CAR HAS ENGINE LIGHT ON. IT SHOWS ENGINE POWER REDUCED. ITS NOT GOING OVER THAN 30MILES AN HOUR. CAR HAS ONLY 41K MILES.
2019 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 310.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
56 reports with mileage · 134 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.
- Power Train. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
190 reportsI'M NOT SURE WHAT'S WRONG, BUT WHEN I STOP AND START MY VEHICLE BACK UP WITH THE AUTO START I CAN HEAR SOMETHING LIKE WATER FLUSHING OR RUNNING THROUGH MY DASHBOARD. MOST OF THE TIME MY VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT WHEN I PRESS THE GAS, IS DRIVING OR TURNING MOST OF THE TIME IT DON'T WON'T TO GO. I ALMOST GOT HIT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS…
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I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S WRONG, BUT WHEN I STOP AND START MY VEHICLE BACK UP WITH THE AUTO START I CAN HEAR SOMETHING LIKE WATER FLUSHING OR RUNNING THROUGH MY DASHBOARD. MOST OF THE TIME MY VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT WHEN I PRESS THE GAS, IS DRIVING OR TURNING MOST OF THE TIME IT DON'T WON'T TO GO. I ALMOST GOT HIT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS BECAUSE I WOULD TRY TO TURN AND THE CAR WILL STALL BARLEY GOING. THIS HAS CAUSE A LOT OF FRUSTRATIONS. I HAVE HAD MY CAR SINCE AUGUST OF 2020 AND IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2-3 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING IT. I HAVE NOT HAD TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION BECAUSE I HAVE LUPUS AND I'M TRIED AND HAVE RANDOM FLARES.
WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY AND MERGING IF I GET CLOSE TO 3 RPM TO GET UP TO 60-65 MPH M ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASH AS WELL AS MY TRACTION SENSOR LIGHT AND MY CAR WILL NO LONGER ALLOW ME TO ACCELERATE. ALSO AFTER THIS HAPPENS IT WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO USE MY CRUISE CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER …
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WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY AND MERGING IF I GET CLOSE TO 3 RPM TO GET UP TO 60-65 MPH M ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASH AS WELL AS MY TRACTION SENSOR LIGHT AND MY CAR WILL NO LONGER ALLOW ME TO ACCELERATE. ALSO AFTER THIS HAPPENS IT WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO USE MY CRUISE CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS. I TOOK IT TO MY DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT FIXED TWICE THE FIRST TIME THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG THE SECOND TIME THEY DISCOVERED 3 OF MY FUEL INJECTORS WERE BROKEN. I STILL EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE AND IT IS VERY SCARY NOT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE ON THE HIGHWAY WITH BIG SEMIS AND OTHER VEHICLES COMING BEHIND ME.
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THEN YOU BEGIN TO OUCH ON THE GAS AS THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN, THE CAR WILL SLOW ACCELERATE WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS. THE CRAZY PART IS WHEN I TELL CHEVROLET ABOUT THIS NO ONE KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND IT'S FREAKING ME OUT! AL…
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WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT A LIGHT, THEN YOU BEGIN TO OUCH ON THE GAS AS THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN, THE CAR WILL SLOW ACCELERATE WHEN PUSHING ON THE GAS. THE CRAZY PART IS WHEN I TELL CHEVROLET ABOUT THIS NO ONE KNOWS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS FRUSTRATING BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY AND IT'S FREAKING ME OUT! ALSO NO INDICATIONS ON THE DASHBOARD COME ON EITHER
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND JERKED. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON WHICH RESUMED NORMAL OPERAT…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 TO 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND JERKED. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND BACK ON WHICH RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION HOWEVER, WHILE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED GOING UPHILL, THE VEHICLE HESITATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO HALL CHEVROLET CHESAPEAKE (3412 WESTERN BRANCH BLVD, CHESAPEAKE, VA 23321, (877)475-0719) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT ALL 4 CYLINDERS HAD MISFIRED AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED THREE ADDITIONAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND TEST DRIVEN HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DEEMED THE CONTACT INELIGIBLE FOR ANY REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 51,448.
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 63 MPH. I STARTED TO FEEL MY CAR SHAKING AS THOUGH IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT. MY CAR HAS A LITTLE OVER 17K MILES ON IT. ON MY DISPLAY SAYING SERVICE ESC WITH A CRESENT WRENCH ON THE SIDE, MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WAS ON (CAR WITH THE SWERVY ROAD) AND MY TRANSMISSION LIGHT FLASHI…
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I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 63 MPH. I STARTED TO FEEL MY CAR SHAKING AS THOUGH IT WAS GOING TO STALL OUT. MY CAR HAS A LITTLE OVER 17K MILES ON IT. ON MY DISPLAY SAYING SERVICE ESC WITH A CRESENT WRENCH ON THE SIDE, MY TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT WAS ON (CAR WITH THE SWERVY ROAD) AND MY TRANSMISSION LIGHT FLASHING. I STARTED TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE THE LIGHTS AND DISPLAY WENT BACK TO NORMAL. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE TO SERVICE MANAGER. MY DEALERSHIP HAD ME BRING IN MY CAR WHERE THEY CHANGED THE SPARK PLUGS AND RELUBRICATED THE IGNITION COILS DUE TO MISFIRING. I QUESTIONED IS THAT NORMAL? HE SAID NO, THEN STATED THERE IS NO RECALLS LISTED.
DRIVING THE CAR, ON A HIGHWAY AT APPROX. 75 MPH, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND DASHBOARD STATES "ENGINE POWER RESTRICTED". NOW THE CAR HAS LITTLE POWER AND TAKES 18 SECONDS TO GET FROM 0-60 MAKING IT A ROAD HAZARD. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 42,000 MILES ON IT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO 15 MPH WITH THE POWER REDUCED MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CHAPMEN CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 1717 E BASELINE RD, TEMPE, AZ 85283 TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS I…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO 15 MPH WITH THE POWER REDUCED MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CHAPMEN CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 1717 E BASELINE RD, TEMPE, AZ 85283 TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TURBO INTAKE WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000.
AS WITH OTHER YEARS OF THIS VEHICLE , I ALSO HAVE HAS MY ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. MORE THAN TEN TIMES IN THE LAST WEEK.
THE SERVICE SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM KEEPS GOING OFF FOR WARNING
Official recalls
121V649000 · 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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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