2017 Chevrolet Malibu Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle speed reduced message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle decelerated from 70 to 30 MPH. The contact pulled over and waited for 5 minutes before restarting the vehicle. The message disappeared and the vehicle was driven back to the residence. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after pulling the vehicle into the driveway and attempting to shift the vehicle into Park; however, the engine revved up as if trying to accelerate forward. There was an error message on the instrument to shift the vehicle to Park however, the vehicle failed to remain in Park. After several attempts, the vehicle was shifted into Park and remained in Park. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the gear shifter wiring harness and switch were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,210.
The vehicle displays “Shift to Park”. Cannot turn off car and most recently we needed to turn the car on/off 12 times to get the vehicle to park. We’re worried we will not see the error message and exit the vehicle with the possibility of the car moving as it doesn’t recognize that the car is in park.
Intermittent shifts, no reverse, MIL illuminated Happened in rush hour traffic, could not move out of EMS workers way because of reverse failure. Nearly ran into vehicle in front of me due to such harsh sift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Currently being inspected by local Chevrolet dealer. No warning light when incident occurred, only came on when I was able to turn the car off and back on. Extremely dangerous circumstance that could have easily been prevented had GM issued a recall on Service Bulletin 18-NA-081.
This class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan by three separate plaintiffs in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maryland, Car Complaints reports. The suit alleges certain GM vehicles fail to detect when the gear selector has been shifted into Park, blocking the ability for the user to shut the vehicle off. Typically a ‘Shift to Park’ warning message will appear on the driver information center when this happens. The user can jiggle and or move the gear shifter in order to remedy the issue, although this technique does not always work. GM dealer witnessed the problem. MY REPAIR COST AT A GM DEALER WAS $391.11.
My 2017 Malibu (50K miles) has begun giving me the "Shift to Park" error. When I have parked my car, shifted to park, and turn off the ignition I get the display message saying "Shift to Park" even though I have already done that and turned off the car. To clear the message, I have had to restart the car, shift out of park and back into park more forcefully than I want to or, while the ignition is off, push the gear shift harder to park. This error went from 1 a week to multiple times a day. I spoke with GM and they are saying they are not aware of this problem and I will have to pay for repairs out of pocket. I read today that a class action suit has been filed specifically about this problem. I am hoping with enough owners reporting their shift to park issue, GM will have to issue a recall.
CAR GOES INTO AN ENGINE POWER REDUCED MODE WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Error message on dash "shift to park". The car will not shut off completely with message on. I did some research, and it seems to be happening with a lot of Malibus and GMs. This is the second time it happens on my 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. My car is still fairly new with only 35k miles. The first time warranty covered it (shifter was replaced), but I'm not so sure if they will cover this second time. This is a manufacturer error and we should not have to pay the price every time this happens.
WHEN I PUT THE TRANSMISSION IN PARK, THE INDICATOR SCREEN ON THE DASH NOTIFIES ME TO PUT GEAR IN PARK. I'M ABLE TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE BUT NOT TURN OFF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WHICH ENDS UP DRAINING THE BATTERY. THE GEAR IS IN PARK, BUT A SWITCH IN THE STEERING COLUMN ISN'T OPERATING PROPERLY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE GEAR SHIFTING SYSTEM FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A MESSAGE RECEIVED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ADVISING THAT VEHICLE WAS NOT IN PARK. THE MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED EACH TIME THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO PARK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ON ONE OCCASION WHEN AT A GAS SERVICE STATION THEY PARKED THE VEHICLE PUT THE GEAR IN PARK AND THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY MOVED FORWARD. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND DID NOT CRASH INTO ANY OBJECT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION CHEVROLET GREENACRES, 5757 LAKE WORTH ROAD, GREENACRES, FL 33463 PHONE (561) 491-2969 TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. HOWEVER, THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC BECAUSE THE DEALER WANTED TO CHARGE $700.00 FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.
DASH WARNING SAYS ACTION REQUIRED....SHIFT TO PARK. BUT THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK. CAR WILL NOT SHUT OFF TIL YOU GET IT IN PARK. SOMETIMES NEED TO START AND RESTART CAR A DOZEN TIMES TO GET IT TO STOP THE ERROR. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH LATE MODEL MALIBU'S. TSB # 19-NA-206. REPAIR COST APPROXIMATELY $300. THIS HAPPENS AT RANDOM TIMES, MAKING THE VEHICLE UNRELIABLE. NEED TO DO A RECALL!
