What 689 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

AFTER MY 'RECALL' REPROGRAMMING UPDATE ON THE ECM... A MONTH OR 2 LATER, I STARTED TO HAVE LOSS OF POWER ISSUES WHILE DRIVING. GOT HOME IT SAT FOR A COUPLE OF MINS, THEN WENT AWAY. HAPPENED AGAIN. HAD MY CAR SCANNED TO SEE WHAT THE CODE WAS, AN 'APPS' P2138 CODE, ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR ISSUE. IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING, WHEN IT HAPPENS CRUSE CONTROL TURNS OFF, AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT COMES ON PLUS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY ISSUE WHILE TRYING TO MERGE ONTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC... THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME SEVERAL TIMES... FIRST TIME WAS AFTER A LONG DAY DRIVING, THEN A FEW DAYS LATER AFTER A VERY COLD NIGHT. THEN NOTHING, SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES NO ISSUE. THEN DROVE 120 MILES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN ON 2-13-2020. AND TWICE TODAY 2-21-20202. IT ONLY HAPPENED TWICE DURING A TURN.

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PULLING INTO TRAFFIC CAR LOST POWER, ENGINE KNOCKING BIG TIME, ENGINE LIGHT ON, STABITRAK OFF. ALMOST REAR ENDED. PULLED OVER IN TRAFFIC RESTARTED. CAR HAS HAD SOFTWARE DONE. FILLING OUT AT DEALERSHIP. THES CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND REDUCED ENGINE POWER VEHICLE WON'T ACCELERATE ON HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC

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THE ECM AND BATTERY SENSOR MALFUNCTIONED ON DEC 9. I FOUND OUT THAT GMC HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS FOR SOMETIME. SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 IS DOCUMENTED ON YOUR SITE. I WAS NOTIFIED FROM ONSTAR AFTER I PASSED THE MILEAGE FOR GMC TO HAVE PAY FOR THIS PROBLEM.

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IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH, MY CAR ACCERATION SHUT DOWN AND I STARTED LOSING SPEED EVEN THOUGH I WAS PRESSING ACELLERATOR. AT THIS TIME MY CAR STARTED TO DOWN SHIFT AND THE MORE I STEPPED ON THE ACCELLERATOR NOTHING HAPPENED. MY CAR THEN TURNED OFF ON THE HIGHWAY. I IMMEDIATELY SHIFTED TO PARK AND STARTED THE VEHICLE AGAIN BECAUSE I WAS IN FEAR OF GETTING REAR ENDED. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES FOR THEM TO FIX IT AND THE LAST TIME, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. WE STILL HAVE EXCELERATION ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. WE GOT A RECALL NOTICE OF SOFTWARE FROM CHEVROLET BUT THE DEALER SHIP IS UNAWARE OF THE REPAIR AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY CAN CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW AND IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES FOR THIS RECALL. WE WISH TO RECEIVE A NEW CAR FOR SAFETY REASONS. WE ARE TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN TODAY BUT I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE.

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HAD A CAR ACCIDENT ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 MY CAR STALLED WHILE MAKING LEFT TURN HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE I PURCHASED THIS CAR ALSO MY TIRES CONTINUED TO GO ON FLAT

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2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SAFETY RECALL CONCERNING DISCONNECTED FUEL INJECTOR. CONSUMER ALSO EXPLAINS VEHICLE STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND IT NOT ACCELERATING. *AS *JS

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AT AUTONATION CHEVROLET WACO (LOCATED AT 1625 N VALLEY MILLS DR, WACO, TX 76710, (254) 236-6415). SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SEIZE AND WAS MOVED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE FAILURE CONTINUED WHILE THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING TO HIS DESTINATION. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER BACK AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT'S STUDENT ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO PARK; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD INDEPENDENTLY. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO PLACE THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, BUT IT CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE AND LOW POWER MODE INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ROLL AS THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO STOP AND IT CRASHED INTO A BOULDER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH CRAIN CHEVROLET (9911 I-30, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72209, (501) 436-4484) AND WAS INFORMED TO TOW THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS SENT TO THE COLLISION DEPARTMENT AND THE CONTACT HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BACK TO HER APARTMENT FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT NOT TO TOUCH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED CHEVROLET DEALER SO THAT IT COULD BE ASSESSED BY AN INVESTIGATOR. AFTER SOME BACK AND FORTH WITH THE ORIGINAL DEALER, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GWATNEY CHEVROLET (1301 T P WHITE DR, JACKSONVILLE, AR 72076, (501) 295-4448) WHERE AN INVESTIGATOR DETERMINED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY FAULT WITH THE VEHICLE. RECENTLY, THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE) THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,196.

