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: other or unspecified
36 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Jul 6, 2026
Acceleration issues. Started once put in drive didnt want to accelerate, acceleration issues now at higher speeds while driving
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 21, 2025
I was traveling down i-25 at 75 mph because that is what the speed limit here in Colorado. I was traveling south heading to Colorado Springs to visit family and i was entering near Castle Rock and my vechile would not go at all forward and it seemed as if I lost power to acceleration and I believe it was 2 or 3 lanes to exit off an off ramp as cars pasted me by honking their horns it was very scary as I pulled over to the side of the road letting it glide or coast to a stop very slowly I finally came to a stop.. as I have been reading some recalls due too a transmission issues for these types of vechiles I really hope I'm going about it right and someone reaches out to me about what it is that might be going on because even though my car does not have it listed by a Vin number I still believe that my 2019 Chevy Malibu has been subject to recalls for issues including a faulty rear seat belt retractor and a transmission problem that could lead to a loss of propulsion. The rear seat belt recall involves improperly secured retractors, and the transmission recall is due to a start-stop accumulator endcap with missing bolts, which could cause a leak and a loss of propulsion or a fire risk. And would like to have this addressed and or hits the right people concerning this not only for myself but safety for other people traveling at high speeds like myself that night... I was 5 days past my dealership warranty when I purchased the vechile from them and made it 6 days because I could get ahold of anyone on the 5 day when this incident occurred and then I called GM because I believe it would of fell under a drive train warranty but they said which was only 5 years warranty on this vechile from the day it was purchased its first time my vechile only has 82000 miles on it and I got it from a dealership here in Colorado with 64 or 62000 miles and since then I'm paying on a vechile that is no longer in service parked Sincerely and hopefully this reaches the right person...
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 24, 2025
Shift to park issue. After putting the car into Park and attempting to shut off the vehicle, an alter to SHIFT TO PARK came up and the car could not be shut off. Vehicle stalls at lights and in traffic because of the START / STOP system GM has put in this 2019 Malibu. This is dangerous as the vehicle moves if on incline (sometimes backwards). There is no control. The vehicle then has to be shifted into PARK and then restarted
Other or unspecified, Oct 12, 2025
Was on my way to work at stoplight and my 2019 Chevrolet Malibu lost all power and started back up and the next day I was about to leave for work and it wouldn’t start low battery came across screen then the check engine light came on and a few hrs later it started up but all interior lights would not go off and I went to auto zone to check codes and its one of the codes for RECALL I will be taking it to the Chevy dealership
Other or unspecified, Jul 14, 2025
GM has issued a known defect for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. My VIN is not on the recall list for the Shift to Park issue. The Chevy dealer will not fix the defect for free. I would like to add my VIN to the recall list.
Other or unspecified, Jul 12, 2025
My vehicle will not sense that it is in park when it is in park and therefore will not allow me to shut off the vehicle. This is become a problem multiple times and does it consistently enough that it could be a danger. What if I needed to exit the vehicle quickly and it will not allow me to.
Other or unspecified, Jul 7, 2025
When car is shifted into park the info system reads “Shift to Park” and the car continues to ding.
Other or unspecified, Jun 26, 2025
My car constantly gives a warning of shift to park even when the car is in the park position. The will constantly give the alarm. I move the shifter from drive to park several times before it stops. I have replaced the battery due it being drained by this faulty shifter.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 26, 2025
This model of 2019 Malibu, does not have the function to shut off the auto start/stop feature. I have had the car for a few years and in the past year this feature has begun to malfunction multiple times at random. When in drive and approaching a stop sign or red light the Malibu will engage in the auto stop feature. There have been occurrences when after this is engaged and I lift my foot to continue to drive that the vehicle will not restart and be completely shut off. The dash will tell me to “shift to park” as if believing that I am in drive but that I shut off the vehicle. I will have to shift the vehicle to park and then push the on/off button to restart the vehicle several times. It has taken upwards of a whole light change cycle for it to be restarted. It is exceptionally dangerous as I am often in a busy intersection light with my vehicle unable to go. There is no obvious trigger and it occurs at random intervals. There is no option to turn off the auto start/stop feature and it is the only thing that causes it to occur. No warning lights or indicator has occurred. I have taken the vehicle twice to the dealership as well as another mechanic and they were unable to diagnose any problem or replicate the issue. Since it occurs at such unpredictable times they were not able to identify anything, however I do have a video taken of it occurring to me. The dealership said that GM has not seen anything like this, yet I have read about other similar issues online with this model. Safety is extremely at risk for myself and others as the car is essentially turning itself off while I’m in the middle of a drive and takes several moments to be able to drive again. This has occurred about 10 times since it begun and seems to be more frequent. I’ve replaced the battery and reset the BCM as two cautionary measures and neither has resolved the issue. I have a video of it as well but I can not attach to this form.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 5, 2025
The car consistently says shift to park even after being placed in the park position. The car won't cut off. This has been an ongoing issue for around 1 month. I read online that this is common in Chevy. There should be a recall
Other or unspecified, Oct 26, 2024
This is by far the worst car purchase I've ever made. I've had this car for 4 years now and ever since I purchased it, it has given me problems. The car shut down completely at the stop sign or stop light, even when pulling out of the parking spot. Battery replaced, fuel line/pump/gasket replaced, wire fixed, oils and fluids stay up to date, transmission fluid changed, and not one mechanic, not even GM can tell me what the problem is because they don't even know. No codes appear and diagnostics come back fine and clear. Every mechanic has fixed something they've thought could be causing the problem yet the problem still exists. This is a headache to deal with and dangerous for my family and me. This has been the worst experience ever experienced with any vehicle i have owned.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 7, 2024
Purchased this vehicle (2019 Chevy Malibu) in September 2024. Put the vehicle in park and the display keeps saying "shift to park" when it's already in park.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 26, 2024
SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE - CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK AND MESSAGE KEPT COMING UP ON DASH DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND MORE OFTEN NOW. DONT KNOW IF VEHICLE IS IN PARK OR NOT. BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND REPLACED. GM CAR DEALER MIKE SAVIOE AND GM BOTH SAY BULLETIN 19-NA-206 WILL NOT BE HONORED BECAUSE 2019 MALIBU IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. GM KNEW THIS ISSUE ON 5/21 AND WILL NOT HELP OUT ON CORRECTING THIS ISSUE.
