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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,469 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.

2018 Chevrolet Malibu electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 5 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #89

Feb 042022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Shift to park

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #88

Feb 062022

Malibu

  • miles
As I was driving with cruise control on a freeway at 70 mph the car suddenly displayed a warning to reduce speed. I continued to try to get to the next exit but almost instantly it started reducing my power and slowed me down to a crawl. I pulled over on the freeway and it would not restart. The tow truck to it to a chevy dealer and the next morning they called asking for details as the car started right up and they drove it around for 10 minutes without issue. They kept the vehicle all day but were unable to recreate the problem so they told me there was nothing they could do. They pulled 17 codes and said that's too many to diagnose so nothing to do. I drove 15 miles home with no issues. The next day I went to get the oil changed and they tested the 12V battery and told me it failed. I went to buy a battery and drove home. The next day I drove around 10 miles and then it dies again as I was slowing down to a stoplight. I pushed it to a parking lot and installed the new battery. I took the old battery back to the store to get my core deposit back and asked them to test it. They said it tested fine but I went ahead and gave it to them as I already had the new battery installed and it's a pain in the rear to do. On the 3 mile trip home they car jerked/slipped shifting briefly and the check engine light came on. OnStar sent me a notification the first time telling me the battery was drained and I needed to charge it. The second time I received a notification that there was an issue with the "electronic drivetrain" and needed to take it in for service. I'm taking it to the dealer I purchased it from tomorrow to see if they can figure it out.

- Leawood, KS, USA

problem #87

Jan 242022

Malibu

  • miles
Driving on my way to work and the check engine light came on with the traction control light. A message was displayed that said the engine-??s power was reduced.. My speed also decreased to about 20-25 MPH and it was hard trying to get it back about that without the car sounding all funny.

- Hammond, IN, USA

problem #86

Jan 062022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Reduced power mode warning came on and 3 seconds later I went from 70mph to 10mph on a freeway and could only do about 10 from that point on, the accident that was avoided would have been deadly if I wasn-??t in the right lane to immediately pull over Took it to the mechanic and he said that there-??s a recall that the dealership REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE even tho we got a reading of #n1-82188250-01 told the manufacturer and there fixing it Monday My question is why has this not been recalled"? I do not feel safe, I do not want this car I WANT THIS PROBLEM ACKNOWLEDGED by ppl who care and can do something, what is Chevy waiting for someone to die before this is addressed??" This is so criminal put a RECALL OUT

- Apple Valley , MN, USA

problem #85

Jan 052022

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle jerks when accelerating. Loses power. Usually will stop after turning the car off for a few minutes. Different engine codes have came up (camshaft position timer, air intake system) no one can seem to find the problem

- Gainesville, FL, USA

problem #84

Jan 022022

Malibu

  • miles
A few days after I got my in October 2018 my car did not start! I pressed the push start and it turned on but wouldn-??t -??start.-?? It went back to normal shortly after that but then randomly -??steering issues-?? started happening. THEN my car would LITERALLY STOP at lights and take a minute to turn back on. Or I would be trying to get speed and my CAR WOULD NOT GO. Do you know how unsafe that made me feel especially having a 5 year old and 2 year (when it happen in the last they where obviously 3 and a new born) but it was scary. The check engine light comes on and off. And TODAY MY CAR did what it do a here and there it shut off-?? and then on a BUSY road WOULD NOT GO. I had to sit and wait until my family could help push my 2 year old car off the busy road with my 2 babies in the car. It was horrible. Im paying so much for a car I CONSISTENTLY have issues with. Im scared to drive my own car. Now im being told my car needs a new battery, a weird part is needing to be replaced. I have had the same issues taken it to the shop and told everything is good. Oil changes kept up etc. everyone I know that has a Malibu has issues with their Malibu-??s

- Fort Worth , TX, USA

problem #83

Dec 072021

Malibu

  • miles

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

Driving on I20 in heavy traffic all doing 75MPH the car lost all power.Although I had plenty of gas it did no good pumping the gas pedal.Fortunatly I was in the left lane and coasted to the shoulder before anyone collided with me. If I was in the right lane I am sure a collision would have occured as traffic would not have allowed me to get to the shoulder.After several hours I got towed 70 miles to the dealership.There was absolutely no warning of a problem prior to the incident. According to the dealership the fuel pump sensor shorted out and no gas could get to the engine.The car is still at the dealers as they have not gotten the backlogged part to repair the vehicle

- Terrell, TX, USA

problem #82

Dec 162021

Malibu

  • miles
Reduced power mode came on and the fuel injectors arnt going to the emc

- Mayfield Heights, OH, USA

problem #81

Dec 012021

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle is experiencing a electrical issue. When auto stop stops the car, it displays the message "drive assistance reduced, drive with care". The Vehicle does not jave any light displaying a issue but the car is loosing power once it starts after auto stop.

