What 689 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

Reduced power mode came on and the fuel injectors arnt going to the emc

NHTSA ODI 11444344

Car continued to send message "Shift to Park" which required diagnosis and replacement of gear shift assembly by independent service garage because car warranty has expired. Battery would die without message being eliminated. The message infers that the car is not in park which means that the car could roll away injuring someone or damaging property.

NHTSA ODI 11444188

For over two years now I have been getting a reduced engine power when I drive. The car becomes slow and it is very dangerous especially on the highway. I have almost crashed a couple of times due to this issue. Once I turn the car off and on it goes off but off late that no longer works for me. This has been constant and has made my car useless. I can’t even go anywhere with it. A recall needs to me done because this is heartless and painful. Spending much on a car that I can’t even drive anymore.

NHTSA ODI 11443725

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact had to pump the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. Additionally, the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed even after the vehicle was in PARK. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer initially diagnosed that the brake pedal needed lubrication. The dealer lubricated the brake pedal; however, the failure recurred with a chemical odor detected. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the brake pump system and shift gear were faulty. The dealer replaced the brake pump system however, the chemical odor was still detected and the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ODI 11443350

Vehicle is experiencing a electrical issue. When auto stop stops the car, it displays the message "drive assistance reduced, drive with care". The Vehicle does not jave any light displaying a issue but the car is loosing power once it starts after auto stop.

NHTSA ODI 11443052

Vehicle slows way down and loss of power. Engine power reduced. On heads up display. Seems to use alot of gas when this happens. I need to pull over and shut off car. Wait a bit and then restart. And get back on road. It did this 3 times in my commute to work. Also was snowing that morning and was slippery out so very dangerous almost was involved in an accident but luckily not. Seems to do this more in the colder Temps. It has happened however in summer also but not as often. I have read many complaints about this issue. I am not sure why GM has not figured this issue out yet. Very concerned.

NHTSA ODI 11443064

Check in light is on. They told me it was something with the idle sensor the fixed it. Not even 24 hours later it’s back on they tell me it the vacuum pump & it cost 800 buck. I do some research and noticed on not the only driver with this problem They tell me I can still drive it but nobody told me pieces of the pump could damage the engine also so what do I do now

NHTSA ODI 11443127

MY VEHICLE ACTS AS IF IT DOESNT WANT TO START AFTER BEING AT A RED LIGHT OR STOP SIGN WHEN MY FEET IS RELEASED OFF THE BREAK IT TAKES A FEW SECONDS TO START BACK UP. ALSO I HAVE ISSUES WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE AND THEY RECEIVED A CODE DEALING WITH THE WIRING ON THE BATTERY NOT THE ACTUAL BATTERY NEEDING TO BE REPLACED

NHTSA ODI 11442667

The check engine light came on and after getting it diagnose I recieved a P1101 code indicating air mass flow problem. After replacing the sensor I later received an engine power reduce on the dashboard. I received that warning while driving on the interstate and my vehicle started reducing speed possibly causing an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11442671

The second morning in a row my 2018 Chevy Malibu overheated. Early in the morning, the temperature out was about 45-50 degrees, I was driving on the highway about 65-70 mph, I turned on the heater and my cars temperature gage immediately shoots up and the "overheating engine" warning lights start flashing. Confused I pulled over popped the hood there were no signs of smoke or over heating sounds coming from the motor. I got back into the car, turned off the engine, turned it back on, and the temperature gage immediately falls to normal temperature. Happened two mornings in a row now.

NHTSA ODI 11442080

Vehicle is constantly telling me to shift to park when the vehicle is clearly in park. Also, the battery will die if this shift to park message isn’t resolved. I’ve already had to replace my battery twice and the dealership keeps telling me they can’t find anything wrong with it. After doing some research I see that this is a VERY common problem for the 2016-2018 Malibu’s and I feel very strongly that it should be recalled.

NHTSA ODI 11441989

I always get rattling noise during gas paddle pressed while driving. Once I start put foot on gas paddle, rattling noise starts and when foot remove then it stops. it does not matter what is the speed and whether I am accelerating/de-accelerating. I visited dealer many times to fix this sound issue but not resolved by dealer. I observed another point which is during AC (Heater ON), sound comes but during AC (Cooler ON), rattling sound is infrequent i.e. sometime happens and sometime not. I am not sure from which part this sound comes but it is from Front Hood for sure. This sound I noticed when my car crossed 47K/48K miles in 2020.

