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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,191 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Chevrolet Malibu brakes problems

brakes problem

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #59

Jun 082021

Malibu

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Second issue with brakes on 2016 Chevy Malibu. First issue fixed in September 2020 by replacing vacuum pump and sensor. The pump failed and pieces of the pump break off and fall into the engine. The exact same issue happened again June 2021. The brakes are very hard and a loud thumping noise was coming from under the hood when you pressed the brakes. It was very hard to stop the car. I knew it was the same issue from September 2020. The vacuum pump was removed and returned to the dealership where the I purchased it from in September 2020 when the original part failed. The part I returned in June 2021 was still under warranty. When I returned it and told them it failed the exact same way in 2020, the man in parts said "They PROBABLY won't warranty the part again since it failed twice. So there's probably something else wrong with your car" REALLY!!! I did notice that the part had been redesigned and the part that breaks off in the engine is no longer there. This proves Chevrolet knows this is an issue, but refuses to recall these vehicles. Thankfully I was on a country road, not driving fast when it failed this time. We live at the bottom of 2 hills, so I had to drive partially in the ditch to help the car slow down enough to safely pull into my driveway with no brakes.

- Castor, LA, USA

problem #58

Feb 272019

Malibu

  • miles
The first incident happen on 2/27/2019. I was existing the highway on highway 75 in Kennesaw, Georgia going north bound and coming off on Barrett Parkway. As I exited the highway my brakes was stuck and my brakes wouldn't press. I panicked because I was going at least 60 mph trying to slow down to get on the exit with semi trucks in the front and in the back, because I was a little skilled with cars I down shifted my car and stepped on my emergency brakes and ran the car off the road into the grass. I towed the car to my mechanic in Hiram, GA. (Donnie's Automotive) to have him work on the issue as I wasn't sure what was going on. I got my car back on 3/1/2019. Now the next incident happen on 8/16/21 my engine decreased and my car wouldn't accelerate more than 40 mph. Took it to my mechanic again and it was the throttle sensor. Now the most recent incident happen 6/12/21 where my brakes failed to pressed again and bc I was aware of this incident happening in 2019 I did the same thing and ran my car off the road. My kids were scared. Now all these issues have been a issue with Chevy and they even had a class action lawsuit against them for the throttle sensor issue. My car wasn't part of the recall but my car has suffered the same issues they've know about for years. I called Thornton Road chevy and they told me it's nothing they can do. I've also emailed the CEO and all others for CHEVY. I want chevy to repair my car before this car KILLS ME OR MY KIDS.

- Austell, GA, USA

problem #57

Mar 282021

Malibu

  • 93,315 miles
Service stabilitrak and ABS. It previously happened last year and the vehicle was in park. Since it's been happening when vehicle is at a slow crawl or in reverse. Sometimes the light will come on however the just of the times, when braking, the car will grind and stutter when braking

- Washington, TX, USA

problem #56

Mar 052021

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Pressing on break lost breaking power. Was told by my mechanic break vacuum pump had issue. He specifically mentioned the issue he found documented.

- South River, NJ, USA

problem #55

Mar 012021

Malibu

  • 125,000 miles
The vehicle runs fine other than when the problems start acting up. It is a BCM issue involving the stabilitrak and ABS. Every few weeks or so, I'll get 3 service light ups in my dash stating 'service vehicle soon, service stabilitrak, service brake assist, reduced power steering drive with care' after coming to a stop. When I go to take off the car will rev up and down then those messages pop up as I cannot speed up or drive. Once the vehicle comes to a stop it shuts off and won't turn back on until about 10 minutes later. I've put $700 in it replacing speed sensors, vacuum pump and vacuum sensor and the problem still occurs. If it were to happen on the highway this could be very dangerous as it already occurred at an intersection stoplight in columbus Ohio

- London, OH, USA

problem #54

Jan 172021

Malibu

  • 46,000 miles
I was involved in a collison with another vehicle. Immediatly after the collision the brakes on my vehicle failed. I had to use the curb and bushes to stop my vehicle after traveling approximately 300 yards from the collision site.

- Escondido, CA, USA

problem #53

Feb 192021

Malibu

  • 64,763 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Back in December of 2020, every time I stopped at a red light or brake (when coming to a stop in traffic) the car completely shuts off. I would get a warning that the car was in battery save mode and the stabilitrak light would come on. The morning of Jan. 12, 2021, it happened while driving on the interstate 322. I blocked rush hour traffic for about 20 minutes before the car started back up. While this was happing nothing on the car worked. It blow out cool air and the radio and windows didn't work. This is a big problem and is very dangerous. Not just for me and my family but other drivers on the road. I did take the car to be serviced unfortunately, they could not find anything wrong with the car. Instead of resting on the break in traffic, we put the car in park. You can see how that can be problematic. In addition to that, now it sound like some sort of liquid is passing through when I come to a stop/park. Fast forward to what has lead me to filing a vehicle safety complaint, this evening my son was driving on us 22 when he called me in a panic because while driving a warning displayed on the dash engin power reduced, traction light and engine light came on simultaneously. The speed reduced to about 20 and would not accelerate. I told him to put on the hazard lights and pull over02 as soon as it was safe. He did as I said as I waited on the phone with him. He turned the car off and let it rest for about 5 minutes. The car started back up without any problems. The traction light went off but the check engine light is still on. He made it home without any more incidents. As I stated above you can see how this is a serious problem. I am learning that I am not the only one with a Chevy Malibu (2016 64,763 miles) with safety issues. This is unacceptable. I hope that no one has to lose their life before action is taking. They need to recall and give a refund.

