Power Train Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

Multiple components and/or system failures/malfunctions, exact cause is unknown. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risks include engine power reduction issues that result in unexpected deceleration, and/or sudden/dangerous loss of power/acceleration. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Vehicle component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance, representatives, or any others other than diagnostic trouble code testing at o’reilly auto parts due to illuminated check engine light. Vehicle displays error messages “engine power reduced,” while driving and/or idle, and “shift to park” when vehicle has already been shifted into park. No obvious symptoms of the problem prior to failure, unknown when first appeared. Vehicle-2018 Chevrolet Malibu lt l4-1. 5l 1490cc 91ci gas di turbocharged VIN t lfv-4 valve dohc (mileage-145000). Primary powertrain diagnostic trouble code “p0014 - exhaust camshaft position system performance (code p0014 indicates that the bank 1 exhaust camshaft position timing was advanced beyond limits for a predetermined period of time),” with additional powertrain diagnostic trouble codes “p0011 - intake camshaft position system performance,” and “p1101 - intake air flow system performance. ” also receiving abs diagnostic trouble code “u0422-71 - invalid data received from body control module - invalid data. ” suggested solutions included “replace variable camshaft timing (vct) solenoid,” and “replace variable valve timing (vvt) solenoid. ” believed to be related to NHTSA id numbers 11643630, 11586483, 11581989, 11569471, 11568501, 11565871, 11564692, 11635526, 11457416, 11420146, 11416774, 11325303, 11561528, 11559451, 11555493, and approximately 30 other related NHTSA id numbers for same error message(s), and/or problem code(s), NHTSA campaign number 19v642, NHTSA campaign number 19v642000, gm special coverage number n182188250, and gm recall number n192221960.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Received vehicle at roughly 181,000 miles. Operated fine for about 5,000 miles and then began to show problems. In most cases when pressing down hard on the accelerator pedal, transmission drops into a lower gear and revs up to 5k rpm, cancelling cruise control, and staying there until accelerator is relieved. This makes accelerating more difficult since too much pressure on the accelerator pedal causes the car to get stuck at 5k rpm and stay at the same speed it is already at. This makes passing cars more dangerous as the car gets stuck at 5k rpm and can't pass the other vehicle, increasing the risk of a head on collision. Service engine and abs lights are on as well as a service stabilitrak notification in the driver information center. In addition, the outside temperature thermometer is faulty and shows much lower temperatures, such as -14 degrees during an 80 degree day. Vehicle is up to maintenance as far as my knowledge goes. Car has been previously junked twice and has a rebuilt title. There are no fluid leaks, the engine works well when the problem is not encountered, but it gets stuck at 5k rpm under hard acceleration more than it doesn't.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

1. This case refers to a 2018 chevy Malibu. In October 2021, the (gear shift) transmission control system was found faulty and was replaced with an n-control in the gear shift. Again, in September 2025, the same issue happened, this time replacing the n-control again as well as the n-harness. Yes, can be available upon an inspection request. 2. This component directly affects how the car recognizes when it is in park. When it malfunctions, it can confuse the vehicle’s electronic systems and potentially prevent the car from shutting down properly, engaging the shift lock, or starting safely. This creates a safety risk for both me the driver and others around my vehicle. Since this is a recurring issue as well as other 18 chevy Malibu's I don’t believe this is normal wear and tear. Having to replace the same system twice in such a short period suggests a recurring failure or a design flaw. 3. Yes, the problem has been confirmed twice by Chevrolet dealerships on both occurrences. 4. Yes, the component was inspected by two Chevrolet dealerships during both occurrences. 5. Had warning message "shift into park" both times in the month the car was taken in to be inspected.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted to park, but failed to turn off. The shift to park message was displayed. The contact wiggled the gear shifter, and the vehicle eventually turned off. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no warranty coverage and referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

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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.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

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.

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At 40,000 miles, check engine light illuminated. Code reader stated p023f fuel pump secondary circuit open. When trying to take 2023 Malibu to dealership for repairs car would not start. Had to have car towed to dealership. Dealership confirmed same fuel pump error code. Confirmed no recall. Car is currently being repaired by dealership at my expense as dealership & gm says fuel pump is not covered by powertrain warranty. Cost is over $1500! fuel pump should last longer than 40,000 miles! please research this faulty fuel pump!.

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To whom it may concern, I am writing to report a serious issue concerning the recall history of my vehicle and to request an investigation into what appears to be unresolved and inaccurately closed recalls. Vehicle information: •make/model/year: 2018 chevy Malibu hybrid •date of purchase: 2018 (I have been the sole owner since) several safety recalls were previously listed for my vehicle on your website and through the manufacturer, but I recently checked again and now it states there are zero open recalls. I have never had these recalls repaired, and no dealership has performed or contacted me regarding these repairs. Furthermore, my vehicle is currently displaying check engine lights related to the same issues previously associated with the recalls. This suggests the issues were never addressed, yet they no longer appear in the recall system. I am concerned that: •these recalls may have been falsely marked as “completed” •there may be an internal data error causing safety risks to be hidden •I am being denied free repairs due to incorrect closure of these recalls please investigate this matter as I believe it affects not only my vehicle but possibly others. I can provide any documents, error codes, or additional details upon request. Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent safety concern. Sincerely, [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon arriving to her destination and shifting the vehicle into park, the message "shift to park" was displayed with the gear shifter already in park(p). The contact was able to turn off the vehicle however, the electrical features remained operable. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 54,000.

