Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

While my daughter has been driving our 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 2013, the vehicle continues to experience add loss of electric power. The dashboard display and infortainment system went down black. The problem first began -2019-2020 and continues to recur about once or twice a month. The most recent incident occurred on September 18, 2025, with my daughter behind the wheel. An independentc mechanic confirmed that cause is a manufacturer's defect in the fuse box located near the battery. He stated this is a widespread issue and refused to repair it, advising Chevrolet should address it. Chevrolet waldorf kept my car for over a month but only replaced the battery, could find the issue, which did not resolve the defect. This recurring failure creates a serious safety risk to the driver, passenger, and others on the road because the car can lose power and steering at anytime. This issue was he subject of prior NHTSA complaint I submitted in 2020 (id 11315997), and it has continued despite the report. Everytime this defect occurs with Chevrolet Malibu 2013. . . My family's safety, and the safety of others on the road is placed in jeopardy. Gm must be held accountable to correct this ongoing safety defect beforer more lives are placed at risk, and NHTSA's response wil demonstrate where consumer safety is being prioritized or neglected. The upload pdf shows the name butterflies (is me asking questions) in a Malibu forum date 2021.

See all problems of the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The car smells strongly of gas. And has a problem accelerating. Check engine light came on and I got a code p1101 which is a code for the maf sensor. This is not the first time that this has happened. It happened less than a year ago maybe 9-10 months ago. I don’t drive the car in fear of it catching a fire. The car has stalled before in the middle of a turn. I had to turn the car off and turn it back on. I called onstar who have no idea what was wrong with it.

See all problems of the 2017 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 🔎.

I was driving my car on the highway doing 65 mph when all of a sudden my car started rapidly jerking losing the power to accelerate and entering “limp mode“ there was multiple cars behind me when my car lost the power to accelerate. I was in the far left lane and couldn’t even go higher than 7 miles an hour and had to cross across three lanes at 7 mph on a 65mph highway to pull over. I had my children in the car and almost caused a huge accident dude to this issue. The issue in hand is the vacuum pump. It completely shattered in my engine, causing severe engine damage. And it caused my brake pedal to become hard as a rock. I couldn’t break without using my emergency break. I had no brake power at all. My car had to be towed.

My instrument cluster is failing.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I was informed the vacuum pump went bad and rendered the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle would lose acceleration, shut off during auto stop and caused me to block traffic. The brakes also locked up, which almost caused me to crash in a residential neighborhood. I tried to see if there was a recall on this but I was told the recalls were handled in January of 2020 but I started driving the vehicle between July and August of 2020. This incident I'm reporting just happend 3 weeks ago. I realized there are many other issues regarding this matter and need this addressed because this almost caused bodily harm. The dealership wants me to pay for repairs on a vehicle that seem to have defective parts that jeopardise customer safety and is not being rectified.

See all problems of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

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One of my first problems with this car is the “shift to park” error message. This message on the dashboard indicating that my gear is not in p (park) when in fact it is . This error will not allow me to turn off my car even though I am parked. My second issue is just recently I have been experiencing from idle noise and small leakage looks as though it’s coming from the fuel injectors and I was stuck on the road at night because my car decided to stop and the “shift to park” message came back up and my car started to loose acceleration in the middle of the road on a busy street with no stop signs visible. (car accident waiting to happen). My steering wheel locked up on me and my car completely stopped. I tried to turn it off and back on but this did not work as I tried to mash on the gas with my car in drive . As I did some research I see recalls on my car that I was not aware of which is very accurate to the issue I’m experiencing. Only having this car for one year now and the first issue started way before a year in. Dealership has not fixed my car and the problem has left my car undrivable.

Happened around 46000 miles after receiving a recall notice in the mail about the pedal positioning sensor causing a reduced engine power signal, and immediately reducing speeds on the interstate. Local chevy dealership replaced. Fast-forward 80k miles and the same incident is happening, however likely not going to be covered by gm. Same message, same code being detected.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

We own this vehicle with 147,xxx miles on it. There was extended warranty coverage of 10-years or 150,000 miles for the power steering position sensor and torque sensor, all part of the electronic stability control system the bulletin is 15356. A very costly repair that could result in a crash if a driver has the steering wheel lock up while driving. Zero help from gm because the period has "expired. " I feel it should be covered since it is under the 150k mileage.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Engine power abruptly stopped while driving causing drivers behind me to almost rear end me. Dashboard displays ‘engine power is reduced. ’ it has happened since I purchased the vehicle in 2017 but had not done this in a few years. I’m on top of maintenance and did mention this issue to the dealer but no one reached out or offered a solution.

When driving down a major highway going 70mph, my 2017 chevy Malibu speeds decreased, the brakes locked up, and the vehicle would not accelerate. Eventually the car came to a complete stop and an “engine power reduced” notification came up on the dash. I was able to pull off to the side of the road but I was traveling at a high rate of speed on a busy road, I almost got hit multiple times by people behind me who also had to swerve out of the way to keep from getting hit. After turning the car off and on again it seemed to run fine for a few months until the issue happened again going down a busy highway (65mph) again putting myself, my kids and others on the road behind me at risk. Now the car won’t move more than 5 feet before shutting off with “ engine power reduced “ still displaying on the screen.

