Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Chevrolet Malibu - part 1

I was driving and all of a sudden all the warning lights start going off on my vehicle’s dashboard and the car jerks back and forth while decelerating. This has happened twice on the highway putting me in danger of crashing or making cars around me crash. On a seperate occasion my brakes failed, causing the car to jerk abruptly in traffic, thankfully I was able to pull over. Some times the car will limit my speed to below 60mph for “safety” reasons. The same set of issues have happened to me at least six different times. Every time I take it into the dealership for repair they always charge me for something new saying they finally fixed it and yet I always keep coming back for the exact same thing. This car is not safe to drive and I’ve taken it to two dealerships with two very Smart teams of people and none of them have been able to figure this out.

See all problems of the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the esc and traction control warning lights remained illuminated. Additionally, while the cruise control was activated and the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact stated that the gear shifter was able to be moved without the brake pedal being depressed. The cause of the failures were not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failures, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control (esc). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 122,000.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

On several occasions in [xxx] and while traveling to [xxx] my vehicle has reported esc codes after starting the vehicle. The ignition light, esc light, parking brake lights come on and do not go off while operating the car until I turn the car off and restart it. When I am at a stop light and try to accelerate on numerous occasions the parking brake release light comes on and it will not release and the car will not accelerate in drive or reverse. It has happened while driving and at stop lights on major highways. Once I shut the car off I have to wait for 10 minutes to reset by restarting it. The whole electric system screen a/c steering lighting has blacked out while I am driving on the interstate and residential streets. I brought it to two dealerships and they state number one they cannot remedy the open camera recall because there is no remedy at this time and number two the esc light is related to a wheel sensor which makes no sense to remedy the parking brake accelerator issue. Can you please help me find a dealership to remedy these serious recall issues and provide me a loaner while they are repaired? I am paying $600 per month for a vehicle with major safety issues. I am attaching the two dealership invoices. God bless, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

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.

The check engine light keeps coming on and off with a warning that the engine power is being reduced. The dealership's service center can't locate the issue. The car's traction warning went off and the car's speed was reduced while driving. This happened twice in the same day. When you shut the car off and turn it back on the warning goes away and the car drives normal. This is very unsafe. Had this happened on the highway there could have been a serious accident.

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving very slowly into a parking space, the brake pedal was pressed to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and suddenly accelerated forward at a very high rate of speed and crashed into a furniture store showroom window. During the incident, the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged, but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000.

This all started when I had my car serviced for an oil change and began to hear some clicking sounds when I would start my vehicle. The fuel sealant is defective, the fuel caps were corroded, leaks oil, and causes the turbo on the engine to lag. I found this out as I was driving and tried to make a turn. When pressing the accelerator the vehicle lagged almost causing me to be involved in an accident on more than one occassion. When conducting on-line research I am not the only owner that has experienced this issue. It would appear that Chevrolet is aware that this is happening in its turbo models. I have an extended warranty that was purchased through the dealership. This issue caused them to replace the fuel sealant, the fuel caps, and the fuel pump. However, 2 weeks later my vehicle is still leaking a significant amount of oil. When I took the vehicle to be serviced, I was told that the sealant is broken again and gaskets have to be replaced. Upon researching this online other owners have experienced the same issues. I did share my online research with the service technicians. Their reactions were dismissive.

See all problems of the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 45 mph, the message “engine power reduced” was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly. The driver pulled over and was informed to turn off the vehicle and restart the vehicle with the assistance of a police officer. The vehicle was restarted but failed to exceed 10 mph while driving. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no coverage for the repair and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that under previous vehicle ownership, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control (esc); however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the rear brake light failed to illuminate as intended; however, when the brake pedal was released, the brake lights would illuminate. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 270,000.

See all problems of the 2010 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Car started shaking in the middle of driving it about 30 mph and all the electrical like door locks were going up and down car wasn’t accelerating and an alert came up for stabilizing wheels I believe. It happened for about a couple seconds and then everything went back to normal and randomly happens while I’m driving. Check engine appeared and went to the mechanic shop I usually go to and found out I had ebcm and ecm modules bad. Do some research on the car and noticed it had a recall back in 2014 for ebcm. The problem has resurfaced.

See all problems of the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

May 7, 2026 national highway traffic safety administration 1200 new jersey avenue se washington, DC 20590 safety defect complaint – brake system / vehicle control concerns 2020 Chevrolet Malibu dear NHTSA, I am submitting a safety complaint regarding persistent braking and vehicle control issues involving my 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. Prior to December 31, 2025, the vehicle exhibited jerking during braking, all dashboard gauges go to the left, warning lights, reduced power (20-25mph), and inconsistent braking behavior. This situation happens without warning, at any given time, even in the flow of traffic. An independent inspection indicated the brake system was in proper condition, suggesting a more complex underlying safety issue. The vehicle was taken to reed-lallier Chevrolet for diagnosis and remained there for approximately five months. During that time, I was not provided documentation confirming completion of a brake system diagnostic or a clear resolution path. Due to the extended delay without diagnosis, I no longer feel safe operating the vehicle. I am also concerned that prolonged inactivity without proper repair may have worsened the condition and increased risk of failure. Given the nature of the symptoms involving braking and vehicle control, I request review for potential safety-related investigation. Vehicle information: 2020 Chevrolet Malibu VIN: mileage:.

