Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

Was stopped at a red light. When the traffic light turned green, I pressed the accelerator to proceed through the intersection, but my vehicle did not respond or accelerate immediately. After several seconds, the vehicle finally began to move. This unexpected delay created a safety concern because I was unable to accelerate when traffic began moving. Which caused built up traffic and an almost wreck behind me.

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Shift to park switch failed.

See all problems of the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

While attempting to enter a high-speed expressway, the transmission malfunctioned, preventing normal acceleration. The vehicle could only accelerate very slowly but managed to maintain a limited speed, creating a hazardous situation while trying to merge into fast-moving traffic. I was able to navigate the vehicle off the expressway, at which point the transmission completely failed and the vehicle died. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership service center, where technicians diagnosed a total internal failure of the cvt transmission requiring complete replacement. Mind you, the vehicle is under 6 years old and has fewer than 90,000 total miles, and this is the second time the transmission on this vehicle has suffered a total failure and required a complete replacement. Prior to this mechanical breakdown, there were no warning lights, abnormal symptoms, or performance issues indicating an impending transmission failure. The vehicle is currently available for inspection.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

When the vehicle is shifted into park and the ignition button is pressed, the vehicle fails to shut down. The dashboard displays a "shift to park" warning message, indicating the vehicle does not recognize that the gear selector is physically in the park position. To shut the engine off, the driver must repeatedly wiggle, slam, or cycle the gear shifter back and forth into park until the electrical sensor finally registers the connection. This creates a severe safety hazard, as the vehicle can roll away if left unsecured, drains the car battery, and prevents the doors from locking properly. Crucially, this defect traps drivers inside an operational vehicle for extended periods while they repeatedly struggle to force it to shut down. This poses an immediate risk of heat-related illness or death (hyperthermia), especially in high-temperature environments, during heatwaves, or for vulnerable occupants like children and the elderly who cannot exit the vehicle safely until it is off.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when shifting the gear selector into park (p), the "shift to park" warning message was displayed on the instrument panel, even though the vehicle was already parked. The failure was recurrent. A dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure was a known condition with pending repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,674.

Reduced engine light came on ticking noise stopped 2 times on the highway repair lot ran a diagnostic unable to find the issue car is not working found many codes stillunable to fix the issue.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

My cars check engine light keeps coming on and the first time it came on with an engine under boost failure and I took it to a 3rd party shop to get fixed and they had to replace the turbo charger. I paid $2500. 00 for that. 2 weeks later the same light came on and they had to replace it again. Well now the light came on again after a month for the same thing and I am taking it back into the shop again. That will be 3 times.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Shift to park displaying when car is in park so it won't turn off and stalling out randomly with no warning or anything and being hesitant to go.

My 2018 Malibu is stalling, it is covered under recall n192221960, and the dealer is refusing to properly scan or fix the issue. They did the recall and the car is still doing the same thing but worse.

My car stalls, jerks, and shuts off when in drive. More specifically when I turn it on, shift it in reverse, reverse, shift into drive. I press on the gas and nothing. Car doesn't move. I put it back in park sometimes it'll shut off most of the time it'll jerks and jerk while I tap on the gas, then make a big stutter like power is low gas doesn't seem to be working with the pedal then it makes a huge jerk before it goes into drive. This has become an everyday thing. Car has shut off when auto off is on while at a stop. There's a huge creaking coming from the under body. Almost feels like something is going to fall out from under me. Every turn, bump, speed bump sometimes just at a stop then going into drive will create the loudest sound. Also sometimes it says I need to shift into park when I am in fact in park. When looking up common potential recalls my car checks almost every box that were stated online.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon shifting to park(p) and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "shift to park" was displayed. While investigating the failure online, the contact became aware that it was a common failure, and there was an ongoing class action lawsuit related to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

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We decided to take a road trip 2023 chev Malibu with 142000 miles and transmission goes bad.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Shift to park error on dash. Gm is aware of this issue and won't do anything about it. This causes stress and can cause battery drain. The issue lies within the microswitch that reads that the shifter is in park. The metal arm that activates the switch wears down or the wiring is faulty. Several Malibus, as well as other models have this issue and chevy dealerships want hundreds to thousands of dollars to fix this. If it's a known, repetitive issue on several models, it should be a recall. This causes owners to try to fix this issue themselves, which can cause more damage and more money.