I've been trying to fix the car I've put alternator new starter wires everything you can think of new fuses and the esc light burnt out 2 brand new battery's I've lost my job because it's unfixable almost killed after the power steering went out because of what's going on with this problem I can't fix it I've spent over 1000 trying to find the problem.

See all problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Had a recall repaired yet it still randomly my brake lamps still don’t function correctly.

Unknown.

See all problems of the 2003 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

While driving the speed suddenly reduced and brakes locked up on me. I was lucky enough to be able to veer to the left and get off the busy street without crashing into anyone or anything. When I stopped the car cut off and would not start back up even with a jump. This happened to me twice before and they did a recall on the same part. I need ot fixed again. I also had to replace the battery every time including this time.

I was driving in my neighborhood I tried to park at my house and my car wouldn’t stop I had to step down on my break hard for it to finally stop my vacuum pump broke into pieces and made my timing chain break.

The contact rented a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The rental agency was contacted and made aware of the failure. The contact returned the vehicle on the next business day, and the failure was reported. The failure mileage was approximately 38,706. The VIN was unavailable.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

I was driving and lost power randomly it came back in less than a minute but just lost power could certainly cause an accident. . . And the service airbag light is on and seemingly has the same issues as the 2010 Malibu maxx which was recalled and replaced free of charge and frankly I don't have the 1200 $ to make sure it doesn't kill me I'm not sure why with as many 2007s that this is an issue in why it isn't recalled. . .

See all problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

While driving th vehicle the component that ruptured was the vehicles vacuum brake booster pump which connected directly to the engine. The ruptured caused shards of metal to be launched into the engine resulting in no brake power and needs an engine swap. There was a recall on this model vehicle for the pedal sensor malfunction that results in the cars engine going into a reduced power mode abruptly and suddenly while driving. This malfunction has occurred on this vehicle and I was not aware of this vehicle models recall history but it stated that the recall was successfully closed out in 2020. I purchased my 2018 chevy Malibu in the year 2021 and the issue still persist. I am not confident that the recall on this vehicle was either fully completed or successfully fixed before purchasing. The car is now at the dealer and the repair team explains the vehicle needs a new engine. I questioned about the pedal sensor malfunction and asked if it was possible that this malfunction sending the vehicle into a reduced power mode so suddenly could have effected or cause wear and tear on brake booster pump connected to the engine. The dealers repair team wasn’t confident in saying it wasn’t possible. This is likely a design issue and if a recall was completed and I was sold a vehicle uninformed of this potential issue but the malfunction still persisted I do not believe I should have to cover the full cost of repairs for this chain of events. This malfunctioned put me at danger and if it had occurred while my wife and 3 children were in the car it could have been life threatening not only to us but the other drivers around as well. With the engine reduced you can’t accelerate and with the booster pump ruptures mid drive you lose all brake power. It is hard to understand the faulty design in this but I have read reviews that others have had the same issue so I do not believe I am alone in this.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed, and the lights became inoperable. When the brake pedal was released, the lights returned to normal functionality. The contact also stated that the cruise control failed to engage as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and it was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control (esc). The contact stated that the failure recurred after the repair. The dealer informed the contact the recall repair was a one-time free repair. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Car pauses after stopping at lights and stop signs and in stop-n-go traffic and won't go as soon as gas pedal is pressed. It hesitates then jerks forward once the gas is activated. Check engine warning is for stop/start transmission accumulator sensor! cost to repair over $1300 and seems to be the same issue seen in thousands of 2018 Malibu's that have been recalled??? my car does not show an active recall??? chevy rep andrea at 1-800-222-1020 said sorry no recall for your car and to contact you with complaint? this issue almost caused my wife to have accidents after the car lurched forward after stopping. We were also beeped at many times as cars behind us were frustrated we could not move for 10-20 seconds after stopping! [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] car is being repaired now by belise Chevrolet warwick ri 877-553-0957. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Wheel hubs causes car to think that it’s going faster(200mph) causing car to drop speed, locks steering wheel making it impossible to turn away from traffic and drive it’s an accident waiting to happen not sure why there isn’t a recall. Also batteries causes the battery system warning to be a major problem even if alternator is good. I’m not sure if the two batteries is a good idea. The stop/start feature can cause radio issues it’s like cutting the car off and turn it back on when brake is released radio comes back on.

See all problems of the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

On may 23,2024 I was on a very busy highway going 66. All of a sudden my 2016 Malibu lt aburtely slowed to 27 miles an hour and two warnings lights came on 1 -engine power is reduced 2 - speed reduced to 27 I barely avoided getting hit by two semi trucks, as well as a car. The car is available for inspection on request. An independent service person confirmed it was indeed a defective electron control and acceleration peddle position sensor. How very irresponsible of you not to put out a recall on the 2016-2018 models knowing very well of the many class action law suits that have arrived from this issue. I probably can guarantee none of you own a Malibu. How very incredious it is that you put people lives in danger knowing that there was issues with the problem. Unbelievable. I almost got killed because of the lack of responsibility because you dint make a recall.

