Chevrolet Malibu Check Engine Light Problems Persisting For Drivers
Many Chevrolet Malibu drivers are being hit with an unexpected surprise almost immediately after buying the car—their check engine light turns on. The Chevrolet Malibu check engine light issue is most prevalent with 2016 models, but we have been receiving a number of calls from mad Malibu owners on the 1 800 LEMON LAW hotline.
At this time, it appears GM does not yet have a fix for the Chevrolet Malibu check engine light. According to the CarComplaints Blog, dealerships presume multiple causes for the flashing light including:
- Engine Misfries
- Piston damage
- Unknown Causes
- Faulty Fuel Pump
- Engine and Transmission issues
As a result of the Chevrolet Malibu check engine lights, many drivers have returned to their dealer again and again for a fix and sadly no real solution. If you are experiencing problems where your Malibu check engine light comes on multiple times shortly after buying the vehicle, visit your nearest dealership immediately. Every time the check engine light comes on, take a picture or video with your smart phone documenting the light and the mileage. After every repair visit, even if they say the car is operating to specifications, make sure you obtain an invoice. Make sure you keep these invoices, photos, and videos in a safe place.
If you’ve had repetitive visits to the dealer addressing your Chevrolet Malibu check engine light problems, and/or your vehicle has been in the shop an extended period of time, please email us or call, 1 800 LEMON LAW (1 800 536 6652). You could be entitled to a repurchase, new vehicle, or significant monetary compensation under State or Federal law. And best of all, help is 100% cost-free. If you are dealing with check engine lights, it’s time you learn about your rights. Call or email us today to discuss your situation and how we can help.
May 10th, 2018 at 9:35 am
I have multiple documents proving that my car has been in the shop multiple times for extended periods of time.
October 1st, 2018 at 12:28 pm
I had 2017 Chevy Malibu I have the issue. The old checking engine light!!
October 11th, 2018 at 2:03 pm
@Domingos: If the car has been in three or more times for the same issue, give us a call at 800 536 6652 to discuss.
October 15th, 2018 at 11:12 pm
My check engine light came on I only had the car July 15 2017
October 17th, 2018 at 10:22 am
I have a 2018 Malibu, 16k miles, and an intemintint check engine light, traction control, and low power mode. Visits to the dealership are very disturbing. The dealer refuses to acknowledge my concerns, and continually says my vehicle is drivable. My frustration level is at an all time high. It’s completely unacceptable. While driving the vehicle, the low power mode comes on, the RPMs go to 9000, and I become a road hazard, and safety risk.
November 5th, 2018 at 3:13 pm
October 11 for November 5 I had 4× engine light. Chevy Malibu 2017 not pleasant experience at all!! Please help
November 17th, 2018 at 8:35 am
Engine light on my 2017 malibu begin a week after purchase. Has returned at least 15 times since. Was told at first that the light had to be on when i brought the car in. I begin to receive messages from on star telling me to take car in for servicing. I have taken it in to be serviced three times. They re program it and return it. I was told that once GM find the problem they will let the dealer know. Also the carpet in my car has come loose a week after i purchase the car April 15. 2017.
December 13th, 2018 at 10:55 am
I have a 2018 Malibu I’ve had the car for exactly 11mos brand new purchased. The check engine like came on ,reduced idle and check stabilitrak came on at 30k miles. Dealer claimed it was some Sensor repaired that. Now I’m at 32k miles and the same issue. Now they’re replacing the pistons. I’m worried. Having these problems with low miles have me concerned. Il be extremely upside down If I traded the car in. Any suggestions
December 13th, 2018 at 1:53 pm
@Ben: Under the State and federal law,s you could receive monetary compensation to reflect diminished value while maintaining ownership.
