2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU Engine Problems

293 NHTSA complaints on file

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All Engine Complaints — Page 2

#11540588 |
I was driving down the interstate when all of a sudden my information center on my was driving down the interstate when all of a sudden my information center on my 2016 Chevy Malibu popped up a warning, reduced engine power and drop me down to 20 mph without warning. I barely made it to the side of the road before being run over by 18 wheelers all around me. Once I got it home I read the code, and it shows there’s not enough power going to the turbo in the engine that’s caused by the accelerator sensor. When I start at low speed or from a stop in attempt to accelerate the car hesitates to the point I can’t pull out with any cars around because I will be hit. I’ve been told this is a known problem for the vehicle and it’s a $500 part to fix....
#11531104 |
Shift to park displayed when gear was already in park I was traveling on the highway when I felt the speed decline and engine speed reduced was then displayed. Thank you.
#11530448 |
When driving the car and when stopping at either a stop sign or stop light, turning a corner the car will lose power and will not go for at least 10-15 seconds. when letting the brakes go and pressing the gas pedal the car does not move, pressing all the way on the gas pedal the car will take about 10-15 seconds before moving. It’s like the engine lose power and the car will not accelerate.
#11527854 |
Lights that alert inside the vehicle at random times but more often in the last few months are: stability trek, power steering reduced and check engine. Acceleration decreased/reduced after being idle. This prompts serious danger for myself and children when there is no power being given to the car when sitting in traffic. Multiple mechanics have diagnosed the issue. Dealership gives me the run around and isn't specific with detail if check light engine goes off.
#11523112 |
Intercooler pipe coming loose at multiple locations. While driving in traffic on multiple occasions the intercooler piping has “come loose” from the plastic intercooler connection and the throttle body. This causes the car to go from full power to no power instantly. I have had 3 occasions when an accident involving a semi and large passenger vehicles was narrowly avoided. This has been looked at by my local Chevrolet dealership and they say it is a very common issue and actually had a recall for the SAME ENGINE IN THE SAME VEHICLE but for 2019 models only. Please include the other years in this recall before anyone else gets hurt or worse.
#11520408 |
While in rush hour traffic going 75 MPH on an interstate free way in the most left lane the car entered low engine power mode without warning resulting in the car being only able to go 40 MPH and with losing the ability to easily steer. Thankfully the driver was skilled enough to manage maneuvering through traffic moving at high speeds without getting hit and able to pull over to the side of the road. After traffic slowed down the driver was able to get the vehicle home without issue and investigate the problem. As it turns our there have been multiple reports of the car having this problem due to a faulty sensor on the pedal system that GM has acknowledge through extending the warranty on that specific part but has not been required to issue a recall on it despite the chance of death from an accident at...
#11520091 |
While driving, my car will read reduce power engine, and go to 40mph and then i have to pull over and turn off my car and restart, sometimes it will dismiss the problem and drive normal but sometimes it goes right back to reduce power engine and 40mph again. My gears sometimes will be stuck in park.
#11512938 |
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the check engine warning light would illuminate intermittently whether the vehicle was idling or while driving at various speeds. The contact stated there was an abnormal sound of liquid moving around in the dashboard and underneath the hood while driving, especially while accelerating. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was an engine misfire. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,500.
#11510918 |
Reduce engine power on dash I have received this message twice. Car goes to 60mph and it drops down dramatically to 20 mph this could case a big accident and gm needs to fix this problem immediately. This is a car I do not recommend it's been nothing but problems.
#11509022 |
Problem with losing power in auto stop
#11507964 |
Loss of power not wanting to go faster than 25 missing and spitting and sputtering bad
#11502981 |
Car loses speed from 60mph to 15mph while driving. Engine Reduce Power light comes on after the fact. This is very dangerous when driving on a busy highway/interstate.
#11502490 |
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal was firm. The contact used the parking brake to slow and stop the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the vacuum pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. On another occasion, while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started overheating and smoking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine needed to be replaced due to metal fragments from the defective vacuum pump. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed...
