What 687 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING AND STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, WHEN I LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE CAR SHUTS OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES, THREE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK. I CAN START TO AGAIN, ALSO LOOSE ALL VOLUME TO TURN SIGNALS AND RADIO. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11327094

I AM A 70 YEAR OLD TEACHER THAT PURCHASED A 2017 CHEVY IMPALA ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, AND LAST YEAR I BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE CAR MALFUNCTIONING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATING. I TOOK THE CAR TO CHEVROLET OF TURNERSVILLE, THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT, BUT THEN THIS PROBLEM RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A MONTH, AND EACH TIME I TOOK IT BACK TO THEM THEY "DIAGNOSED" SOMETHING DIFFERENT. LATER, COME TO FIND OUT, THIS CAR WAS RECALLED FOR "PRE IGNITION ISSUES", SO THEY ISSUED ME A REFUND FOR THE COST OF THOSE "REPAIRS". LAST WEEK, THE SAME EXACT ISSUED RECURRED, SO I TOOK IT BACK TO CHEVY, FOR THEM TO SAY IT WAS MY BATTERY. $400 LATER, I GOT THE CAR BACK, AND WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS, THE SAME SYMPTOMS OCCURRED SO I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THEM NOW TO SAY THAT MY PISTON HEAD IN ENGINE WAS CRACKED, SO NOW THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WHICH WOULD BE AROUND $8000. I SPOKE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER AND THE BEST HE COULD DO WAS TO TELL ME HE WOULD "TRY" TO WORK UP SOME NUMBERS TO GET ME INTO ANOTHER CAR. I PLAN TO RETIRE NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS WHY I PURCHASED SOMETHING REASONABLY PRICED AND PRESUMABLY "RELIABLE", SO I WILL SOON BE ON A FIXED INCOME AND CAN'T AFFORD THAT TYPE OF FIX, NOR ANOTHER CAR WITH THE BALANCE OF THIS FAULTY CAR TACKED ON TO THE BALANCE. WITH RESEARCH, I FOUND OUT THAT THE PRE IGNITION ISSUE RESULTS IN THE CRACKING OF THE PISTON HEAD, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PRE IGNITION ISSUE WAS NEVER CORRECTED PROPERLY. ESPECIALLY SINCE BASED ON 17019 SPI NHTSA, THE FIX DIFFERED FROM WHAT THIS DEALERSHIP DID AND UNDER THIS PLAN THE FIX WAS BEING SERVICED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. SINCE THIS ISSUE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, I'VE BEEN ON HIGHWAYS, SIDE STREETS, AND STATIONARY AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS WHICH HAVE ALL POSED SAFETY RISKS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11325191

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON'REDUCED ENGINE SPEED' AND THE CAR SLOWED WAY DOWN TO 30MPH IN SECONDS, I WAS ALMOST HIT BY THE CAR BEHIND ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11324036

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY GOING AROUND 70 MPH AND MY CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER AND DECELERATED. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT IT HAS DONE THIS BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME DRIVING AT THAT HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE OTHER TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS WHEN I WAS GOING MORE THAN MAYBE 40 MPH. EACH TIME IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN WAIT A FEW SECONDS AND START IT AGAIN, THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER DISPLAY IS GONE AND I DONT HAVE ANYMORE IMMEDIATE ISSUES WITH IT, SOMETIMES FOR DAYS OR WEEKS AT A TIME. I HAVE NOTICED ONLINE THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THEIR 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU.

NHTSA ODI 11323224

WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE HAVING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT DISPLAYS A MESSAGE SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK'. IT WILL NOT LET YOU TURN OFF THE CAR. I HAVE TO PUSH THE BUTTON TO 'RESTART THE ENGINE' THEN SLAM IT INTO PARK. IT TYPICALLY TAKES 3 REPEATS OF THIS BEFORE THE CAR FINALLY ALLOWS ME TO SHUT IT OFF. IT'S FRUSTRATING, TIME CONSUMING AND NOISY AS IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE MESSAGE AND GO TO OPEN THE DOOR, IT BEEPS NOISILY NOTIFYING YOU THAT THE CAR IS NOT OFF. APPARENTLY QUITE A FEW DRIVERS HAVE THIS ISSUE, AS I HAVE READ THE COMPLAINTS LISTED. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME AT REPAIR COSTS OF OVER $700 TO FIX THIS. THIS SEEMS UNFAIR SINCE CLEARLY IT IS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11321243

LATELY WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION MY VEHICLE AUTO STOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO GO THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND SHUT THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF UNTIL IT RESTARTS. ONE OF THE WARNINGS READ STABIL AND ANOTHER READS POWER SHUT OFF AS WELL AS BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG SO THEY RESET THE SYSTEM HOWEVER, THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE REMAINS. THIS STARTED THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND HAS CONTINUED.