December 17th, 2018 at 12:59 pm
Was driving to make a left to to cross the intersection on a green light on my yield the car lost all power and stalled out in the middle of the intersection took it to the dealer and described them what it did and they said they’ve never heard that before and they ran a diagnostic on it and they said nothing was wrong with the car! But yet it almost killed me and my husband. And every time I hit a bump my onstar talks to me with no buttons pushed nothing. My dash blacks out and looses all sound from time to time no signal sounds no radio sounds nothing! When I’m in work I’m come back to my car after a twelve hour shift when I haven’t been around the car for twelve hours the cars radio is on playing full blast! I was starting to think my car was haunted but I’ve been reading about it and the dealer says there is nothing wrong with the vehicle! Now I’m starting to see I’m not the only person that’s going threw this problem! Any one can help would be much appreciated!
January 1st, 2019 at 10:15 pm
I have a 2017 Chevy Malibu that the engine light has came on 6 times as I’m writing this it is on and going for service tomm it only has 25000 miles on it
January 2nd, 2019 at 3:46 pm
@Barbara: I think we can help. Please visit https://www.lemonlaw.com/rid.html and fill out your information. We will contact you to discuss your situation.
January 6th, 2019 at 10:47 pm
Just rented a 2019 Malibu a few days ago as my Altima is being repaired. Engine light just came on in this rental. That is sad.
January 8th, 2019 at 9:03 am
Check engine light on. 2017 Malibu. Paid to have it repaired 3 months ago. Dealership saying I have to pay again to have it fixed. Also paid to have windshield wiper component system replaced 1 week ago. Fredom Chevrolet in Dallas (place of purchase) is saying I have to pay for additional repairs … 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, in order for my windshield wiper system to work.
January 15th, 2019 at 12:11 am
I to have a 17 Malibu lemon. The engine light is constantly on and having cancer and being 4hrs to the closest hospital or chev dealer. I am sared. Is there a lemon law company in canada to help me. I bought this car so i can make my treatments. My family needs me and not maling treatments because of this scares me. Thanks to any and all who can help me in any way.
January 30th, 2019 at 6:19 pm
Check engine light came on this morning on my 2018 with 9800 miles. This was after I had to turn off the car to go into McDonalds because my windows were frozen so I couldn’t go through the drive thru. Yesterday my heat wouldn’t come on, it would only blow cool air. I have a wave in the back glass that’s in my line of sight. The cabin air doesn’t block outside smells. When it’s below 30 I can’t use the buttons on the door handles to unlock the doors because they are frozen. There are other complaints that I can’t remember but I’ve never hated a car so much.
February 13th, 2019 at 8:56 am
My check engine light came on on the expressway today on my 2017 malibu LT. The dealership said it may be a sensor but I told him my car was bought only in May 2017. The car loses power and wasted lots of gas so not sure if that has anything to do with this issue.
February 13th, 2019 at 6:24 pm
I purchased a 2017 Chevy Malibu brand new. Several times the check engine light comes on,and Reduced engine power is displayed. The speed drops down to 40 MPH , have to pull over and restart to get the light to go out and drive at top speed. Finally took it to the dealership, it’s been two weeks now,and still haven’t fixed it,still there. Need help!
February 16th, 2019 at 10:43 pm
I have a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu that I purchased new and I was told by my local Chevrolet dealer that my warranty has expired after my engine light came on, later being told that I needed a O2 sensor and a foot paddle mind you my car has 45,000 after I got that repair done now yesterday my engine light is back on and I’m receiving messages from Chevrolet diagnostics telling me it’s the emission system. This is ridiculous!!
February 21st, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Bought a new 2018 Malibu less than 30 days ago. The check engine
light came on about three hours from the closest Chevrolet dealer. I
called the dealer I bought the car from and they said to take the car to the closest dealer. They are the closest dealer! After reading about
all the check engine light problems with the Malibu vehicles what options do I have. I would like to return the car.
March 4th, 2019 at 10:54 am
My husband purchased a 2018 Chevy Malibu less than a week ago. The reduce power came on, car stalled and check engine light came on. Need help, we put too much down and are way upside down. Any help please.
