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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

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2018 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments (Page 5 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #22

Feb 252020

Malibu

  • 64,842 miles

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

At a stop light, when light turned green, pressed accelerator, "engine power is reduced" messaged flashed, engine and traction lights came on. Unable to accelerate over 25mph, RPM would not go above 3. recall maintenance for ECM was completed on 01/11/2020.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #21

Feb 212020

Malibu

  • 10,000 miles
Low fuel, engine light, service stability track, shift to park lights come on. The low fuel light comes on first. The next day the engine light comes on sometimes it stays on then goes off. This happens when I'm driving. I've had all the recalls done. ECM replaced. 2 weeks later the same thing. All dials go to zero. Slow take off after I've stopped at red light or stop sign. Is as if the transmission is going out. If I put on brakes they will throw me in the dash like I've crashed into something. When I take it dealership-no codes are found. Trying to turn car off, it says shift to park. It's already parked. I've taken it back to the dealership several times for this same problems-no codes. I've gotten a rental (for a week)so they can keep the car to try and recreate it- they can't. this car was bought new in August of 2018.Chevy malibuls 4dr sdn black. The date below "when did this happen" outs the latest date.

- Florence, AL, USA

problem #20

Feb 022020

Malibu

  • 61,300 miles
Check engine light and reduced engine power vehicle won't accelerate on highway in traffic

- Toney, AL, USA

problem #19

Jan 302020

Malibu

  • 42,000 miles

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

While driving check engine light comes on and control panel says engine power reduced. The car slows down and you are not able to accelerate.this has happened numerous times since I have bought the car and typically happens while accelerating.

- Saginaw, MI, USA

problem #18

Dec 162019

Malibu

  • 51,174 miles
While in motion cars reduced engine power lights up on dashboard and car looses power while driving

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #17

Dec 292019

Malibu

  • 60,920 miles
Faulty accelerator position sensor. Part is suppose to last the life of the car. The car has 60000 miles on it. It throws the check engine light and reduces power to the vehicle at highway speeds. This is very dangerous as you cant accelerate to get out of traffic or to get across the lanes. You just have to coast to safety.

- Smithville, MS, USA

problem #16

Dec 282019

Malibu

  • 56,000 miles

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

I just got a 2018 Chevy Malibu. I was driving home from work today and my car just stopped and a reduce engine power message flashed across my screen. I could have been killed when I car cut off in the middle of a busy street. I have just seen all of the messages about these issues and people coming out of hundreds of dollars to fix it. Chevy needs to do a recall on this issues sooner than later, this could be between life and death for someone.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #15

Dec 122019

Malibu

  • 67,000 miles
I was driving down the interstate doing 74 miles an hour when all of a sudden the car jerked and started slowing down. The display screen showed a messaging saying engine power reduced. I pulled over on the shoulder because it wouldn't let me accelerate and had slowed the car down to 50 mph. I sat there for a minute and was going to try to drive on the shoulder to the next exit. When I started the car the message was no longer there but the check engine light was still on. The car has done this more than 10 times since this day.

- Marion, AR, USA

problem #14

Oct 292019

Malibu

  • 51,000 miles
I purchase a 2018 Chevy Malibu in September of 2019 and not even a month after having it, my vehicle began to give me issues. At unannounced times while the vehicle is in motion, a message that reads 'engine power is reduced' displays on the dash and the speed of the vehicle will immediately drop to 20mph. The first time this happened I was on a city street with a steep incline going 40mph in rush hour traffic and almost caused a collision with the sudden speed change and I could not go over 20mph. I had to turn my emergency flashers on and try to make it up the hill safely. The second time this happened I was on the highway driving 70mph in the fast lane and the speed dropped without warning to 20mph and would have put me in a bad collision if I didn't think quick and turn the emergency flashers on and pull over the shoulder on my left had side. This issue is a very serious and dangerous matter and could result in major injury or death. The code that is related to the problem I am speaking of reads P2138.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #13

Feb 282019

Malibu

  • 1,000 miles
In motion on highway at 60 mph, my car acceration shut down and I started losing speed even though I was pressing acellerator. At this time my car started to down shift and the more I stepped on the accellerator nothing happened. My car then turned off on the highway. I immediately shifted to park and started the vehicle again because I was in fear of getting rear ended. We have taken the car to the dealership 4 times for them to fix it and the last time, they said there was nothing wrong with it. We still have exceleration issues with this vehicle. We got a recall notice of software from Chevrolet but the dealer ship is unaware of the repair and I do not believe they can correct this problem. We bought this car new and it has been in the shop 4 times for this recall. We wish to receive a new car for safety reasons. We are taking the car to the dealership again today but I am afraid to drive the vehicle.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #12

Sep 292019

Malibu

  • 1 miles

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

This issue happened twice in one day...the first time I was going 55 mph down the road when my car lost all power from the gas petal. I coasted off the road and was able to shift between reverse and then back to drive to get the gas pedal to work again. A couple of hours later that day I was going down the road about 40 mph when I lost power from the gas petal. On that occasion, I was able to pull over into a gas station but before I could get completely stopped the car stalled out. I called onstar to do a diagnostic report on the vehicle, it came back with a P0137 code that says the emissions system is not performing as expected. After doing more research on the problem I found that there is a NHTSA recall number 19V642 that is the true issue. This recall status is showing incomplete, remedy not yet available.

