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6.8

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,600 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.

2021 Chevrolet Malibu drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Chevrolet Malibu Owner Comments

problem #12

Aug 222024

Malibu

  • miles

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

Placing the car in park, turn off the car and a message appears saying to shift to park. The vehicle is not recognizing when the car is in park not allowing me to turn it off. I have to turn the car on and off multiple times until it decides it wants to finally shut off.

- Winston-Salem, NC, USA

problem #11

Oct 012024

Malibu

  • 34,200 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and pressing the START/STOP button, the vehicle did not immediately turn off with the message "Shift to Park" displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 34,200.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #10

May 152022

Malibu

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to park the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to park(P); however, the vehicle did not recognize the gear selected. The contact stated that the "Shift to Park" message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Lawton, OK, USA

problem #9

Aug 132024

Malibu

  • miles

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

The vehicle display states to "Shift to Park" when the vehicle has been put in park and the ignition turned off. I have seen model years from 2022 through 2025 have been recalled in California for the same issue. It also can affect the cars ability to start. it first appeared two weeks ago and i have tried all recommended suggestions of putting your foot on the brake when turning it off, letting is sit a minute before turning it off and those have not changed the situation.

- Independence, KY, USA

problem #8

Aug 082024

Malibu

  • miles
The transmission is not working in first gear. The dealership says it needs to be replaced and they have at least 2 other cars with the same problem of the same model and year. This problem has stranded us multiple times.

- Chippewa Falls, WI, USA

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problem #7

Jun 062024

Malibu

  • miles
The computer was not recognizing my car being in the correct gear shift. It did this for a few days until finally, I couldn't drive it. The car would not recognize any part of the gear being in the correct position. The car would not move forward or reverse, resulting in a tow. The mechanic at Reed Lallier Chevrolet in Fayetteville NC was even able to guess my car make and model from the symptoms I reported (which was later discovered, in my case, the gear shift link had loosened), and confirmed that if this happened while in motion, it would have been very dangerous. He also said they had 3 other cars that SAME DAY that had different causes but the same exact faulty gear recognition, with all of them being recent-year Malibu Chevrolet models AND the following day when I was doing my follow-up call concerning my car, 2 more were brought in with the faulty gear recognition issue.

- Troy, NC, USA

problem #6

Apr 222024

Malibu

  • miles

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

Had the car for less than a year and it started jerking badly on the highway almost caused an accident. Took it to the Chevy dealer and was told I need a new transmission on a 2021 vehicle because of a STRETCHED DRIVE CHAIN CAUSING WEAK DRIVE AND CAUSED METAL DEBRIS TO GET SENT THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION SETTING DTC'S.

- Manor, TX, USA

problem #5

Feb 122024

Malibu

  • miles
Warning light appears on dash "Shift to Park". Car is in park. Engine will turn off, but ignition stays in accessory mode and will run down battery if ignored. Have to wiggle shifter back and forth repeatedly to get the warning light to go away and the ignition to completely shut off. Started as a once in a while occurrence 3 months ago. Now doing this almost every time. Car is a 2021, has 100k miles, so out of warranty. No active recall. There was a recall for 2016-2019 models, and a class action lawsuit but no recall on 2021 model.

- Ava, IL, USA

problem #4

Mar 042024

Malibu

  • miles
When trying to park shift disappears. Parking feature unavailable. Have to try several times to or wait until parking shift appears. System glitch trying to park. Afraid car will run off by itself and hit other cars and crash. Family of four very concerned for our safety. It has been a known issue on several Chevrolet Malibu since 2015 This should have been on a recall since 2015. Why haven-??t there been any recalls on this vehicle for this problem. This problem needs to get resolved and if we have to pay out of pocket money reimbursed for everyone. Fear for our safety using this car now.

- El Paso , TX, USA

problem #3

Feb 262024

Malibu

  • miles
-??Shift to Park-?? message appears in the car's Driver Information Center, even when it is already in Park. It doesn't recognize that the vehicle is in park. I have to wiggle the gear several times before the message clears. It doesn't allow me to lock my vehicle when this happens, I believe the vehicle stays on while this message is on the DIC, making it very unsafe. I see that there are several complaints about this issue but no recall has been made. The dealer refuses to do a free diagnostic test knowing that these vehicles have had issues. My vehicle is no longer under warranty at 54,000 miles, I will be out of pocket the expense but it's definitely unfair that this has not been an issue recalled by GM.

- Kerrville, TX, USA

problem #2

Feb 232024

Malibu

  • miles
Every time I shift my car into park and try to power it off I get a warning saying shift car to park when already in park. Now I-??m afraid that one day the car will display the shift gear improperly and the car will start to move on it own causing the safety anyone around it.

- Perris, CA, USA

problem #1

Oct 162023

Malibu

  • 66,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted into park(P), the vehicle started to roll. The contact stated that the shift to park message was then illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

- Macon, GA, USA

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