What 188 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

Currently have 109,330 miles on my 2019 Malibu LT It’s very obvious that the transmissions in these cars are no good. My car accelerates slowly whenever it feels like it and entering the highway or any road to be honest, is like jumping off of a plane with no parachute, praying you don’t hit the bottom and die. Its scary! It jerks horribly at times while accelerating (along with slow acceleration). If I push the gas pedal more, the car’s RPMs revs high and the car shoots off like rocket then starts to accelerate slowly seconds after the hard take off. Someone is going to die at the hands of GM because the problem is being ignored! Please help us! Check the vehicles! See what the issue is! It’s not just “something simple”. Yet y’all are constantly rolling these cars out to customers. Feels like robbery!

NHTSA ODI 11583154

IN THE PAST WEEK, I TRIED TURNING OFF MY VEHICLE, BUT RECEIVED THE MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK". THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES, THUS FAR (11/6, 11/8, 11/13). THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK, BUT WON'T TURN OFF, UNLESS I CONTINUALLY SHIFT, OR RESTART THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES, OTHERWISE, IT CONTINUES TO RUN WITH THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT FINALLY TURNS OFF. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING! IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IF, SO, IS GM ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE AND NOTIFYING OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM AND WHAT PROCEDURES TO TAKE? I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IS MY CAR SAFE TO DRIVE? IS THIS SOMETHING THE DEALERSHIP CAN ADDRESS? I DO NOT WANT TO BE SOMEWHERE AND NOT BE ABLE TO START MY CAR. I START IT WAS THE BATTERY BECAUSED I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM ONSTAR STATING THE BATTERY WAS CRITICALLY LOW ON THE 6 OF NOVEMBER. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY ON NOVEMBER 9, 2023, THINKING THIS WOULD RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT!

NHTSA ODI 11555070

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed during a heavy rain storm, the vehicle lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact also stated that a message displayed, "Side detection system disabled," and the lane departure assist system activated, briefly steering the vehicle into oncoming traffic before he was able to regain control. The traction control 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 30,500.

NHTSA ODI 11549602

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was shifted to park, the gear shifter failed to remain in the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the jump harness and shift part switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,800.

NHTSA ODI 11545886

CVT transmission is already bad on this vehicle with only 114,000 miles on it and it’s a safety hazard. And the expense to replace it costs $3500 and up for rebuilt and $7500 for brand new!!!! This is unacceptable and outrageous. I was told by several mechanics that this car and these transmissions are junk and have a bad reputation. There needs to be a recall. I still owe on this car and shouldn’t have to stick that kind of money into repairs. Shame on GM!!! Next car I buy is going to be Toyota! Or non American junk.

NHTSA ODI 11543019

When vehicle was put in park. I was unable to turn off vehicle "shift to park" error kept coming on. Had to finally unplug battery. Calling dealer today. Unable to drive.

NHTSA ODI 11540261

The vehicle has failed to shift to park. I have pulled the vehicle into a parking spot on multiple occasions and placed the shift knob into park. A message on the screen pops up after I turn the car off, that says "Shift Vehicle to Park." I then have to start the car again and backup and pull forward attempting to get the car to engage into park.

NHTSA ODI 11535428

Shift to park when car is in park and also while vehicles in park I can still move the gears to reverse neutral and drive without having foot on break

NHTSA ODI 11530542

My car decelerates and has a problem accelerating and I received a Shift to Park error on my instrument panel which would not allow my car to cut off leading to a drained battery and rolling. When I looked up Shift to Park I found that there has been a recall on Chevy Malibus 2016-2019, but the dealership says there’s no recall on my car.

NHTSA ODI 11530175

I have a 2019 chevrolet malibu. When I stop the car and shift into park the "Shift to park " lite comes on. This is very annoying because you have re-shift into "park" several times before the lite goes off. This is very dangerous because you don't know if the vehicle is really in "park".

NHTSA ODI 11524547

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after the vehicle was shifted into park(P) and turned off, a message displayed across the screen that stated “Shift to Park” indicating that the vehicle was not parked. The contact stated that she was informed by a mechanic that the message indicated that the vehicle was not completely in park. The contact stated that an undisclosed dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic test. The contact stated that no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11524030

2nd time putting car in shop to fix the parking sensor. When you place the vehicle in park get a alert to place vehicle in park. Had it repaired once and problem is back. Have to shift to park several times before it will work properly. Already paid once to repair it and the dealer said it's a common problem. I think a recall is needed. I called the dealer and the service advisor said a new support bracket is needed. I called GM to complain and they said they issued a service alert to it's dealers on how to fix it. But refuse to cover the cost of repair. I feel a recall is a fair solution. I can not safely park the car with out worrying if it truly is in park.

NHTSA ODI 11512537

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position the massage "shift to park" had displayed and the vehicle could not be turn completely off. Also and the doors could not be locked and the vehicle would roll. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,700.

NHTSA ODI 11511922

Gear shift does not register the vehicle is in park. Intermittent “Shift to Park” warning displays - the car will not shut off. It drains the battery. Jiggling the shift knob and button can help to get the car to register it is in park, but this is unreliable.

