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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
37,620 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 12 of 15)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #61

Feb 062019

Malibu

  • 36,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate and decelerated to 20 mph. Also, the reduce engine power warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to titus-will Chevrolet (11011 pacific ave S, Tacoma, wa 98444, (253) 539-1000) where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal position senor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 36,000.

- Yelm, WA, USA

problem #60

Feb 202019

Malibu

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

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #59

Feb 112019

Malibu

  • 30,000 miles
While driving, the engine loses power and the car stops right where it is.(in traffic) this has happened 3 time recently. This is a safety issue. I purchased the car from andrew chev. Milwaukee wis.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #58

Dec 052018

Malibu

  • 62,000 miles

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

The engine developed a cracked piston after approximately 60,000 miles.

- Clarence, NY, USA

problem #57

Dec 202018

Malibu

  • miles
This vehicle is very dangerous, while riding on the highway or just driving all together the engine speed reduced light will come on and the speed drops if I'm on the highway it drops to 40mph if im driving the street it drops to 20mph, my kids and I were almost hit by other drivers on several occasions because of this, I have taken it to the dealership and no one seems to know the problem, for the past week it has been getting worse and happens at least 5 times a day, something has to be done about this as its very dangerous for my family and I

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #56

Jan 142019

Malibu

  • 20,000 miles
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 #55

Jan 232019

Malibu

  • 57,000 miles

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

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 #54

Jan 142019

Malibu

  • 44,000 miles
I am having an issue with my car and the code is P2138. This is an accelerator issue and when the issue comes about, the car engine reduces and my car will not go over 20 mph. I called the dealership to get the part and it is on back order. This is truly a safety issue and should be a recall versus me having to pay for this and the part should be available as this is dangerous. If I am driving on the highway and this happens, I myself or others could get seriously hurt if not killed. This is happening to me several times a day and I need my vehicle and am scared to keep driving it without it being fixed. Of course, my vehicle is over mileage warranty, therefore I need to pay out of pocket to fix this dangerous problem. This is a safety issue as the car is in motion and there is no warning sign that the car is going to rev down to 20 mph. Chevrolet said there is no recall and the only way they could even consider reimbursement of any kind would be to have the car diagnosed at the dealership (which is $115 to diagnose). The car was diagnosed by a licensed mechanic, therefore it should not matter where it is diagnosed.

- Machester, NH, USA

problem #53

Jan 032019

Malibu

  • 25,000 miles
Message: "reduced engine power" engine power is reduced, speed drops, check engine light is displayed.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #52

Jan 142019

Malibu

  • miles
I have a 2016 Chevy Malibu. As I was driving my engine light came on and then a message saying that my engine power has been reduced. I took my car to a near by Chevrolet service department. They said that the issue was a failed accelerator pedal alone with some failed sensors. I saw several reviews with a similar problem if not the same. I was very shocked to see that there was not a recall to correct this issue. I brought this car brand new and every since then I have been having nothing but issues. I called GM and they opened a ticket, so hopefully I get some feedback saying that it is something they are recalling to correct the issue.. until then I have to pay out of pocket for a rental. If they do not recall it then I will be paying over $1200 for repairs.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #51

Dec 072018

Malibu

  • 73,000 miles

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

I started getting different messages and lights on my dash over time. The first time I got a service stabilitrak message and check engine light when I was parked with the car idling and the engine started running rough. I turned the car off and called the dealer. I told them the issue and asked if it was ok to drive to a lot or should I get it towed. They said it should be ok to drive it. It was too late in the evening to make it to the dealership so I went to bed. I got up the next morning and got in the car and the message was gone and the car was running great so I called the dealer and they said it must have just been a glitch or something and that I would be fine to drive it since it was running fine now. Car ran fine for months with no issues after that then one day I get a check engine light with a message that says engine power is reduced and service stabilitrak while driving through the city. I pulled into the nearest autoparts store and got them to check my codes which came back with a misfire on cylinder 1. again called the dealer and they said I could drive it in since it was just a misfire, that it would just run rough. I stopped for fuel on my way and the message and engine light were gone when I started it again. Called dealer again they were clueless and said they couldn't really do much if the issue wasn't there. Ran fine for months again then got service stabilitrak message and brakes acted funny as I was pulling into work. By lunch time the issue was gone again. Couple days later, reduced engine power message again on the highway to work, turned around and limped it home while stopping at parts store and 11 codes came back. I got it to the dealer and they told me I have a broken piston in cylinder 1 and they couldn't rebuild it but they would put a new engine in it for $9,000.

- Centerville, GA, USA

problem #50

Jan 132019

Malibu

  • 35,000 miles
Check engine light came on, code given is P1101 intake air flow system performance test failed since dtc clear, history dtc, test not passed since power up, warning indicator requested. Car runs fine for now, code reset and reactivated hour or so later. Remote start does not work.

- Marlton, NJ, USA

problem #49

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 #48

Dec 102018

Malibu

  • 2 miles
The listed 2016 Chevy Malibu has been having 'reduce engine' issue for the past 3 months no explanation for why it happens. It occures randomly, on highways, local roads, high and low speed. The check engine light comes on, but turn off after a couple of minutes, though the issue persist.

- Greenbelt, MD, USA

problem #47

Jan 192018

Malibu

  • 27,218 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving between 29-34 mph, the vehicle stalled and "reduced engine power" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact had to wait a few minutes before the vehicle would restart. The vehicle was taken to South buckner Chevrolet (9301 earl thornton freeway, dallas, tx 75228, 469-294-3000) where it was diagnosed that the accelerator pedal was defective. A new accelerator pedal was installed, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 27,218.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #46

Jan 022019

Malibu

  • 10 miles
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 #45

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 #44

Jul 102018

Malibu

  • 600,000 miles
I had my Chevy Malibu 2016 for 1 year and a piston in my engine broke. I was also getting an oil change every 10 days. The day I purchased this car my check engine light came on and every other month after that I would get a check engine light on the mechanic said it was for different reasons.

- Union, NJ, USA

problem #43

Dec 092018

Malibu

  • 27,680 miles
As soon as I started the car, the check engine light came on stating that the engine's emission is being reduced to where you can feel that the speed of the car is slowing down, but then the engine light went off a little while later. This happened on this past Sunday, now it comes on again two days later. I have been having this problem for about the past year and this is a brand new car. Its like every 2-3 months this issue occurs.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #42

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

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