension problem. Dealership failed to repair issue properly after several attempts. Also appears dealer made false diagnosis to prevent repairs under bumper to bumper warranty. Gm dealer also refused to repair issue under power train warranty. Another dealer wanted $555 just to check issue. A couple of weeks ago I suddenly lost control of the vehicle. I was at a red light. Car went into auto stop start mode. When light changed and car restarted, as I proceeded to take off the steering wheel jerked away from my hands, and I lost control of the wheel and car. Luckily it was a single turning lane and no other vehicle was next to me turning. I pulled off side of the road in shock. I drove about half mile and warning light displayed on dash. Warning message states steering assist reduced drive with care" what was a brand new 2018 Chevrolet Malibu purchased in 2019 is now unsafe and inoperable. This steering component issue along with several others were brought to dealerships attention and were not acknowledged and were dismissed. After several other failed attempts this dealership purposely ignored this issue months ago while car was still under bumper to bumper warranty. Dealership also refused to repair this issue under powertrain warranty. 2018 chevy Malibu has had 5 recalls to my knowledge. This has been spontaneously producing white smoke from underneath the hood on several occasions. I have video and witnesses. This car was sold as a brand new car. This car had recalls at the time of purchase and never disclosed the recall information. Also be advised that I cranked the car today just to keep the battery in tack because car has been sitting since June 10. The car choked, head lights went flickering, car could barely stay on. It appears to be an engine issue. These cars should not be on the road. They are not safe.

During auto stop feature of 20108 Malibu, car will pop up with "steering assist reduced, please drive with care" message and disappear. Car will also shut off at various times during auto stop. Chevy dealership will not calibrate car to fix issue.

Check engine light, tracking light, steering wheel locks up , low engine and can't exceed 45 ~ 50 mph all happens when in motion.

2018 Chevrolet Malibu lt, while driving at highway speed on a flat smooth road the steering wheel will stick in the straight position. It requires extra effort to break free from this position, causing the vehicle to jerk and extra correction is needed to keep the vehicle in control. It has happened almost everyday since beginning of January 2021.

Delayed eccel electrical steering an battery loss. Tire low warning reset for all tires continue to come on, battery dies brought car to dealer they sai it had only 1 recall an it was fixed.

When car shuts down while waiting for green light to change, car shuts off and when it turns back on, I have a warning sign that appears on my dashboard that says "steering assist is reduced, drive with care" and then it disappears. No issues with car just that warning sign.

I was driving my car this morning this happened 4 times, I was in a stop when I would restart the car to go my steering wheel would do a quick shift to the left then back to its original position then I would get the steering assist reduced sign for second then disappear. It did it 4 times in a matter of an hour and a half. And did it once last week with no massage display.

Car is stationary while waiting for red light to change, the car will shut off and reduced driving assistance error message will pop up before turning back on. The radio will also cut out in process of car turning back on frim auto shut off. It has been happening for over a month and seems to get worse. Engine light came on today aswell.

While driving in slow moving traffic, I will get a warning on the dash that states "steering assist reduced, drive careful" this has happened many times, when taken to the dealership they cannot find anything wrong.

While driving high speed such as are on the highway vehicle jerks and has gotten worse now so aggressively it almost jerks from my grip to the left. It’s without notice and over correcting at those speed could cause my vehicle to roll, or jerking into on coming traffic or into another vehicle to the left of me and the direction each time it’s occurred it’s jerked to the left. I’ve previously blamed it on the road or the wind when it’s happened since I’ve had it now almost 5 years. Now it’s getting so bad I’m afraid of my safety and others in my vehicle or other drivers I might be thrown into when it jerks violently and without warning. This is my only form of transportation and I owe money left in the vehicle and feel I’m being put in harms ways as well as other that could be impacted in my vehicle or other drivers.

Warning messages light up "steering power is diminished, drive with care", something pertaining to brakes and battery, the warnings flash so quickly I can't read them all. The car goes dead when I stop, shuts down completely with dash lights going completely out, then a very slow restart as the lights brighten very slowly. After the third time yesterday and today I had to put the car in "park for it to restart at a stop light and now it will not start at all,.

The steering will "stick" at the top after traveling in a straight line for a period of time. This will happen on the highway an in the city but is more pronounced on the highway. I have repeatedly taken it to the dealer and they cannot duplicate the issue even though it happens frequently. Seems to be worse in colder weather. This is indeed a safety issue because when it releases you over correct your steering and wander around in your lane. It has been doing this almost since new and it now has 18,500 miles on it.

After driving on the interstate for a while, the steering seems to have a flat spot, where it is hard to turn and then it jerks slightly. . More frequently the colder the weather.

