What 859 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hev

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was water leaking through the panel housing of the third brake light onto the headliner and the rear seats and trunk of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the third brake light panel housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11460582

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

My problem started with the engine first sending me a code “reduced engine power” and this code would appear one week and gone the next. I have taken it to mechanics and had parts replaced and temporary fixes. After getting it back from the mechanic and them telling me that the cylinder one isn’t holding the correct pressure and the exhaust value is burnt due to the consistent auto engine shutoff. The day I got it back on the road the engine went full shutdown at a stop light and would not turn on immediately. I was lucky enough to get it running long enough to crawl into a gas station and get a tow truck to come pick it up and tow it back to the mechanic shop and that’s where it’s been sitting there till I find a new engine to replace it.

NHTSA ODI 11457568

Purchased vehicle from Car Key Autoplex at 13546 Method St, Dallas TX 75243 (214) 210-9998 in March 2020. Vehicle was involved in previous wreck and owner purchased this vehicle and made repairs. Repairs were verified cause the air bag light stopped coming on. In December 2021 vehicle was involved in a wreck. Auto body shop looked into replacing seat belts. Noticed that seat belts had deployed, one of the seat belts was the wrong one for the vehicle as well as an incorrectly installed bolt for the SRS. Had to replace both seat belts and pretensioners and airbag control module installed ($2,250). Then the auto body shop noticed that pigtails were missing and spliced together. Had this fixed at a dealership for $1,800 along with programming of the airbag control module to the vehicle. Owner of Car Key Autoplex said that vehicle was repaired 100% when it wasn’t. He committed fraud and sold us a vehicle that was unsafe for the road and cost me over $4,000 to fix all of this.

NHTSA ODI 11455794

Seem to be a common problem... Backup camera stops working. Creates a safety problem at Busy shopping centers. GM will not cover the repair.

NHTSA ODI 11455945

Driving on highway at speed of 70mph during rush hour very very busy when my car shows a warning engine power reduced and slows all the way down to 20mph lucky I was able to get over the 3 lanes of traffic without causing an accident but this is very unsafe I looked to see if there was a recall on the vehicle but there’s not so I had a mechanic look at the car and they said nothing is wrong with it ??? Well today on my way home it did it again!! I’m sorry but how is nothing wrong with it if my car is slowing to a dangerous speed this issue could cost someone their life

NHTSA ODI 11455738

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, she depressed the brake pedal however, the brake failed to engage as needed. The contact stated that additional force was needed to stop the vehicle. While stopped, the vehicle inadvertently started rolling backward. The contact stopped the vehicle and then turned off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking and the brake pedal was soft. The brake pedal had to be depressed to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11454989

When driving the car it will cut off on it's own, shutting down after the reduce engine power light comes on and it fails to re-start. It happens when you are decreasing speed befor e the auto stop can be engage and come to a complete stop. There are approximately 62,000 miles on the vehicle. This caused a safety issue because it just came to a dead stop in the middle of the street. No warning what so ever. No notice to be able to move to side of the road. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. The reduced engine power light comes on when starting up the car however no other symptoms were present prior to this incident happening. There was no warning messages or any symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. This happened March 1, 2022. I contacted Bosak Chevrolet in Hammond, Indiana this morning and they advised it is a known problem however no formal recall has been issued for this serious problem.

NHTSA ODI 11454860

While driving several times I had the problem where the car out of nowhere slows down and the message comes on engine reduce power, I have been on the highway with my family and out had to pull over turn my car on and off several times for it to come off and be able to drive my care pass 20 miles per hr. This is very dangerous because it happens suddenly and cars are going by fast I almost got into an accident and was rear-ended on the highway. There needs to be a recall on his engine this is ridiculous that GMC/Chevrolet keeps getting away with this until someone is seriously injured or killed because of this failure!

NHTSA ODI 11454304

2nd time, check engine light came on, low tire warning, loss of power down to 30 mph while driving. Turned car off and started working again. First time it happened when I took to garage nothing showed up in code reader.

NHTSA ODI 11453983

Engine power reduced showed up on dashboard out of no where in the middle of driving , I get no gas , car slowed all the way down in the middle of a busy road.

NHTSA ODI 11453056

I was traveling home on JTB near Hodges coming from Jax Beach way at about 4:45-4:50pm today. In the far left lane. when I saw a vehicle in front of me swerve and then I saw a roll of carpet but it was to late for me to move over so I ran over it and it damaged my front end

NHTSA ODI 11452873

Driving along and Reduced Engine Power warning message came on said can not go above 20 mph but yet car still could be accelerated above 20mph. Pulled over when could. Stopped car and turned it off and on. message gone but engine warning light still on. OBD2 stated P2122 error. Upon reviewing internet there are class action lawsuits going on because can create a very dangerous scenario if car suddenly stops in the middle of the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11452334

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the driver’s side seat belt was inoperable. The contact attempted several times but the seat belt had seized in place and was not retractable. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the seat belt retractor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11451555

Was driving home from a job interview about two hours away from home, traveling at 55 mph when the vehicle reduced speed rapidly to ~ 15 mph and on the dash a warning message appeared stating that I had reduced engine power. The situation was incredibly dangerous as there was snow piled on the shoulder, leaving me with no safe way to quickly get out of the way of fast-moving traffic. Once out of the way and after restarting the car and seeing no warning lamps, messages, or anything indicating there were ongoing issues, I turned my hazards off, my turn signal on and made my way back onto the roadway when there was enough distance between myself and the next oncoming car. Upon re-entering the roadway and reaching 24 mph, the car display the same message and reduced speed to max of 12 mph and I was nearly rear-ended by the driver I entered the roadway in front of (with more than ample time and distance to safely reach the speed limit). After several more attempts, I placed hazards on and continued on side of roadway as far as possible. Drove to an AutoZone where they were able to scan my car and informed me that the code I received (have printed doc of code being thrown with date of incident from AutoZone) was very common in the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu's and he recommended that I see if I can return the car to the dealership (had just purchased less than 60 days prior with 78,000 miles on it).

NHTSA ODI 11450982

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