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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,290 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 7 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #35

Mar 192019

Malibu

  • 26,437 miles

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

While parking the vehicle and placing the shifter to park the car gives an error message "shift to park" after turning off the engine. Headlights will not turn off and I imagine other electrical systems still run during this error. Since the message never went away while I was at a non-GM auto repair shop in for routine oil change and brake check, they needed to replace the transmission control unit so that the car could turn off completely. They also found a tsb (attached) on this issue that informed them on how to fix the "shift to park" error. Since the repair was not at a GM dealer the cost was out of pocket. Have contacted GM and so far they are saying since there is no recall there is nothing they can do in terms of reimbursement.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #34

Feb 122019

Malibu

  • 45,000 miles
My car all of sudden on freeway snatched back from doing 65 plus to freaking less than 30 miles instantly "engine power reduced" message appears and check engine light comes on. It continues to do this everyday my car will not drive over 30-35 mph. I have two kids this is not safe. I travel! I take my car to penske Chevrolet of cerritos dealer and they claim its a accelerator pad sensor. Prior to taking my car to dealer I had a conversation with a co worker who has the same car she told me the issue beforehand because she experienced it and was stuck on a highway!they also state that "every Malibu is having this issue" and due to that the item is on back order. I had to pay and still have to pay for labor of that item which I don't think is fair. It should be a recall. I feel well no it is obviously hazardous and Chevy has people and kids driving in cars like this... what if I get in an accident" how many cars does it take to realize this item needs to be recalled? does someone have to die for Chevrolet to realize that this needs serious attention"

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #33

Feb 142019

Malibu

  • 10,011 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the transmission and radio continued to activate after the vehicle was turned off. The failure occurred frequently. Also, the key fob was faulty and would work intermittently. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to findlay Chevrolet (6800 S torrey pines dr, las vegas, nv 89118, (702) 982-4000) where it was diagnosed that a new gear shift and gear shift assembly were needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and did not assist. The failure mileage was 10,011.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #32

Jan 142019

Malibu

  • 20,000 miles

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

I was driving 35mph, and suddenly the car lost power, and I was going 10 mph. A message came on saying reduced power. I had the car towed to the dealership that I purchased the car, red lion Chevy. They found nothing wrong with the car, and told me I better get the car off the lot. I was scared to drive the car as if I was on a highway, I could have been run over by a truck. I already had a cracked piston repaired and the car needed a new engine. On star sent me an email stating that I have an engine and transmission problem and to get the car serviced.the sales manager rivera just wanted to sell me a new car, and they wouldn't do any further testing on my vehicle.

- York, PA, USA

problem #31

May 252018

Malibu

  • 25,000 miles
The transmission shifter will not acknowledge being in park. When the shifter is moved into the park position, it latches into position properly, but something electronically does not recognize that it is in park, so when you push the start button to turn off the car, it will shut off the engine but display a warning 'please put vehicle in park". since it doesn't know it is in park, it will not fully turn off. It will stay in accessory mode, thus keeping on the lights, the radio, etc, and it will not allow you to lock the doors. Jiggling the sifter, rocking the car, restarting and turning off again, taking in and out of park, all did nothing to solve the problem. This is a safety risk for theft as it is obvious that the vehicle is not secured since the lights and radio are still on. You also can't keep any valuables in the car since it can't be locked. When this issue first happens it is very intermittent, so they dealer can't replicate the issue so they refuse to fix it. Once it happens regularly they can fix the problem, but it seems GM doesn't know what is causing the issue, so they force you to replace the entire shifter assembly for $700. It turns out this issue is very common in newer Malibu. It is one of the most-discussed forum posts on the Malibu forums website. This needs to be a recall and be covered at no charge from GM since no one expects to buy a vehicle that cannot be locked and doesn't turn off from accessory mode.

- Landisville, PA, USA

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problem #30

Jan 232019

Malibu

  • 57,000 miles
At cruising speed on the freeway, approximately 65 mph, the car jerked and lost a significant amount of power. The check engine light illuminated and the warning "engine power is reduced" displayed on the information panel. The car continued to lose a significant amount of power until I was able to get out of a separated toll lane and to the breakdown lane. After restarting the car, it was able to again gain power. Over several days, the car would go in and out of this mode and the check engine light went off and on multiple times, it again lost power on the freeway, lost significant power while driving up hills (dropping from a speed of 55 mph to below 20 mph within a minute). Cars behind my car had to move out from behind me and I had to pull in to the breakdown lane on several occasions to let other cars pass me as I was unable to maintain a legal speed. This problem was assessed by quirk Chevrolet and determined to be caused by the throttle position sensor in the gas pedal and the engine control module. Quirk identified that these components are not covered under the powertrain warranty (despite the fact that they are necessary components in the powertrain) and that the total cost to replace these would be approximately $520 plus the cost of a rental car. They also were not able to locate an available gas pedal/throttle position sensor assembly by the end of the business day and were unable to identify a timeframe for the length of time this would take to complete because of this missing part. They also identified that they would not be able to reset the ECM until this sensor assembly was completed.