- Lithia Springs, GA, USA

problem #80

Nov 152021

Malibu

  • miles
My vehicle acts as if it doesnt want to start after being at a red light or stop sign when my feet is released off the break it takes a few seconds to start back up. Also I have issues with check engine light coming on took it to auto zone and they received a code dealing with the wiring on the battery not the actual battery needing to be replaced

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #79

Nov 212021

Malibu

  • miles

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

When trying to turn off the car after putting it in park, the panel reads that I need to "Shift To Park", although the car is already in park. With this issue it causes the car not to turn off. This is an intermittent issue, and does not happen all the time.

- Manassas Park, VA, USA

problem #78

Nov 162021

Malibu

  • miles
When I push the button car won-??t start

- Inglewood , CA, USA

problem #77

Nov 172021

Malibu

  • miles
This has been going on since i got the vehicle, At any moment you could be driving 70MPS and all of a sudden your vehicle drops to 35, and man is it scary especially on the expressway. you are NOT able to accelerate. You have to pull over where you are, shut the vehicle off and restart it to rest it till it does it again, and it does it ALOT. I love this vehicle but this is NOT safe, and i'm tired of paying for this and should NOT have to when its in writing from GM. This will be my 3rd time taking my vehicle in for this same issue. i've read up on this and did my research this has been going on since 2016-2018 Malibu vehicles. I've reached out to GM asked about recalls, they said there is none. I asked how do i file a complaint so this doesn't happen to others. they told me i have to make a complaint with the dealership(that right there told me that calling GM customer support directly they are not willing to help with this safety issue. that is so sad too. what is happening to this world, the kindness and compassion for your customers and quality of items you purchase. I will probably be doing a law suet as well as this complaint. I pray you all are able to do something to help me and others having this issue.

- Chelsea, MI, USA

problem #76

Sep 062021

Malibu

  • miles
My car is showing -?? Shift To Park -?? error on dash and i can-??t properly turn off car. Once since the error on screen the doors were locked and my son and i could not get out of the car. The Also when driving the car, , it does frequent jerking. The car also was doing it one time when we seen smoke coming from under the hood and we could not get out

- Little Rock , AR, USA

problem #75

Oct 012021

Malibu

  • miles
Intermittent problem with the shift to park alert coming on after putting into park. Power remains on, movement of shifter back and forth usually causes it to go off. Message sent to manufacturer was cut off in process by customer service" I will try using usps. Very annoying and unsettling problem, many similar complaints online. Dealership says replacement of shifter for about $400 should correct it"A recall should be made with this many issues.

- Viroqua, WI, USA

problem #74

Sep 062021

Malibu

  • miles
Recently my car had been shutting off at stops. I know chevys shut down when at stops but now it shuts down my radio lights go off locks on doors unlock then lock. then when it turns back on it says driving assist is reduced drive with caution. Then another alert pops up saying doors are unlocked. Now when I-??m driving sometimes it slows down on its own and won-??t let me go faster. It-??s very scary when on freeway cause I-??m worried it-??s not going to speed back up and I-??m going to get rear ended. Another alert With the first letter S comes on but it turns off so fast I can-??t see what the word is. It been stalling when I-??m at a stop. It does turn back on after a few seconds. The engine light comes on periodically and eventually turns off. Also when I go from drive to reverse it does not change gear smoothly sometimes it will jerk the entire car and make a loud noise as I-??m putting into reverse. There has been two times my radio screen has gone completely black and won-??t turn on for several hours. I use my car everyday to commute to and from work. I have two jobs so I do spend a lot of time driving and this is scary not knowing if my car is truly safe to be on the road. I trust the Chevy name that-??s why I chose it but now I-??m not so sure it is safe.

- Delano, CA, USA

problem #73

Mar 012021

Malibu

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after placing the gear shifter into PARK, the "shift gear lever to park" warning message was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the battery remained active. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and was provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

- Rio Linda, CA, USA

problem #72

Aug 192021

Malibu

  • miles
Car powered down while driving all the lights lite up on the dashboard. When driving it either speeds up on its own or while driving it will just go slower without me letting up off the gas.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #71

Aug 292021

Malibu

  • miles
Water leaking from under the glove box. Has passenger front and back floor soaked. Foul smell Car losing power in fuel injector. Stalling while driving.p0317 and other codes. Has been inspected by Gateway Buick in past, they charged me 200 dollars and the nhtsa issue said they would not. The vehicle is not running and will not crank.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #70

Jul 052021

Malibu

  • miles
My 2018 Malibu has the "Shift to Park" issue. I have an appointment with a Chevy dealer this week. I hope I don't have to pay for the repair.

- Marlton, NJ, USA

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