What 810 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

My 2016 Chevrolet malibu is displaying a "shift to park" message for the second time. We had the Automatic Transmission Control (GM part# 84347430) replaced two separate times already costing us over $1600 in repairs. Also had to replace 2 batteries within the past 3 years which cost over $300. First replaced in March of 2020 and now again in Feb 2023. Current lawsuits for this problem are on-going. No loaner cars were given for these repairs resulting in inconvenience of over 2 months. Manufacturers and dealers are aware this problem exists yet they do nothing. As far as danger it causes is you can't turn off your car, also will lead to battery drain which will leave you stranded in the middle of no where and late for work. Please issue a recall for this problem GM.

NHTSA ODI 11507614

Shift into park alert on the dash. I have to restart the vehicle to get it to let me leave the car. It tells me to shift into park even tho I already am.

NHTSA ODI 11504577

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that an electrical failure and power train failure was present. No additional information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.

NHTSA ODI 11497431

I was parked idling in a parking lot for about five minutes. I went to leave pulled out of the parking lot, hit my brakes at the light and it sounded like my whole front end was going to fall off the brakes had no pressure and it sounded like it was metal on metal, I had to get home so I thought I could take the long road home that has barely any lights on it. By the time I got down the road they were back to normal and now it’s done it twice again. I also have some electrical stuff happening where my radial to shut off or not work at all. Also had a couple pistons that had to be replaced earlier and they tried to get me for failure to maintenance but I took my car in faithfully every time I needed oil and I also took it in early because I was using fully synthetic had another 2000 miles to go for me to not have any oil in my car was ridiculous. They ended up only charging me for the seals, but in the beginning it was like 3900.

NHTSA ODI 11496007

Numerous times my vehicle has not allowed me to shut it off, start it, or move the vehicle because it says that the vehicle is not in park when it very clearly is. I googled the issue and found that numerous other owners have had this issue, and the tech advisor at the dealer confirmed numerous people have had this issue as well. The issue was a faulty switch in the transmission control. 2 different major safety concerns resulted because of this. First, I was unable to start my car in a very bad neighborhood for over a half hour because it kept saying shift to park to start vehicle. Second, I could not shut the car off while parked in the garage because it said shift to park to shut off the vehicle. Both times I was fully in park. This problem is widespread as a simple google search will confirm, however, GM continues to deny it is a problem.

NHTSA ODI 11491573

My vehicle accumulates moisture and has done so for the past three years or more. As a result there was mildew in the vehicle which was covered under the manufactures warranty and the vehicle was cleaned. Now fast forward a few years there’s a problem with the electrical system as a result of the moisture accumulating in the vehicle. I believe there is a manufacture defect with the Chevrolet model that is causing moisture to accumulate in the vehicle does causing electrical issues with the car

NHTSA ODI 11491629

Reduced engine power alert. Ongoing issue since 2019

NHTSA ODI 11490415

I have had several issues with my 2016 Malibu. 1st: Putting my vehicle in park sometimes it does not register that it is in park. I have to turn the car on again and try moving the shifter until it registers. 2nd: when accelerating at times i get a stabilitrak error and a check engine light that causes a loss of power. This can happen in the middle of the highway which will cause an inevitable accident. 3rd: saving the best for last. Thw vehicle has recently lost power while driving and won't allow acceleration. Once i stop the vehicle stalls out completely and won't register the gears so i can't out it into park or anything. I was stuck at an intersection and couldn't move. It wouldn't turn fully off because it didn't register it was in park. And it won't turn on or start because it isn't on or off. I maintain my vehicles and correct all fixes recommended. Brought it in to have the issue looked at and was told that there were A LOT of error codes. They cleared them. But this has gotten ridiculous. GM needs to figure their stuff out..

NHTSA ODI 11487941

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle to park(P), the "Shift to Park" message was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that even after the vehicle had been turned off, the warning light, radio, and audible chime was activated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA ID Number: 10198852; Manufacturer Communication Number: 19NA206 (Power Train). The failure mileage was 29,340.

NHTSA ODI 11487693

It is currently an intermittent problem on my 2016 Chevy Malibu with 27,880 miles on it. Once shifting the vehicle into park, the gear selector is indicating the vehicle is in park, but the dash board reads "shift to park" and does not allow you to turn off vehicle, it remains in accessory mode. You do not know if the vehicle is really in park because the dash board warning reads "shift to park". If you try several times to put it in park or jiggle the gear selector, the warning will go out and then you can shut down engine. This is unsafe as you don't know when this happens if your vehicle is really in the "park" mode. If you vehicle is not, it could roll or injure someone standing near the vehicle or it's operator or passengers entering or exiting (if it should move unintendedly). I was informed that this is a known issue This defect should be deemed to have "special coverage" and not be an out of pocket repair and a recall campaign should be initiated as it is a safety related concern.

