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2017 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Malibu years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than the model-year median of 310.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

397 reports with mileage · 305 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 253 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 139 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports

Engine complaints

253 reports
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76,513 miles · Jun 29, 2020
EngineVehicle Speed Control

DROVE 30 MILES SINCE THE LAST TIME IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR THIS ISSUE. STARTED MY VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE "REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON. SO FRUSTRATING AND A WASTE OF TIME!! I IMMEDIATELY DROVE BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. A BUNCH OF CODES CAME UP. THEY REMOVED AND REPLACED THE ECM. ROAD TESTED FOR 45 MILES BEFO…

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DROVE 30 MILES SINCE THE LAST TIME IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR THIS ISSUE. STARTED MY VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY AND THE "REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON. SO FRUSTRATING AND A WASTE OF TIME!! I IMMEDIATELY DROVE BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. A BUNCH OF CODES CAME UP. THEY REMOVED AND REPLACED THE ECM. ROAD TESTED FOR 45 MILES BEFORE RETURNING VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11331505

76,473 miles · Jun 29, 2020
EngineVehicle Speed Control

CRUISING TO WORK ON I-93 IN CONCORD, NH TRAVELING AROUND 70 MPH AND IT JUST LOST POWER AGAIN!!! THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND VEHICLE WOULD ONLY GO 25-30 MPH. THANKFULLY THERE WASN'T A VEHICLE BEHIND ME. I WOULD HAVE BEEN "KILLED". DROPPED VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER. THEY FOUND P2127 FOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION …

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CRUISING TO WORK ON I-93 IN CONCORD, NH TRAVELING AROUND 70 MPH AND IT JUST LOST POWER AGAIN!!! THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND VEHICLE WOULD ONLY GO 25-30 MPH. THANKFULLY THERE WASN'T A VEHICLE BEHIND ME. I WOULD HAVE BEEN "KILLED". DROPPED VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER. THEY FOUND P2127 FOR ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR FAILURE, REPLACED GAS PEDAL, CLEARED CODES, ROAD TESTES. MILEAGE 76,473. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THE FOURTH TIME, SAME ISSUE. I WILL REPORT EACH INCIDENT SEPARATELY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11331495

75,698 miles · Jun 29, 2020
Engine

CRUISING TO WORK ON I-93 IN CONCORD, NH TRAVELING AROUND 65 MPH. I WENT OUT INTO THE PASSING LANE AND THE CAR TOTALLY LOST POWER. THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND VEHICLE WOULD ONLY GO 25-30 MPH. THANKFULLY THERE WASN'T A VEHICLE BEHIND ME. I WOULD HAVE BEEN "KILLED". DROPPED VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER. THEY FOUND P21…

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CRUISING TO WORK ON I-93 IN CONCORD, NH TRAVELING AROUND 65 MPH. I WENT OUT INTO THE PASSING LANE AND THE CAR TOTALLY LOST POWER. THE "REDUCE ENGINE POWER LIGHT" CAME ON AND VEHICLE WOULD ONLY GO 25-30 MPH. THANKFULLY THERE WASN'T A VEHICLE BEHIND ME. I WOULD HAVE BEEN "KILLED". DROPPED VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER. THEY FOUND P2127 STORED IN SYSTEM, RESET ECM ROAD TESTED AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE ANY FAULTS. MILEAGE 75,698. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AND TOTALLY UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE SHOP AGAIN FOR THE FOURTH TIME, SAME ISSUE. I WILL REPORT EACH INCIDENT SEPARATELY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11331492

52,343 miles · Jun 3, 2020
Electrical SystemEngine

RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING AND STOPPED AT A LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, WHEN I LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE CAR SHUTS OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES, THREE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK. I CAN START TO AGAIN, ALSO LOOSE ALL VOLUME TO TURN SIGNALS AND RADIO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11327094

