2020 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 198 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 20th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 10 involved a crash. 7 people were injured and 1 person died.
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
44 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 31, 2026
So while I was driving my car going 60 on the highway it seemed to be having electrical issues all the lights on my dash popped on then popped off and only a few lights actually stayed on I can't remember exactly but the check engine and my abs stayed on and then on my screen it read to me warning power steering fault my headlights were dimming on and off like my car was going to die, so I had to pull over for my safety and other drivers safety, so after I pulled over safely I shut my car completely off and waited about 5 minutes and turned it back on when it turned back on the only light that popped on my dash was the check engine light, but the check engine light had actually been on the dash for a while after I replaced the 21 fuses that were missing that I didn't know were missing when I purchased the vehicle as is from a dealership the only thing that made me decide to check my fuses was because my check engine light was popping on and off and would stay off for a while then come back on a code reader said it was something to do with my turbo that code it was just very odd and the car was shifting weird 3 or 4 months after the purchase date XXX also after I put all the fuses back in a ton of codes popped up others safety and mine were at risk as I didn't really have control of my vehicle when it was doing that and it started breaking itself when I wasn't even hitting the break it was like jolting it's self and stopping slightly. I took my car to AAMCO Total car Care for a free diagnostic test, and then I had recently took my car to a Chevy dealership in Nampa Idaho off garrity boulevard because online it had told me there was recalls for my car and that recall was exactly what I was thinking had started off as the original problem originally leading into the other problems I got told to bring my car in then the fed me information saying pretty much it was a bust and that specific Malibu has no recall I think they just didn't want to work on it
Other or unspecified, Apr 28, 2026, crash
Vehicle stalled/lost power while driving due to auto start/stop system.
Other or unspecified, Apr 22, 2026
When braking, the vehicle experiences a system failure. There is a loud impact, the dashboard shuts down, warning lights activate all gauges go to the left, and the vehicle loses power and enters a reduced speed mode before recovering. This has been ongoing and creates a dangerous driving condition. The dealership has had the vehicle over four months and has not diagnosed or repaired the issue. Please Note: I have attached the invoice sent to me on April 17, 2026, via email. The information in section 3 had been changed while I was sitting there. It originally state, engine repair needed. It said absolutely nothing about the reason I was there, which was what I am now describing. The description in section 3, has been worded incorrectly. It states I said, when coming to a stop, but it is not only when coming to a stop, but even if I am in flowing traffic and have to touch my brakes to slow down at any given time, there is a loud thump sound and a jolt, all of the dash lights come on, all the gauges go to the left, the warning lights are on and it has to sit there, not for a few seconds, but until those lights go back off and then it will move very slowly, until it decides to gain power. You have no warnings as to when it will happen or when the car will regain speed when it does happen. I gave pictures of the dash on April 17, 2026, as well and these pictures have the date December 31, 2025, on them. As I was having the issue while driving it to the dealership for repair. The invoice mentions [XXX] . I do not know her and have never met her. I only spoke with a man. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Vehicle speed control, Apr 2, 2026
Reduced Engine Power Light: The car limits acceleration, often accompanied by a check engine light. Stalling or Hesitation: Engine stalls or acts sluggish when accelerating, particularly in traffic. Limp Mode: The vehicle restricts speed, making it difficult to accelerate. The car stop working in the middle of the freeway and I was in the car with my child when it stop acceleration all gages in the car were going crazy, car was shaking bad finally car turn off. I was able to make it to the emergency lane of the freeway. There's similar complaints for 2020 Chevy Malibu but no recall has been done. Per my research it looks like a lot of this type of vehicles have problems with throttle body causing Engine stalls. Do the right thing and open up a vehicle recall, thank you!
Other or unspecified, Jan 13, 2026
Transmission got metal pieces in transmission fluid and blew the transmission
Other or unspecified, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 5, 2026
Shift to park issue and fluid mixing in with engine
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 19, 2025
This is a 2020 Malibu with only 18,000 miles on it now. We are having intermittent loss of power. Car will be moving fine when suddenly it looses power when pulling into traffic from a stop. It has also happened on the highway(right after leaving the dealer service department) when going to pass a vehicle…all of a sudden power drops and rpms go up and car slows up. When it suddenly happens, pulling into traffic is very slow. The only way to get power back is to turn off traction control via a button. It is back at the dealer now. They have had it the last two weeks. They fixed a shift to park issue but cannot duplicate the loss of power. So they are saying it is ready to pick up. Once, recently, a check engine light come on along with a message saying something like low power mode. We went straight to the dealer with the vehicle. They had the car for three five out of six weeks and were able to duplicate the loss of power once. We wanted them to contact Chevy to help resolve this, but we are unsure if they actually did. These problems first were serviced in April of 2024. This car is very scary to be in, the way this happens and when it is happening.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Nov 25, 2025
My vehicle displays a "shift to park" message on the dashboard, even when the gear selector is in the park position. This prevents the car from being shut off, and in sometimes, the doors may not be able to be locked. Not understanding the issue initially has thus caused me to have to replace my car battery numerous times for battery drainage.
