2018 Chevrolet Malibu

ON 4/5/2020, WHILE DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET, THE CAR LOST PROPULSION. IT READ ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED AND STABILITRAC HAD ACTIVATED. THIS HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR. MY VERY FIRST ENCOUNTER WAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY (I-270) THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED (PER RECALL) ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. IT HAS DONE THE VERY EXACT THING AT LEAST THREE (3) TIMES SUBSEQUENT OF THE RECALL MANDATE. EVERY TIME I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE CAR THE MOTOR WILL VIOLENTLY SHAKE. I HAVE MADE THIS COMPLAINT TO GENERAL MOTORS, PRIOR TO THIS LATEST EVENT ON 4/5/2020, MY COMPLAINT HAD BEEN DISMISSED. I AM BEING FORCED TO OPERATE THIS VEHICLE; KNOWING IT POSES A SERIOUS RISK OF ACCIDENT OR DEATH TO ME AND OTHER MOTORIST. LUCKILY, I WAS ON A SIDE RESIDENTIAL STREET A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY RESIDENCE. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE ALWAYS THE CASE AND THIS IS A CONTINUOUS EVENT. I LIVE WITHIN A 3/4-MILE RADIUS OF BALTIMORE'S SEA-PORT, TRAIN & TRUCK TERMINAL AS WELL AS INTERSTATES I-895 & I-95'S (HARBOR AND FORT MCHENRY TUNNEL). I TRAVEL THE I-895 TUNNEL TO WORK EVERYDAY. AFTER SEVERAL RECALL ATTEMPTS TO FIX, THIS CAR IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING. WHEREAS, WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS, IT LOSES ENGINE POWER AND STALLS WHILE IN MOTION. INCLUDED ARE ONSTAR ONBOARD DIAGNOSIS REPORTS AND SERVICE RECORDS AFTER THE INITIAL RECALL SERVICING OF THE CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE VEHICLE OWNER/DRIVER HER DAUGHTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE STABILITRAK WARNING LIGHT SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED AS POWER WAS REDUCED CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED AND NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL BODY SHOP. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,447.

WARNING MESSAGES LIGHT UP "STEERING POWER IS DIMINISHED, DRIVE WITH CARE", SOMETHING PERTAINING TO BRAKES AND BATTERY, THE WARNINGS FLASH SO QUICKLY I CAN'T READ THEM ALL. THE CAR GOES DEAD WHEN I STOP, SHUTS DOWN COMPLETELY WITH DASH LIGHTS GOING COMPLETELY OUT, THEN A VERY SLOW RESTART AS THE LIGHTS BRIGHTEN VERY SLOWLY. AFTER THE THIRD TIME YESTERDAY AND TODAY I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN "PARK FOR IT TO RESTART AT A STOP LIGHT AND NOW IT WILL NOT START AT ALL,

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED REDUCED POWER BEFORE LEARNING ABOUT AND ADDRESSING THE RECALL. A COUPLE OF MONTHS FOLLOWING MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHUT OFF AND RESTART WHILE GIVING VARIOUS ERROR MESSAGES. THIS OCCURRED WHILE GOING SPEEDS LESS THAN 35 MPH AND WHILE STOPPED. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED IT WAS A FAULTY BATTERY CENSOR AND WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. I HAVE HAD THE PART REPLACED AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY ISSUES FOR ROUGHLY 2 WEEKS. MY VEHICLE TODAY GAVE A ERROR MESSAGE THAT ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. IT IS ALSO HESITATING/JUMPING WHEN SWITCHING FROM DRIVE TO EITHER REVERSE OR PARK.

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.