NHTSA ODI 11441896

When trying to turn off the car after putting it in park, the panel reads that I need to "Shift To Park", although the car is already in park. With this issue it causes the car not to turn off. This is an intermittent issue, and does not happen all the time.

NHTSA ODI 11441804

Car displayed steering assistance reduced about 2 or 3 times whole driving and I wasn't sure what that meant because it popped up and disappeared so quickly. So a few days later it never appeared again. On this morning as I'm driving and come to a red light to make a left hand turn while waiting and taking my feet off the brake to go cause my light is now green my car turns completely off and I'm stuck at a intersection about 2 to 3 mins later it tells me to start it back up.

NHTSA ODI 11441152

This has been going on since i got the vehicle, At any moment you could be driving 70MPS and all of a sudden your vehicle drops to 35, and man is it scary especially on the expressway. you are NOT able to accelerate. You have to pull over where you are, shut the vehicle off and restart it to rest it till it does it again, and it does it ALOT. I love this vehicle but this is NOT safe, and i'm tired of paying for this and should NOT have to when its in writing from GM. This will be my 3rd time taking my vehicle in for this same issue. i've read up on this and did my research this has been going on since 2016-2018 Malibu vehicles. I've reached out to GM asked about recalls, they said there is none. I asked how do i file a complaint so this doesn't happen to others. they told me i have to make a complaint with the dealership(that right there told me that calling GM customer support directly they are not willing to help with this safety issue. that is so sad too. what is happening to this world, the kindness and compassion for your customers and quality of items you purchase. I will probably be doing a law suet as well as this complaint. I pray you all are able to do something to help me and others having this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11440910

When I push the button car won’t start

NHTSA ODI 11440972

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel would jerk to the left. Additionally, the vehicle inadvertently rolled backward while at a full stop. The steering assist warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,379.

NHTSA ODI 11440499

Our Malibu won't shift into Park. Displays "Shift to Park" message when the shifter is in the park position and it won't let you turn the car off.

NHTSA ODI 11440507

My car is showing “ Shift To Park “ error on dash and i can’t properly turn off car . Once since the error on screen the doors were locked and my son and i could not get out of the car . The Also when driving the car ,, it does frequent jerking . The car also was doing it one time when we seen smoke coming from under the hood and we could not get out

NHTSA ODI 11440043

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while refueling the vehicle, the contact was not able to fill the fuel tank to full capacity. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the air control valve sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11439883

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed, and the vehicle would not turn off. The contact had to disconnect the battery to turn off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI 11439739

Intermittent problem with the shift to park alert coming on after putting into park. Power remains on, movement of shifter back and forth usually causes it to go off. Message sent to manufacturer was cut off in process by customer service? I will try using usps. Very annoying and unsettling problem,many similar complaints online. Dealership says replacement of shifter for about 400.00 should correct it?A recall should be made with this many issues.

NHTSA ODI 11439271

I do not know what component or system that failed or malfunctioned because I am not well versed on the different parts of an automobile. The problems started this past week around October 26, 2021. When the car is stopped at a red light or stop sign and I am ready to go and in the process of taking my foot off the brake pedal to move to the accelerator the car momentarily cuts off completely (no lights, inside or out, no radio). In the instant that it cuts off and I move my foot to the accelerator everything comes back on and at that point I can continue driving. I have noticed when this happens all programmed radio stations are deleted but the programmed stations return once the car has been turned off for a while and started again. I also noticed a message regarding steering assist, but I cannot get the entire message because it is only there for a second or so. In other instances which began around October 28, when trying to start the vehicle the message reads battery low start vehicle. I then try to start the vehicle a number of times before it actually starts. When it does start the message reads battery saver active. There have also been a message service stabilitrak. The engine light does come on from time to time and then goes off. I brought the vehicle in to a Chevy Dealership (Banner Chevrolet in New Orleans) and was told that a service technician would not be able to look at it and diagnose the problem for at least 3 weeks because of the backlog regarding COVID-19. I decided not to leave the vehicle at that time and will check with other dealerships.

NHTSA ODI 11438770

Car suddenly stops and takes several minutes to turn back on. During the time the car is off there is no electrical power. After a few minutes (5-10) electrical power returns and car is able to be started. This has happened everywhere from our driveway to a highway ramp and happens without warning.

NHTSA ODI 11438144

Reduced power steering warning pops up for approximately 3-5 seconds then disappears. No noticeable operating issues while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11438151