NHTSA ODI 11319950

WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR BEGAN BEEPING AND DISPLAYED 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN. THE TRACTION LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. THE CARS SPEED WAS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR TWICE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE DRIVE IT HOME. THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING SITUATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. UPON GOOGLING THIS ISSUE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL! IF MY REACTION TIME WASN'T A FAST AS IT WAS TODAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, OR WORSE. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS.

NHTSA ODI 11318797

WELL I'M DRIVING IN THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR STAR LOSSING POWER I ALMOST CRASH THEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURN ON AND IT'S SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE STABILITY SOMENTIHIN LIKE THAT AND THAT I HAVE TO BE BECARFULL DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11317262

IN AUGUST OF 2019 MY CAR WOULDN'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK. I HAD TO HAVE MY CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AT NIGHT WHERE IT WAS THERE FOR A WEEK THIS VISIT WAS FOR THE GEAR SHIFT TO BE REPLACED. OCTOBER 2019 MY CAR START STOP FEATURE MADE MY CAR SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH HOUR MORNING TRAFFIC THIS TRIP WAS SAID TO BE THE CHARGING SYSTEM AND THE BATTERY. IN JANUARY 2020 I STARTED TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE CAR JUST STOPPING THIS TIME IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL MODULE I ALSO HAD THE OIL CHANGED AND A ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND I PICKED UP MY CAR AND 10 DAYS LATER MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO BACK TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP 2 DAYS THEY SAY WE FIXED IT. 48 HOURS LATER THE ENGINE LIGHT IS BACK ON. I WAS TOLD THAT WE JUST CLEARED THE ENGINE LIGHT IN HOPE'S THAT WOULD JUST FIX THE PROBLEM SO NOW 2 AND HALF WEEKS LATER THEY STILL HAVE MY CAR. THEY HAVE NO CLUE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING.

NHTSA ODI 11316211

I WAS ON A HIGHWAY IN WARREN OH DRIVING TO WORK TRAVELING AT 65 MPH IN THE LEFT LANE. A MESSAGE APPEARED AND SAID LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AND THE AT WENT FROM 65 TO 20 IN 1 SECOND. THERE WERE VEHICLES BEHIND ME AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED AND WHEN I TRIED TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD I WAS ALMOST SMASHED BY A SEMI. AS WELL AS THAT MESSAGE IT THEN STATED STEERING ASSIST INACTIVE SO IT WAS THEN HARD TO TURN MY WHEEL AS IF THERE WASN'T ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM. THANK GOD I AM OK BUT SOMEONE ELSE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS THAT I SEE ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS ISSUE. HOW IS THERE NOT A RECALL. GM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE REPAIRS. I JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN NOV 2019.

NHTSA ODI 11316294

ON TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020, I WAS TRAVELING ON THEY HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY MY CAR REDUCED SPEED. AND THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE LIGHT CAME ON. THIS WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 5:30 PM DURING RUSH HOUR ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO ALERT PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING AND A VEHICLE BEHIND ME HAD TO QUICKLY GO AROUND ME. I COULD NOT GO OVER 20 MPH. ONCE I GOT BACK ON THE HIGHWAY AND THEN I HAD TO PAY TO HAVE MY VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI 11316115