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I WAS TOLD THAT MY ECM MAIFUNCTION REPAIR RECALL FIX WAS NOT WAS YET AVAILABLE BY MY DEALERSHIP,GARRETT MOTERS, CO0LIDGE, AZ 85128. THE RECALL 3 ISN192221960. I AM WORRIED ABOT IT BECOSE I NEED TO DRIVE 30 MILES ROUND TRIP SOME ON THE I 10 ABOUT 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR DOCTOR APPTS AND SHOPPING FOR GROCERIES. WHICH CAN CASUSE A RARE CASE OF ENGINE STALL AT SPEED.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AND APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND LOST POWER. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWER OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO OURISMAN CHEVROLET OF BALTIMORE (6633 SECURITY BLVD, BALTIMORE, MD 21207, (410) 265-7777) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 9-5537893606. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,141.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). THE CONTACT CALLED ANDERSON CHEVROLET AT 888-312-6558 (LOCATED AT 31201 AUTO CENTER DR, LAKE ELSINORE, CA 92530) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

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I HAVE HAD MY MALIBU ABOUT 4 MONTHS NOW, I PURCHASED IT WITH 500 MILES ON IT. I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ACCELERATING SHORTLY AFTER THE PURCHASE. I WAS MERGING ON TO THE INTERSTATE AND TRYING TO SPEED UP TO THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC. I WAS ALREADY OVER INTO THE NEXT LANE AND HAD NO WHERE TO GO. I PRESSED THE GAS BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT EXCEED 25 MILES PER HOUR. I WAS LOOKING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR WATCHING ANOTHER CAR RAPIDLY APPROACHING FROM THE REAR AND AFTER A FEW VERY FRIGHTENING SECONDS MAYBE 20, THE CAR FINALLY DECIDED TO ACCELERATE. THIS SAME PROBLEM PERSISTED THE ENTIRE TRIP. AFTER REACHING MY DESTINATION AND CALMING MY NERVES. I DID SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE CAR ( I SHOULD HAVE BEFORE I BOUGHT IT) AND FOUND OUT ABOUT A PROBLEM WITH THE ECM. I CALLED THE DEALER AND SCHEDULED A TIME TO BRING IT IN. THE DEALERSHIP WAS VERY HELPFUL AND PREFORMED THE UPDATE I FOUND A BULLETIN ABOUT ONLINE. THE CAR PERFORMED A LOT BETTER FOR SHORT TRIPS. AFTER DRIVING FOR A WHILE I FELT COMFORTABLE ENOUGH TO TAKE LONGER TRIPS. I'M NOTICING THE CAR STILL HESITATES WHEN TURNING, WHEN IT GETS HOT, AND SOMETIMES JUST AT RANDOM WHEN DRIVING I CAN FEEL IT LOSE POWER AND KICK BACK IN, AND THE ENGINE SHAKES WHEN I'M IDLING AND THE ENGINE IS HOT LIKE A SHUTTER KINDA THING UNTIL I PULL OFF AGAIN. I TRIED TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO GET A SECOND UPDATE DONE BUT THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS COMMON WITH THAT CAR AND WHAT I WAS EXPERIENCING WAS THE TURBO LAG. THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD OFFER TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS PURCHASE IT'S THE FIRST NEW CAR I EVER BOUGHT AND I'M SCARED IT'S GOING TO BREAK DOWN OR SOMEONE HIT ME WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE I CAN'T GET OUT OF THE WAY. I BOUGHT A NEW VEHICLE WITH THE EXPECTATION OF NOT HAVING ANY PROBLEMS AND JUST DOING REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND I GOT BURNED BIG TIME.