NHTSA ODI 11487225

I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I to tried to restart and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said Engine Power is Reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed. Lights and radio were still working.

NHTSA ODI 11482712

When shifting into park a dash message appears saying shift to park. The gearshift is in the park position but the message still appears and some electrical devices remain on and you cannot lock the doors.

NHTSA ODI 11481616

Car will not completely power down, radio and headlights stay on draining batter due to an error stating “shift to park”. Car shows that it is in park. Moving gear shift through gears and turning on and off does not reset. Only way to get car to turn off is to disconnect battery.

NHTSA ODI 11476877

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the gear selector indicator started fluctuating between park(P) and reverse(R). The vehicle started to jerk and hesitate while driving. The contact was able to stop and turn the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the residence. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475639

The dash will say my car is in park, by listing 'P' by the odometer and the shifter is lighted 'P', but my car doesn't want me to turn it off. It tells me to 'Shift to Park'. I purchased this car from a dealership about 10 days ago, and it only has 17,000 miles on it

NHTSA ODI 11475460

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated upon shifting the gear shifter into park(P), the message Shift into Park was displayed though the gear shifter was already in park(P). The contact stated that he restarted the vehicle and continuously shifted into park(P) until the vehicle registered that the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test as the VIN was not included in a recall associated to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473855

I was driving on the freeway at about 65mph, and the car shut down on me. It was extremely dangerous to get over on the freeway with no power. 2 warning lights came on. The Stabilatrak, & the check engine light. I pulled over & called for help. I had the car taken to the service department at the dealership. They contacted me & informed me that a piston was cracked, & the ECM had to have a software update. They are charging me $5,389 to repair it. The car only has 8,000 miles on it. There are recalls for this exact problem, but do not apply to my specific VIN#. My car is a 2016, so I am out of warranty, but this should not happen with a vehicle with this low of mileage.

NHTSA ODI 11473764

When I was driving to work, a light appeared on my dashboard stating that my "Engine Power Reduced". When I was in the left lane passing a vehicle, my car slowed down to 40pmh instead of accelerating when I had pressed the gas pedal. The car behind me almost re ended me in the process. This has happened now on a couple of occasions afterwards.

NHTSA ODI 11473369

Car began to lose power while driving down the road, then began sputtering gas and creating black smoke. Engine pistons appear to be shot. Car has a little over 100k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11470910

When I turn my ignition button off, the dashboard on my vehicle will have the letter P showing that it is in Park, but will have a message pop up on the dash that says "Put in Park". I have to wiggle my transmission lever around while it is in park until it finally clears the message.

NHTSA ODI 11469634

My vehicle is stuck on “shift to park message” and can’t turn vehicle off. The vehicle has been displaying this message even thought the car is already on park.

NHTSA ODI 11461724

I can be driving and "drive assistance system" and "engine reduced power" comes up and then the car starts to slow down even on the highway and that is ridicoulous.

NHTSA ODI 11458590

I was driving to the clinic I go to everyday in the mornings I was in the freeway going about 70mph when suddenly I get a msg saying “engine power reduced” also engine light came on and the car starts slowing down and it’s not letting me go more than 20mph on the FREEWAY! I could have caused an accident, (this is very unsafe specially since my 2 and 4 year old were in the car with me) I got off on the next exit and pulled in to a gas station and turned the car off and waited about 10 mins I turned the car back on and the msg was gone but the engine light was still on about a minute or 2 later the msg comes back on so I have to pull over again, it did it about 5x before I can make it to my destination not to mention the way back home I had to stop about 3x more. This is very unsafe and something has to be done as it is not only my car with this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11458678

May car loses power when acceleration I don't why but there is something going on

NHTSA ODI 11458124

I was driving my car home from work and all of a sudden my car starting showing in the dash engine power reduced. My car literally couldn't go anywhere. So I pulled over and shut the car off for a minute started it back up and it was running great and then I happen again a few minutes later. So I took it to the dealership were i purchsed it and they replaced the gas pedal they said a sensor was bad and that was causing the problem.So picked up the car a couple days later and it happen again about two weeks later...

NHTSA ODI 11458179