What 720 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Limited

Breaks are locked up, car won't start due to faulty Vaccum pump and brake booster!

NHTSA ODI 11655635

Yes, my brakes have failed twice with my children in my car both coming to a stop sign almost causing us injury or death. I have contacted Chevrolet several times about this issue. It has happened again costing me close to $4000 in repairs.

NHTSA ODI 11654403

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the "Reduce Power Mode" message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a mechanic discovered an accumulation of ice and sludge on the throttle body. Due to the failure, the oil became contaminated when released from the throttle body. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 10228956 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the service bulletin. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653160

When I came to a complete stop, the car stalled out and completely shut off.

NHTSA ODI 11651902

When you put it in park, you will get the "Shift to park" message and it can be very difficult to get it to go off.

NHTSA ODI 11650018

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low engine power" message was displayed. The contact was able to arrive at the destination where the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.

NHTSA ODI 11649298

I was driving in my neighborhood I tried to park at my house and my car wouldn’t stop I had to step down on my break hard for it to finally stop my vacuum pump broke into pieces and made my timing chain break

NHTSA ODI 11647738

When putting vehicle in park message goes off stating to put vehicle in park you have to wiggle it to make the message go off or it will drain your battery

NHTSA ODI 11647742

Reduced engine power that causes vehicle to lose power at dangerously low speeds.

NHTSA ODI 11646593

About 6 months after I bought this car back in 2017 it has been showing shift to park message when it is already in park. When I contacted the dealership about this issue they told me there is nothing they can do about it. I just got a new battery in my car less than a year ago but now it's dead because the car computer system wouldn't shut off. I don't think it's right being sold a car with known issues then being told there did nothing that can be done about it, please help!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11645787

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

The service notification for my airbag was coming on. I took it to a mechanic and they said the module under the passenger seat could be broken. They said to take it to the dealer because other 2017 Chevrolet Malibus have this issue and were recalled. My VIN doesn’t have a recall associated with it, but has the exact issue that the other Malibus with recalls do. I brought it to the dealer and they said it was not included in a recall, but are now charging me full price to get a new module under the seat.

NHTSA ODI 11642033

Fuel leaking from engine

NHTSA ODI 11641448

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

The brake booster and vacuum pump keep failing. I’ve replaced the booster 3 times and the pump 2 times the first time the pump went it broke off and broken pieces of metal had to be taken out of the engine. I’m making payments on a vehicle that is in the shop repairing the same issue every 3 to four months.

NHTSA ODI 11634739

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

When driving down a major highway going 70MPH, my 2017 Chevy Malibu speeds decreased, the brakes locked up, and the vehicle would not accelerate. Eventually the car came to a complete stop and an “engine power reduced” notification came up on the dash. I was able to pull off to the side of the road but I was traveling at a high rate of speed on a busy road, I almost got hit multiple times by people behind me who also had to swerve out of the way to keep from getting hit. After turning the car off and on again it seemed to run fine for a few months until the issue happened again going down a busy highway (65mph) again putting myself, my kids and others on the road behind me at risk. Now the car won’t move more than 5 feet before shutting off with “ engine power reduced “ still displaying on the screen.

NHTSA ODI 11634066

We own a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu plagued with the "Shift to Park" issue. I have read numerous articles regarding this issue and they reference a recall on this problem. However, I have been unsuccessful locating this document. Was a recall actually ever created for this issue; and, if so, where could I find it?

NHTSA ODI 11633394

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed 20 MPH. The engine power reduced message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the accelerator pedal position sensor and the battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the engine also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11627348

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