#11496025 |
Engine/Pistons Car has 80,000 miles and the engine/pistons have gone out on this car. I have had the car inspected by the Chevrolet dealership and they were shocked that a car that has been taken care of so good with so little miles is giving me a problem so major and expensive
#11495405 |
The low oil pressure - cut engine off notification appeared on the speedometer & as i was getting on the freeway the car literally cut off. All the electrical worked but power to the engine & everything stopped completely.
#11493400 |
UNKNOWN the air bag on my dash board come on and off ALL THE TIME even if I have no one sitting in my passenger seat.I got this vehicle for the winter thinking it was going to help me save gas and be a good reliable car for my daily routine to work, school, and my kids school. But it’s definitely the opposite. I’m struggling financially and In a hole now the engine light is on and I can’t get to my destination without going more then 30-40mph because “engine speed reduce” appears on my dash board and reduced the speed and not only is this inconvenient and annoying but also dangerous I dam almost got into accident because of this I was driving in the highway about 65-70 mph when this happen with a 18-wheeler behind me not only was my daughter’s life and mine put in danger. But...
#11490415 |
Reduced engine power alert. Ongoing issue since 2019
#11487941 |
I have had several issues with my 2016 Malibu. 1st: Putting my vehicle in park sometimes it does not register that it is in park. I have to turn the car on again and try moving the shifter until it registers. 2nd: when accelerating at times i get a stabilitrak error and a check engine light that causes a loss of power. This can happen in the middle of the highway which will cause an inevitable accident. 3rd: saving the best for last. Thw vehicle has recently lost power while driving and won't allow acceleration. Once i stop the vehicle stalls out completely and won't register the gears so i can't out it into park or anything. I was stuck at an intersection and couldn't move. It wouldn't turn fully off because it didn't register it was in park. And it won't turn on or start because it isn't on...
#11483843 |
The engine light has illuminated due to a cylinder 1 misfire and ECM lost connection with the fuel pump which also caused problem with the pistons on the vehicle. All of these issue are related to the engine and it’s only 94,343 miles on the car
#11483213 |
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the engine power reduced warning message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,132.
#11482712 |
I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I to tried to restart and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said Engine Power is Reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed. Lights and radio were still working.
#11480673 |
I was sitting at a stop light and all the sudden my car just died in the middle of the road. I turned my car off and tried to turn it back on and my brake pedal was very hard to push down and on the dashboard it said Engine Power is Reduced. I was not able to start my car at all and had to be towed.
#11476653 |
When the vehicle is in drive, the display will say "reduced engine power" and will drop the car to 25mph even on the highway. I've almost wrecked from this issue. I've seen where GM has had class actions on this prior but it was never recalled.
#11474027 |
When I accelerate, it hesitates to pick up speed. Once I made it to 75mph, a warning message came on that said engine power reduced and the check engine light came on. I looked up the issue and saw that several people with the same car were having the same issues. I added a gas treatment like they suggested but the light is still on. I have not been to a dealership or mechanic shop yet due to not having the money. But if this is a common problem then Chevrolet needs to pay for repairs. If my car fails while I’m driving, I could cause an accident.I have had the throttle body cleaned before and the wheel sensors but I am still having issues.
#11473764 |
I was driving on the freeway at about 65mph, and the car shut down on me. It was extremely dangerous to get over on the freeway with no power. 2 warning lights came on. The Stabilatrak, & the check engine light. I pulled over & called for help. I had the car taken to the service department at the dealership. They contacted me & informed me that a piston was cracked, & the ECM had to have a software update. They are charging me $5,389 to repair it. The car only has 8,000 miles on it. There are recalls for this exact problem, but do not apply to my specific VIN#. My car is a 2016, so I am out of warranty, but this should not happen with a vehicle with this low of mileage.
#11470910 |
Car began to lose power while driving down the road, then began sputtering gas and creating black smoke. Engine pistons appear to be shot. Car has a little over 100k miles.