Other or unspecified, Nov 8, 2025
The vehicle intermittently shows shift to park error message. It takes several tries of moving the shifter for the notice to disappear. This has been an ongoing issue since I purchased the vehicle and since the dealership couldn’t replicate it at the time, they did not fix it.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 1, 2025
The shifter will not read when the vehicle has been placed in park.
Other or unspecified, Aug 31, 2025
When putting the vehicle in park, the vehicle states please shift to park but the vehicle is already parked.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 3, 2025
For over a year now my car has been giving me the SHIFT TO PARK warning when I am in park. Happens several times a day, every day. Seems to be taking longer for the warning to shut itself off and allow my to turn car off and lock. Im not sure if my car is included in the recall but if it is NOT then it needs to be added as I am suffering on a daily basis with this issue. I am a single mother and cannot afford to miss work due to this and cannot afford to attempt to fix issue out of my own pocket. Please add my car to the recall list and help me fix this issue.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jul 1, 2025
My car is displaying a "Shift to Park" message on the dashboard even when the shifter is already in the park position, preventing the vehicle from being turned off and potentially leading to a dead battery or the vehicle rolling away. The "Shift to Park" issue poses safety risks, as it can prevent drivers from turning off their vehicles and potentially lead to unintended movement. This issue is getting worse everyday.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jun 19, 2025
Car is not recognizing that is in park and displays a "shift to park message". Chevy has yet to address this WELL known issue and expects consumers to pay $700-$1000 for something they should be required to fix. This is a major safety issue
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 30, 2025
After pressing the button to turn the vehicle off the message board displays a "shift to park" alert. The vehicle will not completely turn off until you clear the message. I do not know how to clear the message so the vehicle will completely turn off and to keep this from happening again. It requires me to turn the vehicle off, restart it, put it in drive, stop, put it in park, then turn it off. Simply turning the vehicle off and back on does not clear the message. It takes me at least 3 tries to get the vehicle to finally turn off normally without the "shift to park" message. This does not happen every single time when I turn the vehicle off and at no particular frequency. It is very annoying because it happens when you least expect it. When you are on a time schedule you do not have 5-10 minutes to re-start and turn off the vehicle again numerous times to get the message to disappear. It is also not good for the engine and transmission components to keep having to go through this process. This issue has been occuring for approximately 1 year. I thought it was fixed because the message stopped coming up for awhile but the issue is occurring again at no particular frequency. Please check into this and issue a recall. From what I can see, I am not the only one having this issue.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Mar 27, 2025
Very hard to brake, like stepping on a brick. Have to start breaking way in advance. Also keep getting a "shift to park" alert and car won't shut down and can't get out of it sometimes.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Mar 13, 2025
When the car was turned off a message appeared that said shift the park the gear indicator already stated the car was in park and the car gear shift was already in park. Looked into this issue and apparently there is an open recall for the year and make of my car but it for some reason does not include my vin number
Structure, Other or unspecified, Feb 23, 2025
After parking the car says I need to shift the car into park even though it is.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 2, 2024
Shift to park detected when I have gear in park
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Oct 27, 2024
Faulty Vacuum pump caused catastrophic engine failure. The vacuum pump exploded cracking the cam shaft sending metal shards into the engine. $12000.00 to repair and mechanic will guarantee the work because the replacement vacuum is an only OEM part. I was having braking problems prior to the vacuum pump failing. The brakes would intermittently freeze up and I couldn't get the car stop and had to use the emergency braking system to stop vehicle. Car is still at shop I can't afford the repair and I'm am still paying finance company for car. I have a disabled child and am low income. This has put hardship on me as I live in an area that does not provide public transportation. I don't know what to do.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2024
Vehicle will say shift to park and also can't use the limp mode and manually shift gears and also can't be used outside of 1st and 2nd gear
Other or unspecified, Sep 25, 2024
My car has the known shift to park error. Any time the car is put into park, it isn't registering as in park and won't shut down.
Other or unspecified, Sep 12, 2024
I keep getting a shift to park alert to my car when my car is in park. I have to wiggle my shift gear in order for it to cut off or play around with the way the car is park
Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2024
My vehicle started to show a shift to park message. I took it to Firestone and they replaced the switch. This started happening again 2 weeks later. It is worse this time. It takes me several minutes to get my car to acknowledge that it is in fact in park.
Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2024
This car has problems when shifting to PARK. Sometimes it doesn't recognize its in park and wont shut off. There is a recall on this but when I look up my VIN it doesnt show a recall for my exact vehicle. Am I still able to get this fixed under the recall?