2019 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 191 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 21st highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 8 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 7 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
Representative owner complaints: service brakes
26 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Sep 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, the following morning while waiting at the school drop-off line with her foot on the brake pedal, there was an abnormal boom, and several warning lights illuminated and flashed on the instrument panel. The occupants inside the vehicle assumed that the vehicle was struck from behind. The vehicle attempted to surge and revved and started to choke and shut off. The vehicle was shifted into park and the ignition key turned to the off position. The vehicle was restarted but failed to move. The engine, traction control, and the radio were blinking. The vehicle was shifted to first gear but was moving slowly. The vehicle stalled and was restarted, but the failure recurred. The engine light remained illuminated, but the screen was dimmed. The vehicle was turned off. The contact associated the failure with TSB: 21-NA-045. The dealer was called and a voicemail was left. The vehicle was driven to the service center and the contact waited for 20 minutes to allow the vehicle to cool down and then restarted the vehicle. The gear shift indicator was not lit. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The radio started to work later. There was an abnormal hot odor. The contact was concerned about a fire. The local dealer responded and advised the contact not to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure after the vehicle was test driven. The dealer confirmed there were no previous crash with the vehicle. There was one fault code displayed. The dealer stated that there might have been a backfire from the engine. The approximate failure mileage was 105,100.
Service brakes, Engine, Sep 16, 2026
Due to the vacuum pump failing during driving, metal shards broke inside of the car and went into the engine destroying it completely. Now i need a whole new engine
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Jun 4, 2026
Since 2024/2025 car has been malfunctioning, I’ve had it checked out but it just got worse and nothing was fixed l, it is I driveable and very unsafe. When driving it abruptly stops like it’s crashing Messages that pop up (Multiple ones at one time flashing as well) - service “ESC” -“service power steering drive with care” -“shift to park” -“low fuel” (but car has gas in it) - check engine light on -all lights flashing at once while jerking -car stops abruptly when you’re driving it -radio blacks out while driving -dashboard blacks out as vehicle is running -jerking while trying to stop -sensor malfunctions -transmission slippage -engine still on and running sounds like it’s cooling down and smells of it as well
Service brakes, Engine, Mar 18, 2026
The brake booster vacuum pump went out in my car it broke which caused hard breaking while driving vehicle. When the brake booster vacuum pump broke a piece of it damage my camshaft as well as my timing chain in my motor.
Service brakes, Engine, Jun 27, 2025
The vacuum pump has a tendency of breaking and when it does it affects the exhaust camshaft making the car completely inoperable. When this happened my vehicle lost all brakes and power and would not start. This happened suddenly with no warning and left me stranded in the middle of lanes of travel. This is a well known issue with the Chevy 1.5 L and is documented in the TSB Bulletin #21-NA-268. The vehicle was inspected following the TSB number provided and diagnosing via the information provided.
Service brakes, Engine, Jun 7, 2025
Brakes got hard and reduced engine power came on and now won't crank went to the dealership and then they charge me 389 for a battery and it still didn't work they say it need a new motor
Service brakes, Engine, May 5, 2025
Vehicle was being driven at 60 mph on the highway when the brakes weren't responding as I was entering a sharp curve. Had to stand on the brakes and manually lower the gears to keep from hitting a tree head-on. Check engine light was on. P0014, P0017, and P0556 codes were pulled before having it towed to the first mechanic. Car wouldn't start after it was parked after the initial incident. The first mechanic was unable to diagnose so the vehicle was towed to the Chevrolet Dealership. They say the brake vacuum pump malfunctioned and caused permanent damage to the engine rendering the car inoperable and I will have to have a new engine installed. The car drove fine prior to the vacuum pump failure.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Apr 29, 2025, crash
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact stated that the failure caused the vehicle to crash into a nearby ditch. In addition, the contact stated that the failure caused severe damage to the vehicle, and the vehicle was undrivable. The contact used a code reader to diagnose the vehicle a retrieved a code for a brake booster back-up pump failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall repair however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 63,455.
Service brakes, Sep 19, 2024
tapped the my other car on the bumper . Brake Pump is out.