#11470031 |
This is not a safety issue but potentially it could be & I want GM to take action. I drive a 2016 Chevy Malibu. Beginning 2017, I started getting this message after ignition “SHIFT TO PARK”. This is purely GM’s mistakes in designing the part. Solution is to replace the shifter asm completely irrespective of the warranty coverage. This is a common issue on multiple cars between 2016 to 2019, I suppose. I took the car to Ed Rinke dealer in MI back in 2018 timeframe & they said the shifter cable needs to be replaced. I did pay around $200 for the service & issue was gone for a while. It was back again in 2019-2020 timeframe intermittently. Its pretty bad now, I cannot shut the engine off & have to wait for quite sometime to get rid of the message & seriously do not know what to do....
#11467658 |
All of a sudden my Pistons just went in my car the whole engine block actually. There was never any warning or anything I got an oil change and after the oil change the check engine light came on plus it said service stabilitrak. Without the stability track you can get into an accident because the car is not in control the way it's supposed to be. The Pistons being worn in the engine block going. Without any notice of anything being wrong. Causes bad emissions leaks etc. The dealership knows about it. They can't give me a reason why the Pistons and the engine block went. Or why this service to stabilitrak came on. They're trying to say it's a pipe that has a dent in it. But the entire system is rotted out it only has 34,418 mi on it.
#11465600 |
Bought car 4/27/22 with 94,602 miles. Within a week vehicle shown problems in the engine leaking oil most likely from the oil cooler causing a bad smell of burnt tire, the shocks most likely cause the car to shake once you hit 50 mph or let go off the break pedal they need to be replaced and the tail light is retaining or holding water on the inside also the hose connected to the coolant reservoir has a small leak I don’t think the clamp was placed properly by the last person who worked on it, plus how long should it take my car to cool up so far minutes and has to be on max and 2 tires are different brand
#11462953 |
I purchased this car new and continue to own it. During the past 6 years I have had this engine issue several times. I purchased this car from a Chevy dealership, [XXX] u now [XXX] in Flint, who denied there was a problem several times. In the past week, I was driving North on I75 from Edgewood KY and, once again, my engine power cut out. I had a semi behind me, a semi ahead of me and a semi at left side of me, all driving at 70 miles an hour. I was near the Middleton exit. My car would not go faster than 35 mph. I immediately put on my flashers and exited the expressway in about 3 miles. I and my dog could have been killed. This engine issues has occurred more than a dozen times, with no assistance from NHTSA. I ashamed that your organization has...
#11461894 |
being unable to shift the vehicle into park. And when it is in drive and my car turns off because of the auto stop feature and turns back on it stated to act crazy and glitch …this really scares me because when I am on the road and my kids are in my car the car shuts off. Very dangerous situation and I can’t believe that there is no recall in place for this. This is such a liability on GM knowing about this issue and not paying for the repairs and leaving it up to the owners expense knowing that this is a malfunction in the Chevy Malibu‘s
#11458678 |
I was driving to the clinic I go to everyday in the mornings I was in the freeway going about 70mph when suddenly I get a msg saying “engine power reduced” also engine light came on and the car starts slowing down and it’s not letting me go more than 20mph on the FREEWAY! I could have caused an accident, (this is very unsafe specially since my 2 and 4 year old were in the car with me) I got off on the next exit and pulled in to a gas station and turned the car off and waited about 10 mins I turned the car back on and the msg was gone but the engine light was still on about a minute or 2 later the msg comes back on so I have to pull over again, it did it about 5x before I can make it to my...
#11457568 |
My problem started with the engine first sending me a code “reduced engine power” and this code would appear one week and gone the next. I have taken it to mechanics and had parts replaced and temporary fixes. After getting it back from the mechanic and them telling me that the cylinder one isn’t holding the correct pressure and the exhaust value is burnt due to the consistent auto engine shutoff. The day I got it back on the road the engine went full shutdown at a stop light and would not turn on immediately. I was lucky enough to get it running long enough to crawl into a gas station and get a tow truck to come pick it up and tow it back to the mechanic shop and that’s where it’s been sitting there till I find a new engine to replace it.
