2017 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 724 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 17 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 16 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Seat belts, critical fastenersAug 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.
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 21V649000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationJun 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.
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 18V400000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMay 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.
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
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.
Campaign 18V358000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowDec 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.
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.
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.
Campaign 16V870000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
724 reports, newest first.
Seat belts, May 28, 2022
The seatbelt became locked in the full retracted position and could no longer be used. The trim of the car was removed to confirm there were no obstructions or twists on the belt.
Electrical system, May 24, 2022
shift to park warning stays on and will not shut off when shifter is in park dealer replaced shifter assembly $800.00 when car electrical will not shut off that is a safety issue
Electrical system, Engine, May 23, 2022
Car looses power randomly “engine power reduced” comes up on the dash screen have to pull over shit car off and then turn back on to reset.
Electrical system, Engine, May 22, 2022
I have had this issue 3 times since purchasing new in 2017. Power completly turns off while driving. No warning no nothing just turns off. I had my pistons and all that replaced back in 2019, I have also had the battery replaced 3 times since getting this vehicle as that Is what gm recommended. Nothing is helping. It now tells me to service stabilitrack. Tells me my power steering is out. It’s not safe to drive. It sits in my driveway and I am waiting money monthly paying on it. It also gives me a shift to park error while it’s already in park. This is a dangerous car and do not recommend it. Chevy was so gracious to tell me they’ll give me half of what my vehicle loan is. So nice. Ya right what a joke. I have pulled up these issues from other buyers of this car and they say there’s ni recall so nothing they can do. I’m not sure what other steps to take I just need out of this car. And so does everyone else. It’s dangerous and the fact that nothing has been done by the federal government about this is worriesome.
Steering, Electrical system, Engine, May 20, 2022
Since purchase from dealer at 40,000 miles I have complained numerous times. Dealer can not reproduce and refuses to do anything about it. When driving vehicle with and sometimes with out AC on. The vehicle doesn't want to go. I could have the gas peddle to the floor and it won't accelerate. Does is whenever it wants to seems as if when AC is on it does it the most. This past week the vehicle has thrown a warning steering asist reduced please drive with care. It quickly comes on and then goes back off. The vehicle is also stalling out of no where. I come to a stop light it goes to auto stop then I go to start accelerating and the vehicle will shut down engine light comes on and vehicle will not start back up for a min or 2. Once engine shuts off I put in park and try and start it again it won't. A few mins go by it will start again. I notice if I keep foot on break at a stop light and foot on gas to keep the RPMs up and don't allow it to auto stop it won't shut down. I made a appointment with jud kuhn the dealer I purchased it from. For next week. Hoping they can do somthing about it but chances are they will look at me like I'm crazy like they do every time and tell me no codes or they can't reproduce. I still owe 14,000 on the vehicle I'm livid. My children drive this car and it's extremely unsafe. If dealer doesn't help I'm contacting a lawyer for lemon law please help The acceleration issue started the week I purchased it 2 years ago the stalling started last week. And the steering assist started last week
Other or unspecified, May 18, 2022
I have a 2017 Malibu and I pulled into my driveway to park and the car would not shift into park. The car’s stick shift malfunctioned and it was stuck in reverse. The vehicle would not shut off and the brakes would not work. It began rolling backwards out into a busy street. I was able to find the emergency brake to stop it from rolling too far out into the street but the car would not turn off or switch out of gear. I was unable to exit, lock, or turn off my vehicle due to the shifting malfunction, which was draining my battery. The vehicle was unable to physically shift into the park gear, but the car was also incapable of detecting the shift. No warning lights or shift to park warning came on the dashboard. I immediately called AAA to tow my vehicle to a repair shop. I was without a vehicle for 4 days and had to pay a costly repair of $444.95 for a known defect with Malibu vehicles. The repair shop replaced the automatic transmission shift cable and the GM/automatic transmission range selector lever. General Motors needs to recognize the problem and resolve it by recalling these vehicles, and notifying vehicle owners of this defect before someone gets injured or killed and should also reimburse customers for the repairs which they had to pay out of pocket! Had this defect occurred while I was driving I could have been injured or killed or could have been parked somewhere in an unsafe situation unable to drive away or my vehicle could have rolled out into the busy street and hit a pedestrian, damaged someone’s property or hit another vehicle causing damages, death or injury to others.
Other or unspecified, May 15, 2022
The carpet on both front driver and passenger side is too short and sticks out from below the trim piece.
Electrical system, Seats, Other or unspecified, May 9, 2022
Engine light continues to come on repeatedly. Resetting does not fix the problem. Engine shuts off while driving. Then suddenly the engine comes back on at an accelerated speed. Engine shuts off at traffic light when my foot is on the brake. When I remove my foot from the brake and press the accelerator the car jerks into gear. Sometimes the STABIL TRACK appears on my dash board. Also, STEERING REDUCE BE CAREFUL appears on my dash board. Sometime the driver side window will not go up or down. I have CAR SHIELD but I can not find a mechanic to accept it. They all say that CAR SHIELD is a rip-off.
Steering, Engine, May 7, 2022
An alert “Engine power is reduced” came on are 6pm 5/7/22. Never seen it before. My car began to click and wouldn’t go over 40mph. Steering wheel locked up when attempting to turn. I cut the car off to try to restart it and it did allow me to turn but there was immediate smoke released from car.
Power train, May 5, 2022
Frequently the car will say that the transmission is not in park, but the shifter is in the park position, and the car will not turn off until I take it from park to reverse to park again. Sometimes it takes several tries before the car will register that it is in park.
