general problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

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 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.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal properly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who discovered metal debris inside the transmission and advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and shifting from drive(d) to park(p) the message "shift to park" was displayed. The contact had shifted to park (p). The contact repeatedly shifted from neutral(n) to park(p) before the warning light turned off. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. Additionally, if the contact had not reset the "shift to park" issue, the electrical system and the audible chime were still active even though the vehicle was turned off. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a warning message displayed reading "power reduced", after which, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate above 30 mph. Upon reaching reaching her destination and turning the vehicle off the vehicle failed to restart and needed to be towed back to the contact's residence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to special coverage adjustment n182188250. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

Put the car in drive and it sounded like a bomb went off and the car jerked very hard. Every light on the dash came on. The car did not want to go…when shutting off the car it says it is not in park and it is.

Transmission is snatching in drive and reverse. The car has 32,200 miles on it. It was purchased brand new. Need for front struts and rear shocks. Customer is 79 years old and don't understand why warranty want cover any of this.

When putting my car in park and turning the car off I get a shift to park message.

Car is not recognizing that is in park and displays a "shift to park message". Chevy has yet to address this well known issue and expects consumers to pay $700-$1000 for something they should be required to fix. This is a major safety issue.

When putting the vehicle into park, the vehicle says it is still not into park even though we shift it into park. The vehicle will roll down a grade.

When the car was turned off a message appeared that said shift the park the gear indicator already stated the car was in park and the car gear shift was already in park. Looked into this issue and apparently there is an open recall for the year and make of my car but it for some reason does not include my VIN number.

My car is displaying a "shift to park" message on the dashboard even when the shifter is already in the park position, preventing the vehicle from being turned off and potentially leading to a dead battery or the vehicle rolling away. The "shift to park" issue poses safety risks, as it can prevent drivers from turning off their vehicles and potentially lead to unintended movement. This issue is getting worse everyday.

"shift to park" error message and "engine power is reduced" error message.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the shift-to-park warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted the gear shifter until the warning light turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission shifter assembly. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 31,803.

Trouble going into forward gears. Hard shifts into reverse. Hard idle, had transmission valve body replaced in October. Same issues before and after replacement.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "shift to park" was displayed while the gear shifter was already in park(p). The contact stated that upon shifting out of park(p) and shifting back to park(p) several times, the vehicle failed to respond as needed, and the failure persisted. The contact stated that upon researching the failure online, the contact became aware that it was a common failure and that the battery needed to be disconnected. The contact disconnected the battery. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Park switch in gear shift is faulty.

Shift to park issue . When the car is shifted to park, the system does not recognize the car is in park mode even though the stick is in park. It starts beeping and that dash board screen shows shift to park. It happened several times in October 2024. The dealer says it does not cover under the warranty and it has on 20000 miles and bought in 2021.

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.

I was driving down the road and the car started slowing down and even when I would give it gas wouldn’t accelerate. After pullling over and allowing the cars behind me to pass I tried to pull back out into traffic and the car would not engage into gear. When giving the car gas it didn’t move. I shifted the transmission into park and tried shifting into every gear including reverse and the car wouldn’t go anywhere I had to sit in the road for about 20 minutes then the car shift very hard into drive and began accelerating. Now when trying to drive it every time it stalls out either when first trying to back up or take off or decelerates while driving down the road making me fearful for my life due to being hit from behind sue to no notice or warning before the car decelerates.

I had a constant message when turning off the car to shift to park. When the car was off, it would say shift to park on my screen. Apparently there is a recall for this, but my VIN number was not included in the recall. I had several instances where I had been driving and my brakes locked up, and it caused my car to stall out. I would have to turn my car off and back on and sometimes it would work and that message would go away to shift to park. I eventually had to get a new transmission on a four-year-old car.

