Complaint volume
186 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2019 Chevrolet Malibu Complaints
186 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by component category.
186 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
4 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are power train, electrical system, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 1 fire report, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 56 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 45,501 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, electrical system, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2019 Chevrolet Malibu
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu complaints?
8 Crash
1 Fire
4 Injury
0 Fatality
9 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Chevrolet Malibu complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 38
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 23
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17
ENGINE 14
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 4
186 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | tapped the my other car on the bumper . Brake Pump is out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | POWER TRAIN,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, after removing the foot from the pedal brake and turning off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact was unable to exit the vehicle while the message was displayed. Additionally, the doors were unable to be locked during the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was provided the cost for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 83,555. | Crash: No Fire: No | 83,555 |
| Aug 2024 | PARKING BRAKE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while at a light, the engine lost motive power and shut off. The vehicle began to roll backward. The emergency brake was inoperable. The vehicle shifted from park. The contact continued to pull the emergency brake, but it failed to respond. The contact attempted to turn the vehicle off, but it failed to turn off. The vehicle crashed into a ditch. The passenger sustained injuries to her head. The driver sustained injuries to his shoulder. The occupants did not receive any medical attention. There was no fire or air bag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. 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 105,800. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 2 Towed | 105,800 |
| Aug 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE - CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK AND MESSAGE KEPT COMING UP ON DASH DISPLAY. THIS HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND MORE OFTEN NOW. DONT KNOW IF VEHICLE IS IN PARK OR NOT. BATTERY WAS DRAINED AND REPLACED. GM CAR DEALER MIKE SAVIOE AND GM BOTH SAY BULLETIN 19-NA-206 WILL NOT BE HONORED BECAUSE 2019 MALIBU IS NOW OUT OF WARRANTY. GM KNEW THIS ISSUE ON 5/21 AND WILL NOT HELP OUT ON CORRECTING THIS ISSUE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Car Will stop moving forward or reverse randomly while driving. This plays a p2714 code with the check engine light. It is available for inspection if requested. This has happened while driving on the road. Vehicle stalls out and does not move which could cause severe accident and bodily injury. This issue seems to be a known issue among GM vehicles with the CT40 CVT transmissions. I do have a short video that can be provided. It shows a check engine light on the vehicle's in drive but will not move. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle would not shift into park on multiple occasions. Shift to park message appeared on dashboard and vehicle could not be shut off or locked. Contacted Chevrolet dealer for repair and was told this is a known issue but this vin was not included in the recall that was issued for this very problem with thes Chevrolet Malibu. Reported to Chevrolet and was again told it is not covered under the recall for this issue. We paid $237.53 out of pocket to repair a defect that Chevrolet knows is an issue and has effected Years 2016-2019 Chevrolet Malibus. This is a safety concern. Chevrolet needs to stand behind this defect and pay for the repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | I have been driving this car for three years, and it performed exceptionally well until Friday, July 12, 2024. While driving on the highway, the "Engine Power Reduced" warning light activated. I pulled over, placed the car in park, waited a few seconds, and restarted the engine, but the issue persisted. Consequently, I took the car to the nearest auto shop, where they identified and repaired a throttle issue. On July 16, 2024, the car's brake system failed, preventing the vehicle from stopping properly. I utilized the emergency brake and once again brought the car to the nearest auto shop. The diagnosis revealed a broken vacuum, which was identified as a manufacturer's defect. My car is currently in the shop for the second repair due to these manufacturing defects, which have incurred significant costs. It raises concerns about the safety and quality of the parts used in the manufacturing process. Why are low-quality components being installed in these vehicles? This poses a serious safety risk. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | POWER TRAIN | I was informed by Chevrolet dealership on Tennessee St. in Tallahassee, Florida, that the issue was with the battery monitor sensor. The car will, however, suddenly cut off at a stoplight when you release the brake to apply the gas, with no error lights to populate on the dash, which puts myself, my kids, and others at serious risk of being rear-ended by a car behind us. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Vehicle occasionally hesitates to accelerate past 1st or 2nd gear & produces no power until the turbo & gears finally kick in. Has put myself & my passengers (my children) in danger of traffic’s way while trying to merge into traffic from a stop. Have had to pull to the side until the car is able to go past 5-15 miles per hr. Have taken the vehicle for inspection to Chevrolet of Watsonville & the tech there was unable to replicate the issue & was told to take it back when present. The issue recently happened again late evening but then resolved on its own when I planned to take the following morning. The vehicle has horrible MPG ranging from 18-24MPG when the rated MPG is 27-36MPG. I don’t understand how I am supposed to resolve this issue if the problem doesn’t persist when I am able to finally get an appointment for the vehicle to get seen. This issue is very concerning & would like help as I am nearing the manufacturer 100k warranty expiration mileage. Also There are no service lights present on the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Shift to Park message on dashboard..... After you shift the gear into park position and turn off car, the message comes up "Shift to Park". Car keeps beeping with message on dashboard saying "shift to park". You do not know why this is coming up and beeping. No matter how many times you put in park and turn off car, this message and beeping noise happens saying your car is not in Park position. When you exit the car, the message and beeping continue even after shutting the door. The lights also stay on draining your battery, and you are always left wondering if car is actually in park position. I noticed there are several complaints online concerning this matter with General Motors but when you call the Chevy dealer they continue to act like the are unaware of this issue..... If anyone wishes to contact me regarding this matter I prefer to be reached by email. Thank You. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | POWER TRAIN | 1. Couldnt turn off engine due to shift to park issues 2 If I can't turn the engine off there is a risk that the vehicle could suddenly move and I cannot leave the vehicle with the engine running. 3. Yes it has been confirmed and inspected. 4 See #1. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | I am making a complaint because there is a major deficiency that has put my safety at risk. The component of the vehicle that has a defect is the transmission. When the car is shifted in drive it will either stall and jerk forward, not jerk forward and not move forward from seconds to minutes at a time, and/or move forward about 50ft and stall again. I was making a right turn on a major road, speed limit being 40 MPH and the vehicle stalled and did not go forward until 20-30 seconds later. Vehicles were able to see me before getting closer and were able to change lanes however this is unacceptable. I had my two year old nephew in the car and this could have been a fatal accident. I have taken it to twice to be repaired and this problem has yet to be a fix. I can get invoices and documents to show the “repairs” however this problem exist and needs an solution. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was shifted into park(P), the “Shift to Park” message was displayed. The gear shifter was shifted several times before the vehicle recognized the gear that was selected. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear selector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,400. | Crash: No Fire: No | 111,400 |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Currently have 109,330 miles on my 2019 Malibu LT It’s very obvious that the transmissions in these cars are no good. My car accelerates slowly whenever it feels like it and entering the highway or any road to be honest, is like jumping off of a plane with no parachute, praying you don’t hit the bottom and die. Its scary! It jerks horribly at times while accelerating (along with slow acceleration). If I push the gas pedal more, the car’s RPMs revs high and the car shoots off like rocket then starts to accelerate slowly seconds after the hard take off. Someone is going to die at the hands of GM because the problem is being ignored! Please help us! Check the vehicles! See what the issue is! It’s not just “something simple”. Yet y’all are constantly rolling these cars out to customers. Feels like robbery! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I've had a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu since December 2018. After my last visit to the dealership to have my oil changed (January 22), I began experiencing a "Park to Shift" alert appear after I had shifted the car into park and turned it off. This happened within the first day of having it serviced. Since then it has happened pretty much every time I've driven the car and turned itr off. I'd say it's happening 90% of the time. Sometimes it's resolved if I cut the car back on shift to Drive or Reverse, then back to Park (usually have to do that a few times to get it to stop). Just today, I could not get it to go off while making a quick stop and had to leave the car essentially on while I hopped out. Once, I was able to "jiggle" the gear shift for a few seconds to get it to stop. I don't understand why this is suddenly happening. It was not happening before the visit, although I am aware that it is a known issue - however no recall has been issued. What are my options beyond spending another chunk of money to have this fixed? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car has 55,000 miles on it and is displaying "shift to park" on dash when car is in park and shut off. I was unable to get the car to go into the park gear for 11 minutes and was only able to do so by starting the car, putting the car in drive and shifting back to park repeatedly. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Camshaft issues/brake to park sensor issue/brake booster to engine vacuum | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ENGINE | The contact's daughter owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 30 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure, and no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Check engine light came on and the car shut down while stopping. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I am having the well known "shift to park" issue. When I put the vehicle in park, I get the error message to "shift to park" even though the vehicle is in park. At this time, I am not able to lock my doors or turn my car off. This happens 3-5 times a week for me. This is a safety issue. I had the entire shifter replaced under warranty in 2021 and now it is happening again and I am going to have to pay for this now since out of warranty. This is not something I have caused and is an error with the vehicle and I consumers should not have to pay for this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | POWER TRAIN | IN THE PAST WEEK, I TRIED TURNING OFF MY VEHICLE, BUT RECEIVED THE MESSAGE "SHIFT TO PARK". THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES, THUS FAR (11/6, 11/8, 11/13). THE CAR IS ALREADY IN PARK, BUT WON'T TURN OFF, UNLESS I CONTINUALLY SHIFT, OR RESTART THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES, OTHERWISE, IT CONTINUES TO RUN WITH THE MESSAGE DISPLAYED. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, IT FINALLY TURNS OFF. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIFYING! IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IF, SO, IS GM ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE AND NOTIFYING OWNERS OF THIS PROBLEM AND WHAT PROCEDURES TO TAKE? I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICE REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. IS MY CAR SAFE TO DRIVE? IS THIS SOMETHING THE DEALERSHIP CAN ADDRESS? I DO NOT WANT TO BE SOMEWHERE AND NOT BE ABLE TO START MY CAR. I START IT WAS THE BATTERY BECAUSED I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM ONSTAR STATING THE BATTERY WAS CRITICALLY LOW ON THE 6 OF NOVEMBER. I PURCHASED A NEW BATTERY ON NOVEMBER 9, 2023, THINKING THIS WOULD RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the engine failed to shut off after depressing the Auto START/STOP button. The vehicle shut off after running out of fuel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The VIN was unavailable. | Crash: No Fire: No | 55,000 |
| Oct 2023 | POWER TRAIN,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed during a heavy rain storm, the vehicle lost significant motive power and was unable to accelerate above 40 MPH. The contact also stated that a message displayed, "Side detection system disabled," and the lane departure assist system activated, briefly steering the vehicle into oncoming traffic before he was able to regain control. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,500 |
| Oct 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, and releasing the accelerator pedal the auto Start/Stop system engaged with delay, and the vehicle shuddered while resuming normal driving. The instrument cluster and the infotainment system were inoperable and turned off temporarily while driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while attempting to drive from a complete stop. Messages indicating low fuel and key fob malfunction were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced. The contact stated that the Start/Stop system operated as needed after the battery replacement. Additionally, the contact stated while driving an undisclosed speed in a parking lot, the auto Start/Stop system engaged inadvertently, and the vehicle shut off. The message "Shift to Neutral. Restart Vehicle" was displayed. The contact followed the instruction and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving 5-8 MPH, and making a turn from a middle lane, the failure recurred while there was oncoming traffic. The contact shifted into neutral (N) and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the message "Power Steering Reduced. Drive Carefully" was displayed when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced 4-5 times; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that each battery had lasted 9-10 months. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed and informed the contact that they would consider buying back the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was shifted to park, the gear shifter failed to remain in the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the jump harness and shift part switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,800. | Crash: No Fire: No | 32,800 |