#11455738 |
Driving on highway at speed of 70mph during rush hour very very busy when my car shows a warning engine power reduced and slows all the way down to 20mph lucky I was able to get over the 3 lanes of traffic without causing an accident but this is very unsafe I looked to see if there was a recall on the vehicle but there’s not so I had a mechanic look at the car and they said nothing is wrong with it ??? Well today on my way home it did it again!! I’m sorry but how is nothing wrong with it if my car is slowing to a dangerous speed this issue could cost someone their life
#11454860 |
When driving the car it will cut off on it's own, shutting down after the reduce engine power light comes on and it fails to re-start. It happens when you are decreasing speed befor e the auto stop can be engage and come to a complete stop. There are approximately 62,000 miles on the vehicle. This caused a safety issue because it just came to a dead stop in the middle of the street. No warning what so ever. No notice to be able to move to side of the road. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone. The reduced engine power light comes on when starting up the car however no other symptoms were present prior to this incident happening. There was no warning messages or any symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. This happened March 1, 2022. I contacted Bosak Chevrolet in Hammond, Indiana this...
#11454304 |
While driving several times I had the problem where the car out of nowhere slows down and the message comes on engine reduce power, I have been on the highway with my family and out had to pull over turn my car on and off several times for it to come off and be able to drive my care pass 20 miles per hr. This is very dangerous because it happens suddenly and cars are going by fast I almost got into an accident and was rear-ended on the highway. There needs to be a recall on his engine this is ridiculous that GMC/Chevrolet keeps getting away with this until someone is seriously injured or killed because of this failure!
#11453983 |
2nd time, check engine light came on, low tire warning, loss of power down to 30 mph while driving. Turned car off and started working again. First time it happened when I took to garage nothing showed up in code reader.
#11453056 |
Engine power reduced showed up on dashboard out of no where in the middle of driving , I get no gas , car slowed all the way down in the middle of a busy road.
#11451021 |
Engine power reduced, reduced power to the vehicle regardless of speed.
#11451029 |
Three times now I have had the warning “engine reduced power” pop up on my panel all times that I drive to my military base for work. Thankfully I haven’t been involved in an accident yet, my highway speed has went from 60mph to 35-40mph due to this issue. I was told I needed to purchase another pedal because of it not responding to the engine but after a second opinion I was told there was something wrong with the computer itself. That there’s faulty wiring which I don’t have the funds to cover because how much it would have cost. I also don’t have the funds to drop on another vehicle so at this point I’m driving a human boobie trap not only for myself but for other drivers around me. I pray no harm is done to anyone else who also owns this vehicle and having the same...
#11450875 |
Warning message appeared after incident happened It read "Engine power is reduced". I was driving on the highway at 70 mph and the power in my car was reduced to almost nothing. I could not accelerate. The cars around me barely missed hitting me. I could have gotten hit and hurt or possibly killed along with the cars around me. It was extremely scary. I pulled over and took out my owner's manual and looked up the error message . It said you may drive the car however speed and acceleration would be reduced. I got off the highway and since I was close to home I drove the car at the reduced speed (as far to the edge of the road as I could get) to my home (2/5/22) I called my dealership to tell them what happened and they told me not to drive it and that if...
#11448215 |
I was Leaving Dayton, OH headed back home to Columbus and while driving down then Highway doing 75 mph…A message popped up on my dash saying “Engine Power Reduced”….car speed immediately dropped down to 30 and I had to hurry up and pull over before I was rear ended by the SUV behind me…I turned the car off and back on but the same message popped back up on the screen so I had to have the car towed back to Dayton. I drove the car to the Autozone around the corner (car drove like [XXX]!) they put it on a diagnostic and the code P2138 popped up…code has Something to do with the Throttle Pedal Position Sensor!!??…I'm currently waiting for my appointment at the Chevy Dealership to see about getting it fixed…Apparently this is a common issue amongst a plethora of GM vehicles and the fact that Chevy hasn’t...
#11447929 |
2016 Malibu with 188K miles has shift to park error message when vehicle is in park. This car had the exact same issue at 90K miles and the entire gear shift had to be replaced. The car was under the extended warranty at the time and repairs were made. You have to restart the car and shift from park and back to park MULTIPLE TIMES until you don't get the error. You can't shut the engine totally off with this error. It happens 90% of the time and it typically takes 10-15 minutes to get the car in park so you can shut the car off. This failure shouldn't happen this often. This isn't the only issue that I'm having with the car at this time, I have submitted a complaint for that as well.