55 miles · May 19, 2020
Engine

I AM A 70 YEAR OLD TEACHER THAT PURCHASED A 2017 CHEVY IMPALA ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, AND LAST YEAR I BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE CAR MALFUNCTIONING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATING. I TOOK THE CAR TO CHEVROLET OF TURNERSVILLE, THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT, BUT THEN THIS PROBLEM RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A MONTH, AND EACH T…

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I AM A 70 YEAR OLD TEACHER THAT PURCHASED A 2017 CHEVY IMPALA ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO, AND LAST YEAR I BEGAN EXPERIENCING ISSUES WITH THE CAR MALFUNCTIONING AND THE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATING. I TOOK THE CAR TO CHEVROLET OF TURNERSVILLE, THEY SUPPOSEDLY FIXED IT, BUT THEN THIS PROBLEM RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A MONTH, AND EACH TIME I TOOK IT BACK TO THEM THEY "DIAGNOSED" SOMETHING DIFFERENT. LATER, COME TO FIND OUT, THIS CAR WAS RECALLED FOR "PRE IGNITION ISSUES", SO THEY ISSUED ME A REFUND FOR THE COST OF THOSE "REPAIRS". LAST WEEK, THE SAME EXACT ISSUED RECURRED, SO I TOOK IT BACK TO CHEVY, FOR THEM TO SAY IT WAS MY BATTERY. $400 LATER, I GOT THE CAR BACK, AND WITHIN A MATTER OF DAYS, THE SAME SYMPTOMS OCCURRED SO I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THEM NOW TO SAY THAT MY PISTON HEAD IN ENGINE WAS CRACKED, SO NOW THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED WHICH WOULD BE AROUND $8000. I SPOKE WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER AND THE BEST HE COULD DO WAS TO TELL ME HE WOULD "TRY" TO WORK UP SOME NUMBERS TO GET ME INTO ANOTHER CAR. I PLAN TO RETIRE NEXT YEAR, WHICH IS WHY I PURCHASED SOMETHING REASONABLY PRICED AND PRESUMABLY "RELIABLE", SO I WILL SOON BE ON A FIXED INCOME AND CAN'T AFFORD THAT TYPE OF FIX, NOR ANOTHER CAR WITH THE BALANCE OF THIS FAULTY CAR TACKED ON TO THE BALANCE. WITH RESEARCH, I FOUND OUT THAT THE PRE IGNITION ISSUE RESULTS IN THE CRACKING OF THE PISTON HEAD, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PRE IGNITION ISSUE WAS NEVER CORRECTED PROPERLY. ESPECIALLY SINCE BASED ON 17019 SPI NHTSA, THE FIX DIFFERED FROM WHAT THIS DEALERSHIP DID AND UNDER THIS PLAN THE FIX WAS BEING SERVICED AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. SINCE THIS ISSUE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES, I'VE BEEN ON HIGHWAYS, SIDE STREETS, AND STATIONARY AT TRAFFIC SIGNALS WHICH HAVE ALL POSED SAFETY RISKS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11325191

60,000 miles · May 10, 2020
Engine

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 60MPH, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON'REDUCED ENGINE SPEED' AND THE CAR SLOWED WAY DOWN TO 30MPH IN SECONDS, I WAS ALMOST HIT BY THE CAR BEHIND ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11324036

64,000 miles · May 4, 2020
EngineVehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY GOING AROUND 70 MPH AND MY CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER AND DECELERATED. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT IT HAS DONE THIS BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME DRIVING AT THAT HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE OTHER TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS WHEN I WAS GOING MORE THAN MAY…

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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY TODAY GOING AROUND 70 MPH AND MY CAR DISPLAYED "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND IMMEDIATELY LOST POWER AND DECELERATED. IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT IT HAS DONE THIS BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME DRIVING AT THAT HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE OTHER TIMES IT HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS WHEN I WAS GOING MORE THAN MAYBE 40 MPH. EACH TIME IF I TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN WAIT A FEW SECONDS AND START IT AGAIN, THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER DISPLAY IS GONE AND I DONT HAVE ANYMORE IMMEDIATE ISSUES WITH IT, SOMETIMES FOR DAYS OR WEEKS AT A TIME. I HAVE NOTICED ONLINE THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED SOMETHING SIMILAR WITH THEIR 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU.