- Harrisburg, PA, USA

problem #52

Jan 022021

Malibu

  • 170,500 miles
16' Chevy Malibu, 170K miles. Rear popping noise, back left. Heard a pop noise from back left of car after letting off the brakes from a stopped position. Took the left rear (lr) tire off and found lr brake caliper piston to have failed and would not reseed into caliper causing popping noise. Took car to porter Chevrolet in newark, de on 1/20/21 for caliper replacement and they informed me that the part was on national back order due to many cars being affected by the same issue. I had part ordered and picked up my car until the caliper comes in. Will bring car back to porter when part comes in for replacement and hopefully recall credit in near future. Do not let dealerships/ repair shops tell you that it is the rear shock! it is the brake caliper that is making the popping noise.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #51

Jan 212021

Malibu

  • 102,000 miles
There needs to be a recall on the brake booster system. I have had this replaced once already. It is very dangerous! the engine light comes on and when U press the brake there is a loud gush of air and it's hard to stop.

- Barberton, OH, USA

problem #50

Nov 082020

Malibu

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and ceased and failed to release from the floorboard. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ABS system was faulty. The vehicle was towed to george nunnally Chevrolet located at 2700 SE. Moberly ln, bentonville, ar 72712, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Centerton, AR, USA

problem #49

Sep 012020

Malibu

  • 27,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I first noticed the problem on my 2016 Malibu ls when going through a car wash. I'm not sure when exactly the issue happened, but according to the body shop it appears to be faulty designing. The water and chemicals were leaking at the rear window. Heavy rains would also result in the car leaking non-stop. I took the car in and the found that the third brake light was not secured fully and water was spilling through there. Apparently it was lose to the point where it didn't take much to take the light out. I was informed that this was a known problem for other years but my car wasn't included in the recall. If the problem existed with my car I'm sure others are having the same problem. Water was also getting into the trunk and now I have a huge mold/mildew problem. Additionally, they first thought the leak was coming from the side panel windows as the adhesive to put those windows in was faulty.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #48

Sep 222020

Malibu

  • 80,000 miles
While driving at various speeds, the brake pedal wade an abnormal grinding sound. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to depress the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the ABS system failed to operate as designed intermittently. The contact stated that on occasions the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle slid before coming to a stop. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: The approximate failure mileage was 80877

- Elm Grove, LA, USA

problem #47

Sep 252019

Malibu

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the engine power reduced warning light illuminated with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle started to decelerate. The contact coasted the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway, turned the vehicle off and back on which resume back to normal operation. The contact aslo mentioned that while the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated and jerked forward. The vehicle was taken to friendly Chevrolet (7501 highway 65 ne, fridley, mn 55432) where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the vacuum pump and accelerator pedal assembly needed to be replaced. The accelerator pedal assembly was repaired however, the vacuum pump was not. The failure recurred with the brake pedal. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not subjected to a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #46

Jun 202020

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 91,000 miles
Braking system error with the booster, pressure sensor, booster pump. Car is not braking correctly and causing driving issues along either not being able to brake correctly. When driving on the highway the car may nor may not stop in time to avoid a crash.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #45

May 302020

Malibu 4-cyl

  • 64,423 miles
We had been driving for over an hour to our destination as I came to the second red light that was right past one we just passed with no problems, the brakes made a loud noise underneath the car and brakes would not work. As I pulled to the side of the road, you had to press brakes with both feet and everytime it would make a loud sound.

- Douglas, GA, USA

problem #44

Sep 172019

Malibu

  • 76,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal wade an abnormal grinding sound. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to depress the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the ABS system failed to operate as designed intermittently. The contact stated that on occasions the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle slid before coming to a stop. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 16V272000 (electronic stability control) however, the VIN was not included. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #43

Jun 302016

Malibu

  • 3,000 miles
When braking to stop at light sometimes my car will jerk like it is trying to take off. Will have to push hard on the brake pedal to get it to stop. Won't happen for a while then it will happen 4 to 5 times in a row then won't happen again for a while. Sometime I feel like my car is going to jump out of control.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

problem #42

Dec 222019

Malibu

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to pull out of the driveway there was an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact then stated that while driving approximately 15 mph and attempting to make a left turn, the brake pedal was depressed but required added effort to stop the vehicle. The stability trac control system warning light illuminated. Don brown Chevrolet located at 2244 kings highway blvd, saint louis, mo 63110 phone number 314-282-7887) was contacted by phone and informed of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V272000 (electronic stability control). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #41

Jan 032020

Malibu

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to stop for a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed but required extra effort to slow and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the front tires and the front brake pads were replaced however, the failure recurred. Landers Buick GMC located at 78 goodman rd E, southaven, ms 38671, (662)349-5600, was contacted and an appointment was made to have the vehicle repaired which was still pending. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V272000 (electronic stability control).the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.

- Southaven, MS, USA

problem #40

Dec 262019

Malibu

  • 240 miles
Vehicle purchased in September 2015 with 18 miles. 3 weeks later when brakes were pressed, they started making this grinding sound. The sound appeared occasionally every few months for a few seconds. Brake noise still occasionally occurring in 2019, dealerships said it's just moisture. Think it's something else. 3 weeks after purchase engine light comes on with code P2097, then light cuts off a few days later, dealer states just needs computer update. The engine light keeps coming on every few months reading the same code P2097. Receive a shift to park message when vehicle is in park and off, have to cut vehicle on and off until the message disappears. Took to dealership paid $300 to replace a sensor. Still experiencing the same problem every few weeks. The vehicle runs fine minus these reoccurring issues since purchased.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

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