#11447719 |
I was driving to work this morning at 50 miles per hr then suddenly my car reduced the speed and the motor light turns on it showed me reduced engine power sign and the motor light turns on
#11445626 |
The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the RPM decreased by approximately 4,000 revs per minute. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder and cruised until the vehicle began to accelerate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the battery replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
#11445078 |
I was driving down the Freeway at 65 mph. The roads were wet and slick from snow and in heavy traffic. I got a check engine light and immediately a Engine Power Reduced light. I suddenly lost power and another vehicle behind me almost hit me. I was able to get to the side of the road and shut it off. After a few minutes, I started it back up and the light was still on. I needed to get off the freeway and find a way to work so I put on the emergency flashers and drove to the next exit. The light remained on but I had full power. I am trying to get an appointment to have it looked at.
#11444572 |
I was driving on a highway approx 60 miles an hour when a message came in my dashboard stating reduction in engine power, the vehicle abruptly slowed to 20 mph without any warning and I was barely able to pull my vehicle off to the side of the road without being rear ended by the vehicle behind me on the highway.
#11443652 |
Engine power reduced light came on as I was driving 55 mph on the freeway and my vehicle immediately slowed down to under 20 mph putting me and my wife lives in danger by almost having several vehicles crash into us. This has not just happened to me but different people I’ve asked with Chevy Malibus. This problem needs to be fixed by General Motors at NO COST to the consumers. I can’t believe there’s no recall on this issue. Shame on them.
#11441591 |
I was driving on a highway, when a message appeared on my control panel stating the engine power was reduced, my engine light turned on, and my car slowed significantly (top speed achievable at about 20 mph). With my hazard lights on, I managed to safely exit the highway and find a parking lot to park in while checking my driver’s manual. The manual mentioned that if the warning light persisted, the car should be checked by a mechanic. As this made it seem that there were instances where the warning message did go away, and thus the problem may also resolve, I turned off my car and turned it back on. The engine light on my control panel persisted but the engine power message was no longer present. Before reentering the highway, I attempted to reach speeds above 20 mph and was successful in doing so. As such, I...
#11440981 |
"Engine power reduced" notification while driving on the highway causing rapid reaction to pull to the shoulder of the highway. This happened 3 time this morning on my way to work.

Other 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU Problem Areas

Electrical System 218 complaints Unknown Or Other 169 complaints Power Train 161 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 150 complaints Service Brakes 92 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 76 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 48 complaints Steering 41 complaints Structurebody 33 complaints Suspension 19 complaints Air Bags 17 complaints Exterior Lighting 16 complaints Visibilitywiper 11 complaints Wheels 10 complaints Seat Belts 8 complaints Seats 6 complaints Structure 5 complaints Power Trainautomatic Transmissionlever And Linkagefloor Shift 4 complaints Service Brakes Hydraulic 4 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 3 complaints Engine And Engine Cooling 2 complaints Exterior Lightingbrake Lights 2 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 2 complaints Parking Brake 2 complaints Structurebodytrunk Lid 2 complaints Tires 2 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 1 complaint Electrical System12v24v48v Battery 1 complaint Electrical Systemstarter Assembly 1 complaint Exterior Lightingtail Lights 1 complaint Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 1 complaint Fuel System Gasoline 1 complaint Fuel System Gasolinefuel Injection Systemthrottlebodymanifold 1 complaint Hybrid Propulsion System 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkages 1 complaint Seat Beltsfrontretractor 1 complaint Service Brakes Airantilockabs Warning Light 1 complaint Service Brakes Hydraulicpedals And Linkages 1 complaint Service Brakes Hydraulicpower Assistvacuum 1 complaint Tiressidewall 1 complaint Traction Control System 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlthrottle 1 complaint Vehicle Speed Controlthrottlethrottle Position Sensor Tps 1 complaint Visibility 1 complaint Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac Systemrear Window 1 complaint Visibilityglass Siderear 1 complaint Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevices 1 complaint Visibilitywindshield 1 complaint Wheelsrim 1 complaint
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