- Epsom, NH, USA

problem #29

Jan 192019

Malibu

  • miles

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

Shift to park issue. Vehicle is clearly in park but message on message board informs me "vehicle is not in park." Have to wiggle/mess with shifter in order to get the message to disappear. Otherwise vehicle will not turn off. Dealership informed me the shifter assembly needed to be replaced... common problem and needs to be fixed by Chevy.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #28

Mar 022017

Malibu

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. While operating the vehicle, the stabilitrak indicator illuminated. Also, after turning the ignition off, the engine continued to operate for approximately 30 seconds. Upon restarting the vehicle, it drove very roughly and would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was taken to red lion Chevrolet (3220 cape horn rd, red lion, pa) where it was diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced. Approximately three months later, after switching to the park position, "shift to park" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but "power reduced" later displayed and the speed suddenly reduced to 10 mph. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- York, PA, USA

problem #27

Nov 012016

Malibu

  • 43,601 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was in drive and stationary, it stalled and the drive assist warning indicator illuminated. The steering wheel also seized. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,601.

- Coconut Creek, FL, USA

problem #26

Dec 262018

Malibu

  • 45,000 miles
I was traveling on a highway, going around 70 mph, as I was about to merge onto another freeway, my check engine light came on, and a notification came on that said reduced engine power. My car then dropped speed to about 40 mph. I was unable to accelerate the rest of my route to work. I topped at 20 mph. I checked my code reader and P2138 came up.

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #25

Jan 012018

Malibu

  • 30,000 miles

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

Takata recall: My veichle have been having electrical issues since months now. I have been paying extra money to repairs and still doesn't get it fix. Dealership doesn't know what to do anymore. My car turns off at the light to save gas but whenever I release the brake back again the whole screen goes off and back on again with the engine. Sometimes I have to push it to the side of the street because it doesn't want to turn back on. Mesaage on the screen says ' power steerling reduced, please drive with care' also it says sometimes ' stabilititank '. I need help on this situation because I don't know what to do anymore. I saw a recall of 7,000 cars same type like mine on 2016 for the same issues. Thank you.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #24

Oct 292018

Malibu

  • miles
2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Consumer writes in regard to leased vehicle that has multiple malfunctions; losing power, not accelerating, and not shifting gears. The consumer stated the cause of the failure was due to the installation of the 'right track' device.

- Lindenhurst, NY, USA

problem #23

Oct 162018

Malibu

  • 19,000 miles
Car hesitates when pushing accelerator and begins to move forward slowly for a few seconds and then accelerates rapidly. This has happened on numerous occasions for the past few months and because it is only random when I take it to the dealer they can't duplicate it. This occurs when I am stopped at a stop light, pulling out of a parking space, or pulling out of a parking lot into traffic. I've been told it has something to do with a smart transmission because me and my wife have different driving happens. (which doesn't sound reasonable) last time it did this was yesterday and it seems to happening more frequently.

- Hinesville, GA, USA

problem #22

Sep 212018

Malibu

  • 37,000 miles
Car refuses to acknowledge that it has been shifted into park, despite having been properly shifted into park. I receive the error message "shift vehicle into park" after turning off the ignition. Took several tries to make it go away. Vehicle was stationary in a parking lot.

- Hamilton Township, NJ, USA

problem #21

Sep 012018

Malibu

  • 37,000 miles
1st problem message pops up when parking. Message reads shift to park even when shifter is in park. Will turn off engine but will not turn off the accessory. Need to shift in and out of park several times until message disappears and allows to turn off. 2nd problem message pops up no remote detected press brake to restart

- Highlands, TX, USA

problem #20

Jan 212018

Malibu

  • 50,000 miles
The car stalls in traffic, losing all power. It doesn't start sometimes. Everytime I take it into the dealer the issue doesn't occur and they claim the computer is coming back clean. However, it dodent fo this all the time it can go weeks and drive just fine but at any given time will lose all power and shut off in the middle of traffic and done days take a very long time to start. It's very scary when your in traffic in the car shuts off then all the warning lights come on from stabilizer bar warning, to engine light. It's dangerous and scary with my child in the car at times on san diego highways. A car should not just shut off or take forever to start when everytime I take it to the dealer they claim the readings are fine. I also see I'm not the only one having this problem with this year and model. GM Chevrolet want be satisfied until someone is seriously hurt with this issue losing power while driving.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #19

Jul 272018

Malibu

  • 53,000 miles
When putting my car in park, not every single time but, the car is completely stopped and dashboard says P (for park), when I turn the car off an error pops up stating car needs to be shifted into park to turn off.

- Madison, VA, USA

problem #18

Jun 212018

Malibu

  • miles
Takata recall - I have been having problems locking, unlocking, and turning on my car. When the car finally gets turned on it will say that the keys are not detected. Or when I put it in drive it will tell me to turn the car off and then turn it back on. Takata recall - about once a month when I turn my car on, a loud buzzing noise comes on for around 30 seconds.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #17

Jul 052018

Malibu

  • miles
When car is put in park, an error "shift to park" appears on the dash. The car will not turn off. It takes multiple tries to get the car to register that the gear is put into park.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

problem #16

Oct 022016

Malibu

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Within five months of owning the vehicle, the contact took it to more than one dealer because the vehicle jerked and made an abnormal noise. Integrity Chevrolet of chattanooga (2110 chapman rd, chattanooga, tn, 423-535-9455) and mountain view Chevrolet (310 E 20th St, chattanooga, tn, 423-266-0181) were contacted and the transmission was replaced within six months of owning the vehicle; however, the transmission continued to make an abnormal noise. The cause of the failure could not be determined. In addition, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard without warning. When it released, the brake pedal seized and caused the contact to drive through a red light, which almost caused a crash. The contact had to apply extreme force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. A passerby alerted the contact that the brake lights failed to illuminate. The manufacturer was notified and opened a case. The vehicle was not repaired and the failures continued. The contact was waiting for a response from the manufacturer. The failure mileage was not available.

- Chatanooga, TN, USA

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