What 810 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

Engine power reduced, reduced power to the vehicle regardless of speed.

NHTSA ODI 11451021

Three times now I have had the warning “engine reduced power” pop up on my panel all times that I drive to my military base for work. Thankfully I haven’t been involved in an accident yet, my highway speed has went from 60mph to 35-40mph due to this issue. I was told I needed to purchase another pedal because of it not responding to the engine but after a second opinion I was told there was something wrong with the computer itself. That there’s faulty wiring which I don’t have the funds to cover because how much it would have cost. I also don’t have the funds to drop on another vehicle so at this point I’m driving a human boobie trap not only for myself but for other drivers around me. I pray no harm is done to anyone else who also owns this vehicle and having the same issues.

NHTSA ODI 11451029

Warning message appeared after incident happened It read "Engine power is reduced". I was driving on the highway at 70 mph and the power in my car was reduced to almost nothing. I could not accelerate. The cars around me barely missed hitting me. I could have gotten hit and hurt or possibly killed along with the cars around me. It was extremely scary. I pulled over and took out my owner's manual and looked up the error message . It said you may drive the car however speed and acceleration would be reduced. I got off the highway and since I was close to home I drove the car at the reduced speed (as far to the edge of the road as I could get) to my home (2/5/22) I called my dealership to tell them what happened and they told me not to drive it and that if my insurance or roadside assistance would not cover the tow they would come and pick it up for me. My car was towed to my dealership and when I spoke to them and told them what happened, they didn't sound like it was a big deal. I asked if there was a recall on what happened to my car and they said no. They advised they would diagnose it first thing Monday morning (2/7) and would probably repair it the same day. I never received a call back that day and I tried to reach out three times and was not able to speak to anyone about it. In the meantime I had to pay for an Uber to get me to a location to pick up a rental car which I also had to pay for on my own. I feel that this was a very dangerous thing that happened to me while driving my car and just thinking of what could have happened is very upsetting. What happened is a big deal to me. My car is in the shop now and honestly I am upset and I'm not sure if I will feel safe when or if it is repaired. I also am concerned about the cost. On top of what I have already spent, I was advised that I would have to pay for the diagnosis and the repair since my car is out of warranty. I am not a mechanic by any means but it sounds like a manufacturer's defect to me.

NHTSA ODI 11450875

Issue 1: The rear backup camera is not viewable as the Infotainment Touch Screen will not power on. The soft-reset procedure did not work. I am unsure I can avoid hitting an individual while backing up. Issue 2: The steering wheel is very hard to turn. I am unsure if I could avoid a collision with a car or person.

NHTSA ODI 11449520

Water seeps into the third break light n could cause being shocked . and wets the headliner which causes mold in the cabin of vehicle . water also seeps into spare tire

NHTSA ODI 11449322

I was Leaving Dayton, OH headed back home to Columbus and while driving down then Highway doing 75 mph…A message popped up on my dash saying “Engine Power Reduced”….car speed immediately dropped down to 30 and I had to hurry up and pull over before I was rear ended by the SUV behind me…I turned the car off and back on but the same message popped back up on the screen so I had to have the car towed back to Dayton. I drove the car to the Autozone around the corner (car drove like [XXX]!) they put it on a diagnostic and the code P2138 popped up…code has Something to do with the Throttle Pedal Position Sensor!!??…I'm currently waiting for my appointment at the Chevy Dealership to see about getting it fixed…Apparently this is a common issue amongst a plethora of GM vehicles and the fact that Chevy hasn’t done a recall on this issue is a [XXX] Joke!!! You all are going to get someone KILLED!! hell I could’ve lost my life had I not been such a reactive driver and in the speeding lane which allowed me to immediately pull over!! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11448215

2016 Malibu with 188K miles has shift to park error message when vehicle is in park. This car had the exact same issue at 90K miles and the entire gear shift had to be replaced. The car was under the extended warranty at the time and repairs were made. You have to restart the car and shift from park and back to park MULTIPLE TIMES until you don't get the error. You can't shut the engine totally off with this error. It happens 90% of the time and it typically takes 10-15 minutes to get the car in park so you can shut the car off. This failure shouldn't happen this often. This isn't the only issue that I'm having with the car at this time, I have submitted a complaint for that as well.

NHTSA ODI 11447929

I was driving to work this morning at 50 miles per hr then suddenly my car reduced the speed and the motor light turns on it showed me reduced engine power sign and the motor light turns on

NHTSA ODI 11447719

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the shift to park warning message would illuminate on the instrument panel while attempting to park and shut off her vehicle. The contact would be forced to repeatedly move the gear shifter back and forth from the park (P) position until the system recognized the gear shifter in the park (P) position. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V502000 (Electrical System, Power Train). In addition, the contact mentioned that water had been entering the vehicle and leaking out of the middle taillight. Due to the failure, the middle taillight had become fogged and mildew had accumulated inside the trunk. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11446444

Yesterday I was driving down the freeway at 70 mph when the car slowed down to 30 miles a hour and the message engine power is reduced comes on. Had to exit the freeway and turn off the car. Then it was fine.

NHTSA ODI 11446549

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the RPM decreased by approximately 4,000 revs per minute. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder and cruised until the vehicle began to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the battery replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.

