Home · 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Limited · Complaints

What 720 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Limited

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (720)Crash / fire / injury (22)Engine (255)Electrical system (171)Transmission & drivetrain (143)Speed control (136)Brakes (70)Fuel system (61)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (54)Steering (46)Lights (22)Body & structure (21)

136 of 720 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters · page 3 of 6

May 11, 2021Speed controlBrakesEngine

THIS IS MY SECOND COMPLAINT AND POSSIBLY THE LAST, IN MY FIRST COMPLAINT I REPORTED THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR AFTER SHOWING A STABILITY TRACK WARNING LIGHT THEN SLOWING TO A 20 MPH VELOCITY IN A SNOW STORM , THEN MY ADVENTURE WITH THE VACUUM PUMP SHATTERING , THUS NO VACUUM, NO BRAKES, ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70 MPH. AFTER THAT SCARE , IT HAD A CRANK NO START PROBLEM. THAT'S WHERE I ENDED MY FIRST COMPLAINT . PART 2, I COLLECTED MY STIMULUS MONEY AND HAD MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU LS TOWED TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP. AFTER THE SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME FOR THE SPARE FOB, I ASKED HIM COULD THAT BE THE PROBLEM THE BATTERIES WENT LOW AND THE FOB KEYS HAD TO BE RE-PROGRAMED. HE STATED PROBABLY, I WENT HOME HOPING IT WOULD BE SOMETHING MINOR. 3 WEEKS LATER I GET A CALL FROM THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT HE WANTED TO GO THROUGH THE DIAGNOSTIC INSPECTION RESULTS WITH ME, I ASK HIM WAS IT SOMETHING MINOR, HE SAID WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO WORK ON THE CRANK, NO START PROBLEM CAUSE YOU HAVE LOW COMPRESSION ON ONE OF YOU ENGINE CYLINDERS YOU NEED A NEW ENGINE, THAT'S NOT MINOR 72,365 MILES, NEW ENGINE , ESTIMATE $8,224.80. STILL PAYING THE BANK FOR IT..THIS GENERATION MALIBU'S ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO GOOD. I OWN A 1994 CHEVROLET SILVERADO WITH 135,000 MILES BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW, RUNS GREAT, THE COST CUTTING IS BEING SACRIFICED FOR QUALITY, AND US CONSUMERS ARE GETTING THE LOW END.

NHTSA ODI 11416053

May 7, 2021Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

SPEED REDUCED ON FREEWAY TO 20MPH, SPEED REDUCED WARNING WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON.

NHTSA ODI 11415526

Apr 25, 2021Speed controlEngine

AS WE WERE GOING 75MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STARTED DEACCELERATING WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WITH THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE APPEARING ON THE SCREEN 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED' WE HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TO AVOID HAVING A WRECK. AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF FOR A LITTLE BIT THE MESSAGE DISAPPEARED. AFTER LOOKING INTO THIS THERE A MULTIPLE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME CAR AND SAME ISSUES, BUT NO RECALL OR INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN STARTED.

NHTSA ODI 11413830

Apr 14, 2021Speed control

AS I WAS TURNING LEFT FROM A STOP LIGHT ACCELERATING ON THE INTERSTATE ON RAMP FROM 20 TO 40 MPH (APPROXIMATELY) THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" CAME ON, THE ENGINE SLOWED DOWN AND LOST POWER, AND "TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT" CAME ON EVEN THOUGH IT WAS NOT ENGAGED. MY SPEED CONTROL DISENGAGED AND WOULD NOT WORK ON CRUISE CONTROL. WHEN I PULLED IN MY GARAGE (APPROXIMATELY 8 MI) SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED ALL WARNING LIGHTS CLEARED AND EVERYTHING RESET. THIS CONDITION HAPPENED TO ME TWICW IN THE SAME DAY. THE SUDEEN LOSS OF POWER IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11408081

Mar 27, 2021Speed controlEngine

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FOR MY SON IN JANUARY 2017. 3/27/2021, HE WAS DRIVING IT AND LOST POWER ON THE INTERSTATE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO OVER 25 MILES AN HOUR. HE HAD TO STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE THEN RESTART IT. IT HAPPENED 4 ADDITIONAL TIMES WITHIN 30 MINUTES.

