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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
35,970 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 9 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #44

Feb 192018

Malibu

  • miles

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

The rear passenger tire does not turn while driving or it starts to drag while driving.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #43

Feb 202019

Malibu

  • 30,000 miles
While driving, engine loses power and the car shuts down. (this happens in traffic!)

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #42

Jan 272019

Malibu

  • 55,000 miles
Takata recall" my car has a ploblems with the shift parking, ones I put in parking and turn off the car the car said shift parking and the key stay open. And I can't lock the car, this is the second time that happen to my car I change in 10/2017 that's imposible that happen again.

- Brawley, CA, USA

problem #41

May 252018

Malibu

  • 25,000 miles

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

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

problem #40

Jan 242019

Malibu

  • 75,000 miles
Throttle position sensor has gone bad on my 2016 Malibu it has to be a known problem because there are thousands of videos of people showing how to fix the problem and installing a new tps and pedal.

- Pittsfield, NH, USA

problem #39

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 #38

Nov 142018

Malibu

  • 38,000 miles

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

The car is stopped and engine turned off handle does not allow exit from car exterior - cannot lock/unlock the doors from the door sensor or from the fob interior - cannot lock/unlock the passenger doors with the door sensor or fob upon entering vehicle random alarm ' as if vehicle is being stolen car will ding that the remote is still in the car while I'm still in the car. Attached is a letter I sent to Chevy to tell them how unsafe this is in every situation. The car has been at the dealership with no answer in how to fix the problem since 11/20/18. The car has been in the shop 48 of the last 54 days with the past 37 days consecutive Chevy offered me a rebate on a new car but refused to buy the car back. The car is a danger and is not road ready for anyone. I am having a difficult time uploading documents, please let me know if I need to send separately through email.

- Mount Pleasant, SC, USA

problem #37

Aug 152018

Malibu 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 21,593 miles
Water leaked into the body of the car through the center mount stop lamp at the top of the rear window. Either the gasket was defective, or it was simply missing from the car. Over time, water seeped into the car from under the drivers seat. The heat from the summer caused mold to grow on the vehicle floor boards and the drivers side seat blet. Moisture in the car caused damage to the electronic components. The car is totaled and currently awaiting inspection at the Chevrolet dealership in my area. The consumer stated he no longer owns the vehicle.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #36

Jan 042018

Malibu

  • 35,000 miles
On 1/4/2018 I was driving on I-95 and the car brakes sudenly stop working completly

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #35

Dec 212018

Malibu

  • 98,800 miles
Driving down major highway, cel came on, vehicle went into reduced engine power mode. Scanned cel and found code for app sensor failure. Brought to Chevy dealer near where car broke down and they said they would charge me to diagnose it and then charge for parts and labor. The only issue being is that the gas pedal and sensor are on a national backorder. Which means that since this is not a warranty issue with the thousand of GM vehicles affected by this issue I would have to pay for the repairs and the cost of the rental car through the dealer. There is no eta on when the part will be in (if ever) since GM has not been producing these parts for aftermarket repairs. This issue started on 12/21/18 and the dealer said it may take up to two weeks or longer to get the part, the part has still not been issued to the dealer which has several cars with this issue. I have owned several GM vehicles, my grandfather worked for GM, and I service many heavy duty GM engines through my job, but this will be the last GM vehicle I believe I will be purchasing. The quality of GM is gone immensely down and they are not worth the headache of owning one anymore.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #34

Jan 022019

Malibu

  • 10 miles

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

I'll be driving approximate 40 miles and car system will come up stating " engine is going to reduce speed" or something like that ? it's been going for at least two weeks or more now.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #33

Jan 012019

Malibu

  • 79,000 miles
Takata recall, when my vehicle stops at a light and the auto stop goes in place as soon as I let off the gas to continue driving my check engine light came on and my radio and my dash lights all went out after a minute of driving again they all came back

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #32

Dec 212018

Malibu

  • 27,000 miles
I was driving on the highway, going 74, all the lights on the dashboard went on (regular lights, warning lights, everything) it lasted about 5-10 seconds and then went back to normal. Drove another two miles regaining speed to 74 and headlights wentout, all lights in the inside (dashboard, radio, climate control), and I had no power and quickly dropped speed. The car completely shut down while I was driving on the highway, in 5:00 rush hour traffic. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and I turned the key off. I waited a couple minutes and the car did startup and I was able to get off the highway. I took the back way home so I wouldn't be on the highway. I called the car dealership and brought it in the next day. They said they have not heard of this and have not been able to recreate the issue and diagnostics didn't show anything. I have seen a few other post on the internet with this happening on other Malibu cars. The dealership is allowing us to "exchange" (for a fee) to get a different car since we just purchased this one a month ago. Hope it doesn't happen again to somebody else with this car.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #31

Mar 282017

Malibu

  • 8,158 miles
Takata recall: I purchase a new vehicle in 2016. I start having issues 6months after purchasing. The first one that was never resolved: Check engine, engine power reduced. I have taken my car to Chevy webb in lansin, il. This car has stop on me on the expressway and on the street. When reduce speed come I have to pull over and hoping I am not on the express again. Now, Chevy stop assisting me with these issues because warranty is over but, this issues were never resolved. Now I find out that 2016 Malibu had a recall on them May 2016 regarding the same issues that I am experiencing now. I purchased Oct 21, 2016. My car has been service over 25 and still having the issues. Please see attahed service report. Please help

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #30

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 #29

Nov 302018

Malibu

  • 84,000 miles
For the past couple of weeks when my auto stop is engage the car turns completely off and stalls while stopped at a light I don't know what to do about this situation I think it's a car defect in multiple people have been stating they have been having the same issue with their same style of vehicle with the same issue

- Goose Creek, SC, USA

problem #28

Jan 012018

Malibu

  • 30,000 miles
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 #27

Nov 062018

Malibu

  • 45,000 miles
I've had problems with the off and on ignition push button since last year. I have to push and start several time in order to cut off to lock my doors and turn the radio off. My brakes locked on me while driving on the street and smelled like rubber where burning. I had the vehicle towed. I was told nothing is wrong and had to get my vehicle and park it.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #26

Sep 062018

Malibu

  • miles
2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Consumer writes in regard to receiving reimbursement and repairs for vehicle. The consumer stated the a humming noise could be heard from the headliner module and engine. The engine mount collapsed. The right front axle needed to be replaced.

- Oxford, IA, USA

problem #25

Aug 282018

Malibu

  • 21,000 miles
Vehicle has been stopped or during turning or driving on city street or highway and shut off engine, engine light come on and had restart in traffic also radio screen misses up and on star does not work properly when it happens. Can't steer vehicle when it shuts down. About caused me to wreck 4 times. This vehicle is not safe for me or my passengers it has low miles and still under bumper to bumper warranty and Chevy dealers have no clue the cause. Please contact me if you need more info I be glad to show U issues with it and I love someone to help me fix the unknown issues before it gets me or my child or someone else hurt.

- Brodhead, KY, USA

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