general problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

I am writing to report a serious and dangerous issue that occurred with my 2020 Chevrolet Malibu lt on April 27th 2026. While driving on the interstate after work, my vehicle suddenly experienced a failure that made it extremely unsafe to operate. The brake pedal became extremely hard to press, and the vehicle did not want to slow down or stop properly. This created a very dangerous situation while I was driving at highway speeds. Additionally, I noticed that nearly all of the engine oil was gone, which is extremely concerning and may be related to the failure. Based on these symptoms, it appears the vacuum pump may have failed while the vehicle was in motion. This issue placed me at significant risk of an accident and could have resulted in serious injury. I am requesting an immediate investigation into this matter and assistance with repairs. I would also like to know if there are any recalls, known defects, or extended warranties related to this issue. Please advise on the next steps as soon as possible, as the vehicle is currently unsafe to drive.

Several things have been going wrong with this car. I have only had it for about 7 months. Minimal driving. Got the car with 84,000 miles and it now has 88,000 miles. About 2 months ago the check engine light came on. Got it into a shop and they said an oil change may possibly help with this. Got the oil change, cleared the code, drove it around and check engine light came back on. Brought it back to the shop and now the entire valve cover needs replaced. It’s been about 2 weeks since then haven’t had it fixed due to low funds. A couple days ago I was driving with two [xxx] olds in the car and was at a stop light. After about a minute the cars engine turned completely off lost all power including the center screen that displays your settings and radio, all lights, and the screen behind the wheel all with my foot on the break at a stop light. Due to this situation I was unable to turn my hazards on to alert the cars coming up being me at a green light absolutely panicked that we were going to get into an accident. A little while after the car turned back on, but unfortunately when trying to push down on the gas pedal nothing was happening. No revving sound and no movement of the car. Car still in drive. A police officer pulled up behind me to check if we were okay. He stayed to keep us safe until people came to push the car off to the side. During the push the wheel was almost completely locked up as well as the breaks. This is not the first time the breaks have locked up on me. Next day we got the car to a safe area to be parked. A couple days later went to try and turn the car on and immediately the car is shaking violently and making horrible noises. The car is unsafe for me to drive and unsafe for people on the road. This car is completely unable to be driven now also due to the horrible shaking. No recalls were found under my VIN, but all of these signs seem to be a problem for other people. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, who associated the failure with TSB: n222372590. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

While driving the brake pedal became hard to push out of no where. Once the car got to the shop it stopped cranking. The shop is stating that the brake vacuum pump is the cause of the brake pedal messing up, and that it also caused other engine damages estimating $3000. 00.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. While the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or a stop sign, the failure was more noticeable. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked abnormally and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The rpm fluctuated before the transmission slammed into gear. The vehicle then returned to normal functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. Prior to the most recent failure, the contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to function as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

Throwing code p1101 for the mass air flow sensor. This is a listed recall amongst other Malibu's but does not include my VIN number. Check engine is on.

My car has been malfunctioning it keeps saying shift to park when it’s park and it show esc system issue and then the brakes stop working it has been going on and off took it to lou bachrodt Chevrolet and they couldn’t fix the issue. I have done research online and it shows the same.

Th e brakes are not working at all. We have to go slow then the brakes are hard to press. Th I s makes it keep driving anc brake pedal doesn't stop it.

Vacuum pump blew . Causing me to lose brakes on the highway. It led to a series of events. Camshaft broke in the midst of this so my car will not start again.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the fuel injectors had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the vehicle was hesitating and losing power with the odor of gasoline inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence, but had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

Shift to park issue and fluid mixing in with engine.

Getting engine power reduced messsge in shop 4th time now in 3 weeks, 2 service bulletins, now they want to put new engine, found over 800 complaints about same issue on car complaint. Com website and more on reddit of same issue . Car wouldn’t go more than 5mph extremely traumatic on highway my son won’t get back in the car he is too scared.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the rpm was unexpectedly elevated while driving, and the vehicle was hesitating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the throttle body needed to be cleaned. While driving approximately 35-40 mph and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle shuddered with white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The contact stated that the engine warning light was flashing with the reduced power message displayed. Upon research, the contact associated the failure with technical service bulletin: pip5812. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who associated the failure with the turbocharger. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

On [xxx] I was driving to work and my check engine light came on. Immediately after this I was completely unable to brake. My brake pedal became so stiff and impossible to press. I very narrowly avoided an accident. I had the car towed to an auto shop where I was informed that I had a vacuum pump failure that essentially exploded and destroyed my cam shaft and shot fragments of metal into my engine in the process. I was quoted over $12,000 in repairs. After receiving this quote I began searching online to find what could have caused this to happen. I stumbled upon a class action lawsuit for this exact same thing (plaintiff [xxx] ). In addition to the suit there were 12 pages of comments from other Malibu owners who have experienced similar issues with their vacuum pump and braking system. This issue is also noted on many car repair forums, chevy owner forums, youtube repair videos etc. Please note that when I received the check engine light on 9/5 this is the first and only time I had any indication of a potential problem with my vehicle. In the year and a half that I have owned the car there has never been any issues, warnings or check engine lights. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled prior to accelerating. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with power train control module failure. The contact was informed that the power train control module needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to contact the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of an unknown recall campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,765.

