Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,312 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 engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2018 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #82

May 132022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Engine power reduced notification came on the dashboard and car deaccelerated down to less than 25 miles an hour on the highway on multiple occasions. On the last occasion about 2 months ago the notification came on again, the car stalled and would not start up again. This was in ongoing traffic and I could have been seriously injured if people behind me were unable to stop in time. I sat in the middle of traffic for 45 minutes until fire and rescue came and pushed my car out of the road and onto the shoulder until the tow truck came.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #81

Apr 262022

Malibu

  • miles
While im driving the stabilitrack warning will pop on then the engine light & immediately after my car will jerk to a almost stop. Then when I try to press on the gas peddle it will go slow but my peddle power goes to a 4. The dealership said it was my tire speed sensors so I got them replaced all to STILL have the same problem. It will also read power stirring not available & shift to park even tho I-??m already in park.

- Norton Shores, MI, USA

problem #80

May 272022

Malibu

  • miles
I-??ve brought the car in for the same thing -??engine power reduced -?? and they never were able to fix has been going on since February of 2019. codes related to the engine power reduced still occurred and are occurring on my vehicle, reported it to Gm ( have the emails) they offer me $2500 for a new car but won-??t put it towards fixing this car, as it-??s not a guaranteed fix as the vehicle has been brought in over 4-5 times for the same engine power reduced and never fixed it. I received a letter from GM regarding they will cover anything to do with -??engine power reduced -?? at no charge and now they won-??t fix it. The last email gm said to report it to the dealership giving me the run around. This is one of MANY almost got in an accident today on the highway cause I was going 70 and it dropped to 40 out of no where of course with the engine power reduced message. I need help, please. I been going on since I bought the vehicle in 2019. Gm is doing nothing but taken advantage of for years

- Chelsea, MI, USA

problem #79

Apr 212022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Suddenly and at random times check engine light comes on with error -??Engine power is reduced-?? car will no longer accelerate even at freeway speeds causing a very dangerous situation. Has happened several times and continues to happen. According to other complaints this is very common and reoccurring for Malibu and needs to be covered by Chevy to resolve issue.

- Mcminnville, OR, USA

problem #78

Apr 192022

Malibu

  • miles
Car was driving on major highway when the alarm went off and check engine light came on saying reduced engine power. Car dropped down to 20mph at roughly 2,000rpm's on a major interstate. No prior indicators and mechanic said one of the sensors was the issue. Reading up there is apparently a class action lawsuit with GM and nothing has been done about it. NHTSA needs to address this matter ASAP.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #77

Mar 172022

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle won't start and dealership determine it was the battery. Replaced battery now vehicle shuts off completely when making a complete stop. Vehicle will maintain in normal operation if shifted into neutral upon stopping. The vehicle was taken to Harper Motor Dealership where it was determine the starter was bad. After replacing the starter the next the problem remained. Took the vehicle back the next day and after three days it was determined a GM expert was needed to determine the issue. One week later and a proposed bill of $3500 to repair I decided to write this down. This appears to be a major safety issue that could cause harm or death. This has been an issue since 2013 in the Malibu and the issue has still not been corrected.

- Gibsland, LA, USA

problem #76

Mar 112022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Driving at highway speed and the speed decreased to 20 mph engine power reduced along with engine light came on extremely unsafe. Purchased Dec 10, 2018 39,000 miles. Kids and myself could-??ve been hurt.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

problem #75

Feb 242022

Malibu

  • miles
Reduced engine power occurs while driving and will indicate a traction control issue and the check engine light will engage. The first time it happened, it was during a snowstorm on 2/24/2022, but it has occurred two other times while driving on a highway on sunny days (3/3/2022 and 3/8/2022) with no snow on the ground, road completely dry. Car speed dropped from approximately 55-60 mph to 20. I have to pull the car off the road, turn it off, and let set for at least one minute turned off before it will have engine power restored. Code for car was checked, and it was P2138, throttle/pedal position sensor switch.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #74

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 #73

Feb 022022

Malibu

  • miles
As I was driving down the highway at 60 mph the road was clear at the time of any debris my car suddenly had two lights on the dashboard. On the left was the traction control light and the right side was the engine light. On my computer display was the words -??reduced engine speed-??. My car suddenly slowed from 60 to about 30 mph in a matter of seconds. It was like I had slammed my brakes. This all happened simultaneously I attempted to pull over safety and turn the car off and restart it. The lights remained on. My car was not able to get over 27 mph There was no warning what so ever If anyone would have been behind me I would have been rear ended At this time I took it to a mechanic who put it on the computer it was coded at the pedal position sensor. He was able to save the code, clear it so I was able to drive the car and advised to drive it locally for a while in case it would do it again as it is unsafe. The closest Chevy dealer is over an hour away from my town and at the time of day it was not safe to drive the car to the dealership for confirmation.