Power train, Service brakes, Engine, Jul 17, 2024
I have been driving this car for three years, and it performed exceptionally well until Friday, July 12, 2024. While driving on the highway, the "Engine Power Reduced" warning light activated. I pulled over, placed the car in park, waited a few seconds, and restarted the engine, but the issue persisted. Consequently, I took the car to the nearest auto shop, where they identified and repaired a throttle issue. On July 16, 2024, the car's brake system failed, preventing the vehicle from stopping properly. I utilized the emergency brake and once again brought the car to the nearest auto shop. The diagnosis revealed a broken vacuum, which was identified as a manufacturer's defect. My car is currently in the shop for the second repair due to these manufacturing defects, which have incurred significant costs. It raises concerns about the safety and quality of the parts used in the manufacturing process. Why are low-quality components being installed in these vehicles? This poses a serious safety risk.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Engine and engine cooling, Sep 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 45-50 MPH, the brake pedal was firm when depressed and the vehicle failed to stop immediately. No warning light was illuminated. The contact diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC Codes for the camshaft sensor and crankcase sensor. The camshaft sensor was replaced by the contact. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the ABS vacuum pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The mechanic replaced the ABS vacuum pump. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Service brakes, Engine, May 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH on the freeway, the braking system suddenly malfunctioned and the vehicle failed to stop while depressing the brake pedal. The contact had to drive to the side road in order to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the brake booster pump had failed and caused damage to the timing chain and crankshaft. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Service brakes, Apr 12, 2023
The rear calipers on my car are again hanging up it happened a few months ago and just recently twice within a week it is going for an oil change on the 25th but gm corporation is giving me the run around I feel the calipers are not a wearable part as they claim and I do have a bumper to bumper warranty on the car still I kept on asking them if that part was covered under my warranty’s but they wouldn’t tell me that
Steering, Service brakes, Mar 30, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the "stability track" symbol illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the brakes started to grab, causing the vehicle to shudder. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked to the left which she corrected by turning to the right. The contact stated that additional warning lights for the power steering and ESC illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence, placed the vehicle in park (P) and turned off the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Mar 24, 2023
Vehicle cuts off daily. This has been going on for months. A message shows up saying put the car in neutral to restart. Battery and alternator have been tested more than once and they are not the issue. The car cut off while I was in traffic driving across a bridge! I had to get help pushing the car to the side of the road. This particular time the car would not start back up without a jump. Majority of the time while at a red light, it cuts off. After replacing rotors, brake pads, and brake pump, braking is still rough with screeching and grinding leaving lots of brake dust on the wheels. At times the brakes go all the way down.
Service brakes, Engine, Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the “Engine Power Reduced” message was displayed. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the brake pedal was firm and hard to depress, causing the vehicle not to stop as needed. The vehicle eventually came to a stop and lost motive power and stalled. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the brake vacuum pump and the engine needed to be replaced. The brake vacuum pump was replaced but the engine was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by a dealer. The failure mileage was 87,370.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Dec 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and slowing for a traffic signal, the brake pedal was stiff and could not be depressed. The contact stated he heard a grinding noise coming from the front tires. The contact stated that he was able to slow the vehicle by shifting to low(L) and using the parking brake. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact had an independent mechanic diagnose the vehicle. The mechanic retrieved DTC: P0556 (Brake Booster Pressure Sensor) failure. The mechanic also determined that the brake vacuum booster pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,697.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 11, 2022
I have no Brake Lights when applying the Brakes and cruise control no longer works due to Service ESC message on display. I was advised by replacing the battery this would clear the ESC but it did not. I believe the service ESC message is tied into the brake lights and cruise control not working.
Service brakes, Oct 27, 2022, crash
On September 28th I was driving along the highway, went to take an exit, and the brake pedal was locked. I experienced a loss of braking, hard brake pedal and increased stopping distance. In order to get the car to stop, i had to put the car in neutral and coast into a ditch/grass. Before the brake failure there was no instrument cluster malfunction lights illuminated or any warning of imminent failure of the vehicles braking system. A mechanic has informed me that the vehicles brake vacuum pump is to blame and that it needs to be repaired immediately. This part suddenly failing with no warning caused a complete brake failure within the car and posed a risk of injury or death to me and others.