The brake pump in my 2020 Chevrolet Malibu lt 1. 5 malfunctioned on 05/25/2024. My car had approximately 85,193 miles on the odometer when this occured. I was driving down the interstate on 05/25/2024 when I went to apply the brake pedal and it was completely stuck. I had to swerve into the grass on the side of the interstate to avoid collision. After I had the car towed home, I had a mechanic run a system diagnostic test on the car which showed an error/defective code for the brake pressure sensor.

Brake vacuum pump locked up causing camshaft to twist and reluctant wheel to turn which damaged the engine. I'm being quoted $10,000 to fix which was actually $1,000 more to fix but they accidentally under quoted me and have to honor the original estimate. I don't have that kind of money and still owe almost $14,000 on the car.

I purchased a brand new, 2020 Chevrolet Malibu in March of 2020. The car had 90 miles on it when I purchased it. Those 90 miles were on it due to it being driven to me from illinois because the dealership in illinois had the exact car and color I wanted. In late 2020 I started having reduced engine power. The car would mis fire, randomly lose engine power and only allow me to drive below 40mph and the check engine light would come on. Early 2021, I kept having these issues and called the dealership where I purchased the car and they stated that the throttle body was bad. The throttle body was replaced along with a new hose clamp for the hose that connects to the turbo. I have continued to have the same issues since then. When accelerating above 4000rpm's, the car will stall and say "engine power reduced. " this causes the engine to completely stall and has almost caused me to be in numerous accidents. I called the dealership and they came and got my car from my house with a truck and trailer. I was advised to not drive it because one of the codes was "engine oil pressure circuit stuck closed. " they picked it up on Monday, 10/2/2023. The next day, 10/3/2023, they called me with a diagnosis. Cylinders 3 & 4 were showing over 1,000 misfires, engine oil pressure circuit stuck off, engine oil pump pressure, and an under boost code. I was informed that my spark plugs may be bad. Turns out, according to them, it needed new spark plugs. The spark plugs and air filter were replaced costing me $500 on top of the $600 that I paid for the new throttle body and hose clamp for the turbo. I got my car back last Wednesday, 10/4/2023. Today, 10/10/2023. The dash said "engine power reduced", the engine stalled, and I was almost hit again because my car would not accelerate. This is a common problem with Malibus and it is a serious safety risk! gm had a lawsuit against them in 2018 for this same issue with Malibus. Gm needs held accountable before a life and/or lives are lost!!!!.

Car has stalled out, or acted like it's going to stall out several times. No check engine light on so unable to identify the issue. There are recalls for other malibs for similar problems, but it states this model is not affected.

The power train may be defective. The auto shut off on the vehicle completely shuts off when you stopped at a red light. The entire vehicle restarts, and then 12 lights appear on the dashboard. The car starts shaking sometimes when it's being driven. The vehicle is currently being looked at, at the dealership. I was told that the diagnostics is reading 19 codes and misfires.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while shifting into park(p), the vehicle rolled backwards before the contact was able to shift the vehicle into park(p). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the contact stated that she was not notified of what had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The contact drove the vehicle back to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The sensor for my gas cap was the first thing to malfunction, then my check engine light came on. Then the power steering sensor have me notice to drive carefully my drive assistance was malfunctioning. During my drive last night the power steering went out and the dashboard went dark several times.

I was driving down the hwy and all of a sudden, my engine lost power and my brakes harden. I could not brake and nearly lost my life and my sons.

Car demonstrates random full vehicle power loss while in drive mode both at stop and while actually in motion and driving. Vehicle had a catastrophic loss of all break power while going downhill. Luckily while leaving the Lincoln memorial in DC driver was traveling slow enough and able to get vehicle stopped without immediate injury. Car brakes would not reengage without 3k repair to import/export value(see receipt). 2 days later check engine light returned. 2 weeks later dealer is still in discussion with gm to identify cause of engine failure.

While driving on expressway, vehicle slows down suddenly. Service esc, power steering, and engine light comes on and car tuns off. This has happened 8 times in two years with no fix from gm. This happens with no warning the car just stops driving and loss of power steering occurs. The dealership has tried to fix 8 times now with no real fix to the issue.

