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.
When starting my vehicle, (stationary) it does a revving thing like when pushing on the gas pedal and the gas pedla is not being pushed. At the same time that is happening the lights inside and out get very bright and then very low. I noticed when this is happening the temperature gauge does not move at all. Even after vehicle is running for a while the temperature gauge still does not move and the vehicle runs harder and louder with a slight shaking. Recently I drove for hours before the temperature gauge moved. Also when it did this recently the heat and defrost did not work well. My vehicle has 55,100 miles on it. When I asked a mechanic about this the mechanic informed me that a vehicle with such low mileage should not behave in this manner. I got my vehicle in July of 2015 and a month or so later it started doing these things. It does not do this all the time but as of lately its doing more frequently.
2011 Malibu has been losing engine power showing "service ESC" engine power reduced, and something about traction. This has happened over 8 times twice this week on Jan. 5th 2016. The second time I came so close to a crash to start to what not to drive this car. In all situations I was on a highway doing over 60 mph and in most cases letting off the gas. I had a wire connector to the throttle body replaced this spring for $200 at a dealer and the problem came back this fall. I have had codes about the cam sensor (replaced) then the cam actuators (both replaced). Now I am told it could be the timing chain adjustable sprockets sticking from junk from the chain guides. There was some metal bits on the cam actuatorator when I replaced it. At $1400 (chains, guides, sprockets) I will do it tomorrow myself for $400 in parts just to see what is up myself. I sell auto shop supplies and was a tech. Years ago so I can do it myself with a haynes manual. This is a common vary dangerous electrical problem just as bad as the ignition key switch recall. Fix it now GM. Can anyone say lawsuit, somebody help.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the reduce engine power and the ESC lights remained illuminated. The vehicle could not exceed 20 mph. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 123,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving 65 mph, the ESC warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost power. The failure recurred in cold weather numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine management and ignition sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
2011 Chevrolet Malibu. Consumer writes in regards to engine failure and requests reimbursement. The consumer's request for reimbursement was denied., because according to the GM, the repair that was performed, was not covered by the recall. The consumer stated he was stranded, due to loosing engine power. The dealer replaced the throttle body.
- Carmel, IN, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at 20 mph, the vehicle lost power. The ESC, check engine, and traction control warning lights illuminated. "engine power reduced" was displayed across the message board. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the throttle body assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle body assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
On 3/28/15 I purchased a 2011 Chevy Malibu from rainbow Chevrolet in laplace Louisiana. When test driving the vehicle, I noticed a very small and hardly noticeable jerk when the car changed into 2nd gear. I was told by the salesman that it was normal and I took his word for it. Almost 7 months later, the issue has gotten 1000 X's worse and the engine light is now on. I know for a fact that this is not normal now. The jerk is violent and it now jerks when putting the car in park, drive and reverse. Pulling off slowly, makes the car jerk very hard. If you apply more gas when taking off, the jerk is not as bad but it's still bad. The car did not come with a warranty but I was ok with that because I was told that car had been inspected thoroughly, that an elderly couple previously owned the car, that there was nothing wrong with the car and I had also just gotten rid of a 2005 Malibu that I bought brand new in which I had no serious problems with. I purchased this car for my daughter in college. This car is not safe. I have read hundreds of complaints online and on the Chevrolet Malibu forum in regards to the same problem as well as other problems. The car currently has 53,803 miles which is not very much in car years and I do not feel that I should have to pay for this problem since there are so many issues documented that I am having. Last but not least, I am unable to fill up the car with gas. It stops at about tank and starts to spill out. This was noticed shortly after I bought the car also. I bought this car for my daughter who is in college and it is definitely not safe to drive. I am a single mother and I do not have the resources to repair a vehicle with issues that should be part of a recall list.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,237.
In February 2015 my Chevrolet Malibu had an issue with the ignition switch. After taking it to the dealership it was determined that there was a wiring issue. During research it seemed that many people has the same problem with the same year and model. More recently on 09/16/2015 my vehicle had another electronic problem where the engine control module would shutdown causing the engine to shut down while traveling at 40 mpg. This issue had happened in the past that prevented me from starting my car and every electronic device in the car would flash and beep/click out of control. But in this more recent case it happened while driving. Also after more research it looks as if other drivers of the same year and model have had the same issue, some stating that that is the worst year of that model they ever owned and I could not agree more. At the time I had my child in the car with me. I could not stop wondering what would have happened if this incident occurred minutes earlier when I has in a busy highway under AZ heat with no air conditioning working because the engine would not start. GM has not have a good reputation with the the quality of their vehicles, specially with electronic components. If the car engine and electronics shut down, would the air bags activate in case of an accident? codes: P0113, P1668 maf (mass air flow sensor) has been replaced with new once after incident and issues have continued.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle decelerated independently to 5 mph. The ESC warning light illuminated and the engine power reduced message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the throttle body failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While the vehicle was at a stop sign, the engine revved up and failed to start. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,500. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle shook violently and the service electronic stability control, service traction, and engine power reduced warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
6/6/2015 car was sitting in parking lot. Upon trying to start the car errors for electronic stability control and reduced engine power showed up. Car was sputtering and running rough. Turned car off. Waited a little while and started car again and no error messages. But the check engine light came on. The error code that came up was P2101. 6/10/2015 same thing happened. Let the car sit for about an hour and tried to start again. Smelled heavily of gas when it started. Check engine light is on.
2011 Malibu 2lt 3600 vvt. I have multiple instances of the service ESC, service traction control & engine power reduced messages appearing. The last time, today, almost caused me to be rear ended due to the engine fluctuating between about 200 and 1500 RPM. After the first instance I brought the car to a dealer to have recall #14V252000 addressed. This seemed to solve the issue but after a couple of days it all happened again telling me there's obviously something else wrong. Through on-line research I have found hundreds of complaints about this exact same issue with almost as many supposed causes. There is no warranty left on my car and I can't afford a mechanic to guess. I strongly feel that GM needs to address this issue before someone dies.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle restarted however, the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
Just got my car back mid February after the timing chain broke. The signs at that time were ck engine light service traction and service ESC. GM dealership replaced the engine with a brand new one. Its still under the 100,000 mile power train warranty. Forward 1 month. Now all lights come on...engine, service traction, service ESC and engine power low. Car shakes and wont exceed 10 mph.
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine stalled as the ESC, service traction and reduce engine control warning indicators illuminated. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure numerous times. The failure mileage was 62,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I was driving my 2011 Chevrolet Malibu at about 40 mph on a fairly busy 2 lane street. Without warning the car lost power. A message appeared in the information screen indicating something like "reduced power to the engine". also, a message indicated that the engine was operating under reduced power mode because I needed to service ESC, and the engine light was displayed as well on the dashboard. I was fortunately able to get the car pulled off of the road and into a parking lot. I read the owners manual and essentially found out that the vehicle was operating in "limp mode". I took the car to the dealership and found this to be a "common problem" for Chevy Malibu models. My car was, of course, out of warranty and not covered under any sort of recall, so I had to pay about $500 for the repair. My concern is that this is a safety issue as I suddenly and without any warning lost power. Had this occurred when trying to pull across a heavy intersection or merging into traffic this could have caused a serious injury. Further, I see reports all over the internet about this issue and I am reporting this as a serious safety concern - had this situation happened under different circumstances it very easily could have caused an accident and serious injury to someone. I since followed up with Chevrolet service and they essentially told me that they are "aware" of the issue but there are no recalls etc...
The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle jerked and stalled. The contact also stated that reduced engine power was displayed across the message board and the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000. The VIN was unavailable.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Renton, WA, USA