NHTSA ODI 11405168

Mar 23, 2021Speed control

CAR KEEPS GOING INTO REDUCE POWER MODE 2 TO 3 TIMES A DAY HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY CONSTANTLY VERY DANGEROUS WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER CHEVY AGIAN

NHTSA ODI 11404593

Mar 20, 2021Speed controlEngine

CAR WENT INTO LOW POWER MODE AND WOULDN'T DRIVE OVER THE SPEED OF 15-20 MILES AN HOUR.

NHTSA ODI 11404035

Feb 22, 2021Speed controlFuel system

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND REDUCED POWER MESSAGE DIAPLAYED.

NHTSA ODI 11397450

Feb 19, 2021Speed controlEngineDriver assistance

VEHICLE REDUCES POWER AT RANDOM TIMES. WITHOUT BEING SIGNALED TO DO SO. HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGH WAY AND STREETS

NHTSA ODI 11396888

Feb 19, 2021Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR, BUT WHILE I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE POWER REDUCE WITH ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND MY CAR STARTED LOOSING IT'S SPEED. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON AND NOW MY REMOTE START(FOB) WILL NOT START. IT ATTEMPS TO START BUT THE ENGINE WILLNOT TURN OVER.

NHTSA ODI 11397057

Feb 17, 2021Speed controlEngine

THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT IS CONTINUING TO APPEAR. I TOOK IT TO MY GM DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THEY CAN'T FIX IT. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN. DROPPING FROM 60 MPH TO 30 MPH ON THE FREEWAY/HIGHWAY IS NOT SAFE.

NHTSA ODI 11396661

Feb 10, 2021Speed controlEngine

I WAS DRIVING ON THE STREET WHEN MY ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED NOTIFICATION CAME UP ON MY DASH BOARD. MY ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45MPH WHEN THE LIGHT CAME ON AND IT REDUCED MY SPEED TO 20MPH. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME AT THE 20MPH SPEED. I PARKED IT OVERNIGHT AND CHECKED ON IT THE NEXT MORNING. WHEN STARTING MY CAR THE NEXT DAY THE ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED LIGHT WAS STILL ON. I WAS LOOKING ONLINE AND OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. WHAT IS GOING ON. I NEED HELP

NHTSA ODI 11395570

Feb 8, 2021Speed control

MY CAR WILL SAY "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" AND IT WILL NOT LET ME ACCELERATE AFTER IT HAPPENS. AFTER I SHUT MY CAR OFF AND BACK ON, THE ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON.