REDUCED ENGINE POWER FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS MAKING A U TURN AT SLOW SPEEDS WHEN MY DASH DISPLAYED ' REDUCED ENGINE POWER' CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AS WELL AS TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT . I PULLED OVER TURNED MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON A FEW MINS LATER LATER LIGHTS WENT AWAY AND CAR DROVE FINE . ( NOVEMBER 2019 ) SECOND TIME WAS MID FEBRUARY 2020 I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH WHEN SAME THING HAPPENED . DASH LIGHTS CAME ON REDUCED ENGINE POWER CAME BACK ON AND CAR SLOWED DOWN TO LESS THE 20 MPH WITHIN SECONDS . ONCE AGAIN I HAD TO PULL OVER TURNED MY CAR ON/OFF ABOUT 3 TIMES IN 20 MINS FOR LIGHT TO GO AWAY AND CAR DRIVE NORMAL AGAIN . THIRD TIME TODAY 2/27/20 AT MAYBE 10 MPH MY DASH LIT UP ONCE AGAIN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT GO AWAY THIS TIME . BUT CAR DROVE FINE AFTERWORDS LUCKILY IT HASN'T HAPPENED ON HIGHWAY SPEEDS OR WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR . ALL THIS IN THE LAST 3 MONTHS I BOUGHT MY CAR WITH 20 MILES JUNE 1ST 2017 AND CURRENTLY HAS 38K MILES . THIS DEFINITELY HAS TO BE FIXED BEFORE IT CAUSES SERIOUS ACCIDENTS !

NHTSA ODI 11311775

REDUCED ENGINE POWER STARTED POPPING UP ON THE DASHBOARD AND FORCEFULLY REDUCES SPEED TO 20MPH. HUNDREDS OF CHEVY OWNERS ARE REPORTING THIS ABNORMALITIES RECENTLY AND CHEVROLET IS CONCEALING THIS MANUFACTURE DEFECT.

NHTSA ODI 11310722

MY CHEVY MALIBU CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 20K MILES ON IT IN ADDITION TO THAT IT IS UP TO DATE ON OIL CHANGES ETC. ABOUT 20 MINS AGO WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE MESSAGES ME SAYING "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLES POWER WAS REDUCED. THANKFULLY I WASNT DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY OR ANYTHING BUT THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND ALARMING TO ME. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS FOR MY PARTICULAR MODEL AND FIND THAT VERY IRRESPONSIBLE OF GM TO NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY ON THIS ISSUE AND FIX IT. I ASK THAT YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET HURT. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI 11309714

MY CHEVY MALIBU HAS STOPPED SEVERAL TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY MORE OFTEN DURNING TRAFFIC TIME IT ALWAYS STOPS WHEN IT ENTERS AUTO STOP THEN IT CUTS ALL THE WAY OFF AND I HAVE TO RESTART IT I CALLED IN ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR . ALSO IT MAKES IT REALLY TOUGH TO PUSH MY BREAKS WHEN I START THE CAR UP IT DOES MAKE THE SOUND LIKE IT WANTS TO START THEN IT DIES OUT

NHTSA ODI 11308588

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, A WARNING WILL RANDOMLY APPEAR SAYING 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' AND WILL REDUCE SPEED TO ABOUT 20MPH AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE ANY FASTER.

NHTSA ODI 11308348

WHEN DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY TO DROP OFF KID AT SCHOOL, THE CAR SOMETIMES SLOWS DOWN ON ITS OWN AND A MESSAGE COMES ON STATING ENGINE POWER REDUCED. AT 6:30 AM IN THE MORNING WHEN IT'S STILL DARK, THIS IS GOING TO CAUSE A CAR CRASH SOONER OR LATER. BUT DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11307774

I BOUGHT MY 2017 MALIBU IN JULY OF 2019 FROM A CHEVY DEALERSHIP. SINCE I'VE BOUGHT IT MY CAR HAS RAPIDLY SLOWED DOWN WITH NOW WARNING AND MY DASHBOARD READING ENGINE POWER REDUCED. IT'S HAPPENED 5 TIMES SINCE I GOT THE CAR ONE BEING I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALMOST GOT HIT BY A SEMI ON MY WAY TO WORK IN MORNING TRAFFIC. I LOOKED UP THIS ISSUE TO SEE WHAT COULD BE CAUSING IT AND TURNS OUT OTHER 2016-2018 MALIBU'S HAVE THE SAME ISSUES. I TOOK IT TO AUTOZONE FOR A DIAGNOSIS AND IT'S THE THROTTLE PEDAL POSITION BEING FARTHER APART THAN ALLOWED. THE DEALERSHIP IS CHARGING ME $200 TO FIX THE ISSUE AND I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 6 MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI 11301315

THE CAR WILL NOT START SOMETIMES. YESTERDAY THE LIGHTS AND RADIO CAME ON RANDOMLY WHILE SITTING IN THE GARAGE WITH THE FOB IN THE HOUSE. RANDOMLY SHUTS DOWN WHILE DRIVING. THE LAST TIME IT WAS HALF WAY THROUGH AN BUSY INTERSECTION. HAD TO PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI 11301109