I bought a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu lt on April 26, 2023 from lake hartwell Chevrolet in toccoa GA. It drove fine for 3 days. Then a chirping started in the steering wheel. On may 3rd. While I was taking my wife to our baby doctors visit, as I turned into the parking lot, the engine light came on, and the steering failed. I was able to safely get it into the parking lot and out of the way of the other cars. I called the dealership and they had it towed to their shop. They charged the battery saying that's all that was wrong with it. However, as the clean up guy at the shop was bringing it to me, the engine light came on again and he took it back to the shop. Within the next 14 days from then, they replaced the steering module, battery terminals, which seemed burnt, they said, and realigned it. However, all of this is word of mouth as I was not given any paperwork verifying this repair. The next day, the chirp returned. It has very loose steering and sways easily from side to side. Also, upon a diagnostic check by another certified mechanic, the computer would not link and give codes. He told me one of the computers in the car was bad, but not sure which one. I checked and I can not qualify for the lemon law, so I contacted the general manager and said I wanted to return the car and my bank returned their money. Or, another Chevrolet car, from Chevrolet, not from this lot. This car is unsafe for me and my family. He said that was not possible as the tag and title has been processed. So I am ready to pursue legal action. The cars they let me drive during my cars repair were junky, too. One wouldn't drive over 30mph and the other had a ticking motor. I feel this business presents a danger to anyone who in need of and buys a car from them. Date of ownership: April 26, '23-present. Today is may 24,'23. They have also failed to give me the paperwork verifying the Chevrolet lifetime warranty on the powertrain and transmission. That was promised on the day of sale.

For over a year now my car has been giving me the shift to park warning when I am in park. Happens several times a day, every day. Seems to be taking longer for the warning to shut itself off and allow my to turn car off and lock. Im not sure if my car is included in the recall but if it is not then it needs to be added as I am suffering on a daily basis with this issue. I am a single mother and cannot afford to miss work due to this and cannot afford to attempt to fix issue out of my own pocket. Please add my car to the recall list and help me fix this issue.

The vehicle goes to esc mode loses power an all gauges go frantic. All warming lights come on and the brakes go stop working. Speed decreases while in motion, unable to go past 40 mph. Warning messages such as put car in park will appear while the car is in park, steering unstable , low fuel a many others . This is a hazard and I only had the vehicle for 1 year, however I reported the first issue in April 2023 to dealer of purchase an no fix at this time .

The ingine turns off while driving.

Shift to park error, no power to car, reduced engine power, camshaft positioning error, brakes failed (completely went hard unable to press) almost causing crash.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu e2. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at the stop sign, the auto start/stop mode engaged, however the vehicle failed to restart upon releasing the brake pedal. The message "engine reduced power" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had failed and the camshaft reluctor was in improper position. The dealer diagnosed that the vacuum pump and camshaft needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced. However, the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact stated while driving at 80 mph and merging lanes, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly and the message "engine reduced power" was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, vandergriff Chevrolet (1200 w interstate 20, arlington, TX 76017), who informed the contact that he would need to tow the vehicle to the first dealer to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle back to first dealer for additional diagnostic tests. The failure mileage was approximately 55,634.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 mph and depressing the brake pedal to slow the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the oil change service light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the vacuum pump and engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact while driving at 25 mph the contact noticed that the odometer and the rpm were reading incorrectly. The warning message saying services esc, power steering and steering assist and the check engine light illuminated as well. The contact had to shut down the vehicle and restated and the vehicle started to operate normal, but the check engine light stayed illuminated. The contact felt the steering wheel get stiff and the brake loss power. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop, and they stated that they could not found a failure, but the failure continued. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and they stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed at the dealer. The failure mileage was 65,000.

Reduce engine power warming lamp. Cars just suddenly loses power when driving at high rate of speed. Car slows abs f won’t go over 2ph causing hazardous situations and endangering occupants and other drivers. This issue has been repaired twice abs is now the third time.

I was at a stop light ready to take off while driving for lyft with a passenger in back and the car just quit running as I took off when light turned green no warning whatsoever no dash lights no brakes no steering I had to wait til car stopped rolling so I put car in park then I couldnt put in neutral to push car out of traffic lane. So while I was trying to call a friend for help about 5 minutes passed and I tried the ignition I had a reading on dash that said batterry saver on so I waited and tried again after 5 minutes and car started with battery saver on not knowing how that really works I called nearest chevy dealer about issue they said it was out of warranty for them to look at so I drove to autozone a local parts store to get car checked out for car not starting and the guy found battery was good and charging system ok so there was no code or nothing after getting it looked at to this date of report I had no issues so far but im worried and hoping it wont happen while im driving on highway and get rear ended if it quits running on me again I heard and read about a sotware issue on chevy Malibu so im puzzled and afraid to drive this car that I bought new on January of 2021.