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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,084 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 3 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #123

Jun 022021

Malibu

  • miles

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

My vehicle, a 2016 Chevy Malibu, has started receiving the *known* GM "Shift to Park" error message. This error message occurs when the vehicle is in park, but the driver information center (in the dashboard) alerts to "Shift to Park" before you can shut off the vehicle. If you try to exit the vehicle with the error message, all electronic systems (screen, lights, dash, etc) will stay on, draining down the car battery, putting me at risk of being stranded due to a known issue in my car and/or me having to leave my car running, putting my car at risk of being broken into, stolen, or worse. I have wasted countless hours already, in the very short time the error has occurred, having to shift out of park, reverse, drive, back into park, and keep trying over and over and over and over and over and over and over, until it finally might register. One evening, it took over two hours for this to work. This is a HUGE risk to me, especially in the city I live in, as a single woman. Furthermore, the fact that GM and NHTSA have a service bulletin on this, and it is a *known* issue in my year, make, and model, on top of the thousands and thousands of online forums reporting this same issue, tells me that this is much, much larger than anyone (especially GM) would like to admit, and that my car needs to be included in the recall for this.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #122

May 212021

Malibu

  • miles
Transmission problems

- Glenwood, IL, USA

problem #121

Apr 292021

Malibu

  • 54,000 miles
I was driving in the rain on a street heading towards the highway at 40 mph and suddenly engine reduced power notification came up and I was unable to drive faster than 20 mph.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #120

Apr 042021

Malibu

  • 51,000 miles

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

I was driving down the road at 55mph - 2-lane road (4 days ago) when a warning came across my dash that stated "reducing engine power". it slowed my vehicle down a mininum of 20mph and wouldn't pick up speed. The check engine light came on. I pulled over and turned off my vehicle. I restarted it and the check engine light stayed on. I was able to make it to an auto shop and they hooked it up. It read a P2138 code. If I had been on the highway, this could've caused a devistating crash. I found where GM extended the warranty and this fix should not cost me anything - I will see when I take it in tomorrow.

- Kingston, OH, USA

problem #119

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

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problem #118

Mar 012021

Malibu

  • miles
"service park assist system" always comes back no matter how many times I've taken it to a Chevy dealer! no known fix - straight from GM there isn't any known fix. They thought it's when you use remote start... well I didn't use the remote start after Chevy "reprogrammed" the car and the message came back and I cannot use the park assist system plus why have a feature that cannot be used. Car is below 50,000 miles and very lightly driven - the average speed according to the car's computer is 38 mph. Also service transmission comes up with some solenoid trouble code and displays "service transmission" at first intermittently, but now every time the vehicle is started. It bangs into when shifting from 1 to 2 when driven. The body panel on the door between the doors is flaking. I've gotten a "shift to park" message when the vehicle was already in park which drains the battery.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #117

Jan 012021

Malibu

  • 52,500 miles

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

Most times, when I'm done driving and shift my car to park a warning comes up my dash saying 'shift to park' even when the car is in park. I then have to restart my car, change the gears and hope it doesn't give me that message again. I often have to repeat this process 2-3 times after I'm done driving and attempting to park and shut off my car. It does not happen every time that I shift my car to park and try and shut my car off, but it happens a lot of the time. It's very frustrating and time consuming. This has been happening on and off for a few months now. My sister also has a 2016 Malibu and hers is doing the same exact thing.

- Charlotte, MI, USA

problem #116

Jan 312021

Malibu

  • 470,000 miles
Driving 65mph on highway check engine light and stabilatrack lights flash and loss of power starts happening and car wont go over 20mph... Chevy claims its normal and dont find a.reason why it happened. Ive had the car at Chevy 6 times for issue after issue and now this loss of power on a highway nearly killed me as I could barely get car to a.safe location...

- Jamestown, NY, USA

problem #115

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 #114

Jan 202021

Malibu

  • 72,000 miles
Was driving on highway at 60 mph and dashboard lit up with warning engine power reduced mode and car went into low speed. Tried accelerating car would not go beyond 20 mph

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #113

Jan 012019

Malibu

  • 65,000 miles

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

My vehicle has a loud knocking sound coming from under the backseat sounds like the muffler hitting up against the backseat. We as consumers shouldn't be responsible for something that was Chevrolet fault from the start

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #112

Dec 232020

Malibu

  • 98,000 miles
When the car goes into the auto stop mode it completely dies and the light. No dash lights, no dome light, no hazard lights, literally nothing works. This has happened 3 times so far, and all three times I was in the middle of traffic. I'm not happy, I have had trouble out of this car with other issues sense I gotten it back in July of 2020

- Bossier City, LA, USA

problem #111

Dec 222020

Malibu

  • 48,000 miles
Often, when I shift my car to park, a warning comes up and indicates shift into park. It already is in park. I have to play around until it recognizes it. Happens randomly. Annoying.

- Arlington Heights, IL, USA

problem #110

Dec 222020

Malibu

  • 44,690 miles
Driving the car you smell a burning smell upon parking it turned out the heat shield on car was burning and disintegrating. I have photo but won't load, ,,

- Jamestown, NY, USA

problem #109

Dec 252020

Malibu

  • miles
I noticed a wet spot by the 3 break light inside headliner

- Somerton, AZ, USA

problem #108

Jul 082020

Malibu

  • 63,000 miles
When vehicle comes to a stop and auto start happens, my radio shuts off. Battery sometimes does not hold charge. Could be the alternator or some kind of electrical misfire or contact. Doesn't happen every time vehicle is started.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #107

Aug 142019

Malibu

  • 96,000 miles
The paint is faying on it as if the paint is going down to the metal.

- Hartshorne, OK, USA

problem #106

Sep 232020

Malibu

  • miles
When I place the car in park it does not register that it is park and a 'shift into park' error comes up. Everything stays on in the car and the battery drains if it's not corrected. It can take several attempts to get it to recognize it is in park. Must keep turning the car in and off until it senses it's in park. It has taken up to 10 times until it finally senses it.

- Aurora, IL, USA

problem #105

Oct 182020

Malibu

  • 50,000 miles
While driving everything is fine, as soon as I stop and put my car in park it will show an indication to (put the car in park). I can literally spend 30 minutes jiggling the shifter back and forth until that notification goes away. If I don't make it go away, all the lights stay on and my car will beep at me once I close the doors, the doors will also not lock due to this. So spending 30 minutes to make it go away so it doesn't kill the battery after a 12hour work shift is all I can do.

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #104

Oct 082020

Malibu

  • 55,000 miles
I was driving down the highway today when I heard a loud pop and my sunroof spontaneously exploded. It was after the explosion that small shards of glass started to rain down on us. When I looked up the entire sunroof was shattered. I was able to get the inside sun shade closed before anyone was injured. I looked to see if there was any evidence of anything hitting the car, however there was none. The sunroof was in the closed position when it exploded.

- Elkhorn, WI, USA

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