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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,499 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 4 of 14)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #211

Feb 252022

Malibu

  • miles

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

2nd time, check engine light came on, low tire warning, loss of power down to 30 mph while driving. Turned car off and started working again. First time it happened when I took to garage nothing showed up in code reader.

- Conway, AR, USA

problem #210

Feb 202022

Malibu

  • miles
Engine power reduced showed up on dashboard out of no where in the middle of driving, I get no gas, car slowed all the way down in the middle of a busy road.

- Halethorpe , MD, USA

problem #209

Feb 072022

Malibu

  • miles
Three times now I have had the warning -??engine reduced power-?? pop up on my panel all times that I drive to my military base for work. Thankfully I haven-??t been involved in an accident yet, my highway speed has went from 60mph to 35-40mph due to this issue. I was told I needed to purchase another pedal because of it not responding to the engine but after a second opinion I was told there was something wrong with the computer itself. That there-??s faulty wiring which I don-??t have the funds to cover because how much it would have cost. I also don-??t have the funds to drop on another vehicle so at this point I-??m driving a human boobie trap not only for myself but for other drivers around me. I pray no harm is done to anyone else who also owns this vehicle and having the same issues.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

problem #208

Feb 072022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Engine power reduced, reduced power to the vehicle regardless of speed.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #207

Feb 052022

Malibu

  • miles
Warning message appeared after incident happened It read "Engine power is reduced". I was driving on the highway at 70 mph and the power in my car was reduced to almost nothing. I could not accelerate. The cars around me barely missed hitting me. I could have gotten hit and hurt or possibly killed along with the cars around me. It was extremely scary. I pulled over and took out my owner's manual and looked up the error message. It said you may drive the car however speed and acceleration would be reduced. I got off the highway and since I was close to home I drove the car at the reduced speed (as far to the edge of the road as I could get) to my home (2/5/22) I called my dealership to tell them what happened and they told me not to drive it and that if my insurance or roadside assistance would not cover the tow they would come and pick it up for me. My car was towed to my dealership and when I spoke to them and told them what happened, they didn't sound like it was a big deal. I asked if there was a recall on what happened to my car and they said no. They advised they would diagnose it first thing Monday morning (2/7) and would probably repair it the same day. I never received a call back that day and I tried to reach out three times and was not able to speak to anyone about it. In the meantime I had to pay for an Uber to get me to a location to pick up a rental car which I also had to pay for on my own. I feel that this was a very dangerous thing that happened to me while driving my car and just thinking of what could have happened is very upsetting. What happened is a big deal to me. My car is in the shop now and honestly I am upset and I'm not sure if I will feel safe when or if it is repaired. I also am concerned about the cost. On top of what I have already spent, I was advised that I would have to pay for the diagnosis and the repair since my car is out of warranty. I am not a mechanic by any means but it sounds like a manufacturer's defect to me.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #206

Jan 192022

Malibu 4-cyl

  • miles
I was Leaving Dayton, OH headed back home to Columbus and while driving down then Highway doing 75 mph-??A message popped up on my dash saying -??Engine Power Reduced-??-??.car speed immediately dropped down to 30 and I had to hurry up and pull over before I was rear ended by the SUV behind me-??I turned the car off and back on but the same message popped back up on the screen so I had to have the car towed back to Dayton. I drove the car to the Autozone around the corner (car drove like [XXX]!) they put it on a diagnostic and the code P2138 popped up-??code has Something to do with the Throttle Pedal Position Sensor!!??-??I'm currently waiting for my appointment at the Chevy Dealership to see about getting it fixed-??Apparently this is a common issue amongst a plethora of GM vehicles and the fact that Chevy hasn-??t done a recall on this issue is a [XXX] Joke!!! You all are going to get someone KILLED!! hell I could-??ve lost my life had I not been such a reactive driver and in the speeding lane which allowed me to immediately pull over!! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Columbus , OH, USA

problem #205

Jan 132022

Malibu

  • miles

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

2016 Malibu with 188K miles has shift to park error message when vehicle is in park. This car had the exact same issue at 90K miles and the entire gear shift had to be replaced. The car was under the extended warranty at the time and repairs were made. You have to restart the car and shift from park and back to park MULTIPLE TIMES until you don't get the error. You can't shut the engine totally off with this error. It happens 90% of the time and it typically takes 10-15 minutes to get the car in park so you can shut the car off. This failure shouldn't happen this often. This isn't the only issue that I'm having with the car at this time, I have submitted a complaint for that as well.

- Castor, LA, USA

problem #204

Jan 172022

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving to work this morning at 50 miles per hr then suddenly my car reduced the speed and the motor light turns on it showed me reduced engine power sign and the motor light turns

- Dalton, GA, USA

problem #203

Dec 292021

Malibu

  • 177,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the RPM decreased by approximately 4,000 revs per minute. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder and cruised until the vehicle began to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the battery replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.

- Chowchilla, CA, USA

problem #202

Dec 272021

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving down the Freeway at 65 mph. The roads were wet and slick from snow and in heavy traffic. I got a check engine light and immediately a Engine Power Reduced light. I suddenly lost power and another vehicle behind me almost hit me. I was able to get to the side of the road and shut it off. After a few minutes, I started it back up and the light was still on. I needed to get off the freeway and find a way to work so I put on the emergency flashers and drove to the next exit. The light remained on but I had full power. I am trying to get an appointment to have it looked at.