See all problems of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

The reduce power to engine keeps happening. It shuts my car down and lights up the traction control light, check engine light and its a serious hazard because I travel highway to and from work and its very dangerous when you loose power to your vehicle at high rates of speed. Also my emissions is bad due to a supposed fixed recall for the catalytic converter.

See all problems of the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

While driving at highway speeds, my vehicle suddenly experienced a loss of engine power and reduced acceleration. The traction control light and engine light illuminated, and a “reduced engine power” message appeared. The vehicle would not respond to the accelerator, creating a serious safety hazard. This occurred shortly after authorized dealer service involving the pcv system and related components. The vehicle did not have this issue prior to dealer service. I returned the vehicle to the dealer, and they stated they could not replicate the issue. The sudden loss of power could have resulted in a serious accident. I believe this may be related to improper dealer service, disturbed electrical connectors, or throttle body/engine management components. I am reporting this as a safety concern. I also would like to mention this safety issue has occurred now multiple times with my car on multiple separate occasions with the last prior occurrence being 12/20/2025.

Vehicle accelerated on its own. Only able to stop by turning off the ignition. It was cold at the time 8-15degrees f.

See all problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Unknown while I'm driving my car will lose power and go into reduced engine power mode and slows me down to a crawl. I've almost been hit in the back many times for to this. The coffee is p2138.

See all problems of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

- 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 .

See all problems of the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu 🔎.

Check engine light comes on and dash says reduced engine power.

Got this car oct 16 2025 and check engine lights on the place in greenbriar dreka passed emmission and the shop explicit auto sold me car for 7500 been having problems with car since owner told me to do what I need to do no refund nothing in writing saying as is this car needs axles ball joint lower arm control and more car not safe for me and my kids this car go get emission passed so when u take title to dmv you can get a tag for a car that not passing emissions also purchase a second car same day oct 16 2025 and this car need oil pump oil sensor brake sensor brake caliber and more and explicit auto wont fix cars the man that sell these cars are on instagram and dolufree and explicit auto is the name of both names if you look you'll see light on in every car he post and sell to people for high price and no results when you bring car back every car sold from them need to be investigated. We need help I have two cases that I cannot drive and I was charged 13,500 for both cars and this is illegal for someone to use someone else access and get these cars and sell them under someone else license the address for business have a old national address but cars being sold at 2263 metropolitan pkwy and I don't know what to do at this point.

While driving the cars speedometer and all gages will stop working, or they will constantly move up and down on their own, it will also not accelerate to speed limit in a timely manner. . When stopping the car it will brake extremely hard on its own and throw me forward it will also give a warning message on the dash that the power steering isn’t working and to drive with caution. When parking the car and it is in park a message on the dash will appear saying shift to park.

Every so often I get an indication of engine power reduced, but every time I go in to get it checked it's off. I have recently just learned through research online that the issue is caused by a certain condition that gives false reading to the electronics. I have contacted gm and gm financial about the recalls on my cars of the same year. I have not been in a wreck but I have had the issue of engine reduced power in the middle of traffic. Cox Chevrolet in bradenton has turn me away about the issue gm financial is giving me the runaround neither one mention anything about a recall instead I get a estimate $400 /$808. 50/1900. 41 all to fix ecm as I told the mechanic I was driving with no problem through the day me and the kids at the park when it was time to leave the car sounded like it just didn't have no gas. We was stuck tell 10:45 we waited two hours for the tow truck. I have onstar and get monthly reports on my car. When the check engine light comes on onstar has no indication that's why I believe it is the same ecm. I was told by Chevrolet maher service manager of st pete to get my car off their lot as I said before I got a estimate of 400 that went up to 800 and all I did was ask why.

The rear knuckles on these cars are constantly going bad and the parts are expensive and so is the labor. So we have to pay a fortune to fix a common issue that gm should be recalling and fixing for the people who buy these vehicles. It's crazy how common this issue is and it's still not recalled. If you hear a clunking/rattling noise coming from the back of your car then it's almost certainly a knuckle problem.

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.

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.

Was driving home on the parkway and the headlights shut off on their own had to call for roadside assistance to get my vehicle home they will work on dim but brights will not work and if I drive for more than an hour and a half they will not work at all the speed sensor keeps going bad after having it replaced multiple times.

See all problems of the 2012 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.

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after driving for 5 miles, the vehicle went into limp mode, with the message "service traction" displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle operated as intended after cooling down; however, the failure recurred after driving 5 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with high resistance in the bcm harness. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control (esc); which was previously performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that the recall repair was a one-time free-of-charge repair. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

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.

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.

A software error in 1. 5l turbo model disable fuel injectors, preventing the engine from starting or causing a sudden stall while driving. It’s been confirmed to be an previously opened recall that was fixed by previous owner. But, is happening again to me. Yet I’m being told it has been closed and cannot be fixed unless I pay out of pocket. There are warning signs that pop up like reduced speed while I am driving etc. Which reduces my speed and is incredibly unsafe.

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.

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.

Year 2019, code p1101- vehicle hesitates while drive, will reduce power while driving, while sitting idle at a stop the car will die and I will have to restart the vehicle. Multiple times while driving on the highway at 70mph my car has all of a sudden either reduced power causing the car to jerk and shudder very hard or has lost all power completely and forced me to pull over while avoiding other drivers on the road. Someone is going to die because of this!!! this needs to be address and recalled ASAP to get it fixed. I am not in a financial spot to just go buy a new car and I shouldn't have too either. I'm scared to even drive 10 miles down the road to take my children to daycare/school because of how bad it is.