- Kahoka, MO, USA

problem #72

Jan 302022

Malibu

  • miles

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

Vehicle continually throws reduced engine power code which includes while traveling at high speeds and winter weather. Vehicle resets once powered off to throw a code sometimes again immediately or within a short period of time rendering the vehicle virtually unusable. Difficult to get to a safe spot to turn vehicle off to attempt to re-set. This puts occupants in danger of being rear ended, stuck in snow/mud or hit from behind while pulled over trying to reset vehicle. This has been an ongoing problem since purchasing the car new. Was fixed under warrant once. Fix didn-??t last long and have continuously had issues

- Mattawan, MI, USA

problem #71

Jan 242022

Malibu

  • miles
I was driving on a crowded city street in St. Louis and my car suddenly reduced power and I saw a message on my dash that said Engine Power Reduced! I could not go faster than 15 miles an hour and had to pull into a gas station. I restarted my car and still had the message. I restarted again and the check engine light was still on, but I was able to drive at a normal speed. My concern is that I was a short distance from getting on a busy interstate highway and it could have happened while I was on the highway and could have been struck by a car.

- Saint Peters, MO, USA

problem #70

Jan 222022

Malibu

  • miles
My 2018 Chevy Malibu has been working fine then all of a sudden the warning light came on and the message warning light read ENGINE POWER REDUCED While I was driving on the freeway at 60 mph dropping my speed to 25mph instincts told me to pull over, so I did! Then I tried to drive again still no power it was like a strong pullback! So I again pulled over and turned my car engine off! Let it sit a few hours before driving up to local automotive parts store to use the ODII code reader and it read the code P2138 Throttle/ Pedal Position Sensor Correlation The part to order is $120 I am not able to get it today so I googythe problem and found out that this is a possible RECALL "?!!?"

- Clackamas , OR, USA

problem #69

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 #68

Oct 112021

Malibu

  • miles
I have owned this vehicle for 3 months now, since week two "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" HAS BEEN A BIG PROBLEM FOR ME I TOOK IT IN TO MISSION BAY CHEVY IN SAN DIEGO THE PROBLEM WENT FROM EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE TO NON STOP. I WAS UABLE TO GET AN ANSWER FROM THEM IN WEEKS. FINALLY I WENT BACK TO THE INDEPENDENT DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM 4X TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. AND IT KEEPS COMMING BACK AFTER DAYS. IM PAYING $500 MONTHLY FOR THIS CAR AND IM RUNNIN GOUT OF OPTIONS THIS IS CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO REDUCE POWER ON THE FREE WAY AT SPEED OF 23MPH TO 35MPH. THERE WAS ALREADY A CLASSACTION LAW SUITE FOR THIS PROBLEM. AND I CAN NOT AFFORD TO KEEP GETTING IT FIXED ITS CLEARLY A DEFECT THAT KEEPS COMING BACK, I HAVE READ SEVERAL CONSUMER REPORTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I NEED A FUNCTIONING CAR AND I DONT KNOW WHERE ELSE TO TURN

- San Diego , CA, USA

problem #67

Jan 062022

Malibu

  • miles
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 #66

Dec 212021

Malibu

  • miles
My vehicle had the reduced power dash warning and check engine light on while I was driving down the interstate at 65 I lost my power speed reduced to 45 and my stability light came on as well it could have caused a serious accident had it been day time with traffic flying at 70 to 75 mph rear ending me I was able to get off the freeway safely last night when the incident occurred and safely make it to a parking lot there doesn-??t seem to be a current recall on my car with my vin number at this time but it is a year and model that has known issues also the other issue is vehicle not registering into park even when I put shifter in park possibility is a loose shifter cable

- Tempe , AZ, USA

problem #65

Dec 072021

Malibu

  • miles
Vehicle slows way down and loss of power. Engine power reduced. On heads up display. Seems to use alot of gas when this happens. I need to pull over and shut off car. Wait a bit and then restart. And get back on road. It did this 3 times in my commute to work. Also was snowing that morning and was slippery out so very dangerous almost was involved in an accident but luckily not. Seems to do this more in the colder Temps. It has happened however in summer also but not as often. I have read many complaints about this issue. I am not sure why GM has not figured this issue out yet. Very concerned.

- Watertown, MN, USA

problem #64

Sep 272021

Malibu

  • miles
My -??18 Malibu LT has over 39K miles, and just tonight, i started my car, the engine light and traction control light both came on, followed by a message saying -??Engine Power Reduced-??. I then decided to drive for a little to see if i notice any problem. After driving for about 4 minutes, my car went from 37mph down to 20mph. It felt like the engine was forcing itself. So i then pulled over to the side of the curb, turn the car off, then back on. i noticed the warning engine light was still there but the traction light weren-??t there no more. So i drove back to my place, turned my engine off. Then i plugged my diagnostic device to see what code(s)were they, and 1 code came up and it was P2138. Which is Throttle/Pedal Position Sensor. Oh by the way, I also would like to mention one more thing which is the -??Shift to Park-?? message i started seeing whenever i park my car (putting the gear in park) and this first happened when my car was at 38K Miles (about a month ago).

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #63

Jul 132021

Malibu

  • miles
REDUCED ENGINE POWER I have had this issue happen 3 times since owning this car. The last time it happened, my son & I were on the Interstate going 80mph. My 2018 Chevy Malibu quickly slowed to 50mph with no further acceleration. Luckily, I was not far from an exit that we could find a safe place to park. I read to pump the gas pedal a few times, so I did, let the car sit for about 20 min., then we were able to limp to our destination by using cruise control. I have read several complaints online of consumers having this same issue. This is a very dangerous issue to have go on while driving & GM is not seeming to want to fix it. I did not feel safe this last time, for myself nor my child. The time if day was around 4:30-5pm, during heavy traffic. It only takes someone not paying attention or an 18-wheeler, who can not stop well, to cause a major accident.

- Zachary, LA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?