March 23rd, 2019 at 9:59 pm
Less than two weeks ago I had my engine pistons replaced at the Chevy dealership. Tonight the message “engine power reduced” the same message that I was receiving before the piston replacement.
Not to mention I had this recall replaced 9 months after purchasing. I’m over this dangerous Car
April 10th, 2019 at 8:44 am
My 2017 Chevy Malibu has another service engine light on as soon as I passed the 36 bumper to bumper I am so over this car . I brought the car with 8 miles o. It brand new and this has been the worst gm car that I brought
April 11th, 2019 at 1:36 pm
@Kimberly: If the light came on three or more times during the 3 year/36,000 miles warranty, please call us to discuss your rights at 800 536 6652.
April 14th, 2019 at 6:53 am
I am highly upset, I bought my 2018 Malibu in June of 2018. Has only 12751 miles on it and my check engine light came on. I have low power taking off from a stop light or any incline of a hill. The rpms will stay around 3-4 rpms while driving down the road. When I first noticed it the car didn’t want to start. The stabilitrak came on so I shut the car off after getting it started and that’s when the engine light came on. Now it’s causing havoc because it always feels like you’re driving in low gear because of the revving rpms.
April 14th, 2019 at 10:26 am
I purchase my2017 Chevy Malibu in September 2018 and In December of 2018 had to send in back to dealership for repairs and they kept it for a week… A month after repairs Check engine light comes off and on… Now it’s about 4 months check engine light is still on … Unsure what to do
April 23rd, 2019 at 6:50 pm
Crap, my check engine light came on today. Sounds like a fun trip ahead! Purchased Mar 2018.
April 27th, 2019 at 9:53 am
I have a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LT since 2016 I have had to change multiple senors due to the check engine light turning on and in 2018 changed the fuel pump. RPM’s were going up to 3 or 4 and the would stay high even when at a stop light. Now the check engine light has come back on and two other sensors need to be changed one of them is a transmission shift sensor due to the code that comes up. The car has 88,000 miles most of the time the car is park. I have not been able to use the car that much due to it being fixed most of the time.
June 25th, 2019 at 1:24 am
I have a 2018 Malibu that I purchased with less than 6000 miles in December of 2018 one day my wife was driving it one the freeway and the check engine light popped on and a reduced speed light popped on and the car wouldn’t go over 20 miles a car almost hit her from behind so now it keeps doing it Itook it to the dealer they said they don’t see anything wrong with it I’m taking it back to the dealer tomorrow because it continues to do the same thing it frightened my wife
July 17th, 2019 at 6:43 am
I just had my solenoid repaired less than 3months ago. I drove my car for the first time yesterday and after about 10 miles. a solid engine light comes on…. I have 96,000 miles on my 2014 Chevy Malibu. I purchased my vehicle with 7mi on the engine and I made those. 4 times this light has came on. I don’t know what the problem is, it’s not stalling out or anything else.
July 23rd, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Purchased a brand new 2018 Chevrolet Malibu in end of August 2018. Has 8,604 miles. Onstar diagnostic:
12/30/2018 5:01PM The Engine and Transmission System is not performing as expected. An issue has been detected in the Ignition System which oversees the timing and spark necessary to ignite fuel in your engine. If the check engine light is flashing, a misfire condition has been detected. A misfire increases vehicle emissions and could damage the emission control system on the vehicle. Please reduce vehicle speed, avoid hard accelerations, avoid steep uphill grades, and reduce any cargo loads such as a trailer.
Check Engine light has now come on 2018 with engine code P0330 – Knock Sensor 2 Circuit (Bank 2) in July of 2019.
I want a brand new car in return! This ain’t new car I purchased from them!
July 29th, 2019 at 11:37 am
@Bryan: Please call us at 800 536 6652 to discuss the situation and if/how we can help.