My vehicle will not shut off. It states "shift to park". Sometimes it takes 30 minutes of trying to get the car to shut off. Since this began, we were on a road trip, it's causing issues with accelerating on the highway & I believe it's damaging the transmission. 2020 chevy Malibu had other models under recall for this same reason. I called chevy dealership & they said they cannot help me. They told me to contact general motors. I have a 8 month baby, I'm a single mom & lost my job after maternity leave. This should be resolved as it's causing me anxiety to drive it with my child in the car. Please help me.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to exit the vehicle; however, the shift to park message was displayed on the instrument panel. The push to start button was illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

The gear shift does not recognize when the car is in park. The entire transmission was replaced last year under warranty, but the gear shift is not covered. When putting the car in park, the screen shows “p” for park, but also displays “!shift to park!” and beeps nonstop. When this issue first happened, a simple jiggle of the gear shift handle would make it go away. Over time it turned into yanking the shift, then moving from park to drive and back again over and over, then driving around the parking lot and trying to turn it off repeatedly, and now today the car did not shut off for 3 hours despite all of my efforts. I have been late to work many times, I have drained my battery several times, and my anxiety has never been higher with this car. The engine turns off, but the battery stays on. My husband had to unhook the battery entirely from under the hood for it to turn off after three hours. After doing research, I found it would be over $300 to replace the entire assembly (plus labor), and 2020-21 models are not covered under this recall affecting literally every other Malibu in existence. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fix the problem!!! recall this please! I cannot afford to fix this myself (with no guarantee it would even fix the issue) and cannot afford to buy a different car. This is ridiculous!!!!!!!.

When this issue first started. My display said put the driver window down then back up. Seconds after following this prompt my car display says shift to park. I was already in park and had shut the engine off. When I open the driver door my horn beeps 2 times and my start button is yellow not allowing me to turn the vehicle completely off. As the days pass my 2020 chevy Malibu now says shift to park everytime I go to get out of it. Today when this happened I was trying to get it to read my vehicle was in park for about 20-30 minutes. Finally after wiggling my shifter the display disappeared.

Car is indicating "shift to park" after placing in park and turning off. Unable to lock vehicle. Lights remain on. Took vehicle to dealer though it's a widely known issue I will be required to pay? transmission was replaced at 35k due to manufacturing defect. Every 20k miles I'm going to have more transmission issues? it's just not right!.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "shift to park" was displayed. The contact shifted out of park(p) and shifted back to park(p) several times until vehicle responded as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while her daughter had attempted to turn off the vehicle while the vehicle was parked. The contact's daughter was unable to successfully shift to park(p) and allowed the vehicle to turn off independently after a while. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

P1101 air flow system! I replacement almost every things ,but still have the p1101 code park to shift!.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? car had numerous times of completely turning off mid drive and was taken into a certified dealer for inspection, with a conclusion that nothing was wrong. The transmission has failed (03/22/24) and has been recently replaced upon diagnostics from certified dealer. 2 days later after receiving vehicle from transmission fix (04/20/2024) the vehicle began to experience electronic stability control errors and caused steering assist to also fail mid drive and cause a locked steering wheel. These errors occurred (04/22/2024 and 04/23/2024) how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? all of these factors explained above have happened during a drive and has put me at risk of numerous accidents that could have been fatal. The most recent one dated above, happened in the middle of the road with little to no where to safely pull over and restart the car system. Again, could have resulted in a fatal accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? electronic errors of the vehicle shutting off was unable to be reproduced or confirmed by dealer. Transmission failure has been confirmed and replace. Esc and steering assist has yet to be confirmed from dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? this vehicle has been inspected by numerous dealers and or auto shops with little to no help in fixing any problems. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? I also have warning lights from all times I have experienced failures or warnings from the vehicle and will be providing this.

This is a 2020 Malibu with only 18,000 miles on it now. We are having intermittent loss of power. Car will be moving fine when suddenly it looses power when pulling into traffic from a stop. It has also happened on the highway(right after leaving the dealer service department) when going to pass a vehicle…all of a sudden power drops and rpms go up and car slows up. When it suddenly happens, pulling into traffic is very slow. The only way to get power back is to turn off traction control via a button. It is back at the dealer now. They have had it the last two weeks. They fixed a shift to park issue but cannot duplicate the loss of power. So they are saying it is ready to pick up. Once, recently, a check engine light come on along with a message saying something like low power mode. We went straight to the dealer with the vehicle. They had the car for three five out of six weeks and were able to duplicate the loss of power once. We wanted them to contact chevy to help resolve this, but we are unsure if they actually did. These problems first were serviced in April of 2024. This car is very scary to be in, the way this happens and when it is happening.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the shift to park error message displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Engine misfire, shift to park and transmission.

Vehicle will say shift to park and also can't use the limp mode and manually shift gears and also can't be used outside of 1st and 2nd gear.

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.