CAR HAS SHIFT TO PARK WARNING WHEN PARK IS ENGAGED, CAR WONT SHUT OFF ,HAVE RESTART CAR
MY 2017 MALIBU HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT. IN THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS A WARNING KEPT POPPING UP EVERY TIME I CAME TO A STOP THE CAR ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF FOR A SECOND AND THEN TURNED BACK ON WITH A WARNING THAT STATED SERVICE STABILITY TRACK, DRIVER ASSISTED STEERING NOT ENGAGED. TODAY I CAME TO A STOPLIGHT AND THE ENGINE COMPLETELY DIED LEAVING ME STRANDED THERE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES UNTIL I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN AND MOVING. I HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN MANUAL MODE TO GET IT TO DRIVE. I AM AWAITING THE ESTIMATE FROM THE DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD COST TO FIX THIS. I HAVE READ SCORES OF OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME THING HAPPENING ON THESE CARS. TO THE POINT WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE DRIVING AND IT STOPS. THIS IS A SERIOUS DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GENERAL MOTORS.
AFTER PUTTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU INTO PARK AND TURNING IT OFF A MESSAGE APPEARS ON THE DASH SAYING "SHIFT TO PARK". THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN EVERY TIME, BUT ENOUGH TO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT IT.
AFTER PUTTING MY 2017 CHEVY MALIBU INTO PARK, I RECEIVED A "SHIFT TO PARK" MESSAGE ON THE DASH. THE CAR WOULD NOT FULLY TURN OFF. IT STAYED IN AUXILLARY POWER MODE. DOORS WOULD NOT LOCK, EMERGENCY LIGHTS STAY ON AND HAD A BEEPING SOUND. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT RESOLVING ITSELF IRREGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TIMES I TURNED IT OFF AND ON. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,400. (YES, THE MILEAGE IS 8,400. THIS IS NOT A TYPO.) THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MARTIN CHEVROLET, LOCATED AT: 23505 HAWTHORNE BOULEVARD, TORRANCE CALIFORNIA, 90505. THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE SEEN IT MULTIPLE TIMES. (IT IS A TRANMISSION CONTROL ASSEMBLY FAILURE). I ASKED IF IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW AND HE CONCURRED. HE SAID THERE WAS NO RECALL AT HIS TIME BUT THEY ARE EXPECTING ONE. I SPENT $550 TO HAVE THE REPLACEMENT DONE. GENERAL MOTORS NEEDS TO DECLARE A RECALL AND REFUND MY MONEY. A TWO YEAR OLD CAR WITH 8,400 MILES SHOULD NOT BE INCURRING MAJOR EXPENSES FOR FAULTY COMPONENTS.
WHEN SHIFTING TO PARK IT IS NOT RECOGNIZED AND WILL NOTIFY VIA DISPLAY IN PANEL. THIS OCCURS 75% OF THE TIME AT THIS POINT-STARTED 2 WEEKS AGO. CONCERNING AS I LIVE ON A HILL.
CAR STOPPED WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY WITH A MESSAGE ON DASH SAYING 'ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED.' THE DEALERSHIP FIRST SAID IT WAS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THEN SAID IT WAS THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT. THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSES THIS TO HAPPEN, BUT IT JUST NEEDS REPROGRAMMED AND A SOFTWARE UPDATE. AN UPDATE THAT ONLY A GM FACILITY CAN DO. ALSO SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF THIS WAS WEAR AND TEAR, TOLD NO, THEY DON'T KNOW WHY THIS HAPPENS.