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I STARTED THE CAR AND REVERSED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR IN DRIVE, I PRESSED THE GAS AND THE CAR BARELY MOVED. I PULLED OFF TO THE EDGE OF THE PARKING LOT AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK, TURNED IT OFF, WAITED A MINUTE OR 2, AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. I PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND IT WENT FORWARD. I HAD TO STOP AND SLIGHTLY REVERSE BECAUSE A CAR WAS COMING TOWARD ME ON THE STREET I WAS TURNING ONTO. I PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE AND TRIED TO TURN OUT OF THE PARKING LOT. AGAIN THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING BUT THE CAR BARELY COASTED. IT ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT CHANGING GEARS. I PULLED ACROSS THE STREET BECAUSE A CAR WAS COMING INTO ANOTHER PARKING LOT. WE WERE ALMOST HIT BECAUSE THE CAR WOULD NOT GO. I PARKED THE CAR TURNED IT OFF. WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND RESTARTED IT. I GOT OUT AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED SLIGHTLY OFF ... IT WAS CLICKING ALMOST LIKE THERE WAS A TIMING ISSUE. I GOT BACK IN THE CAR REVERSED OUT OF THE PARKING SPOT AND WENT FORWARD. THE CAR STARTED FORWARD AND I TURNED BACK ON TO THE ROAD. SUDDENLY THE RPM SHOT UP TO OVER 400 AND THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WITHOUT APPLYING ADDITIONAL GAS. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND KEPT DRIVING. THE RPM RAN HIGHER THAN NORMAL ON THE WAY BACK TO KOKOMO. IT WAS NOT DRIVING CORRECTLY AND STILL ACTED LIKE IT WAS NOT SHIFTING GEARS CORRECTLY. I DROVE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP IN KOKOMO, IN. ERIK'S CHEVROLET AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY ISSUES. WHEN PRESSED THEY TRIED TO SAY IT WAS OVERDUE FOR AN OIL CHANGE WHICH IS NOT TRUE. THE INDICATOR JUST CAME ON RIGHT BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. IT HAS ~7200 MILES BUT IT HAS FULLY SYNTHETIC OIL. THEN THEY TRIED TO SAY IT WAS LOW ON OIL AND THE OIL LIFE WAS ZERO AND THAT CAUSED THE ISSUE. AGAIN NOT TRUE BECAUSE IT WAS AT 4% AND I CHECKED IT PERIODICALLY AS STATED IN THE MANUAL. THERE IS A RECALL RELATED TO AN ECM MALFUNCTION. I AM CONCERNED THIS IS RELATED AND THE FIX MAY NOT COMPLETE.

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VEHICLE STALLS, WON'T ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS. I WILL COMPLETELY STOP OR SLOW DOWN THEN TRY TO ACCELERATE AND THE CAR WON'T MOVE. IT TAKES A COUPLE MINUTES TO GET GOING FASTER THAN 5-10MPH. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY, STREETS, AND EVERYWHERE ELSE I'VE DRIVEN. IT DOES IT WHEN I TURN, OR JUST GO FORWARD. I'VE HAD MULTIPLE SITUATIONS WHERE I COULD'VE BEEN IN ACCIDENTS. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN DECEMBER AND IT'S HAPPENED EVERY DAY SINCE.

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TAKING OFF FROM A STOP SIGN TRYING TO ACCELERATE INTO TRAFFIC AT WHICH POINT THE CAR SHIFTED THROUGH A COUPLE OF YEARS WITH NO ACCELERATION OR POWER BEHIND IT I WAS MAYBE GOING 12MPH AS IT SHIFTED THROUGH TO 3RD GEAR ABOUT A 8-10 SECOND DELAY. I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO MAKE IT IF I WOULD'VE BEEN IN ANY OTHER VEHICLE. I WAS ALMOST T-BONED. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR 2 DAYS AGO

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23000 MILES ON A USED VEHICLE. ACCELERATION/LOW POWER, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RECEIVE ANY POWER UNTIL 4000 RPMS, GAS PEDAL CAN BE PUSHED DOWN AND STILL TAKES IT TIME TO ACCELERATE. MPG IS CURRENTLY AVERAGING 18 MPG ADVERTISED AS 27-37 MPG

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VEHICLE FREQUENTLY HAS AN ISSUE ACCELERATING. WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC OR DEPARTING FROM A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE FAILS TO MOVE MORE THAN APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AN HOUR FOR APPROXIMATELY 5-10 SECONDS. YOU CAN HAVE THE GAS PEDAL PUSHED TO THE FLOOR AND STILL THE CAR HAS SERIOUS HESITATION AND DELAY OF ACCELERATION. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IT IS A MYSTERY IF YOU ARE GOING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND NOT MOVE OR MAYBE THE CAR WILL ACCELERATE NORMAL. YOU WILL NOT KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY!

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TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IS NOT PERFORMING AS EXPECTED. AN ISSUE HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE IGNITION SYSTEM WHICH OVERSEES THE TIMING AND SPARK NECESSARY TO IGNITE FUEL INTO THE ENGINE. GM AND CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS ARE CLAIMING THERE IS NO PROBLEM HOWEVER ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND ON-STAR REPORTS PROBLEMS AND NOTHING IS FIXED. BRAND NEW CAR WITH 8600 MILES AND LESS THEN A YEAR OLD.

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I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN APRIL 2019 WITH 14,000 MILES ON IT. SINCE THEN, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES LOW POWER/HESITATION AT LOW SPEEDS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY EVIDENT WHEN TURNING/PULLING OUT ONTO AN INTERSECTION FROM A STOP. THERE IS NO ACCELERATION AT ALL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER & TEST DROVE IT WITH THE MECHANIC. DURING THE DRIVE, THE CAR DISPLAYED THE SYMPTOMS. HOWEVER, WHEN THE MECHANIC DROVE IT HIMSELF, HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. I MENTIONED THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #19NA-032. ACCORDING TO THEM, THIS BULLETIN IS NOT APPLICABLE TO MY VEHICLE'S VIN. IN DOING MY OWN RESEARCH, MY VIN FALLS WITHIN THE TSB'S RANGE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS I'VE ALMOST BEEN HIT MULTIPLE TIMES BY ONCOMING TRAFFIC. A RECALL DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE RELEASED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS INJURED OR KILLED.

