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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

702 reports
67,000 miles · Nov 20, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control

IT REDUCES POWER TO THE EGINE

NHTSA ODI #11375567

65,192 miles · Nov 18, 2020
Power Train

MY 2017 MALIBU HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. IN THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS A WARNING KEPT POPPING UP EVERY TIME I CAME TO A STOP THE CAR ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF FOR A SECOND AND THEN TURNED BACK ON WITH A WARNING THAT STATED SERVICE STABILITY TRACK, DRIVER ASSISTED STEERING NOT ENGAGED. TODAY I CAME TO A STOPLIGHT AND THE ENGINE COMPLETE…

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MY 2017 MALIBU HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. IN THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS A WARNING KEPT POPPING UP EVERY TIME I CAME TO A STOP THE CAR ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF FOR A SECOND AND THEN TURNED BACK ON WITH A WARNING THAT STATED SERVICE STABILITY TRACK, DRIVER ASSISTED STEERING NOT ENGAGED. TODAY I CAME TO A STOPLIGHT AND THE ENGINE COMPLETELY DIED LEAVING ME STRANDED THERE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES UNTIL I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN AND MOVING. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN MANUAL MODE TO GET IT TO DRIVE. I AM AWAITING THE ESTIMATE FROM THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO FIX THIS. I HAVE READ SCORES OF OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING ON THESE CARS. TO THE POINT WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE DRIVING AND IT STOPS. THIS IS A SERIOUS DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GENERAL MOTORS.

NHTSA ODI #11375297

76,918 miles · Nov 16, 2020
Exterior LightingStructureSuspension

THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT CRACKED IN THREE PLACES AND NOW WATER IS IN THE CAR AND TRUNK. I SAW SPECIAL COVERAGE FOR THE CAR JUST FOR THIS ISSUE BUT THE DEALERSHIP STATES IT ISNT COVERED FOR MY VIN.. ALSO, THERE IS A POPPING NOISE UNDER THE CAR WHEN I TAKE OFF, TURN CURVES, GET OUT OF THE CAR ETC. SEEMS TO BE BUSHINGS WEARING OUT …

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THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT CRACKED IN THREE PLACES AND NOW WATER IS IN THE CAR AND TRUNK. I SAW SPECIAL COVERAGE FOR THE CAR JUST FOR THIS ISSUE BUT THE DEALERSHIP STATES IT ISNT COVERED FOR MY VIN.. ALSO, THERE IS A POPPING NOISE UNDER THE CAR WHEN I TAKE OFF, TURN CURVES, GET OUT OF THE CAR ETC. SEEMS TO BE BUSHINGS WEARING OUT AND IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. AGAIN, MY CAR IS NOT COVERED.

NHTSA ODI #11374924

113,342 miles · Nov 6, 2020
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

MY CARS CUT OFF AND THEN DISPLAY POWER STEERING REDUCES DRIVE WITH CAUTION THIS IS SCARY BECAUSE MY SON IS WITH ME IN THE CAR IT'S JUST CUT OFF EVERY TIME I STOP OR I'M DRIVING

NHTSA ODI #11373527

97,000 miles · Nov 2, 2020
Power Train

DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE (WITH MY FAMILY) AT 70MPH AND LOOSE POWER. DISPLAY SHOWS "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" JUST ABOUT GOT REAR ENDED BY A SEMI DUE TO POWER LOSS. HAD TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER WHILE DODGING TRAFFIC FROM BEHIND ME. VERY DANGEROUS. NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED AND COVERED BY GM.

NHTSA ODI #11372634

78,000 miles · Oct 27, 2020
Unknown Or Other

DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH AND CAR STATES REDUCED POWER MODE. I COULD ONLY GO 20 MPH AND TRY TO CROSS 4 LANES OF A HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR. I ALMOST KILLED SEVERAL PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF. I HAVE READ THIS IS HAPPENING TO OTHER PEOPLE AND I WANT IT FIXED.

NHTSA ODI #11366634

8,400 miles · Oct 26, 2020
Power Train

AFTER PUTTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU INTO PARK, I RECEIVED A "SHIFT TO PARK" MESSAGE ON THE DASH. THE CAR WOULD NOT FULLY TURN OFF. IT STAYED IN AUXILLARY POWER MODE. DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK, EMERGENCY LIGHTS STAY ON AND HAD A BEEPING SOUND. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVING ITSELF IRREGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TIMES I TURNED IT OFF AND …

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AFTER PUTTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU INTO PARK, I RECEIVED A "SHIFT TO PARK" MESSAGE ON THE DASH. THE CAR WOULD NOT FULLY TURN OFF. IT STAYED IN AUXILLARY POWER MODE. DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK, EMERGENCY LIGHTS STAY ON AND HAD A BEEPING SOUND. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVING ITSELF IRREGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TIMES I TURNED IT OFF AND ON. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,400. (YES, THE MILEAGE IS 8,400. THIS IS NOT A TYPO.) THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MARTIN CHEVROLET, LOCATED AT: 23505 HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD, TORRANCE CALIFORNIA, 90505. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE SEEN IT MULTIPLE TIMES. (IT IS A TRANMISSION CONTROL ASSEMBLY FAILURE). I ASKED IF IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW AND HE CONCURRED. HE SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL AT HIS TIME BUT THEY ARE EXPECTING ONE. I SPENT $550 TO HAVE THE REPLACEMENT DONE. GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO DECLARE A RECALL AND REFUND MY MONEY. A TWO YEAR OLD CAR WITH 8,400 MILES SHOULD NOT BE INCURRING MAJOR EXPENSES FOR FAULTY COMPONENTS.

