Originally Posted by 2016 Malibu Owner

I'm sick to my stomach reading about the ongoing problem of reduced engine power with GM vehicles which is now happening to my 2016 Malibu Premier. Had I known, I would not have bought this vehicle. I've only had it for a month (purchased July 2016) and it has been in the GM Dealer shop for two separate issues, (Disabled Collision Warning System and Reduced Engine Power). The GM Technician had to trouble shoot with GM (tac) regarding the disabled collision warning system. Their solution was to clear the codes to reset the computer to fix the problem. It worked, but I was asked if I had recently taken it through a car wash. I told them I did and they said they would advise GM. I haven't gone through a car wash since getting the Collision Warning System reactivated. Last week, they replaced the electronic throttle body (vehicle had to be towed), but it acted up again the very next day. It's back in the gm garage waiting to be looked at. I've already lost all confidence in this vehicle and regret having made the purchase. I specifically upgraded to this vehicle so that my daughter would feel safe driving it, but I don't want to drive it myself. I will let you know what parts they decide to change next.

Originally Posted by greenfield3

This has happened to me 4 times in the past two weeks, and I am honestly lucky to be alive. I have a 2011 Chevy Malibu with 58,000 miles on it. My husband and I just moved from Dallas to Atlanta, so I have had to make several trips back and forth to handle things with our home in Dallas. The first time this happened, I was about 70 miles outside of Atlanta going 70 MPH on the highway surrounded by 18 wheelers. Suddenly my traction light and service engine light came on and the reduced power notification came on, the car slowed to about 10 miles an hour very suddenly and the car was shaking violently.

The 18 wheeler behind me could not stop fast enough and the only reason I was not hit was because I was able to veer onto the shoulder. Terrified, I sat on the side of the road for several minutes after turning the car off. I started it again and it began driving normally, but the service engine light stayed on. Since I was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and it was extremely dark, I got back on the road again to get home. I made it to Atlanta, but the same thing happened again when I was entering the city on the loop. I basically coasted home. We took it to Goodyear the next day because that was the closest place. They told us it was the gas pedal sensor and charged us $265 to replace it. The car seemed to work normally until a week later I was back in Texas when the exact same thing occurred when I was going 60 MPH on the highway.

Luckily, I was close enough to yet another Goodyear to coast in. They told me there was a frayed wire on the throttle body pigtail and they replaced that for $113.40. Again, the car seemed to work normally for a few days until I was again on the highway, this time in Jackson, MS and the same situation happened again. I was able to coast into a Chevy dealership this time. Here they told me that the problem was the Engine Control Module and they replaced it free of charge saying it was under warranty. Since I spent all day there, I was now faced with driving to Atlanta in the dark, not trusting that this would not happen again. Thank God I stopped in Birmingham and got a hotel room, because the whole thing happened yet again. I got it towed to a Chevy dealership the next morning, and because it was now Christmas Eve, no one would even look at it since they all wanted to go home at noon.

So that I would not have to spend Christmas alone in a hotel room, I rented a car to get to Atlanta. It is now the day after Christmas, and the Chevy dealership just called to tell me it is an internal failure of the throttle body, and it will cost $550 to fix it. So, I am faced with driving 3 hours back to Birmingham, paying all that money, only to risk my life driving it 3 hours back to Atlanta, hoping this won't happen again. Oh, and if you are wondering why I didn't trade it in somewhere in this whole process, it is because I currently owe more than the trade in value. Sorry for the long post, but I feel helpless and hopeless at the moment, not to mention I am broke now. I hope I make it back to Atlanta in one piece.

Thanks, Chevy, and Merry Christmas!

Originally Posted by Chevrolet Customer Service

Hello Huuuyouyou,

Our apologies for the delay in our response, however, I can confirm that our team has just responded to your private message. Please review it at your earliest convenience, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Chelsea D.
Chevrolet Customer Care