August 2nd, 2019 at 1:06 pm
I am thoroughly disappointed in the 2017 Chevy Malibu. I’ve had several electrical issues and even replaced the wiring harness. Paid 621to have done, now 2 days later, same issue. So I am waiting to hear from the dealership and see what happens.
August 20th, 2019 at 2:33 pm
On Saturday, August 17, 2019 at approximately 1:00 in the afternoon I making a right hand turn. While turning, my 2018 Chevrolet Malibu with approximately 15,000 miles (I couldn’t read the mileage on dash), purchased brand new with 40 miles on odometer, June 6, 2018, lost all power (steering wheel locked). I, with difficult, drifted the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road and applied the brakes. With the engine operating, foot on brake pedal, the dash read POWER STEERING DRIVE WITH CARE while my ABS, TRACTION CONTROL, and EMERGENCY BRAKE lights illuminated. (photograph of dash lights). In the picture it appears my coolant temperature reads COLD and the car appears to be in Neutral?? I tried to proceed on shoulder of road and the car would barely move and during movement it made a loud screeching sound as if the brakes were applied. I stopped twice; however, proceeded at less than 5mph to the nearest parking lot (less than ¼ mile). In a parking spot, I put the car into Park. After the car was in park (the brake pedal locked). I hit the push ignition button to turn the car off. With the engine off and car in park, the dash lights intermittently read STABILTRAK to POWER STEERING DRIVE WITH CARE and my CHECK ENGINE LIGHT illuminated. I attempted to restart the car and the car would not start but the lights on the dash were still flashing from STABILTRAK to POWER STEERING/Drive with care. Everything in the vehicle shut down (AC and Radio). I couldn’t put the windows down nor unlock the car to exit. I continuously tried to start the car and continuously tried to put the car into a gear with no luck. The brake pedal too felt locked. At some point while continuously trying to push the start button I was able to get the window down. I exited the car at this time with my purse/key fob. When I shut the door the horn sounded (as if the key fob were still in the car). I walked into store, purchased a water. Went back to the car and tried to open the door however it was locked. The lock button on the door handle would not unlock the door. I reached inside window and unlocked the door from the door panel lock button and entered the car. Put my foot on the brake pedal which was still locked and attempted to start the car with no luck. I contacted Roadside Assistance and they arrived within 30 – 45 minutes. At the time of their arrival, I attempted to start the car again. The car started, the gear shifter allowed me to put the car into reverse, neutral, drive, drive low and back. In reverse, I moved the car a couple/few feet from the parking lot and back. At this time the only light illuminated on the dash was the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT and I could read mileage (16467) (photograph of dash light). While waiting for tow truck, I attempted to pop the hood; however, couldn’t pop due to extreme heat.
08/19/2019 – Met with service department and was told they would get on the car immediately. I made the comment that I had no desire to ever drive the car again and was told computer issues in new cars are unfortunate and could happen with any car. (I’m sorry but cars don’t just “LOCK” up). Dealership stated no codes found for above issue. Drove the car 30 miles and could not duplicate the problem. The no code the dealership is feeding me is BS! I KNOW…. IF EVER “ANY” LIGHTS ILLUMINATE ON YOUR DASH A CODE IS SENT TO THE COMPUTER. THE CODES DO NOT CLEAR UNLESS YOU CLEAR THEM…. the codes WOULD BE in your history.
They still have car and will further investigate.
MY THOUGHTS: This incident was instant, obviously unexpected and scary. The car literally locked up and I felt “trapped” for a certain amount of time. Had I not been turning and cruising at a higher rate of speed, the situation could had been deadly to me or anyone else on the road. The car is UNSAFE!!!! and I refuse to ever drive it again. Knowing I will never feel safe driving the vehicle I wish there were something I could do.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:29 pm
@Kathy: Please call 800 536 6652 to discuss.