Engine, May 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and attempting to power off the vehicle, the vehicle remained running. The shift to park(P) warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Service brakes, Apr 30, 2022
Breaks suddenly failed I have researched this problem and it is a ongoing problem with the vacuum pump and Chevy knows this
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 29, 2022
So basically when I'm driving it automatically I don't know where says engine power reduce which cuts the power down when you're on the highway and see if you're doing 70 miles per hour and all of a sudden that light comes on your check engine light comes on and it reduces the strength of the vehicle so ithe vehicle so we can cause multiple accidents
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Apr 26, 2022
I have Taken my car back and forth to the dealer so many times since ive had the 2017 Chevy malibu LT my car lost power once before and now it feels like it wants to lose power again my engine make this off noise it rides rough I have no warning lights on They told me it could be a computer problem and they could not fix it and the all of a sudden it was okay then my gas is running out quick and engine oil and i have a burning smell but they keep saying nothing is wrong it jerks when i shift gears sometimes and it makes a loud noise and no hazards light are on I feel like they are clearing codes and trying to sell me a new car because they keep telling me to trade it in they will buy it back Ive told them i feel like me and my child safety is at risk because I could be driveing and my car can shut down on me and get in a real bad accident im still making payments on the car and dont wanna get another loan for me to pay out more money for another car Ive had car in shop more than Ive drive it I got car with 34,000 miles and it has 54,000 now no car should have all these issues with these miles I have a 6 year old that rides in this car and something gotta be done this putting out lifes at risk
Electrical system, Apr 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after his wife parked the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed while the gear selector was shifted into park(P). The vehicle would not turn off until after several attempts; however, the failure recurred with the doors locking the contact's wife and 3 children inside of the vehicle. The contact's wife was able to turn off the vehicle while the brake pedal was depressed and the Start/Stop button was pressed and unlocked the doors with the key fob. The dealer was made aware of the failure and sent a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,733.
Engine, Apr 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph when the vehicle's speed suddenly slowed down to about 10 mph. The contact stated they had to pull over and restart the vehicle. The failure occurred a second time at the same speed and reduced to about 30 mph causing them to pull over and restart. The third time they experienced a failure occurred while idle at the light when the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The contact had to push the vehicle to the side of the road where they had to leave the vehicle for several hours before they were able to restart the vehicle. The check engine and engine power reduced warning lights were illuminated. The contact taken the vehicle to a certified mechanic who had not diagnosed the failure as of yet. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Apr 20, 2022
After stopping and shifting to park and pushing the "Ignition Button". The button indicator light shows car is not in "park". The dash indicator also states "Shift To Park" even though it is in park. This can be resolved by many pushes on the shift stick lever. It is obvious to be a shabby mechanism inside the shift box that isn't connecting the circuit to show that the vehicle is actually in park. This problem began about a week ago and it seems to be somewhat worse as time goes on. When it first happened, I did not know what to do. Thank god for google that showed me how to "jerry-rig" a fix each time to show it actually in park (flipping the shift stick button). If left alone, I would possibly drain the battery. Also google comments and post indicated this is a complaint by many and should be a considered for a recall.
Other or unspecified, Apr 19, 2022
When stopping and vehicle is in park, it will not let me shut off the engine. Indicating that I must shift into Park, although it is already in Park. I view this as aa safety problem by not being able to properly shut down the engine. The warning chime continues to sound, "SHIFT INTO PARK". tHE ENGINE HASS NOT PROPERLYY SHUT DOWN!!!!
Electrical system, Engine, Apr 10, 2022
When driving my vehicle at highway speed the vehicle slows down at about 15-20 mph a message on the dashboard states engine reduced power. The first time I was able to get over and cut the vehicle off and restarted it. But the vehicle did it again. The check engine light has been ever since. A few days later the vehicle did the same thing. I took it to Autozone and they gave me a code. Which is for the accelerator pedal sensor and the throttle electrical control. This is very dangerous to be driving at high speeds and all of a sudden the vehicle drops speed to 15-20 mph. I haven’t been able to find any place with the part to get the vehicle fix. Can someone help please?
Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 9, 2022
When vehicle is engaged in auto stop, it stalls out completely or bucks forward when at a complete stop(sign or red light). Upon review, two mechanics stated it has to do with the transmission and tork converter. Repair is upwards of $4000-$6000. 2017 Malibu has less than 75000 miles. Will be contacting dealership today 4/10/22.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Apr 6, 2022
Complete loss of engine power while going 65mph on highway. Warning light of low power first followed by check engine light then power reduced to 5mph. I turn the car off then restarted after 15 minutes, the morning light was off but the check engine light remained on. I then went to AutoZone to have a diagnostic test done which resulted In error code P2138. P2138 is for throttle/pedal position. My vehicle should still be under warranty however due to short staffing I am unable to make an appointment to have it looked at for at least six weeks
Electrical system, Mar 19, 2022
Car dash displays "shift to park message" when car is in park. Unable to shut vehicle off
Power train, Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 19, 2022
While I was driving my car went into engine saving mood. My speed was reduces rapidly.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 10, 2022
Reduce Power mode continues to come on! This is the 3 winter with it happening.
Steering, Engine, Mar 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the "Steering Assist Reduced - Drive with Care" and other unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that a nearby independent mechanic who witnessed the failure assisted her with restarting the vehicle with an unknown device and assisted the contact with pulling to the side of the road. The contact sated that the vehicle shut-off and failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The Used car dealer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The contact stated that the failure occurred the same day she had purchased the vehicle at the Used car dealer. Upon investigating on Carfax, the contact became aware that the vehicle had previously been totaled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.