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle shuddered and jerked abnormally. On one occasion the vehicle stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission accumulator sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 130,000.

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.

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 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting to park(p), the vehicle failed to recognize that the transmission had been shifted to park(p), preventing the contact from being able to turn off the vehicle. The contact stated that the message "shift to park" was displayed; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the gear shifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,619.

It says that my engine had a problem. It told me to press my brake to start my car. But then it just kept shaking like it was trying to start. I have also had a notification saying to put my car in park when it already was. Today my car just stopped in the middle of the road in heavy traffic. We could have been hit getting out of the car or someone could have hit my car. It was towed to the local Chevrolet dealership to get checked out to see if it could be a recall. I don’t know what is wrong with it yet. There were no warning lamps prior to the failure. They appeared right when it happened.

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into park(p), the message “shift to park” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that during the failure, the contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,600.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while shifting into park(p), the message “shift to park” displayed on the instrument panel. The driver was forced to shift the gear shifter several times before the vehicle recognized that park(p) had been selected. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer then referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Micro switch for park is faulty. “shit to park” error message. Vehicle is completely disabled and is not drivable.

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving or while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter failed to shift into drive. The contact had to shift into neutral, depress the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle responded as intended. The check engine warning light illuminated for 45 minutes and then stopped being illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to report the failure to the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter was shifted to park(p); however, the shift to park message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it would be several days before the diagnostic results could be provided. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

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.

Transmission failed while driving in traffic.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I was going about 75 mph on the express way with one lane open due to construction. My car started losing power. I heard the chime and upon the dashboard were the words power reduced. My car slowed down in a matter of seconds to around 45 mph. A 18 wheeler was trailing behind me. I quickly jumped in the emergency lane to my right and took the next exit while riding the emergency lane. I shut the car off at the gas station, sat there for about 10 minutes, restarting my car helped temporarily. I was 3 hours away from home and had to drive back unknowingly if I will make it or not. I reached out to Chevrolet and was told to bring it in and leave it but they had no loaner cars for anyone at that time. I have replaced 2 sensors and now my start /stop has quit working. I spoke with 5 visitors at Chevrolet and we all were having the same issues. This is something ongoing according to my research on this particular vehicle and should be recalled ASAP.

The car completely lost power while being driven on a freeway in sacramento, California. The car was towed to a Chevrolet dealer in davis, California and they determined that the car lost power due to a faulty auxiliary battery negative cable assembly (part # 84085823). The Chevrolet dealer cannot find the part because gm has discontinued production of the part. Also, despite extensive internet searches for the part including after-market sites, e-bay, amazon, ac delco, all major auto part supply chains, etcetera, the part has not been found. The car has been at the dealer's facility for ~ 6 weeks with no resolution. The car is a hybrid, has been serviced regularly and properly, has never been in an accident and is very good shape. In other words, if the car is safely repaired, it is still going to be a very useful family vehicle. Gm representatives have told the dealer to try to find the part in a local junk yard. The car will likely not be safe if a junkyard part is ultimately used in the repair - the reason the the car is at the dealership is because the car completely died at freeway speed. The cost of the needed part was only ~ $50 (fifty dollars) when it was being produced.

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the "shift to park" message was intermittently displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle intermittently failed to completely shut off or lock. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

My car keeps showing the “shift to park” code when I try to turn off my car even though it’s already in park. I have to wiggle the shifter and turn the car repeatedly on and off to try to get it to stop.

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.

The clutch solenoid started failing without warning or notice. This was finally confirmed by a transmission shop after a warning lamp related to the issue finally popped up after months of issues. My safety was put at risk due to the sudden and intermittent failure to shift into drive. This would sometimes lead to the engine stuttering then shutting off while still in drive. Attempts for dealers and private shops to nail down the issue were unsuccessful due to the system not reporting or recording any information related to this failure to shift. Again the danger came intermittently and suddenly when, shifting from park to drive, shifting from park - reverse - then drive. It would cause my vehicle to “stall out” in an active lane of traffic. This issue occurs from probably 60,000 - 90,000 miles when the system finally threw p0700 and p2714 codes to point to the issue.

When you put the car in park and shut the car off a message displays on the dash saying place vehicle in park. You have to wiggle the gear shifter for the message to disappear. It appears the gear shifter has a bad sensor.

The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the lights on the gear shifter was flashing, with the power steering assist and parking assist messages displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked violently while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

When shifting into park, the car doesn't think it's in park and remains on.

Car showing warning : engine power reduced car decelerate unexpectedly car won’t accelerate past 20 mph intermittently - when putting car in park, car won’t recognize when in the park positioned and shows warning : shift to park.