- Mountain Home, ID, USA

problem #201

Dec 212021

Malibu

  • miles

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

I was driving on a highway approx 60 miles an hour when a message came in my dashboard stating reduction in engine power, the vehicle abruptly slowed to 20 mph without any warning and I was barely able to pull my vehicle off to the side of the road without being rear ended by the vehicle behind me on the highway.

- Hymera, IN, USA

problem #200

Dec 132021

Malibu

  • miles
Engine power reduced light came on as I was driving 55 mph on the freeway and my vehicle immediately slowed down to under 20 mph putting me and my wife lives in danger by almost having several vehicles crash into us. This has not just happened to me but different people I-??ve asked with Chevy Malibus. This problem needs to be fixed by General Motors at NO COST to the consumers. I can-??t believe there-??s no recall on this issue. Shame on them.

- Detroit, MI, USA

problem #199

Nov 232021

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving on a highway, when a message appeared on my control panel stating the engine power was reduced, my engine light turned on, and my car slowed significantly (top speed achievable at about 20 mph). With my hazard lights on, I managed to safely exit the highway and find a parking lot to park in while checking my driver-??s manual. The manual mentioned that if the warning light persisted, the car should be checked by a mechanic. As this made it seem that there were instances where the warning message did go away, and thus the problem may also resolve, I turned off my car and turned it back on. The engine light on my control panel persisted but the engine power message was no longer present. Before reentering the highway, I attempted to reach speeds above 20 mph and was successful in doing so. As such, I cautiously finished my journey to work. As I felt it was unsafe to use my car before it was checked by a mechanic, I had my car towed to a mechanic-??s shop where I was informed: -??Found DTC P2138 accelerator pedal plausibility. Inspected the IP to body harness connector for water intrusion or corrosion and found none at this time. Suggest replacing the accelerator pedal assembly and recheck for proper operation.-??

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #198

Nov 192021

Malibu

  • miles
"Engine power reduced" notification while driving on the highway causing rapid reaction to pull to the shoulder of the highway. This happened 3 time this morning on my way to work.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #197

Nov 132021

Malibu

  • miles
Unknown, vehicle cut off in the middle of busy road with warning sign popping up after car cut off stating service stabilitrak and steering assist reducing power with steering wheel locking.Me and my child 10 year old could-??ve lost our lives today.Then there was no engine light coming on until car couldn-??t come back on.Roadside Assitance gave a hot shot car still didn-??t come on car won-??t start back up just keep ticking in all lights inside and radio works fine the heat came out cold.Also when car goes into auto stop car will just cut off in won-??t start back up you can only drive in L6.I only had the car for 2years

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #196

Jul 012021

Malibu

  • miles
After driving, the car will not shift into park. The battery is still on. Jiggling the shifter knob, turning the car off and back on, and shifting from another gear to park does not resolve this issue. The battery stays on. I have 20,000 miles on a 2016 model.

- Waco, TX, USA

problem #195

Aug 272021

Malibu

  • miles
Car will randomly stall. I see GM recalled 500+ Malibu Hybrids for this problem, but mine is not one of them. This is the worst car I have ever owned.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #194

Jul 112021

Malibu

  • miles
Drove home from work and grocery shopping, killed the engine and noticed the fan was still running. Got back in the car and pressed to start the engine again. The engine stumbled to start but did start. I killed the engine again and everything went off (including the fan) as it should have. I decided to start the car again to see if it would repeat what happened. The car started, but no lights came on on the dashboard or radio. I had to press the start button again before any lights would come on. But the engine would die about 3 seconds after the lights came on. The light on the start button was green the entire time until I pressed it a third time. (I have video of this). After this the car wouldn't start at all. I left the car alone for the evening. The next morning I attempted to start the car and it wouldn't start at all, it was as if the battery was dead. I drove my daughter's car to work. The battery was purchased in early 2019 and was still under warranty, but the dealership wouldn't check the battery back unless it was in the car, which wouldn't start. I purchased a battery tester and the battery was dead. I recharged the battery and the car still stumbled to start but would eventually start after several tries. The car appears to drive ok, but won't start without charging the battery or getting a jump start. And once it starts, it's very hard to get it to start again immediately. This has been going on for 2 months now. I haven't been driving the car because I have an hour one way commute to work and can't chance the car giving me any issues. I periodically jump start the car and drive it for 5-10 miles. Yesterday, I jump started the car and when I killed the engine, the fan didn't go off again. It took about 6 tries to start the car again, once it started and I killed the engine the fan finally stopped. The check engine light has been on and off during these past 2 months with these current issues.

- Castor, LA, USA

problem #193

Aug 062021

Malibu

  • miles
The car stalls if i stop or in traffic..the car is still running I can have the gas pedal to the floor it will not go then it takes off really quick when when it powers back on it feel like it loses power when I-??m trying to go but the car is running the whole time it-??s Hybrid propulsion system General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Malibu Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 27, 2015, to June 3, 2016. The affected vehicles have a shut-off switch for the high voltage battery for use when servicing the vehicle. This manual service disconnect switch (MSD) may not be properly installed and thus may not lock into position, unexpectedly disconnecting the high-voltage power while driving, effectively stalling the vehicle.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #192

Jul 212021

Malibu

  • miles
Stability track

- Raleigh, NC, USA

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