Electrical System Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

After shifting the vehicle into park and then attempting to turn the vehicle off a message displays to shift into park, even though the vehicle is already in park.

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Vehicle is registering multiple keys from surrounding like vehicles which causes the anti theft system to activate, disabling the vehicle and/or involuntarily draining battery.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I was coming home from school pickup, and the light said the engine power was reducing. Then the screen said that I couldn't go past 25 miles per hour. The skid sign came on also. The car started slowing down on its own. The car then stopped. I had to put on emergency lights quickly. I had my daughter and grandaughter in the car. Thank god we didn't get rear ended. I turned off the car and waited. I turned it back on and went home a half a mile away thankfully. I looked up for a recall and google said that there was a potential for the same thing. The check engine light came on too. This has never happened the whole time that I've had it.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

2016 chevy Malibu is experiencing a “shift to park” issue, where the car does not recognize it is in park even after shifting correctly. This prevents the vehicle from turning off, leaving lights and electronics running, which can drain the battery. A service advisor at autonation Chevrolet orlando confirmed this is a common problem in gm vehicles like the traverse and silverado. She explained the repair—replacing the faulty sensor/shifter assembly—typically costs around $800. Beyond battery drain, there are safety concerns, since the system’s failure to recognize park could risk the car rolling if the brakes disengage. The issue first appeared about four months ago, went away, and has now reoccurred.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Vehicle isn’t recognizing that it’s in park, shift to park keeps coming on dashboard which is also causing my vehicle not to change gears correctly.

Shift to parking message came up on dashboard.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Currently I am having issues putting my car in park. Even when it shows that it is parked there is an “action required” that pops up saying “shift to park”. This has been happening all week and as I am able to toggle the shift stick it is no longer allowing me to which leaves my car somewhat on when I leave. I’ve contacted the dealership for repairs since I’ve seen this is a common recall issue with my model vehicle. However, they informed me that it would be an out of pocket expense even though research shows that this should be an expense paid by the dealership since they’ve had many complaints on this issue and can cause certain safety issues for members. I’m getting ready to pcs soon and need to pay out of pocket expenses for my move so trying to pay for something that the dealership should pay for is truly inconvenient.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Door electrical caught fire and the inside of the vehicle was destroyed. Fire started from the electrical in the driver door.

Vehicle stalls at lights and in traffic because of the start / stop system gm has put in this 2019 Malibu. This is dangerous as the vehicle moves if on incline (sometimes backwards). There is no control. The vehicle then has to be shifted into park and then restarted. This happened July of 2024 and August 2025.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after driving vehicle and shifting into park(p), there was a dinging alert sounded, with the “shift to park" message displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to turn off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was a known issue and was related to NHTSA campaign number: 16v502000 (electrical system, power train). The local dealer was contacted and instructed the contact to shift to neutral and then park. The instruction worked once, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called an independent mechanic who was uncertain of how to repair the vehicle and suggested that the contact check for recalls. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

A liadjustmentght came on my dashboard. State power engine reduce period then it stalls when I press my foot down on the accelerator not giving it any power to go period then when I try to break it actually pushes my foot back off and it's hard to break period and when I press the start button to turn the engine on. It turns right back off after about. Maybe four or five seconds and no I just had to have a towed to my home. The special coverage adjustment code in 182188250 is what my vehicle would apply to, but that code only covers the 2016 and 2018 models. What can I do now? because it is under that code. But the dealerships won't cover it because they're saying my model is not but twenty twenty I need help please. I have 132k miles. Good condition. Why wouldn't letter models be covered under the same act?what would make it stop if it's doing the same thing?it did for those twenty sixteen and twenty eighteen models.

Okay so my car had 2 recalls but the they were not repaired the same problem reoccurred . Which was the car engine not turning on and electrical problems etc. I don’t really know how to explain it but yes it’s having the same problems .

Shift to park message displays more and more frequently. Have to spend a couple minutes each time messing with the shifter to be able to turn my car off. Dealer says it is not covered under standard warranty, but I'm not paying out of pocket for a known gm issue. This should be moved up to a recall as it seems to happen more often than not and prevents the vehicle from powering off.

My instrument cluster is failing.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failure of the battery and fuel pump. The contact was informed that the ground wire and fuel tank needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact about a recall on the malfunctioning ecm. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,206.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the message "shift to park" was display on the instrument panel while the gear shifter was in park. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and stated that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 53,500.

After shifting into park and turning vehicle off -warning beep "place vehicle into park" comes on. It takes several "jerks" of gear shift to turn off. I'm scared its not in park and may roll.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

After I shift into park and turn my car off I’m getting a message that says shift to park. The car is already in park but it’s not recognizing this. I see that this is a known problem with 2022 Malibu’s but my VIN is not included. Can you please add my VIN to this recall?.

Shift to park.

Will not shift into park with out hitting the shifting lever.

This car will start and as you are driving, the car shuts off. No power, no steering. . . Nothing. I was out driving to work and the car died right in the middle of the road in rush hour traffic. I have takent he car to the shop and they had it for over a month, changed the fuel pump and it was still doing the same thing. The mechanic said he can not fix it, that it is an electrical issue. Several people have posted online that this is a manufacture issue and the year of the car is known to have this problem. I own three chevy vehicles and there is something wrong with all three. Absolutely ridiculous! no one stands behind their work. You pay money for a vehicle and the makers want spend a dime to recall something that can kill someone.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at 55 mph, the "service battery charging system" message was displayed, followed by the battery warning being illuminated. Simultaneously, the service stabili-trak, power steering, and abs messages were displayed. The vehicle immediately lost steering assist, and the steering wheel became firm, and while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to slow down as intended. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. Subsequently, the headlights turned off, the interface shut off, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the alternator was running at 11 volts instead of 13 volts. The mechanic determined that both the alternator and the gcm (generator control module) needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 260,000.