DIC INTERMITTENTLY DISPLAYS "SHIFT TO PARK" WHEN SHUTTING DOWN ENGINE BEGINNING AT ABOUT 30,000 MILES. DEALERSHIP STATES THIS IS NOT COVERED BY POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. WELL KNOWN PROBLEM WITH TWO TSBS ISSUED BUT NO RECALL. RESEARCH SHOWS OWNERS PAYING $200 TO $700 FOR REPAIRS WHEN OUT OF WARRANTY. I REPLACED "PARK" SWITCH WITH PN: 653-D2HW-BL221H AT 31,000 MILES. $12 INCLUDING SHIPPING. WHY WOULD THEY RECALL WHEN IT'S A "CASH COW" FOR CHEVROLET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED IN PARK HOWEVER, THE GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR SHOWED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS STILL IN DRIVE. THE CONTACT CALLED AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SHORTLINE BUICK GMC LOCATED AT 1301 S HAVANA ST, AURORA, CO 80012, (303) 751-3400. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 32,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER SHIFTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO MOVE AND THE SHIFT TO P WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED MULTIPLE TIMES IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE HICKSVILLE CHEVROLET DEALER, LOCATED AT: 236 S. BROADWAY, HICKSVILLE, NY 11801, WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 64,000. *BF*JB
AFTER SHIFTING INTO PARK MESSAGE DISPAYS SHIFT TO PARK. CAR IS IN PARK BUT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF AUXILIARY POWER STAYS ON AND CAN'T BE TURNED OFF.
"SHIFT TO PARK" WHEN PLACING CAR IN PARK WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW VEHICLE TO FULLY POWER OFF. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD THIS ISSUE. IT HAPPENED AT 37K AND I HAD IT REPAIRED WHICH COST CLOSE TO $600 JUST UNDER A YEAR AGO. THE VEHICLE MILEAGE SINCE THE REPAIR IS UNDER 30K.
GETTING SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE WHEN PUTTING CAR INTO PARK. UNABLE TO TURN VEHICLE OFF UNTIL PARK ENGAGES. WE HAD REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO AND IT IS DOING IT AGAIN. IT IS BEGINNING TO DO IT OFTEN.
BEGINNING SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, THE VEHICLE WOULD OCCASIONALLY DISPLAY A "SHIFT TO PARK" ERROR MESSAGE AFTER THE "START/STOP" BUTTON WAS PRESSED TO TURN OFF THE PARKED VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WOULD TURN OFF, ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS WOULD REMAIN ON. FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS, THE ERROR MESSAGE WOULD DISAPPEAR AFTER A FEW SECONDS TO A MINUTE, AFTER WHICH THE "START/STOP" BUTTON TO BE PRESSED TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY. OVER THE LAST MONTH, HOWEVER, THE AMOUNT OF TIME THE MESSAGE STAYED DISPLAYED INCREASED TO MANY MINUTES, AND IT WOULD TAKE TURNING THE CAR ON/OFF AND SHIFTING IN/OUT OF PARK MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE COULD BE TURNED OFF COMPLETELY. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS FINALLY TURNED OFF COMPLETELY, I WASN'T ABLE TO DRIVE IT FOR A FEW WEEKS FOR FEAR OF NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AT WORK/STORES/ETC., OR FOR FEAR OF BEING STRANDED WHEN THE BATTERY DRAINS. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT EFFECTIVELY MAKES THE VEHICLE UNUSABLE. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, IT WAS FOUND THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO GM FOR MULTIPLE MODELS AND YEARS OF VEHICLES PER SERVICE BULLETIN 19-NA-206. BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, HOWEVER, THE INITIALLY INTERMITTENT NATURE OF THIS PROBLEM QUICKLY TURNS INTO A PERMANENT, DISABLING PROBLEM. IN ADDITION, A MORE PERMANENT SOLUTION NEEDS TO BE PROVIDED THAN WHAT'S LISTED ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN: (A) SCRAPING DEPOSITS OFF THE ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WITH YOUR THUMB 50 TIMES TO SEE IF THAT WORKS, (B) INSTALLING A JUMPER TO SEE IF THAT WORKS, OR (C) REPLACING THE SHIFTER CONTROL ASSEMBLY. MY CONCERN IS THAT IF THE DESIGN OF THE NEW ASSEMBLY IS THE SAME, THE PROBLEM WILL REAPPEAR IN A FEW YEARS WITH THE REPLACEMENT ASSEMBLY; ALL ARE JUST TEMPORARY STOP GAP MEASURES. A REAL FIX THAT PREVENTS THE CORROSION/DEPOSITS IS NEEDED, AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED.
THE CHEVY MALIBU HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFTER. WHEN YOU PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK IT WILL SAY ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION PANEL TO SHIFT TO PARK EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN PARK. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY WHEN IT HAPPENS. GM NEEDS TO FIX IT. BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY AND THE CAR WILL NOT SHUT OFF UNTIL TO SENSOR IS TOLD TO PUT IT IN PARK.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 Chevrolet Malibu has 69 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.