2018 Chevrolet Malibu with 15, 300 miles. Since the last recall work was completed, while driving on the highway around 65 mph, the steering wheel had an increase of tension then it suddenly releases all tension which could potentially lead to a rapid over correction. The problem feels similar to a magnetic break release. No fault codes trip and the dealership service center says they can't duplicate on while stationary or short drives but it's felt on longer drives greater than 15 min. Problem has remained for approximately a month.

My car has been in and out of the dealership service department for months because of a "sticking" sensation in the steering while driving the car at highways speeds. The first time I noticed this issue was shortly after buying the car in sept of 2018. During a trip out to east texas I noticed the steering wasn't responding to the slight adjustment I was making to remain in my lane of traffic, like it was stuck or "turned off". I had to apply a little greater force to the steering to remain in my lane of traffic and when I did I overcorrected and almost hit another vehicle. This has been ongoing for months now, even just about a year now, and gm doesn't seem to truly care. The service department at my dealership has done so many tests on the car but each time they cannot seem to duplicate the issue, or that is what I'm being told at least. And each time I take it to the dealership I am given another gm car to drive and strangely enough I don't have any issue with the loaner car(s) I have driven that have the electric steering. The car is not safe to drive on the highway. That's the bottom line and gm is not doing anything to address it.

During operations while turning car locked up; lost power, lost steering. With engine running the radio and ac shut off. Drifted to shoulder of road. Illuminated dash lights: power steering drive with care, traction control, emergency brake, abs light, temp showed cold, no gear indicator light. Operated car less than 5mph approx. 1/4 mile and shut engine off. During operations it sounded as though brakes were on (screeching/clanking). Once engine shutdown stabilitrak light illuminated intermittently with power steering. Doors would not unlock, windows would not go down (trapped in vehicle 10 min). Brake pedal locked, car would not start. 45 min later car started. All illuminated lights cleared, check engine light illuminated. Vehicle towed to dealership. Dealership investigated. Several fault codes were present. Each fault code pertained to vehicles communication. Vehicle lost communication with everything. Dealership stated difficult/impossible to follow any sort of direction for fix. Dealership drove car and could not replicate incident. Asked me to drive and recreate problem then to bring back. Car is unsafe. Instantly locked up during operation, trapped me inside, left me stranded and scared me. Refuse to drive. Gm was contacted; awaiting guidance.

I rented a 2018 chevy Malibu. It seemed to drive and handle great in town, however when I began driving on the interstate I noticed problems. While driving straight for a few miles the steering would �stick� meaning I had to apply extreme force in order to turn the wheel, once it broke free it was back to normal but after I'd drive straight for a few miles I'd encounter the same issue. When I arrived at my first destination (about 750 miles) I noticed that when I would turn in the parking lot the steering was clicking. I will be returning the car to the rental agency as I don't believe this is safe. Unfortunately yet another reason never to buy a gm car.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that a shift to park turn the vehicle off message was displayed while the vehicle was in the park position. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle stalled. The steering wheel was tight. After slowing down, the driver depressed the start/stop button, and the vehicle shut off and restarted. The vehicle was randomly shut down. After waiting, the vehicle restarted. While depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal, unidentifiable noise detected, and the vehicle came to a sudden halt. While driving at 55 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped, and she hit her head on the steering wheel. But medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was pulsating while driving. There was a sound of water going through the vehicle. The vehicle was slow to accelerate and then moved violently. All the instrument warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or reported. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, capital Chevrolet, at 9820 capital blvd. , wake forest, nc 27587, where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was not safe to be on the road. The oil throttle body and vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 20v668000 ( power train), NHTSA campaign number: 19v642000 (electrical system fuel system, gasoline, engine).

After driving the car for 30 minutes or more, the steering wheel will stick in the straight position. When trying to make lane corrections, the wheel will jerk left or right causing the car to move abruptly. The vehicle was taken to a Chevrolet dealer for evaluation, the service writer called it �stick/slip� and said it was common on older Malibus. Of course,the concern could not be duplicated by the dealer. Vehicle has acted up several times since dealer visit.

Steering wheel seems to stick in the straight-ahead position after driving 10 miles on a straight highway above 60 mph, the steering wheel can be turned but it requires increased effort.

I rented a 2018 Malibu (11k miles) with the 1. 5 ecotech engine from hertz in lakeville, mn starting 10/31/18. No VIN but it was rental record #147556754, vehicle #02298, license #IL aw71337. We put approx 1100 miles on it the first two days - all interstate driving. On the highway, the steering wheel became 'stuck'. To make small lane corrections or change lanes, I had to moderately force the steering wheel to turn. It was comparable to having a 'catch' in the steering. Once the force was made, the car automatically moved 1/4 to 1/2 a lane left or right depending on which way I was turning. After the first two days, the car seemed to work fine. Maybe it was because the weather was cooler after the first couple days - not sure. I did report this to the local hertz customer service person and she said they would look at it. Personally, I consider this a gm issue vs a hertz issue.