Other or unspecified, May 13, 2024
Shift to Park message on dashboard..... After you shift the gear into park position and turn off car, the message comes up "Shift to Park". Car keeps beeping with message on dashboard saying "shift to park". You do not know why this is coming up and beeping. No matter how many times you put in park and turn off car, this message and beeping noise happens saying your car is not in Park position. When you exit the car, the message and beeping continue even after shutting the door. The lights also stay on draining your battery, and you are always left wondering if car is actually in park position. I noticed there are several complaints online concerning this matter with General Motors but when you call the Chevy dealer they continue to act like the are unaware of this issue..... If anyone wishes to contact me regarding this matter I prefer to be reached by email. Thank You.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 2, 2024
I've had a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu since December 2018. After my last visit to the dealership to have my oil changed (January 22), I began experiencing a "Park to Shift" alert appear after I had shifted the car into park and turned it off. This happened within the first day of having it serviced. Since then it has happened pretty much every time I've driven the car and turned itr off. I'd say it's happening 90% of the time. Sometimes it's resolved if I cut the car back on shift to Drive or Reverse, then back to Park (usually have to do that a few times to get it to stop). Just today, I could not get it to go off while making a quick stop and had to leave the car essentially on while I hopped out. Once, I was able to "jiggle" the gear shift for a few seconds to get it to stop. I don't understand why this is suddenly happening. It was not happening before the visit, although I am aware that it is a known issue - however no recall has been issued. What are my options beyond spending another chunk of money to have this fixed?
Other or unspecified, Jan 27, 2024
Car has 55,000 miles on it and is displaying "shift to park" on dash when car is in park and shut off. I was unable to get the car to go into the park gear for 11 minutes and was only able to do so by starting the car, putting the car in drive and shifting back to park repeatedly.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 29, 2023
Camshaft issues/brake to park sensor issue/brake booster to engine vacuum
Other or unspecified, Nov 20, 2023
I am having the well known "shift to park" issue. When I put the vehicle in park, I get the error message to "shift to park" even though the vehicle is in park. At this time, I am not able to lock my doors or turn my car off. This happens 3-5 times a week for me. This is a safety issue. I had the entire shifter replaced under warranty in 2021 and now it is happening again and I am going to have to pay for this now since out of warranty. This is not something I have caused and is an error with the vehicle and I consumers should not have to pay for this.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Aug 21, 2023
Car looses power out of no where. No lights are on or anything
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 18, 2023
Unknown cause of issue. Vehicle states a notice to “Shift to Park” after it has already been shifted in to park and prompted to turned off. The electricity in the vehicle will not shut off until the notice disappears which doesn’t happen unless the button on the shifter is pressed multiple times. This issue will cause the battery to die in the vehicle if not treated, which in turn, will leave myself and any passengers stranded where the vehicle is.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Jul 3, 2023
My car decelerates and has a problem accelerating and I received a Shift to Park error on my instrument panel which would not allow my car to cut off leading to a drained battery and rolling. When I looked up Shift to Park I found that there has been a recall on Chevy Malibus 2016-2019, but the dealership says there’s no recall on my car.
Other or unspecified, Jun 9, 2023
SHIFT TO PARK NOTICE COMES ON AND CANNOT TURN VEHICLE OFF EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN PARK POSITION.
Other or unspecified, May 22, 2023
SHIFT TO PARK NOTICE COMES ON AND CANNOT TURN VEHICLE OFF EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN PARK POSITION. THIS PREVENTS ME FROM TURNING OFF CAR AND OR LOCKING UP VEHICLE.
Other or unspecified, Apr 14, 2023
When I put the car in Park, and shut the engine off, the car won't shut off because I get a error message on my dash saying I must engage Park. It takes several tries to get the car to recognize it is in Park and shut off.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Apr 13, 2023
This is ongoing. Originally got trouble code p0239 after check engine light, cleaned throttle body. It went away. Then i got the same symptoms as a result of the throttle position sensor. I replaced that as well. Then i got a code for the turbo boost sensor. So i replaced that. Now I'm getting similar symptoms and the check engine light isn't turning on at all. I suspect maybe a catalytic converter, ecm issue, or transmission issue. I've repaired all problems that have given me a code. The car accelerates very slowly, while the rpms go up normally, then the car bolts off almost normally for a while. And becomes jerky. So I'm unable to safely pass others if needed or accelerate normally both from a stop and while moving. While driving at low speeds with the window down I can hear a sound that could be the turbo spooling up or maybe a fan. Also, the cooling fan will stay on for a while after turning off the engine. I contacted the dealer and they said the only recall is a CAC retainer and told me there were no other TSBs open for my VIN but i believe by car is eligible for multiple including but not limited to 19-NA-058.