September 14th, 2019 at 12:38 pm
I’m so tired of my 2017 Malibu with these check engine lights on… smh…. now I wonder why the sales is declining…. it’s sad that Chevy is loosing to other brands …. and I think I’m about to change to someone else … very disappointed
September 21st, 2019 at 6:35 pm
I have a 2019 Chevy Malibu that I purchased in July it now has 3955 miles and the check engine light came on yesterday 9/21/19. Unbelievable!!! Have not had a chance to take it in to the dealership yet.
September 25th, 2019 at 10:41 pm
My 2018 mailibu would not start w the push button. I got out and got back in the car and it started with an engine light. I’ve only had the car maybe 3 weeks!.. wat is goin on??
October 9th, 2019 at 10:49 pm
My main issue is my wife and kids..Cray part is i drive I trucks. Not here everyday Great car but same time your like.. wait min a minute…#Chey man.
November 1st, 2019 at 5:43 pm
Bought my 2012 Malibu from a dealership who claimed they ran a 120 point inspection on it, and it drove smooth and perfect off the lot “as is”. Three weeks and not even 1/2 tank of gas later, countless problems I can’t fix, and sure enough the check engine light comes on. But of course they didn’t hesitate to want more money to basically sell me the same car twice.
November 5th, 2019 at 7:40 pm
My check engine light come on at the dealership when I took it in for the recall on the ECM MALFUNCTION,they told me I would have to bring it back next week too get that check, I’m wondering why they didn’t check it while the had it in for the recall. Oh I know it wasn’t on until they fix the ECM.Malfunction. I have read a lot of companies on these cars about the check engine light continuing too come on, so why hasn’t there been a recall on this. I want someone to help me now please. Because I payed a lot down on this car thinking I wouldn’t have to worry about it giving me any trouble or having any problems with it for years to come and now this and it has 5,518 miles on it. Now come on pioneer Chevrolet not good business on you all part and word of mouth can really spread fast.
December 11th, 2019 at 2:08 pm
My check engine light has gone on 3 times.
December 13th, 2019 at 1:53 pm
I have a 2016 Malibu got tge car in july i only drove my car about a month the rest of the time its been in and out the shop, 10 times for the check engine light, everytime i call to check on my car i get…..we still trying to figure out whats wrong i want to change to another car but im being ignored..i dont know what to do at this point
December 31st, 2019 at 5:58 pm
I have a 2018 Chevy Malibu, had the car for 3 weeks and the check engine soon light is on. Was driving the car and it cut off in the middle of the road. It would not restart for 10 minutes. Big mistake buying this car.
March 4th, 2020 at 3:06 pm
2017 Malibu, 20,000 miles, check engine light came on, some kind of fuel sensory problem.
Now at 30,000 miles check engine light on again, $125 just to diagnose the problem.
What the hell is it with these GM cars?
April 27th, 2020 at 12:09 pm
We bought a new 2008 Malibu from McCue Chevy, and started having emission control problems with it. We paid over $5,000 for car repairs between 2013-2017, and each time had to go back over and over, again, and again. We finally traded the car in October for a 2018 Chevy Cruz which also started having the emission control problems. In March we asked what our options were since we didn’t want a car with the same problems we just had with the older car. They said we could swap it out for a Chevy Trax. The thing that has been bothering us since we supposedly swapped the cars out, are the terms of the agreement. How is it possible that we still owe $10,000 on a car that we don’t even own anymore? Any help with this issue would be helpful. We are leasing the Trax. We have talked to a lawyer, and he suggests a possible arbitration session. Thanks in advance for your response.
June 30th, 2021 at 9:19 pm
I purchased my 2017 Chevy Malibu LS in May of that year and by August the check engine light came on. It did not flash but stayed on. Immediately the dealership said it cannot be fixed that’s just something that happens with the Malibu’s. They reprogrammed the sensor so it can stay off but every 3000 -5000 miles it would come back on. I got an attorney immediately….and won!! Although it never visibly/physically gave me a problem they refused to resolve the reasoning for its existence. Never in my life will I purchase anything else from GM. Trade that Chevy and don’t look back.