Home · 2020 Chevrolet Malibu Eco · Complaints

What 191 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

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 (191)Crash / fire / injury (10)Engine (59)Transmission & drivetrain (56)Electrical system (54)Brakes (45)Fuel system (18)Speed control (18)Steering (13)Airbags (4)Engine & cooling (3)Body & structure (2)

59 of 191 complaints match · Engine · clear filters · page 3 of 3

Jul 31, 2021Speed controlBrakesEngine

Speed reduced, reduced engine power , hard breaking and noise ,engine light one , all gages flash, service esc! On dash

NHTSA ODI 11427291

May 24, 2021Speed controlEngineFuel system

Unknown. Started vehicle for one minute and stalled. It is available for inspection. Safety was at risk cause I thought car wasn't going to start and stay idling. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealership.vehicle has not been inspected by dealership. There were no warning lamps or messages. This initial problem appeared on 5-20-21.

NHTSA ODI 11418266

May 23, 2021Electrical systemEngineFuel system

*First incident: Unknown. Could have been stranded. Not confirmed by dealership. First appeared on 5-20-21. I started car. After car started, the cars body started to shake all over with a hard vibration. Car was inspected vaguely by dealership and I was told nothing could be found. No lights came on, no warning.*Second incident: unknown. First appeared 5-22-21. After car started, the cars idle felt shaky a little. Also the acceleration slowed down on its own to where I could not speed up and I had to pull over or I could have been hit by multiple cars. Crash safety issue and stranded! Not confirmed by dealership. Going to be inspected again on 5-24-2021. There were no warnings or lights!

NHTSA ODI 11418200

May 23, 2021Speed controlEngineFuel system

Acceleration slowed down and didn't want to speed up when gas pedal pressed. Car is available for inspection. Safety was at risk cause a car could of hit me. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealership. Vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warnings or symptoms. Problems appeared 5-20-21, 5-22-21, and 5-23-21.

NHTSA ODI 11418210

May 23, 2021Speed controlEngineFuel system

Vehicle slowed down alot by itself upon driving and when pushing the gas pedal the vehicle would not go any faster. I had to pull over in someones driveway to get out of the way of multiple cars behind me! Car is available for inspection. My safety was very much in danger cause what happened to the car could have caused cars to hit me from behind! The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealership. There were no warning lamps or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11418212

May 23, 2021Electrical systemEngineFuel system

Unknown. Started vehicle and warmed it up for one minute. After that the vehicle shook and vibrated then completely stalled. It Is available for inspection. Safety wasn't the greatest cause I thought the vehicle completely died and would not be able to be driven. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealership. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealership. There were not any warning lamps or symptoms. This is the first time the car died.

NHTSA ODI 11418240

Apr 22, 2021Engine

VEHICLE SEEMS TO WANT TO STALL OUT FROM TIME TO TIME WHEN PRESSING THE GAS

NHTSA ODI 11413318

Nov 17, 2020Engine

MY 2020 CHEV MALIBU PROMISED ON THE WEB SITE AND ON THE MSRP THAT IT WOULD GET "29 MILES PER GALLON IN THE CITY". THIS WAS ALSO PROMISED ON THE 2021 MODEL. I HAVE ONLY GOTTEN 24 MPH OR LESS IN THE CITY. THE CAR IS ONE YEAR OLD. I HAVE HAD THREE MEETINGS & SERVICE CHECK OUTS WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TELL ME THAT THAT THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO. SO, I NEED GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION TO FIX MY VEHICLE SO THAT IT GETS WHAT WAS PROMISED.

NHTSA ODI 11375099

Jul 15, 2020Engine

CAR LOST POWER WHEN PASSING A TRUCK ON THE HIGHWAY, HARD START,IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED DEALERSHIP. THEY HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE FOR GOING ON THREE WEEKS TOMORROW. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED GM AND THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT THE RESOLUTION CENTER SAID THE DEALERSHIP WAS NOT ANSWERING E-MAILS AND HE COULD NOT GIVE US ANY INFORMATION. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP SAID HE AND THE MASTER TECH HAD BOTH DRIVEN THE CAR AND BOTH SAID THAT THEY DETECTED A PROBLEM. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THE DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER SHOWED EXCESS, OR UNBURNED FUEL IN THE #2 CYLINDER. THE MASTER TECH SAID HE PUT A BORE SCOPE INTO THE #2 CYLINDER AND SAW A BURNED OR DISCOLORED SPOT ON THE PISTON. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT A REGIONAL ENGINEER HAD COME DOWN FROM SPOKANE WA. AND DRIVEN THE CAR WITH ANOTHER DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER. THEY STILL HAVE NOT DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM, AND THE DEALER SAYS THAT GM WANTS US TO TAKE THE CAR BACK AND DRIVE IT. WE FEEL THE CAR IS UNSAFE AND WE ARE REFUSING TO DRIVE IT. THEY ARE NOT COMING UP WITH A RESOLUTION TO THIS SAFETY PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11339607

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Working with the data? Download all 191 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 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 2020 Chevrolet Malibu Eco verdict →