The apple carplay system, specifically the gps/navigation function, froze and malfunctioned. This occurred in two separate vehicles I’ve owned: a 2019 chevy Malibu and now a 2019 chevy equinox (the vehicle involved in the accident). Both cars frequently experienced lagging and freezing while using apple carplay. The infotainment system and vehicle are available for inspection. On June 28, 2025, while driving at night with gps active via carplay, the system froze and gave me an incorrect instruction — telling me to turn left onto a one-way street in the wrong direction. I did not realize I was going the wrong way until reaching the intersection, and by that point, I was involved in a head-on car accident. This presented a significant danger to me and others on the road. The issue has not been officially reproduced or confirmed by a service center, but it occurred consistently in two different gm vehicles. I have text message documentation sent to my family over the months before the accident describing the freezing and lagging of carplay. The accident and vehicle were reviewed by insurance representatives, but no inspection was done specifically on the infotainment/gps system by the manufacturer. There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. However, the symptom was consistent lagging and freezing of the carplay interface, which had been happening for months prior. There were no official error codes displayed before the crash.

The mechanic discovered that the battery control module harness had been damaged by water intrusion inside the vehicle. This damage prevented the vehicle from powering on, rendering it completely non-responsive.

The power steering keeps going in and out and the vehicle only has 85,000 miles on it. I also keep having weird electrical issues. I had to replace my headlight wiring harnesses as well as my taillights harnesses. But the power steering issue is coming from the rack and pinion. The steering wheel will shake while sitting still and the power steering will completely go out basically every other time I turn the car on.

See all problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I have searched the prior recalls and I’m having the same problem that were said to be fixed. I would like the car check again for the recalls that said to be fixed and checked for all reacalls . The car turns of unexpected without warning . At random times the low power mode is always on and when I push down in the pedal it doesn’t respond well at all . I have invested countless money into fixing issues with this car .

I was driving the car on the highway and “service esc” popped up on my dash. Engine power reduction kicked in which caused me to have to erratically pull over to the shoulder. Brakes did not engage properly. When the “service esc” warning comes on the dash, the engine, transmission, and brakes stop functioning properly. The gauges start fluctuating up and down and the gps goes out of whack. Transmission won’t shift gears and the car will sometimes shut off all together. This is a very common problem with the chevy Malibu from 2017 to present. I did my research and there is a lot of disgruntled owners that have experienced this problem. Type in “service esc chevy Malibu” on google, reddit, or youtube and you will see. I personally know two other Malibu owners with the same issue different years and mileage on there Malibu. I honestly can’t believe with all the information out there on these Malibus having the same issue there has not been a recall yet!.

Stability track warning randomly appears while driving and spontaneously causes total brake failure and the brakes fail to slow or stop vehicle. It has newer brakes but it’s very dangerous to drive. Currently being sent to Chevrolet dealership.

Out of no where my car would not start. I got it jumped and took it to an auto store and they checked the battery and alternator health and it all came back great. I was able to drive it home from there and two hours later it wouldn’t start again.

Shift to park.

The shift to park sensor will become stuck and not register that the car is in park causing the battery to drain.

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

I am filing a complaint regarding ongoing and worsening issues with my Chevrolet vehicle, which appear to point to broader defects involving the engine and electrical systems. Months ago, while driving, the car suddenly lost power and displayed "engine power reduced. " I had to keep using it due to work needs. Over time, it hesitated more during acceleration and felt increasingly unsafe. When I finally brought it to a Chevrolet service center, I was told the issue involved the pistons. The vehicle also regularly shows a "shift to park" warning even when the gear is in park, raising concerns about the transmission's reliability. The power loss continues, especially when going uphill — again triggering the "engine power reduced" alert and dropping the speed to no more than 35 mph. A diagnostic showed a p0302 code for a cylinder 2 misfire. The radio head unit, already replaced once under warranty, failed again after just 9 months. Prior to the worsening idle and gear issues, I also received network-related codes involving the ecm and transmission computers. Although I’ve replaced the alternator, the car still shows "service electric system" warnings, suggesting ongoing electrical problems. I also noticed gm’s n182195660 campaign involving predictive monitoring for stochastic pre-ignition (spi) on scp platforms. My car has the 2. 0l turbo engine, and I’m concerned it may be experiencing spi or coolant intrusion issues affecting overall performance and system integrity. I’m requesting that Chevrolet investigate these problems thoroughly and determine whether my vehicle qualifies for recall, extended warranty, or defect coverage. These issues are persistent, serious, and deserve immediate attention. Thank you for your time. I hope to see resolution soon.

The contact owns a 2012 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph and following a slight right turn on the highway, the esc warning illuminated, and the vehicle slowed down without the brake pedal being depressed. The failure was intermittent but became a recurring failure. The contact stated that the vehicle also slowed down unintentionally while making a left or right turn at slow speeds. The contact stated that in the middle of the turn, the vehicle slowed to a stop without the brake pedal being depressed. The esc warning light illuminated while the vehicle was still in drive(d) and running. The vehicle came to a stop, and the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle continued driving. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed with pscm failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control (esc). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.

See all problems of the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.