What 689 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was a failure near the fuse box. Additionally, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle while the brake pedal was depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the engine warning light was illuminated prior to the failure. The ECM and PCM were diagnosed, and DTC: P0689 was retrieved. The vehicle was undrivable. An appointment was scheduled; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired due to the cost of the diagnostic test. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who checked the spark plugs, cylinders, and fuses; however, the vehicle still failed to start. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure; however, the contact was placed on hold. The contact disconnected the call because no one returned to the call. The failure mileage was 123,334.

NHTSA ODI 11721715

Shift to park error message appears on dash after turning off the vehicle. I have to turn back on the vehicle and take it out of park and shift it back and forth from park to drive then back to park to get the vehicle to turn off. This first January 2020. It was fixed in February 2020. This issue has started again in November 2025. The same error code and same results as the car won't cut off unless you push start it and shift out of park and back a few times.

NHTSA ODI 11719542

I was driving on the freeway with my kids in the car at 60 mph and without warning I get an engine power reduced message and then my car losing power and starts dropping speeds down to 35 mph within seconds. I have cars speeding up behind me and I can't go any faster than 35 mph on the freeway so I am forced to quickly pull to the side of the freeway before I get hit. This was one of the post scariest situations for me any my children. I had to turn the car off and sit for awhile before I could start it back up and pray it made it home and didn't do it again. It has randonly done this for no rhyme or reason and no codes are showing when it's happening. I have no recalls on my car so this is something I believe Chevy needs to fix before someone gets seriously hurt.

NHTSA ODI 11717742

2018 Chevrolet Malibu Premier with approximately 50,000 miles displayed a persistent “Shift to Park” message. The vehicle would not consistently recognize that it was in park, preventing the vehicle from shutting off properly and creating a safety concern. Dealer diagnosed a faulty transmission shifter assembly that was not sending a strong signal to the body control module (BCM). The shifter assembly was replaced at a cost of $611.31. This appears to be a known recurring defect affecting similar model year Malibus. Filing complaint to document safety-related failure.

NHTSA ODI 11717394

Hard braking, reduced engine power

NHTSA ODI 11716797

I was driving and the reduced engine power came on. I almost crashed because I couldn't control the steering

NHTSA ODI 11716308

The Vacuum pump continues to go out causes code P1101. I have replaced it 4 times and people just in my town are fighting this code for dear life like me! It causes our brakes to barely work and make it completely unsafe to drive as the check engine light goes in and out for MAF sensor. It’s not safe. It needs to be recalled. It doesn’t matter if i buy the most cheapest part or expensive part. It has happened on multiple occasions where i replace it and within 2 months, its back on and does reduced power in the middle of me driving on busy roads. i’ve been almost hit and almost caused multiple accidents because I have to pull over.

NHTSA ODI 11715185

I've taken my car in now 4 times to Chevy dealers just to be told there was nothing wrong. Turnes out that my torque converter (transmission) is going bad. And I can't get a Chevy dealer to honor my almost expired warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11713990

I was driving along and my car went into a reduced engine power mode. Code came up as the gas pedal sensor.

NHTSA ODI 11713472

The vehicle shut off in the middle of the street. I had to get it jumped to start again. There was a fuel leak. Car is still smelling like fuel after getting it repaired. The vehicle doesn't alert if your close to a car or anything

NHTSA ODI 11711621

Engine power reduced car shuts off and will not start

NHTSA ODI 11710102

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal suddenly became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was required to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard while stopping the vehicle. The contact then stated that after pulling into a parking lot, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA ODI 11709076

Antilock Braking System

NHTSA ODI 11707145

Shift knob found grounding inside shifter..had to PAY OUT OF POCKET. $1087 TO HAVE SHIFTER REPLACED!

NHTSA ODI 11704772

The brake booster unit, vacuum pump , brake light switch failed and malfunctioned and it is available. My safety and others on the road was at risk due to brakes being stiff and hard as a brick. Possibly nearly hit an other vehicles on the road. No warning lamps or other symptoms prior to the failure.

NHTSA ODI 11702328

After diagnostic troubleshooting from DTCs on a check engine light, it was discovered that the brake vacuum pump connected to the engine was completely nonfunctional. Previous symptoms included stiff brake, loss of brake power at random brake periods which could have cause and accident with other drivers, and finally malfunctioning sensors attributed to the exhaust system. This also led the vehicle to be unable to pass state regulated Emissions testing because of the inability to maintain proper emissions levels. Brake Vacuum pump that was removed from vehicle to inspect and diagnose is still available for inspection. Recent findings show that Chevrolet/GM is aware of the issue in their vehicles but refuses to address or replace faulty brake vacuum pumps. It is a common problem amongst 2013-2022 Chevrolet Malibus. Vehicle that is in question was inspected by a certified mechanic shop with failed emissions test. Solid check engine light appeared once the brake had become harder to push and stop the car. OBD scans show DTC codes that were pertaining to MAF and MAP malfunctions in readouts and communications to the ECM. After further inspection, the ABS module had been acting as "backup" for hydrolic brakes system that had zero vacuum to power the brake booster, this could have caused the engine to stall, longer than normal stopping distances (stronger risk of rear ending other drivers), and multiple components and sensors to fail, requiring them to also be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11701025

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine was difficult to turn over. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the fuel injectors were leaking. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,074.

NHTSA ODI 11699741

The vacuum pump for the brake assist is made from bad metal which can break and screw up the camshaft, chevy knows of this problem they have a recall for the 2017 model but not the 2018 which they both have the same exact problem, they need to take care of this it is a major safety issue, I have no brakes and it could potentially ruin my engine.

NHTSA ODI 11699805

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking, and the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,605.

NHTSA ODI 11698957

The back up camera cuts out while backing up. The lines vanish and leave only the picture. The check engine light comes on with the throttle body being the culprit.

NHTSA ODI 11697873

When putting the car in park it and powering the car off it will say shift to park but car is already in Park. Then it will real stalibark and my wheel will sometimes lock.

NHTSA ODI 11695987

car not recognizing it is in park. Displays "shift to park" on information screen.

NHTSA ODI 11695003

The backup camera for this vehicle is starting to fail and the view is blurry. Additionally, it seems that this also is affecting the rear traffic alert as I almost crashed into someone at a parking lot when trying to back out of a space. I will soon have no rear camera or cross traffic alerts.

NHTSA ODI 11693251

Every so often I get an indication of engine power reduced, but every time I go in to get it checked it's off. I have recently just learned through research online that the issue is caused by a certain condition that gives false reading to the electronics. I have contacted GM and GM financial about the recalls on my cars of the same year. I have not been in a wreck but I have had the issue of engine reduced power in the middle of traffic. Cox Chevrolet in Bradenton has turn me away about the issue GM financial is giving me the runaround neither one mention anything about a recall instead I get a estimate $400 /$808.50/1900.41 all to fix ECM as I told the mechanic I was driving with no problem through the day me and the kids at the park when it was time to leave the car sounded like it just didn't have no gas. We was stuck tell 10:45 we waited two hours for the tow truck. I have OnStar and get monthly reports on my car. When the check engine light comes on OnStar has no indication that's why I believe it is the same ECM. I was told by Chevrolet Maher service manager of St Pete to get my car off their lot as I said before I got a estimate of 400 that went up to 800 and all I did was ask why

NHTSA ODI 11692209

SHIFT TO PARK

NHTSA ODI 11691884