NHTSA ODI 11395118

Jan 31, 2021Speed controlBrakesEngine

II BOUGHT MY 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU LS IN AUGUST OF 2017, IN JANUARY OF 2018 MY FIRST ENGINE LIGHT WARNING CAME ON WITH MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK" CAME ON WHEN THE CAR WAS ALREADY IN PARK. I MOVED TO DENVER, CO IN JUNE OF 2018 , DURING MY LONG WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE ROCKIES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SHOWING "STABILITY TRACK ISSUES. IN NOVEMBER 2018 WHILE MY FAMILY WAS DRIVING HOME IN A SNOW STORM YET ANOTHER ENGINE LIGHT SHOWING "ENGINE POWEWR REDUCED" THE CAR WENT FROM A 45 MPH DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY BECAUSE OF HEAVY SNOW TO ALMOST 20 MPH TOO SLOW FOR FREEWAY SPEEDS EVEN IN SNOW. I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS A DIRTY SPEED SENSOR. WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH I WAS REACHING THE END OF THE FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF, I REACTED BY HITTING MY BRAKES BUT THE PEDAL WAS HARD AS A ROCK, I LOOKED UP AND I WAS FASTLY APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION SO I USED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE GOT ON THE RIIGHT DIRT SHOULDER, AND WAS ABLE TO SLOW IT DOWN TO ABOUT 35 MPH BEFORE REACHING THE INTERSECTION WHERE I TOOK A SHARP RIGHT TURN TO AVOID HITIING CARS IN FRONT OF ME AND SPUN OUT. THE CAR ISHOWED A MESSAGE "NO REMOTE DETECTED: IT WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START . BEING THAT THE CAR WARRENTY WAS ALREADY EXPIRED I HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANICS SHOP WHERE THEY DISCOVERED A CODE READING "BRAKE BOOSTER SENSOR" THEY DISCOVERED A SHATTERED VACUUM PUMP. I GOT IT REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE AS WELL AS THE BRAKE SENSOR. I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO START IT. BECAUSE OF COVID-19 AND MY FINANCIAL SITUATION I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO A DEALERSHIP. I AM SAVING TO HAVE IT TOWED THERE AND HOPEFULLY REPAIRING IT BUT I'M SURE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE WALLET FRIENDLY. WE WERE EXCITED WHEN WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST NEW CAR IT DIDN'T LAST LONG. NOW HOPEFULLY A RECALL AND SOME JUSTICE FOR US HARD WORKING PEOPLE THAT WANT ONLY A RELIABLE CAR WITH NO HIDDEN REPAIR SURPRISES.

NHTSA ODI 11390833

Jan 21, 2021Speed control

WHILE DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS THE VEHICLE HAS NOW FLASHED WARNING (REDUCED ENGINE SPEED) AND COMPLETELY DROPPED VEHICLE BELOW 40 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE LAST WEEK WITH POSSIBLE RESULTS OF GETTING IN A CRASH. I SAFELY MOVED VEHICLE TO SHOULDER AND TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED VEHICLE. THE ISSUED RESOLVED ITSELF THE FIRST TIME THEN A WEEK LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN WITH NO FIX AFTER THE SHUT OFF AND RESTART. I HAVE READ FORUMS ON THIS ISSUE WITH 2016-2018 MODELS. I AM LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL TO GET THE DEFECTIVE PART FIXED FROM AN AUTHORIZED CHEVY DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI 11389183

Jan 15, 2021Speed control

WHILE I WAS AT THE HIGHWAY I WAS TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR, BUT WHILE I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ENGINE POWER REDUCE WITH ENGINE LIGHT ON CAME UP WITH CODE P2138 AND MY CAR STARTED LOOSING IT'S SPEED. ITS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENS , IT HAS HAPPENED A FEW TIMES. THIS CODE IS GETTING ANNOYING AND I HAVE SEEN MANY CASES WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AND THERE'S NO SOLVING TO THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11388308

Jan 6, 2021Speed controlEngine

WHEN DRIVING MY CAR, IT SUDDENLY STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FREEWAY AND DISPLAYS A 'LOSS ENGINE POWER CODE'. I NOTICED THAT QUITE A BIT OF OTHER MALIBU OWNERS HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE

NHTSA ODI 11386853

Dec 30, 2020Speed controlEngine

REDUCED SPEED ENGINE PROBLEM WILL REDUCE SPEED WHILE DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11385695

Dec 29, 2020Transmission & drivetrainSpeed control

REDUCED ENGINE POWER WARNING 12/29/20 PLUS NUMEROUS OCCURRENCES IN 2019 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY; VEHICLE SLOWS TO 40MPH WITHOUT WARNING SHIFT TO PARK WARNING WHEN VEHICLE ALREADY IN PARK, CAN'T SHUT OFF VEHICLE UNTIL IT RECOGNIZES PARK, OFTEN TAKING UPWARDS OF 10 MINUTES OF REPEATED SHIFTING STABILITRACK SENSOR WARNING AND LOSS OF CRUISE CONTROL, AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS

NHTSA ODI 11385393

Dec 15, 2020Speed control

STARTED LAST NOVEMBER 2019 I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND SUDDENLY MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN A ENGINE POWER REDUCE COMES ON AND MY CAR STARTS TO SLOW DOWN. TOOK TO CHEVY AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT TEST THE DIAGNOSTIC BECAUSE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ON. FAST FORWARD TO THIS SEPTEMBER 2020 AND IT STARTED UP AGAIN AND HAS BEEN ON AND OFF SINCE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT HAPPENS AT ANY POINT IM DRIVING WHETHER IT'S ON THE FREEWAY OR SMALL ROAD. I'M HAVING TO PULL OVER AND TURN MY CAR OFF! I HAVE TEENAGE DAUGHTERS AND 2 SMALL BOYS THAT I HAVE IN MY CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND IT'S VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS! SO TODAY DECEMBER 15, 2020 I TOOK IT BACK TO CHEVY AND GETTING IT CHECKED. I WAS TOLD IT COULD TAKE UP TO 5 DAYS AND I'M REALLY HOPING THIS IS A FACTORY RECALL DUE TO THE SAFETY OF THIS HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING AND DRIVING AT FAST SPEED ON THE FREEWAY!

NHTSA ODI 11383568

Dec 7, 2020Speed controlEngine

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR DOWN THE ROAD A MESSAGE DISPLAYED SAYING "ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED" AND I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR OVER 20 MILES PER HOUR. THIS THANKFULLY OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THROUGH A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD SO I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PARK MY CAR. THROUGH RESEARCH THERE IS A KNOWN DEFECT WITH A FAULTY ACCELERATOR SENSOR THAT CAUSES THIS. IT IS THE FIRST TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED SINCE GETTING THE VEHICLE BRAND NEW IN 2017. THIS IS SCARY BECAUSE IT WAS INSTANT AND I COULD HAVE BEEN ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THIS OCCURRED.

NHTSA ODI 11378199

Dec 3, 2020Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlEngine

I WAS DRIVING ON A ROAD AT 47 MILES AN HOUR. OUT OF NO WHERE, THE CAR SLOWED ALL THE WAY DOWN TO 15 MILES AN HOUR. ON THE DASH BOARD A NOTICE FLASH STATING "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" I WAS BARELY ABLE TO NAVIGATE OUT OF TRAFFIC WITHOUT BEING HIT. THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL HOURS LATER WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY HOME, I HAD TO CONSTANTLY KEEP PULLING OVER.

NHTSA ODI 11377726

Nov 26, 2020Speed controlEngine

I OWN A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU LT. I WAS DRIVING AT AROUND 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, WHEN SUDDENLY I RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD STATING, 'ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED'. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE LANE AND I HAD TO FRANTICALLY FIND A WAY TO PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT WHILE THE VEHICLE STARTED SLOWING DOWN TO JUST ABOUT 20 MPH. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I RESEARCHED ONLINE, AND FOUND OUT THAT THIS EXACT THING HAS HAPPENED TO MANY PEOPLE WHO ALSO OWN A CHEVY MALIBU 2016-2018. GM NEEDS TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER MAKING THIS A RECALL.

NHTSA ODI 11376430

Nov 20, 2020Speed control

IT REDUCES POWER TO THE EGINE

NHTSA ODI 11375567

Nov 6, 2020Electrical systemSpeed controlEngine

MY CARS CUT OFF AND THEN DISPLAY POWER STEERING REDUCES DRIVE WITH CAUTION THIS IS SCARY BECAUSE MY SON IS WITH ME IN THE CAR IT'S JUST CUT OFF EVERY TIME I STOP OR I'M DRIVING

NHTSA ODI 11373527

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Working with the data? Download all 720 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Limited verdict →