NHTSA ODI 11445626

I was driving down the Freeway at 65 mph. The roads were wet and slick from snow and in heavy traffic. I got a check engine light and immediately a Engine Power Reduced light. I suddenly lost power and another vehicle behind me almost hit me. I was able to get to the side of the road and shut it off. After a few minutes, I started it back up and the light was still on. I needed to get off the freeway and find a way to work so I put on the emergency flashers and drove to the next exit. The light remained on but I had full power. I am trying to get an appointment to have it looked at.

NHTSA ODI 11445078

I was driving on a highway approx 60 miles an hour when a message came in my dashboard stating reduction in engine power, the vehicle abruptly slowed to 20 mph without any warning and I was barely able to pull my vehicle off to the side of the road without being rear ended by the vehicle behind me on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11444572

Engine power reduced light came on as I was driving 55 mph on the freeway and my vehicle immediately slowed down to under 20 mph putting me and my wife lives in danger by almost having several vehicles crash into us. This has not just happened to me but different people I’ve asked with Chevy Malibus. This problem needs to be fixed by General Motors at NO COST to the consumers. I can’t believe there’s no recall on this issue. Shame on them.

NHTSA ODI 11443652

Loss of engine power; vehicle not shifting/idling; shift to park issue

NHTSA ODI 11442589

I have been getting many of notifications from my car stating that the engine power has been reduced and i am unable to accelerate past 40 max. I travel quite often and drive to work 7/7 days a week and the roads i take are heavily traveled so because of this i’ve almost gotten into many many accidents due to the accelerator failure.

NHTSA ODI 11442189

I was driving on a highway, when a message appeared on my control panel stating the engine power was reduced, my engine light turned on, and my car slowed significantly (top speed achievable at about 20 mph). With my hazard lights on, I managed to safely exit the highway and find a parking lot to park in while checking my driver’s manual. The manual mentioned that if the warning light persisted, the car should be checked by a mechanic. As this made it seem that there were instances where the warning message did go away, and thus the problem may also resolve, I turned off my car and turned it back on. The engine light on my control panel persisted but the engine power message was no longer present. Before reentering the highway, I attempted to reach speeds above 20 mph and was successful in doing so. As such, I cautiously finished my journey to work. As I felt it was unsafe to use my car before it was checked by a mechanic, I had my car towed to a mechanic’s shop where I was informed: “Found DTC P2138 accelerator pedal plausibility. Inspected the IP to body harness connector for water intrusion or corrosion and found none at this time. Suggest replacing the accelerator pedal assembly and recheck for proper operation.”

NHTSA ODI 11441591

"Engine power reduced" notification while driving on the highway causing rapid reaction to pull to the shoulder of the highway. This happened 3 time this morning on my way to work.

NHTSA ODI 11440981

Unknown ,vehicle cut off in the middle of busy road with warning sign popping up after car cut off stating service stabilitrak and steering assist reducing power with steering wheel locking.Me and my child 10 year old could’ve lost our lives today.Then there was no engine light coming on until car couldn’t come back on.Roadside Assitance gave a hot shot car still didn’t come on car won’t start back up just keep ticking in all lights inside and radio works fine the heat came out cold.Also when car goes into auto stop car will just cut off in won’t start back up you can only drive in L6.I only had the car for 2years

NHTSA ODI 11440358

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the electronics turned off inadvertently and the steering wheel became difficult to move. The contact stated that the check battery charging warning light was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the battery and alternator replaced. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11439783

Engine needed rebuilt due to a defect, in this process vehichle computer was reset, after the reset the radio began acting oddly randomly changing inputs and radio stations and occasionally not turning on. culminating in all internal audio going out including turn signal noise and internal alarms like seat belt, and key left in vehicle, with a black touch screen. This problem is fixed by resetting the car (unplugging battery and plugging it back in)the problem is described in a recall on other similar models of this car.

NHTSA ODI 11438048

The morning I started my trip. My back up camera stayed on. I stopped turned the car off and back on. It was still on. Turned it off again. This time the camera went off. I was going up the cajon pass. No warning light or anything. Was coming up to my exit. Tried to slow down to exit. Couldn't press my brakes. They were rock hard to press. Took my foot off gas. Slowed down enough to get to the shoulder of the road. Once I was able to stop. My brakes were hard to press they made a clunk noise. I noticed the check engine light was on. I could of been killed had someone been in front of me and stopped. Or I could of killed someone. This is not the first time these brakes have done this. They did it earlier this year I wasn't able to press my brakes as and when I was it made the same noise. I had it towed to dealer to be fixed. They said they fixed it. This could of killed me or someone else as I was traveling on the freeway at faster speeds than the streets

NHTSA ODI 11435572

Shift to park warning on DIC. Can't shut car down.

NHTSA ODI 11435382

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, electrical system, power steering, and battery warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle proceeded to decelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The battery saver warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the radio and an electrical failure. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V084000 (Electrical System) or 16V502000 (Electrical System, Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 49,000.

NHTSA ODI 11435131

After driving, the car will not shift into park. The battery is still on. Jiggling the shifter knob, turning the car off and back on, and shifting from another gear to park does not resolve this issue. The battery stays on. I have 20,000 miles on a 2016 model.

NHTSA ODI 11435117