- Whitesburg, GA, USA

problem #11

Nov 302018

Malibu

  • 20 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 45-50 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle hesitated. Additionally, the vehicle vibrated abnormally while driving on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to petro Chevrolet (4012 14th St, pascagoula, ms 39567, (228)813-0262) to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20.

- Pascagoula, MS, USA

problem #10

Sep 112019

Malibu

  • 22,000 miles
I was driving in the city, heavy traffic, when with no warning the engine light and traction light came on, and message reduction in power also came on. I could not move faster than 20 miles an hour. I obstructed traffic trying to get off the street, and drivers honked and yelled trying to avoid hitting me. I parked and turned off car and restarted twice. It drove normally but check engine light still remained on. I will see dealer but no warnings or error messages are on now. I am terrified to take passengers or drive on the freeway, or at night.

- Bakersfield, CA, USA

problem #9

Jul 192019

Malibu

  • 44,000 miles
I was driving down the highway at 75 mph, when an error message came up saying 'reduced engine power' and something about traction control. Then my speed was reduced and I could not accelerate. I had to quickly pull off to the shoulder so I would avoid being hit by oncoming 18 wheelers. I turned the car off and back on. The engine light has remained on, but speed was ok. I ready that this could be due to the throttle body or throttle positioning sensor. What can I do"??"

- Kemp, TX, USA

problem #8

Jul 052019

Malibu

  • 4,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. While attempting to merge onto the highway, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. After a few minutes, the vehicle accelerated. The contact stated that the failure occurred ever since the vehicle was purchased three months ago. The vehicle was taken to chiswell Chevrolet of thurmont (111 frederick rd, thurmont, md 21788) where it was determined that the vehicle was performing according to standards. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 4,000.

- Thurmont, MD, USA

problem #7

May 152018

Malibu

  • 13,000 miles
My car is lagging when I come from a complete stop. It sputters at times when I accelerate. My car is also making a vibration noise when I accelerate, slow down, turning, on highway, city streets and when I'm coasting. This start happening when my vehicle reached 13,000 miles. I almost got into four accidents due to this issue. There need to be a recall asap! I'm pretty sure that is not going to be one until someone dies because of it.

- Lenexa, KS, USA

problem #6

Jun 172019

Malibu

  • 7,500 miles
While driving my 2018 Malibu with only 7500 miles on it, the car would not accelerate. I pushed the gas pedal to the floor and the car had no power and I almost was in a crash with another vehicle. A lot of lights came on the dashboard and the gauges went to zero. An error message displayed that said something like engine power reduced and the check engine light came on. The gas gauge and others acted like the car was shut off. This is very dangerous for me and my family as traffic in the northern Virginia area is very heavy. I pulled to the side of the road and shut the car off. I tried to restart it and it would not restart for 10 minutes. When it did restart the check engine light was still on and the car still had very limited power. This needs fixed asap. It is currently at the dealer where I bought it from in November of 2018. I told them about the power problem when I had the first service oil change done and they said there was nothing they could do about it. I bought a new car so that I wouldn't have any problems and now I have to deal with this product that no one wants to fix. Please find a solution to this problem as it is life threatening.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #5

May 292019

Malibu

  • 3,100 miles
My car was bought new in December 2018. Starting in April of 2018, with a little over 3000 miles on the car, I began to notice that when I drove the car with a cold start (mornings and after a full day of work) the car would not respond to me pressing on the gas pedal. I would push down, and it would take about 5-8 seconds for the car to actually accelerate at all. This has been happening almost every day for nearly a month. Multiple times, I have pulled out of a driveway and was almost hit by cross traffic because my car literally wouldn't go. We have taken it to the service center twice now, and they haven't been able to pull any codes or find any issues wrong with it. These needs to be resolved before someone is seriously injured. ## VIN passed ## Chevrolet, Malibu, 2018 ##

- Lakewood, CA, USA

problem #4

May 102019

Malibu

  • 18,476 miles
My vehicle often doesn't not accelerate as it should. RPM will read between 3 and 4 RPM speed will not go above 5 to 10 mph. This is a random occurrence but has became more frequent in the last two weeks. It's happening almost daily. Last occurrence was this morning about 8:30am. It happens when coming from a stop. I can push the gas pedal all the way to the floor and the car still will not go above 5 to 10 mph. Rpms will still show normal range for acceleration. I took my vehicle to the dealer for the 5th time only for them to tell me it couldn't be repaired just yet because the accelerator sensor has not failed completely, although it is clear that it is defective. Dealer stated repair would be covered under warranty on my check engine light comes on, and car won't accelerate, indicating that the sensor has failed completely. This is very dangerous because I never know when my vehicle will accelerate at normal speed.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #3

Jan 072019

Malibu

  • 5,670 miles
Car was not accelerating would not go past 20mphtook to dealer ship took 2 months to figure out it was the knock sensor and also the ECM were out mind you my car had less than 6K miles I'm the first and only owner of it! I bought this car from don ringler with 4 miles. My car was on the high way when this happen.

- Killeen, TX, USA

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