Service brakes, Engine, Oct 24, 2022
Before my car gave out I was having braking issues and my car wouldn’t accelerate when I pressed the gas. Then later that night I was driving home with my mother and fiancée when my car illuminated “engine power reduced” and my check engine light came on. When I tried pulling over I noticed that my brakes were very hard. So I had to roll from the speed of 45 mph until my car eventually stopped. I was not able to stop at the stop sign so I just had to blow my horn to alert other drivers. Whenever I took it to the dealership they told me my brake vacuum pump exploded and blew shards into my camshaft. The repair was 1700 for the replacement of the brake vacuum pump and the camshaft. I talked to the mechanic afterwards and he said that this problem has a good chance of happening again because the part itself is defective and there are no other aftermarket parts to replace it. Then I go to pick up my car three weeks later, and was told that my engine should be replaced because a cylinder had no compression. The price of that was around 5000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Power train, Sep 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently fail to accelerate above 55 MPH as the "Engine Power Reduced" message would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the vehicle upon depression of the brake pedal. The contact called the dealer and was informed that she could not be given an appointment for another month. She then contacted an independent mechanic and was informed that unless the failure was persistent, they would not be able to diagnose the failure. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but was unable to reach a representative. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Sep 28, 2022
This car is displaying a shift to park on the dashboard. I have read several complaints and even lawsuits filed about this matter on the internet. Why hasn't this been recalled to fix on these vehicles it drains the battery and you aren't able to put the vehicle in park or lock the doors or anything
Power train, Electrical system, Service brakes, Sep 7, 2022
Vehicle goes into near stall instrument panel goes as if you were starting the vehicle gauges go up down then back gas gauge said no gas on full tank , brakes felt as if was gone abs system not responding , engine rough , road had minor to moderate pot holes "Rawsonville Road" when stopped vehicle while running gave msg put in park to shift . , vehicle was in drive once put in park it would not come out of park or realize it was in park . the issue i have been able to determine so far is on the vehicle fuse panel under hood it is connected to the main service disconnect for the entire wire harness "pin connectors male and female over 30 pins , it is held by 2 locking handles all with plastic tabs for the latching , this is failing under driving conditions and coming loose enough to separate contact from 1 or more pins normally on the drivers side . to fix the issues I had to disconnect the service disconnect and reconnect it while securely fastening the handles verified correct and happened again on testing down a dirt road service appointment is thursday -9-7-2022 at mark chevrolet in wayne michigan , i contacted gm and they said it had to be fully tested through a dealer i informed gm this is a major issue and not something i will be paying for it is likely a recallable issue i have seen alot of issues with malibu 2019-2022 having similar issues and are likely caused by the same issue if using this same service disconnect and fuse box likely nullifying the TSA's used for shift to park etc as others have stated and documented those issues repeat . the vehicles modules lose communication with the vehicle via intermittent service disconnect on the wiring harness . "network errors " support this via obd code reader as well as the powertrain hard fault code and the various pending fault codes prior to having to physically disconnect and reconnect the service disconnect fully to restore vehicle function and bring to safe location instead of on side of busy road
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Jun 29, 2022
Driving along the interstate the car suddenly lost power. I was able to pull over and restart car and drive like nothing ever happened. Then once I parked the car at my destination the car would not start 10 minutes later leaving me stranded in an unfamiliar city. When trying to start the car it would click and the DIC would display Batter Saver Active following EMS following Power Steering. No check engine light was on in the vehicle before this incident. I was stranded in an unfamiliar city with no one around to help. After asking a random stranger for a jump the car started and allowed me to get home. No dealership can convey the problem with the car, everyone says there's nothing wrong with it. I have had the vehicle for about one year now with no problem up to now. The car often backfires and even completely cuts off at red lights (not from the auto stop feature). This is dangerous.
Service brakes, Engine, Jun 2, 2020
I WAS STATIONARY AT A RED LIGHT ON HIGHWAY 49 WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAKS, AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I LET MY FOOT UP OFF THE BREAKS AND THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF. I TRIED TO TURN THE CAR BACK ON, BUT STILL NOTHING. I WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND THE CAR STARTED BACK UP, SO I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND STARTED DRIVING, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN THE BREAKS WERE VERY TIGHT. FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF, I SAT THERE AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR. I FOUND NOTHING, SO I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR AND CRANKED IT AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I GOT THE CAR TO STAR CHEVROLET AND THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP. *TR