What 687 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER. PLACED IT IN PARK. MESSAGE CENTER SAYS TO PUT IT IN PARK. HAD TO JIGGLE THE SHIFTER A FEW TIMES, THEN THE MESSAGE WOULD STOP. SOMETIMES, I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR AND TAKE IT OUT OF PARK AND BACK IN. IT WOULD HAPPEN ONCE IN AWHILE AND NOW MORE FREQUENTLY . TOOK IT TO A CHEVY DEALER AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE SHIFTER.

NHTSA ODI 11473219

First incident, vehicle in motion moving about 45 MPH approached red light vehicle started making loud tick noise when to start to slow down and break pedal was solid not able to slow the vehicle down. Panicked, 3 children in my car in fear for their safety. Was able to put both feet and press as hard as I could to attempt to stop the car. Car thankfully came to a stop and was able to pull over exit the car and have towed to dealership. Dealership inspected vehicle and decided that the vacuum pump had locked up and the case and gear had broken apart. Replaced part and everything was working. Second incident, noticed fluid on driveway, took car to dealership and they stated the vacuum pump was leaking, changed gasket. Third incident, driving car down the highway, vehicle lost speed (jumped) and check engine light came on. Exited highway and car shut off and breaks were again solid had to again use two feet to press as hard as I could in order to not blow through an intersection. Was able to get off road call tow truck and tow to closest shop. They inspected vehicle and found the vacuum pump locked up again and broken pieces where sent into the engine and destroyed the cam shaft.

NHTSA ODI 11472909

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle jerked and decelerated from 65 MPH to approximately 20 MPH; the vehicle then independently accelerated to 40 MPH. While at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled. The engine power reduced message was displayed. Additionally, water had entered the trunk of the vehicle and the contact was concerned about mold. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471993

The vehicle displays “Shift to Park”. Cannot turn off car and most recently we needed to turn the car on/off 12 times to get the vehicle to park. We’re worried we will not see the error message and exit the vehicle with the possibility of the car moving as it doesn’t recognize that the car is in park.

NHTSA ODI 11472052

As I was driving in a 45 MPH two-lane road, the car in front of me wanted to turn left and when I stepped on the brake pedal, it was stiff. The car wouldn't slow down. So, I quickly stepped on the parking brake which helped and possibly saved my life and the life/lives of those I could have hit. One can only imagine the fear I had. The check engine light came on right after. When tested it reported P0556 - Brake Pressure Sensor; something that has to do with the Brake Booster Vacuum Pump. When I talked to a mechanic, he recommended I report this issue here because this should not happen.

NHTSA ODI 11471869

For over a year now my car has a weird hesitation when I press the gas and fully have the pedal down it just crawls no more than 8mph then all of sudden it will jump into speed and take off. The shop has had my vehicle for over 3 months and couldnt figure it out just told me to put premium gas in and that still hasnt solved the problem. This car has been NOTHING but problems. Havent even had it three years and its been in the shop for almost 6 months in total

NHTSA ODI 11471065

This vehicle has been in the shop multiple times for the vacuum pump brakes to be replaced by the dealership. This is the 3rd time that the time the car will be taken to the dealership for the car to have the vacuum pump replaced, due to almost being in a major accident the 2nd time in the middle of a 4 way intersection because the brakes went out and the vehicle had to be towed. The brakes continues to lock up and is a danger to our safety. This car has been reported to General Motors to made as a recall. This car is consider a LEMON at this point and I would like for someone to contact me at [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11471031

Since purchasing this vehicle I have had to take to repair shop several times due to the automatic shut off when at a stop light but car cuts out completely and sometimes will not start back up. I have had to be towed to the shop I have had to replace the battery once already because of this and looks like will have to replace battery again because it has started doing the same thing again. I have only had this car a year and am ready to give it back to the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11469837

The vehicle has just over 51,000 miles on it. When shifted to park and turned off, it gives an error message "shift to park" and will not shut all the way off. This requires the car to be restarted, shifted out of park and back into park and shut down again, often multiple times. The car is currently at the dealership having the shifter assembly replaced, which will cost over $600 in parts and labor. Online research indicates this is a common and known problem, with bulletins issued in all 50 states. If the shifter assembly becomes obstructed from proper functioning by debris, as these bulletins suggest, it would appear that this could eventually result in the inability to put the car in park at all, which would be a major safety concern. GM states it is not under recall at present.

NHTSA ODI 11468154

Component: Vacuum pump, booster which caused engine damage (cam shaft) Safety: Unable to stop which could cause a collision Confirmation: Chevrolet dealer confirmed the booster caused the vacuum pump to fail which also caused engine damage Inspection: GEICO is sending an inspector and Chevrolet also confirmed damage Warning Lights: No warning lights,

NHTSA ODI 11468218

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the automatic START/STOP feature intermittently failed to operate as needed and the vehicle would shut off while at a complete stop. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. During the most recent failure, the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. A fellow motorist assisted her in jump-starting the vehicle and the contact was able to resume normal driving. The contact then took the vehicle to a dealer where it remained in their possession while awaiting a diagnostic test. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

NHTSA ODI 11468223

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle shut off and the warning messages "Power Engine Low", "Steering Reduced; Be Careful" were displayed. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the warning messages were no longer illuminated and she was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45-55 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently to 25-30 MPH. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the convertor actuator voltage performance for the power train system had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11467825

Vehicle check engine light came on. Then a warning saying reduced engine power came on. I then lost most of my accelerator and slowed me down from 65 mph to about 30 right in the middle of the highway. As I was pulling off to the emergency shoulder my brakes became very stiff and started pulsating rapidly. I could hardly press the pedal enough to make the vehicle come to a stop safely.

