What 687 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions after shifting the gear shifter to park(P), and turning off the vehicle, the contact observed a dinging notification and the message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11673976

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter was shifted to park(P); however, the shift to park message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that it would be several days before the diagnostic results could be provided. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

NHTSA ODI 11661158

The car completely lost power while being driven on a freeway in Sacramento, California. The car was towed to a Chevrolet dealer in Davis, California and they determined that the car lost power due to a faulty Auxiliary Battery Negative Cable Assembly (Part # 84085823). The Chevrolet dealer cannot find the part because GM has discontinued production of the part. Also, despite extensive internet searches for the part including after-market sites, E-Bay, Amazon, AC Delco, all major auto part supply chains, etcetera, the part has not been found. The car has been at the dealer's facility for ~ 6 weeks with no resolution. The car is a hybrid, has been serviced regularly and properly, has never been in an accident and is very good shape. In other words, if the car is safely repaired, it is still going to be a very useful family vehicle. GM representatives have told the dealer to try to find the part in a local junk yard. The car will likely not be safe if a junkyard part is ultimately used in the repair - the reason the the car is at the dealership is because the car completely died at freeway speed. The cost of the needed part was only ~ $50 (fifty dollars) when it was being produced.

NHTSA ODI 11660023

Every time I shift the car into park, I receive a "shift to park" warning on the informational display. I am unable to turn car off until the car recognizes it. Can sometimes take 10 minutes before I can get car to recognize. This was fixed once before while under warranty and fix lasted 3 years. They cleaned the park switch contacts and installed an online shifter jumper harness but will not cover the fix now that it is happening out of warranty. It's a known issue that mechanics say is so common a recall should be issued.

NHTSA ODI 11644370

When shifting into park, the car doesn't think it's in park and remains on.

NHTSA ODI 11643070

We have had multiple codes with loss of power.

NHTSA ODI 11639493

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the electrical system was inoperable. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI 11638374

I have had 2 incidents, and paid for repairs both times. When put in park, SHIFT TO PARK warning lights come on. First time, Oct 4, 2021. Second time Dec 16, 2024. In 2021 I was told there should be a recall, it happens a lot. I'm not seeing recall, and think I should get my money back.

NHTSA ODI 11635921

While driving, random and complete engine power loss for several seconds, unable to accelerate at all. After power is regained, a cloud of white smoke is seen from the exhaust. The vehicle then drives completely normal, and no codes show up on the dashboard. This has happened three times within two months at around 100000mi on the odometer. Complete power loss could result in being a hazard to other drivers, along with not allowing the driver to make decisions to avoid an accident or propel their vehicle forward. The vehicle is going in for inspection within the next two weeks to determine cause.

NHTSA ODI 11635769

Engine power abruptly stopped while driving causing drivers behind me to almost rear end me. Dashboard displays ‘Engine Power is Reduced.’ It has happened since I purchased the vehicle in 2017 but had not done this in a few years. I’m on top of maintenance and did mention this issue to the dealer but no one reached out or offered a solution.

NHTSA ODI 11635361

Since buying this car a year and a half ago, I have had to have the pedal position sensor replaced 5 times, my car has been broken down since April due to an oil leak issue and the pedal position sensor.

NHTSA ODI 11634469

Approximately 2-3 times a month the car's transmission intermittently fails to engage from a stop. Wont go forward or in reverse. Need to restart the car to fix the issue. Dont feel safe driving the car in traffic where a failure to accelerate could cause an accident. The issue started at under 17000, and the now has only 18846 miles. Chevy Malibu 2017 Premier. Dealer not sure what this issue is but wants to replace the transmission which I dont have the budget to cover. GM only offered to cover 15% of the repair and does not seem concerned about the safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11626938

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while shifting into park(P), the vehicle failed to turn off as needed. The contact stated that the message "Please Shift to Park" was displayed and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective gear shifter wiring harness, and a battery current sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11621104

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to the park, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed, and the vehicle could not immediately be turned off. After shifting the transmission selector several times, the message disappeared, and the contact was able to turn off the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11619136

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the instrument panel displayed the message “Reduce Engine Power” with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle immediately decelerated independently. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 35 - 40 MPH before decelerating again. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and waited for approximately 15 minutes before continuing to drive; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the ABS, Power Train, and Throttle Sensor all had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired by the mechanic. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11609986

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to move into gear. The contact had to depress the brake pedal and restart the vehicle. The message that the vehicle was not in park was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to turn off. The local dealer was contacted, and informed the contact that there were no associated recalls for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

NHTSA ODI 11609014

When powering off car, shift to park message is displayed even though the car is in park. The vehicle will not power all the way down, and the battery will drain.

NHTSA ODI 11590760

Vehicle says to shift to park when it is in park. This doesn't allow you to turn off the car.

NHTSA ODI 11587297

Unknown. Original owner.24,000 miles. When car turned off, shift to park message occurs. Required 10 on off cycles to turn car off. Dangerous since could be draining battery.

NHTSA ODI 11582591

Engine reduced power while driving in traffic car gets no power to accelerate and engine light also on.

NHTSA ODI 11565816

Error message reads "Engine Power Reduced". I was on the highway and suddenly the engine gives out and only lets me go to a max capacity of 20 mph. I able to safely remove myself to the side of the freeway. A week later without moving my vehicle I checked to see the status of my car and the error message removed itself. It's been over a year now with my engine power coming and going, just as fast as it comes, it goes-- making driving very unreliable and unsafe to step onto the road. Apparently I'm not the only one with this concern according to [XXX] , a class action lawsuit has been charged against Chevrolet in The Rothschild v. General Motors LLC Chevy Malibu Class Action Lawsuit is filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York under case number [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11547864

In 2019 I took my vehicle under warranty to the purchasing dealership to fix a "shift to park" reading after the vehicle is parked. It precludes turning off the car. Repeatedly restarting the car and shifting to park and/or jiggling the controller in park usually stopped the reading. The dealer replaced the control shifter, which fixed the problem for many years. This August, the problem started recurring and I have been attempting to make an appointment in the last week, but none of the local dealers say they can repair this for some time. Most cannot even diagnose the problem for a week or two.

NHTSA ODI 11544252

I get a notification for shift to park and I can’t put car in park. I’ve paid for the repair once at about $500 and it’s doing it again.it’s clearly an issue because many people have put complaints in and the dealerships are seeing it frequently. Is this a recall or will gm reimburse me since clearly it’s a major issue for this make and model.

NHTSA ODI 11541909

Fail to ingage into park Car can roll away if not staying park mode. Yes dealer Inspected and repaired by dealer Dashboard stater shifter not engaged, first appeared 10/27/2022

NHTSA ODI 11528306

I was driving my car at a normal rate of speed when all of a sudden it slowed down to a crawl and almost caused an accident, reduced engine power and engine came one after getting the codes they were 2122 and 2097

NHTSA ODI 11526672