NHTSA ODI 11509144

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while parking the vehicle and shifting into park(P), the shift into park warning light illuminated. The contact stated she exited the vehicle but was unable to lock the doors. The contact stated she restarted the vehicle and continued to shift the gear shifter to park until the transmission and gear shift indicator properly recognized that the vehicle was in park. The contact stated she had experienced the failure several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,012.

NHTSA ODI 11508854

Vehicle lost power while driving without warning which could have caused an accident. Dealer says the ECM failed.

NHTSA ODI 11508251

Put car in Park but Message center says Shift to Park. Also engine tuns off but car switch is still on. Contacted Chevy but advisors basically said sorry. Only 28500 miles on vehicle and one owner

NHTSA ODI 11507681

The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park(P), the shift to park warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11504431

The electrical system was refusing to acknowledge that my car was in Park & kept giving me a “Shift to Park” message on my dashboard. Took 3 or 4 tries of starting & shutting off the car for it to go away. Took the car to the Dealer & turns out that a faulty shifter was the problem. The gear shifter had to be replaced, but not the shifter harness underneath the shifter.

NHTSA ODI 11494803

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently fail to accelerate above 55 MPH as the "Engine Power Reduced" message would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the vehicle upon depression of the brake pedal. The contact called the dealer and was informed that she could not be given an appointment for another month. She then contacted an independent mechanic and was informed that unless the failure was persistent, they would not be able to diagnose the failure. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11487134

I purchased a 2019 chevy malibu on April 9th 2022. Car seemed to be fine at first drove car for two month experienced frequent shift to park issues as car would not recognize itself in park Until multiple attempts at parking. I was arrested on June 4th 2022 and came home on September 5th and attempted to start my car. Car cranked multiple times before starting stalling and cutting itself off while display engine power reduced and check engine light. I used Obd computer and car codes p0014 p0017 p0556. Vehicle was taken to Hertrich Chevy of Salisbury Maryland. The technician informed me that I needed a engine replaced due to nature of damage upon diagnostic chevy discovered vehicle had little to no oil (Which is still puzzling oil life sensor in car is still reading at 22% and check oil light never came on not once for it to be a cause of no oil in vehicle. Was asked to present receipts for service and oil change of a vehicle I drove for maybe 2 months max prior to my incarceration and no one had driven my car during this time as the key was in my possession during incarceration. Problem occurred at 59,898. I purchased the vehicle at 54054 miles on the vehicle starts and has and extended crank and codes p0014 p0017 p0556. Most vehicles require an oil change at 7000 miles and still had a good amout of time before reaching that mark.Vehicle states that it is still under powertrain warranty until 60000 miles. However it's states that it is not covered if improper fuel or lubricant levels (oil) are the cause which is puzzling also because this is apparently a known problem with chevy vehicles as they have provided a bulletin on nhtsa website as to how to diagnose and fix the issue. Service Bulletin #PIP5598C or Google the pdf bulletin. Chevy is sticking me with a known problem their engine does with the cost and replacement of a new engine. As well as losing the 7000 dollars I put down on my newer used vehicle. As well as it being a safety hazard and stalling randomly.

NHTSA ODI 11484546

Vehicle goes into near stall instrument panel goes as if you were starting the vehicle gauges go up down then back gas gauge said no gas on full tank , brakes felt as if was gone abs system not responding , engine rough , road had minor to moderate pot holes "Rawsonville Road" when stopped vehicle while running gave msg put in park to shift . , vehicle was in drive once put in park it would not come out of park or realize it was in park . the issue i have been able to determine so far is on the vehicle fuse panel under hood it is connected to the main service disconnect for the entire wire harness "pin connectors male and female over 30 pins , it is held by 2 locking handles all with plastic tabs for the latching , this is failing under driving conditions and coming loose enough to separate contact from 1 or more pins normally on the drivers side . to fix the issues I had to disconnect the service disconnect and reconnect it while securely fastening the handles verified correct and happened again on testing down a dirt road service appointment is thursday -9-7-2022 at mark chevrolet in wayne michigan , i contacted gm and they said it had to be fully tested through a dealer i informed gm this is a major issue and not something i will be paying for it is likely a recallable issue i have seen alot of issues with malibu 2019-2022 having similar issues and are likely caused by the same issue if using this same service disconnect and fuse box likely nullifying the TSA's used for shift to park etc as others have stated and documented those issues repeat . the vehicles modules lose communication with the vehicle via intermittent service disconnect on the wiring harness . "network errors " support this via obd code reader as well as the powertrain hard fault code and the various pending fault codes prior to having to physically disconnect and reconnect the service disconnect fully to restore vehicle function and bring to safe location instead of on side of busy road

NHTSA ODI 11483409

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting the gear shifter to Park(P), the vehicle was unable to turn off with the "Shift to Park" message displayed. The contact spent the night in her vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 25,700.

NHTSA ODI 11478746

Car ignition will not turn off. The dash displays car not in park when it is.

NHTSA ODI 11478610

The car stalls out an sometimes deads an say no key fab. The ecm has been reprogram even before the car was sold to me back in 2019.

NHTSA ODI 11477034