NHTSA ODI #11323224

33,000 miles · Apr 15, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE HAVING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT DISPLAYS A MESSAGE SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK'. IT WILL NOT LET YOU TURN OFF THE CAR. I HAVE TO PUSH THE BUTTON TO 'RESTART THE ENGINE' THEN SLAM IT INTO PARK. IT TYPICALLY TAKES 3 REPEATS OF THIS BEFORE THE CAR FINALLY ALLOWS ME TO SHUT IT OFF. IT'S …

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WHEN I PUSH THE BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE WHILE HAVING MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT DISPLAYS A MESSAGE SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK'. IT WILL NOT LET YOU TURN OFF THE CAR. I HAVE TO PUSH THE BUTTON TO 'RESTART THE ENGINE' THEN SLAM IT INTO PARK. IT TYPICALLY TAKES 3 REPEATS OF THIS BEFORE THE CAR FINALLY ALLOWS ME TO SHUT IT OFF. IT'S FRUSTRATING, TIME CONSUMING AND NOISY AS IF YOU DO NOT SEE THE MESSAGE AND GO TO OPEN THE DOOR, IT BEEPS NOISILY NOTIFYING YOU THAT THE CAR IS NOT OFF. APPARENTLY QUITE A FEW DRIVERS HAVE THIS ISSUE, AS I HAVE READ THE COMPLAINTS LISTED. MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME AT REPAIR COSTS OF OVER $700 TO FIX THIS. THIS SEEMS UNFAIR SINCE CLEARLY IT IS A MANUFACTURER ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11321243

65,640 miles · Apr 1, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineUnknown Or Other

LATELY WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION MY VEHICLE AUTO STOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO GO THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND SHUT THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF UNTIL IT RESTARTS. ONE OF THE WARNINGS READ STABIL AND ANOTHER READS POWER SHUT OFF AS WELL AS BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE. I HA…

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LATELY WHEN I STOP AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION MY VEHICLE AUTO STOPS BUT WHEN I TRY TO GO THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND WILL NOT START. I HAVE TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS WHILE IN TRAFFIC AND SHUT THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF UNTIL IT RESTARTS. ONE OF THE WARNINGS READ STABIL AND ANOTHER READS POWER SHUT OFF AS WELL AS BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN BUT HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG SO THEY RESET THE SYSTEM HOWEVER, THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE REMAINS. THIS STARTED THE BEGINNING OF MARCH AND HAS CONTINUED.

NHTSA ODI #11319950

55,656 miles · Mar 20, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)EngineVehicle Speed Control

WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR BEGAN BEEPING AND DISPLAYED 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN. THE TRACTION LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. THE CARS SPEED WAS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER …

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WHILE DRIVING 60MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, MY CAR BEGAN BEEPING AND DISPLAYED 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN. THE TRACTION LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT ALSO CAME ON. THE CARS SPEED WAS IMMEDIATELY REDUCED ALMOST CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND AND BESIDE ME. I WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO RESTART THE CAR TWICE IN ORDER TO BE ABLE DRIVE IT HOME. THIS WAS AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING SITUATION. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON. UPON GOOGLING THIS ISSUE, MANY PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AND THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL! IF MY REACTION TIME WASN'T A FAST AS IT WAS TODAY, I WOULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY HURT, OR WORSE. GM NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS.

NHTSA ODI #11318797

Official recalls

4

21V649000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners; Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

Aug 20, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Seat Belts:critical Fasteners

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

18V400000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Jun 14, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

16V870000 · Air Bags:side/window

Dec 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Insufficient welds could cause the inflator to separate and propel air bag debris into the cabin during a crash. Also, the inflator could fail to inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.