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THE VEHICLE LOSES POWER AFTER WARMING UP. VEHICLE SPUTTERS DURING ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES WILL NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. THIS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AS I PULLED OUT AND PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. THERE ARE NO LIGHTS OR CODES PRESENT. ACCORDING TO ONLINE FORUMS THERE IS A TSB FOR THIS (19-NA-32); IT NEEDS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL...THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS.

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I HAVE HAD THIS CAR 6 MONTHS AND IT HAS BEEN SERVICED 3 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE. WHILE IN MOTION THE VEHICLE DOES NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. WHEN PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC WITH THE GAS PUSHED DOWN IT SLOWS AND THEN LUNGES. IT ALSO CAN HAPPEN WHEN GOING WITH THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC. (FEELS LIKE IT'S SLIPPING). THE FIRST TIME THEY FOUND PUMP PLUNGER DAMAGE AND LOOSE PIN IN FUEL CAM FOLLOWER. THE SECOND TIME THEY REPROGRAMMED EXAM WITH LATEST CA LIBERATIONS. I AM HERE NOW FOR THE 3 TIME. THIS VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND I WORRY FOR THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND KIDS WHEN DRIVING.

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I PURCHASED MY 2018 MALIBU IN AUGUST 2018. I WAS GETTING AN AVERAGE 28 MPG UNTIL MY FIRST OIL CHANGE IN DECEMBER 2018. AFTER THAT, I STARTED GETTING 20-27 MPG CITY AND 14-20 MPG HIGHWAY. THIS CAR WILL USE AN ENTIRE TANK OF GAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 210 MILES ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAVE TAKEN IT BACK TO A CERTIFIED GM SERVICE DEPARTMENT, AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE CAR HAS NO SERVICE CODES. I HAVE SPOKE TO A GM MANAGER, AND SHE TOLD ME BASICALLY THE SAME THING. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT NOTHING WILL BE DONE TO CORRECT THE ISSUE WITH MY CAR. I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING WHY I GOT EXCELLENT GAS MILEAGE FROM THE CAR DURING THE FIRST 6000 MILES AND NOW IT FLUCTUATES ON CITY ROADS AND IS AWFUL ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAVE NEVER DROVE A CAR THAT GOT BETTER CITY MILES THAN HIGHWAY. THE CAR IS ALSO VERY HESITANT AND SHIFTS HARD AT TIMES WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS IS NOT AN EVERY DAY OCCURRENCE, BUT HAPPENS 6 OR 7 TIMES A WEEK.

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SOMETIMES, WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED ACCELERATION IS IMMEDIATE AND THE VEHICLE PERFORMS ACCEPTABLY WITH A SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT RATE OF ACCELERATION. HOWEVER, SOMETIMES THE VEHICLE SPUTTERS FOR A WHILE, NOT FOR A CONSISTENT PERIOD OF TIME, AND EVENTUALLY ACCELERATION KICKS IN AND THE VEHICLE PERFORMS ACCEPTABLY. SOMETIMES WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES VERY SLOWLY, WITH NO NOTICEABLE SPUTTERING, NO GEAR CHANGE AND DOES NOT KICK INTO ACCEPTABLE ACCELERATION (I HAVE NOT TESTED THE VEHICLE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME WHEN IT HAD THIS RESPONSE SO ACCELERATION MIGHT EVENTUALLY KICK IN). INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION HAPPENS WHEN THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AT A STOP OR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS MOVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION IS A SAFETY HAZARD. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ENTERING A FREEWAY WITH HEAVY TRUCKS TRAVELING AT 75 MPH OR MORE, THE DRIVER OF A VEHICLE WITH INTERMITTENT DELAYED ACCELERATION WOULD NOT KNOW IF IT WOULD BE SAFE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC. IF ACCELERATION WAS SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT, THE DRIVER COULD ANTICIPATE THE VEHICLES PERFORMANCE AND MERGE SAFELY. IF DELAYED ACCELERATION OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE MIGHT BE ABLE TO MERGE SAFELY PROVIDING THE FREEWAY ONRAMP HAD ENOUGH LENGTH AND THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC HAD ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN VEHICLES. HOWEVER, SINCE THE DELAYED ACCELERATION IS INTERMITTENT AND WHEN IT OCCURS, THE DELAY IS NOT CONSISTENT, THE MERGING VEHICLE COULD POTENTIALLY BE REAR-ENDED BY A HEAVY TRUCK RESULTING IN SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH.

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