NHTSA ODI #11366434

57,423 miles · Oct 20, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Vehicle Speed Control

I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR DISPLAYED A WARNING ON THE DASH THAT THE POWER IS REDUCED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE SPEED REDUCED TO 20 AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER A MINUTE AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WENT OFF BUT TH…

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I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 65 MPH WHEN MY CAR DISPLAYED A WARNING ON THE DASH THAT THE POWER IS REDUCED AND THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE SPEED REDUCED TO 20 AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER A MINUTE AND THE TRACTION LIGHT WENT OFF BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON. THE CAR THEN DROVE AT NORMAL SPEED THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. THIS IS TERRIFYING AS I DIDN'T HAVE A SHOULDER TO PULL OFF AND HAD TO PULL IN SOMEONES DRIVEWAY. LUCKILY NOBODY PLOWED INTO ME. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR ANYWHERE

NHTSA ODI #11365463

24,000 miles · Oct 19, 2020
Unknown Or Other

SHIFT TO PARK ERROR MESSAGE. CANT TURN OFF CAR. SHIFTER IS IN PARK BUT SHIFT TO PARK ERROR MESSAGE. NOT SURE IF CAR IS FULLY IN PARK. GOT REPAIRED TWICE BUT CAR DEALERSHIP SAID TEMPORARY FIX, THIS WILL KEEP HAPPENING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11365067

45,000 miles · Oct 14, 2020
Unknown Or Other

I JUST SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS ISSUE, IT HAS HAPPENED MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT SO I'M SUBMITTING AGAIN. I HAVE TOLD PEOPLE AT CHEVY ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TWICE, WHEN I WENT IN FOR OIL CHANGES/MAINTENANCE. I HAVE ONLY GONE TO CHEVY FOR ANY TYPE OF MAINTENANCE BECAUSE I WANT MY CAR TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BY PEOPLE THAT SHOUL…

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I JUST SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS ISSUE, IT HAS HAPPENED MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT SO I'M SUBMITTING AGAIN. I HAVE TOLD PEOPLE AT CHEVY ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TWICE, WHEN I WENT IN FOR OIL CHANGES/MAINTENANCE. I HAVE ONLY GONE TO CHEVY FOR ANY TYPE OF MAINTENANCE BECAUSE I WANT MY CAR TO BE TAKEN CARE OF BY PEOPLE THAT SHOULD KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. THAT'S WHY I'M EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THAT I HAVE PURCHASED THIS CAR BRAND NEW, TAKEN THE BEST CARE OF IT, ONLY TAKEN IT TO CHEVY EVEN THOUGH IT'S OBVIOUSLY MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT STILL NO ONE HAS HELPED ME WITH THIS PROBLEM OR EXPLAINED WHY IT'S HAPPENING. IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR SINCE I'VE REPORTED THE PROBLEM, AND NOW I'M WORRIED I MAY HAVE TOO MANY MILES FOR THIS PROBLEM TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN PARK, IT DOESN'T ALWAYS RECOGNIZE IT'S IN PARK. THIS MEANS THAT MY CAR WILL NOT TURN OFF, AND I CAN'T LEAVE MY CAR UNTIL IT RECOGNIZES IT'S IN PARK. I'VE FOUND THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL ALMOST ALWAYS HAPPEN IF I TRY TO TURN OFF MY CAR ENGINE "TOO SOON". I HAVE TO WAIT ABOUT A MINUTE BEFORE I CAN TURN OFF MY ENGINE, OR I RISK MY CAR NOT RECOGNIZING IT'S IN PARK. IF THIS HAPPENS, SOMETIMES I ONLY HAVE TO PRESS ON MY BREAK. OTHER TIMES I HAVE TO TURN THE ENGINE BACK ON, DRIVE, AND WAIT BEFORE TRYING TO TURN MY ENGINE OFF AGAIN. THIS CAN TAKE MULTIPLE TRIES, MULTIPLE MINUTES WORTH OF JUST TRYING TO PARK MY CAR AND TURN IT OFF. I DO COMMUTE ABOUT 70 MILES ROUND TRIP FOR WORK EACH DAY (MONDAY-FRIDAY), SO I USE MY CAR QUITE A BIT, BUT LIKE I MENTIONED I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW AND TAKE THE BEST CARE OF IT. I DO NOT CUT ANY CORNERS BECAUSE I DO DRIVE IT A LOT. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT, HAD A TICKET, I DRIVE VERY SAFELY. THERE IS NO REASON, MY CAR SHOULD HAVE ANY PROBLEMS SIMPLY PARKING AFTER HAVING IT FOR LESS THAN 2 YEARS.

NHTSA ODI #11364313

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.