Out of nowhere, a notification pops up and it says “engine speed reduced” and all of a sudden you can feel the car losing speed. Took the vehicle to the dealership multiple times and either they always say it’s a fuel injection problem or they have no idea what’s causing it but when they perform that service on the vehicle, it still happens. Dealership even told me once that my car computer system needed to be updated and once updated I wouldn’t have the issue and I still have the issue. Each time the engine speed is reduced, a notification pops up that the stabilitrak needs to be serviced. My safety and life is at risk because I’m going 65 mph down the interstate and all of sudden my engine speed is reduced like I’m not in the middle of traffic with cars going at speeds between 60-75 mph. I almost got ran over by an 18 wheeler because of the engine speed reduction. I had to swerve hard to the side of the road and risk flipping or crashing to get off the road so I wouldn’t be hit.

Since I got the car, if I let it go in auto stop, it has a hard time accelerating when I push the gas. It has gotten worse and now it has a hard time accelerating in general. When I push the gas it sounds really loud like it’s struggling to go. I realized this is a safety issue for me and others when my car wasn’t going at the light of a busy intersection, or when I’m getting onto a highway and my car isn’t picking up speed. This makes it scary for people already on the highway as iam causing them to brake unexpectedly. Every time my check engine light comes on I take it to the dealership. It’s been taken in for repairs multiple times but this issue still keeps coming back.

While traveling at normal speed (55-60mph) engine power reduced message pops up and car will not accelerate until I pull over, turn it off, then back on after a period of time. Message is beginning to come up frequently. Occurred 3 times this morning on the way to work.

Engine power reduced indicated on dash and engine light came on while I was driving.

Vehicle check engine light on, showing "reduced engine power. " vehicle still able to be driven, but will not accelerate with any proper pace or power. Cannot get above 3000 rpm without losing power, has put me in two dangerous situations in the last two days that almost made me lose my life. On highway, trying to accelerate to match traffic speeds, lose power and had to dive to the emergency lane to not get plowed by a truck. Today, was city driving, at a red light, could not accelerate and had to dive to a crawl the vehicle into a turn lane where I ended up sitting for about 10 minutes till the engine offered enough power to keep driving. By all information I can find online, it seems it is similar to the issues presented by others online and might tie into "special coverage n182188250 loss of continuity within accelerator pedal position sensor circuit" that I found here: https://experience. Gm. Com/ownercenter/recalls?VIN=1g1zb5st9gf171156, this issue has been going for about 3 weeks to a month and is only getting worse. I did stop at mccarthy Chevrolet of overland park to have codes run about on 5/14, the codes showing do not show in the above link. . . Codes: u1502, u0422, p06de, c0760. . . Those all present on the paper as "current. " I have not had it diagnosed yet, planning to, service is just so expensive. I have had the car in my car for 1 year and 1 month, purchased from max motors in harrisonville, mo. Reporting here as I also saw online that others are facing the same symptoms, and that there is a suit that might be addressing these issues: https://topclassactions. Com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/auto-news/chevy-malibu-class-action-alleges-engine-power-reduced-defect/ every time the car is turned on, the warning mentioned above shows. See picture attached. Does not matter what type of driving or set "speed limit" issues show.

I was in the freeway and out of nowhere an alert message popped up on the dashboard saying engine power reduced. This made my car go from 65mph to 30 mph is the freeway luckily I was able to exit and go to the nearest gas station and was able to keep myself safe as others on the road but it could've easily gone very badly. The car won't go over 30 mph. The car is available for inspection upon request, I seen a pdf in the NHTSA website of a special coverage adjustment for loss of continuity within acceleration pedal position circuit. I will attach it to this message.

Our 2016 chevy Malibu hybrid intermittently began alerting of "reduced engine power" and the accelerator would not allow the vehicle to accelerate. This happened twice, once on a busy highway that caused rapid deceleration of the vehicle. We brought the vehicle to the mechanic and there were a bunch of codes related to the accelerator position sensor. With parts and labor $415 to fix. Upon researching, there are a bunch of reports on car forums related to this. I believe there have been previous reports to the NHTSA. This problem needs to be fixed and a recall issued to have chevy replace the accelerator position sensor before someone gets hurt or killed. Once I pick up the vehicle, I will upload the invoice and see if I can get specific code numbers.

Saturday morning this is now the 3rd time it's been fixed and safe to drive. Once by the dealership in baltimore towson area. Check engine light came on I ran diagnostic I bought at the store to get the codes come to find out class actions for wrongful death because company knew about it. As I also see hundreds of he same complaints here. My wife on 695 95 baltimore MD at the merge. She went from 60mph to 35mph. Then the car shut off with zero control of steering. Once in neutral she slightly touch the brakes which let it start up. Thank god no one was killed we have 2 beautiful 6 n 7 yr old girls what would I tell them. This needs addressed it happens after the batt needs changed I know 4 other owners 1 had just got one that's what triggered his same codes problems. Im I've googled it but not one person solves it. It's gotta do w the start stop system.