The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently shifted between park(p), drive(d), and neutral(n), and the selected gear was not visible or illuminated on the instrument cluster or the gear shifter panel. The doors locked and unlocked, and the engine started shaking abnormally. The contact stated that the message "service power steering - drive with care" was displayed during the failure. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road after each failure and the gear shifter was slowly shifted between gears until the desired gear was selected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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Check engine light came on and vehicle was slow to accelerate intermittently. Often slow to take off at a stop light. Safety concerns of being rear end due to slow take off. Took vehicle to chevy dealer for review and they indicated and show a picture of the turbo booster being broken. Per dealer this caused the vehicle to loose power and not accelerate properly. Dealer stated I was 5k miles over warranty and existing service special coverage notice n252508360 for 2022 Malibu did not cover my VIN.

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).

2018 Chevrolet Malibu premier with approximately 50,000 miles displayed a persistent “shift to park” message. The vehicle would not consistently recognize that it was in park, preventing the vehicle from shutting off properly and creating a safety concern. Dealer diagnosed a faulty transmission shifter assembly that was not sending a strong signal to the body control module (bcm). The shifter assembly was replaced at a cost of $611. 31. This appears to be a known recurring defect affecting similar model year Malibus. Filing complaint to document safety-related failure.

My 2023 chevy Malibu has a missing turbocharger screw that randomly came off from under a metal plate on its own, GMC has a recall on 2022 -2023 chey Malibu with turbo charger issues but they wont cover mines because it didnt come from a certian factory although they know a hell of alot of chevy Malibu owners have turbo charger issues and that factories share parts with other factories they say they wont do a recall on all the Malibus unless alot of people report and NHTSA makes GMC reall all chevy Malibus turbocharger ( gm launched a special coverage program for 2022-2023 models with 1. 5l engines due to turbocharger failures leading to "reduced engine power". The program covers, or potentially reimburses, repairs up to 15 years/150,000 miles)but my vehicle VIN isnt covered.

The chevy Malibu turbo is malfunctioning and making a loud noise when driving also bringing up the engine light with codes.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the transmission failed to shift into park after several attempts. The contact referenced TSB: 19-na-206; as a possible cause for the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the TSB. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with gear shifter failure. The gear shifter was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,198.

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 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35–40 mph, the vehicle experienced transmission failure. The contact stated that the rpm was elevated while driving, and the transmission shifted abnormally rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the transmission was rebuilt. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the local dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

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I was driving along and my car went into a reduced engine power mode. Code came up as the gas pedal sensor.

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a recall repair related to the fuel pump control module. After the repair was completed, the contact experienced a new failure. While attempting to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle became inoperable and could not be turned off. The message “shift to park” was displayed while the vehicle was shifted to park. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly turned off after the contact exited the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the shift lever had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.

The issue appears to involve the engine and turbocharger system. The vehicle has shown symptoms consistent with a turbo underboost condition, including loss of power and reduced acceleration. A mechanic indicated that the symptoms may be consistent with diagnostic code p0299 (turbo underboost). The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This issue affects safe operation because the vehicle loses power unexpectedly while driving, which creates a risk when merging into traffic, accelerating, or maintaining speed in normal traffic conditions. The loss of power is inconsistent and can occur without warning, increasing the potential safety concern. The problem has been ongoing. The check engine light is currently on and has remained on. The warning light first appeared around January 2026, and the issue has continued since then. Similar turbocharger-related issues have been reported in prior model years, including 2022 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles, where coverage or corrective actions were provided, raising concern that the same or similar issue may be affecting 2023 models.