I WAS TRAVELING IN MY VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING AT LEAST 65 TO 75 MPH AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY VEHICLE BEATS TWO OR THREE TIMES AND ACROSS THE SCREEN CAME THE WORDS 'REDUCE ENGINE SPEED'. AT THAT MOMENT I WAS TRAVELING IN THE MIDDLE LANE AND I HAD TO SAFELY GET OVER TO THE FAR RIGHT MEDIAN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC SAFELY TURN OFF AND WAIT AT LEAST 10 MINUTES TO START IT BACK UP. WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE BACK UP AGAIN I STILL RECEIVED THE SAME MESSAGE. I THEN WAITED EVEN LONGER AND EVERYTHING WAS OK BUT EVENTUALLY THE SAME ISSUE CONTINUED TO HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO GET CODED AND THE CODES THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME WERE 2122, 2123, 2101. IT'S UNSAFE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN ESPECIALLY I HAVE A CHILD THIS IS NO SAFE FOR ME.

NHTSA ODI 11301237

WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY GOING 70 MPH, MY TRACTION CONTROL, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND A WARNING FLASH ACROSS MY DASHBOARD SAYING ENGINE SPEED REDUCED. MY CAR WENT FROM GOING 70 MPH TO 40 MPH AND WOULDN'T GO ANY HIGHER. I IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF THE FREEWAY TOOK PICTURES OF THE LIGHTS. LUCKILY I HAVE A ANTI LEFT DEVICE THAT READS OFF CODES FOR MY CHECK ENGINE LIKE CODE P2138 IS WHAT CAME UP. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, I HAD MY [XXX] CHILD IN THE CAR WITH ME AND WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED DUE TO LOSS OF POWER FROM SUCH A HIGH SPEED. *DL PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11299798

DRIVING AT ABOUT 55MPH THEN WITHOUT WARNING MESSAGE ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER SHOWED LOW POWER ENGINE MODE WITH EMISSION WARNING ICON ILLUMINATED. SPEED DROPPED ALMOST INSTANTLY FROM 55MPH TO ABOUT 35MPH!!!!! SETTING STAGE FOR POSSIBLE REAR END COLLISION BUT WAS LUCKY THIS TIME.

NHTSA ODI 11298435

VEHICLE ABRUPTLY SLOWED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED AS HAVING A FAULTY ACCELERATOR PEDAL. PART WAS REPLACED AT OWNERS EXPENSE 14 MONTHS INTO THE LIFE OF THE CAR. 8 MONTHS LATER THE VEHICLE STARTED TO DO THE SAME THING FOR THE NEXT 5 MONTHS, SOMETIMES 3 TO 4 TIMES IN ONE DAY OR NOT AL ALL FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. CAR WAS AGAIN PRESENTED TO DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND IT SHOWED THAT THE SAME FAULT OCCURRED. THIS IS A SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GENERAL MOTORS. FAULT CODES P2138 FOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL, C0242 AND U0401 FOR TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM. NEITHER OF THESE FAULTS WERE ADDRESSED BY THE DEALER DURING THE REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI 11297372

THE CAR RANDOMLY WILL REDUCE ENGINE POWER, LOWERING SPEEDS TO 20MPH OR LESS. THIS HAPPENS UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS HAS OCCURED OVER 20 TIMES OVER THE PAST 7 DAYS, INCLUDING ON THE HIGHWAY. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70MPH AND THE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED TO 20MPH, CAUSING ME TO SWERVE TO THE SHOULDER AND ALMOST WAS HIT BY THREE ON COMING VEHICLES AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED.

NHTSA ODI 11291498

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND I CAME TO A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND MY VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND WOULD NOT START BACK. IT WAS FRIGHTENING BECAUSE SOMEONE COULD HAVE HIT ME FROM BEHIND. AFTER THE OFFICER JUMP MY CAR OFF IT CRANK BACK UP BUT I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND PLACE ON THE MACHINE AND THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR IS FINE. THE CAR SINCE THEN HAVE SHUT DOWN 4 MORE TIMES AND AFTER SITTING FOR A WHILE IT STARTED BACK UP. ONCE AGAIN THIS HAPPENED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. PLEASE CHECK IF OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO A FEW TIMES THE DOORS CAME UNLOCK AT A STOP LIGHT OR STOPPING OF THE VEHICLE. PLEASE HELP. 2017 MALIBU EZ

NHTSA ODI 11290650