DURING OPERATIONS WHILE TURNING CAR LOCKED UP; LOST POWER, LOST STEERING. WITH ENGINE RUNNING THE RADIO AND AC SHUT OFF. DRIFTED TO SHOULDER OF ROAD. ILLUMINATED DASH LIGHTS: POWER STEERING DRIVE WITH CARE, TRACTION CONTROL, EMERGENCY BRAKE, ABS LIGHT, TEMP SHOWED COLD, NO GEAR INDICATOR LIGHT. OPERATED CAR LESS THAN 5MPH APPROX. 1/4 MILE AND SHUT ENGINE OFF. DURING OPERATIONS IT SOUNDED AS THOUGH BRAKES WERE ON (SCREECHING/CLANKING). ONCE ENGINE SHUTDOWN STABILITRAK LIGHT ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY WITH POWER STEERING. DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK, WINDOWS WOULD NOT GO DOWN (TRAPPED IN VEHICLE 10 MIN). BRAKE PEDAL LOCKED, CAR WOULD NOT START. 45 MIN LATER CAR STARTED. ALL ILLUMINATED LIGHTS CLEARED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP INVESTIGATED. SEVERAL FAULT CODES WERE PRESENT. EACH FAULT CODE PERTAINED TO VEHICLES COMMUNICATION. VEHICLE LOST COMMUNICATION WITH EVERYTHING. DEALERSHIP STATED DIFFICULT/IMPOSSIBLE TO FOLLOW ANY SORT OF DIRECTION FOR FIX. DEALERSHIP DROVE CAR AND COULD NOT REPLICATE INCIDENT. ASKED ME TO DRIVE AND RECREATE PROBLEM THEN TO BRING BACK. CAR IS UNSAFE. INSTANTLY LOCKED UP DURING OPERATION, TRAPPED ME INSIDE, LEFT ME STRANDED AND SCARED ME. REFUSE TO DRIVE. GM WAS CONTACTED; AWAITING GUIDANCE.

I WAS RECENTLY GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY IN MY 2018 MALIBU AND HAD ABSOLUTELY NOOOO ENGINE POWER FOR ACCELERATION! LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO GET ONTO THE MEDIAN BEFORE I WAS REAR ENDED BY THE FAST MOVING CARS! SIMULTANEOUSLY THE 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED', 'SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL', AND 'THE 'TRANSMISSION' SERVICE LIGHTS CAME ON! THEN AS I WAS GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT EXIT, I WENT TO STOP AT THE LIGHT AND I HAD NOOOO BRAKES! LUCKILY I PUSHED AS HARD AS POSSIBLE AND GOT MY CAR TO STOP WITHOUT A SECOND TO SPARE! I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT 99% OF DRIVERS WOULD HAVE EITHER BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED, OR SERIOUSLY INJURED SOMEONE ELSE IN THE PROCESS OF CRASHING THEIR CAR! I HAVE A PRETTY GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF CARS , FROM RACING MULTIPLE C5 AND C6 CORVETTES, BUT THIS PROBLEM HAD ME STUMPED FOR A WHILE. I TOOK THE MALIBU TO MULTIPLE GM SERVICE DEPARTMENTS, AND NONE OF THE MECHANICS COULD COME UP WITH A REASON WHY ALL THOSE SYSTEMS FAILED SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND MULTIPLE MECHANICS ALL SAID IT WAS EITHER THE BRAKE BOOSTER OR THE MASTER CYLINDER. I JUST DIDN'T SEE EITHER OF THOSE PARTS BEING THE REASON FOR THAT MUCH OF AN EFFECT ON THE CAR, AND LUCKILY I REMEMBERED THAT GM TRUCKS WERE HAVING A MAJOR ISSUE LOSING BRAKES DUE TO THE VACUUM PUMP. SO AFTER AN INSPECTION I FELT PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT WAS MY BRAND NEW MALIBU'S PROBLEM, SO I WENT TO THE PARTS COUNTER AND DROPPED $330 ON MY WARRANTIED MALIBU, AND SURE ENOUGH THE CAR WAS FINE AFTER THAT! HOWEVER, A MAJOR CONCERN OF MINE IS THAT THE OE VACUUM PUMP WAS MISSING CHUNKS OF METAL, AND CLEARLY THOSE CHUNKS OF METAL ARE FLOATING AROUND IN MY ENGINE! SO DESPITE MY REGULAR MAINTENANCE, AND EVEN EXTRA MAINTENANCE, MY CONFIDENCE IS NOT VERY HIGH, AND I'M CONSTANTLY WAITING FOR THE CAR TO HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE NEW VACUUM PUMP, ENGINE OR BRAKES!