My vehicle sometimes will not start when I press the start button and press the brakes at the same time. The dashboard will light up with a message that says “service esc” followed by “engine power is reduced”. When it does start, I can drive the vehicle for a moment before it does the engine power reduced mode where the car feels like its pulling more. It has done this several times while I’m driving on the highway which often times causes me to have to pull over to the side of the road, or make my way to the slow lane so I can pull into a gas station or somewhere public at the next exit. When the dashboard lights up with “service esc”, all of the hands on my dashboard (I. E the hands for the speedometer, gas, the car temp and the rpm) move radically back and forth while the car is driving. Sometimes the speedometer will say 0mph even tho the car is moving. Sometimes I am able to pull over and turn my car off and back on and the lights will go away, but often times this doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it feels like it only exacerbates the problem because when I shift it into park and then attempt to turn off the vehicle, it says “shift to park” even though it is parked. In fact, this morning when the vehicle wouldn’t start after I tried to start it with the button, I attempted to turn the vehicle off (because the radio would come on and I can see lights on the dashboard, but the vehicle itself won’t start) and it said “shift to park” even though it is parked and has been since last night. I contacted the nearest chevy dealership and they informed me that they have dealt with plenty of these complaints lately. I have not had an inspection completed by the dealership because my extended warranty is up and I do not have the funds to pay for a diagnostic inspection.

Hybrid power train issues. Haven't drove the car for more than a week and a half. Apparently was fixed but obviously was not. Could be the gcm or generator.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Shift to park light remains on and car will not shut down when it is in park already. This is an existing issue with chevy Malibu but no recall yet.

My 2022 Chevrolet Malibu is experiencing the known “shift to park” defect and an “air induction system” fault. The vehicle repeatedly refuses to recognize the park position even after moving the shifter into park. This causes the vehicle to stay powered on, prevents it from shutting off, and forces me to shift back and forth multiple times to get the car to register park. This is unsafe because the vehicle could roll, fail to secure, and I cannot legally leave or lock the car when this happens. This issue is widely documented on Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. Gm has an established technical bulletin and extended coverage programs for this problem (example: TSB 19-na-206 and related bulletins), but my VIN does not show access to these programs even though I am under 60,000 miles and still within the 5-year powertrain warranty window. When I contacted gm and the dealership, they admitted the defect exists but refused warranty repair unless I pay $370 out-of-pocket diagnostic fees first. This defeats the purpose of warranty and prevents consumers from getting confirmed major safety defects repaired. The warning randomly appears at different times while the car is stationary, parked, or driving. The issue has been happening consistently and appears to be worsening. I am reporting this because it is a safety concern involving the transmission and electrical controls of the vehicle, and Chevrolet is refusing to cover or recognize it under their known defect programs.

Purchased the car February 14 2025 with 102,664 miles on it. About 2 weeks ago I was merging on a highway and it went into limp mode and I almost get rear-ended. It felt like it lost all power. The check engine light came on and I drove it to auto zone to have it scanned and code p0299 was the code, turbo underboost. I then went to o'reilly's for a second opinion and their scanner also said turbo underboost. I have replaced all sensors that interact with the turbo thinking maybe it was a sensor but negative. Turbo failure.

The component is d automatic transmission shift to park switch. The vehicle is and will be available for immediate inspection upon request. Safety was put at risk when the car lost power while they’re celebrating install in the floor of traffic, causing other cars to swerve around and blow horns. The underlying issue with the car was confirmed by independent service center. There was no reason to have your vehicle inspected all by manufacturer , police insurance for others the warning sign once the car installed and attempted to like it was gonna turn off with service esc and the light stayed on for four hours.

- started shutting shutting off at while in drive. - started having reduced power - started idiling high while driving - initially there was no codes - last night I drove, I put in drive gear but it was delayed so I had to keep moving from park to drive for it to full go into drive - the codes came p0325 p0505 p0507 p0700 p1101 p2714 after I was driving up an incline the car stopped moving forward and started reversing backwards. One other independent shop advised they were able to produce but couldn’t figure out the problem because no code were shown at the time. There has been many people having the same issues I started off with and I found the forum to file a report .

Transmission failed to engage gear properly after backing up. Grinding sounds heard when vehicle was in drive. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by Chevrolet dealership. Vehicle is available for inspection. Occupants safety was at risk because gears could have locked up during commute causing vehicle to be undriveable, leaving driver and passengers stranded. Blind spot feature is unavailable randomly, which can cause a possible side swipe crash. When radio is playing suddenly switches to bluetooth randomly.

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.

Reduced engine power. Car will not accelerate over 35 mph. Almost rear ended. Will be the second time in dealer for same problem. Also, shift to park. Also second time at dealer for same problems. You cannot get out of car until you keep moving the shifting handle.