NHTSA ODI 11467111

The seatbelt became locked in the full retracted position and could no longer be used. The trim of the car was removed to confirm there were no obstructions or twists on the belt.

NHTSA ODI 11466542

shift to park warning stays on and will not shut off when shifter is in park dealer replaced shifter assembly $800.00 when car electrical will not shut off that is a safety issue

NHTSA ODI 11465975

Car looses power randomly “engine power reduced” comes up on the dash screen have to pull over shit car off and then turn back on to reset.

NHTSA ODI 11465764

I have had this issue 3 times since purchasing new in 2017. Power completly turns off while driving. No warning no nothing just turns off. I had my pistons and all that replaced back in 2019, I have also had the battery replaced 3 times since getting this vehicle as that Is what gm recommended. Nothing is helping. It now tells me to service stabilitrack. Tells me my power steering is out. It’s not safe to drive. It sits in my driveway and I am waiting money monthly paying on it. It also gives me a shift to park error while it’s already in park. This is a dangerous car and do not recommend it. Chevy was so gracious to tell me they’ll give me half of what my vehicle loan is. So nice. Ya right what a joke. I have pulled up these issues from other buyers of this car and they say there’s ni recall so nothing they can do. I’m not sure what other steps to take I just need out of this car. And so does everyone else. It’s dangerous and the fact that nothing has been done by the federal government about this is worriesome.

NHTSA ODI 11465601

Since purchase from dealer at 40,000 miles I have complained numerous times. Dealer can not reproduce and refuses to do anything about it. When driving vehicle with and sometimes with out AC on. The vehicle doesn't want to go. I could have the gas peddle to the floor and it won't accelerate. Does is whenever it wants to seems as if when AC is on it does it the most. This past week the vehicle has thrown a warning steering asist reduced please drive with care. It quickly comes on and then goes back off. The vehicle is also stalling out of no where. I come to a stop light it goes to auto stop then I go to start accelerating and the vehicle will shut down engine light comes on and vehicle will not start back up for a min or 2. Once engine shuts off I put in park and try and start it again it won't. A few mins go by it will start again. I notice if I keep foot on break at a stop light and foot on gas to keep the RPMs up and don't allow it to auto stop it won't shut down. I made a appointment with jud kuhn the dealer I purchased it from. For next week. Hoping they can do somthing about it but chances are they will look at me like I'm crazy like they do every time and tell me no codes or they can't reproduce. I still owe 14,000 on the vehicle I'm livid. My children drive this car and it's extremely unsafe. If dealer doesn't help I'm contacting a lawyer for lemon law please help The acceleration issue started the week I purchased it 2 years ago the stalling started last week. And the steering assist started last week

NHTSA ODI 11465399

I have a 2017 Malibu and I pulled into my driveway to park and the car would not shift into park. The car’s stick shift malfunctioned and it was stuck in reverse. The vehicle would not shut off and the brakes would not work. It began rolling backwards out into a busy street. I was able to find the emergency brake to stop it from rolling too far out into the street but the car would not turn off or switch out of gear. I was unable to exit, lock, or turn off my vehicle due to the shifting malfunction, which was draining my battery. The vehicle was unable to physically shift into the park gear, but the car was also incapable of detecting the shift. No warning lights or shift to park warning came on the dashboard. I immediately called AAA to tow my vehicle to a repair shop. I was without a vehicle for 4 days and had to pay a costly repair of $444.95 for a known defect with Malibu vehicles. The repair shop replaced the automatic transmission shift cable and the GM/automatic transmission range selector lever. General Motors needs to recognize the problem and resolve it by recalling these vehicles, and notifying vehicle owners of this defect before someone gets injured or killed and should also reimburse customers for the repairs which they had to pay out of pocket! Had this defect occurred while I was driving I could have been injured or killed or could have been parked somewhere in an unsafe situation unable to drive away or my vehicle could have rolled out into the busy street and hit a pedestrian, damaged someone’s property or hit another vehicle causing damages, death or injury to others.

NHTSA ODI 11465199

The carpet on both front driver and passenger side is too short and sticks out from below the trim piece.

NHTSA ODI 11464736

Engine light continues to come on repeatedly. Resetting does not fix the problem. Engine shuts off while driving. Then suddenly the engine comes back on at an accelerated speed. Engine shuts off at traffic light when my foot is on the brake. When I remove my foot from the brake and press the accelerator the car jerks into gear. Sometimes the STABIL TRACK appears on my dash board. Also, STEERING REDUCE BE CAREFUL appears on my dash board. Sometime the driver side window will not go up or down. I have CAR SHIELD but I can not find a mechanic to accept it. They all say that CAR SHIELD is a rip-off.

NHTSA ODI 11463906

An alert “Engine power is reduced” came on are 6pm 5/7/22. Never seen it before. My car began to click and wouldn’t go over 40mph. Steering wheel locked up when attempting to turn. I cut the car off to try to restart it and it did allow me to turn but there was immediate smoke released from car.

NHTSA ODI 11463747

Frequently the car will say that the transmission is not in park, but the shifter is in the park position, and the car will not turn off until I take it from park to reverse to park again. Sometimes it takes several tries before the car will register that it is in park.

NHTSA ODI 11463444

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and attempting to power off the vehicle, the vehicle remained running. The shift to park(P) warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11463409

Breaks suddenly failed I have researched this problem and it is a ongoing problem with the vacuum pump and Chevy knows this

NHTSA ODI 11462847