2017 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Owner Complaints

Hundreds of times since I purchased the car in July, 2017 I've had a "shift to park" problem. Here is what happens. I go to park my car. I put the car into park. I go to turn off the engine. The engine will not turn off. A sign on the screen says, "shift to park". Apparently as GM explains it, the car is not recognizing that the car is put into park and therefore will not turn off. This first started happening around 2019. The Chevy dealership said it wasn't a big deal and replaced the shifter control assembly. The problem went away for a few years and then popped up again around 2021. Since then it has been an ongoing problem. I end up stuck in the car until the engine turns off. I obviously can't leave the engine on because then the battery will go bad. Most recently I actually spent 30 minutes trying to park the car before I was able to get it to recognize it was in park and turn off. Every time over the years the dealerships have shrugged me off. They refuse to fix the problem and recently asked me for $1,250 to fix it. It was not fixed right the first time when it was under warranty. Here are a few links about many others experiencing these same problems: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11661031

Incident

Apr 29, 2025

The car completely lost power while being driven on a freeway in Sacramento, California. The car was towed to a Chevrolet dealer in Davis, California and they determined that the car lost power due to a faulty Auxiliary Battery Negative Cable Assembly (Part # 84085823). The Chevrolet dealer cannot find the part because GM has discontinued production of the part. Also, despite extensive internet searches for the part including after-market sites, E-Bay, Amazon, AC Delco, all major auto part supply chains, etcetera, the part has not been found. The car has been at the dealer's facility for ~ 6 weeks with no resolution. The car is a hybrid, has been serviced regularly and properly, has never been in an accident and is very good shape. In other words, if the car is safely repaired, it is still going to be a very useful family vehicle. GM representatives have told the dealer to try to find the part in a local junk yard. The car will likely not be safe if a junkyard part is ultimately used in the repair - the reason the the car is at the dealership is because the car completely died at freeway speed. The cost of the needed part was only ~ $50 (fifty dollars) when it was being produced.

NHTSA ID

11660023

Incident

Mar 29, 2025

In 2019 I took my vehicle under warranty to the purchasing dealership to fix a "shift to park" reading after the vehicle is parked. It precludes turning off the car. Repeatedly restarting the car and shifting to park and/or jiggling the controller in park usually stopped the reading. The dealer replaced the control shifter, which fixed the problem for many years. This August, the problem started recurring and I have been attempting to make an appointment in the last week, but none of the local dealers say they can repair this for some time. Most cannot even diagnose the problem for a week or two.

NHTSA ID

11544252

Incident

Aug 1, 2023

the secondary battery that sits in the trunk, above the back driver side tire had a short. the cable bunt out and my car reduced speed and it had me pull over. I did not know this is what had happened until i drove it again and i could no longer start it. the shift knob is locked and cant put it on drive or neutral. initializing wait to shift, theft deterrent system, transport mode on, stabilitrak, among other things popped up. Had that short sparked up into an actual fire, yes, my life could have been at risk as the car could have caught on fire. Due to it being a long weekend (memorial day weekend) I couldn't take it to a Chevy dealer. I am on an out of town trip for my kids soccer tournament. i currently have it sitting a tow yard waiting to take it to my house, and then towed to Chevy dealer in Hemet, CA, where I live.

NHTSA ID

11524202

Incident

May 27, 2023

In order to turn off the vehicle, the vehicle must be in park. I have experienced several incidences where, despite being in park (shifter is moved all the way forward and the “P” is red on the dash display), the vehicle will not turn off and states to shift to park to turn off. Sometimes I can just return the car to drive and then put it in to park again, but I have had several incidences where I was unable to turn off my vehicle after 10 or more tries to get it in to “park”.

NHTSA ID

11480658

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after his wife parked the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" message was displayed while the gear selector was shifted into park(P). The vehicle would not turn off until after several attempts; however, the failure recurred with the doors locking the contact's wife and 3 children inside of the vehicle. The contact's wife was able to turn off the vehicle while the brake pedal was depressed and the Start/Stop button was pressed and unlocked the doors with the key fob. The dealer was made aware of the failure and sent a tow truck to retrieve the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,733.

NHTSA ID

11461784

Incident

Apr 22, 2022

Mileage

57,733 mi

Car voltage stays very high (between 14.8 and 15 volts) for extended periods of time. At which point the windows have fogged up and there is a raw egg smell in the cabin - probably Sulfur. Both the hybrid and the 12v car battery are located in the truck and there are vents that draw air from the cabin to ventilate those batteries. The car voltage will also stay at 12.5 to 12.6 for extended periods of time. During both high and low periods numerous internal systems have failed, including bit not limited to steering assist, anti-locks bakes, Stabilitrack, On star, Hybrid Control Processor and ECM. Car has been brought to the dealer 3 times. First time (early November 2021) it was diagnosed with an hybrid inverter and a software update was installed. Issues continued. As of 12/28/21, Coggin Chevrolet (Jacksonville, FL) has had the car for 2 weeks and can't fix or confirm what is wrong with the car. I have received numerous e-mails from On-star with engine error codes as well as 5 messages saying there is an issue with the Electric Drive Unit in the car. The car has roughly 24K miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11445397

Incident

Nov 3, 2021

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.

NHTSA ID

11438741

Incident

Oct 25, 2021

Car accelerates on its own while I’m driving. In addition , without warning the car engines suddenly reduced speed. This has accrued while I’m on the freeway without any warnings.

NHTSA ID

11431293

Incident

Aug 31, 2021

Get "SHIFT TO PARK" after putting car in park to shut it off. I am unable to turn the car off - so do I leave it running in my garage? This is a known error that they charge to fix. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10186071-9999.pdf Attached is my bill to have this known error fixed.

NHTSA ID

11430077

Incident

Aug 16, 2021

SOMETIMES WHEN I PARK, EVEN THOUGH VEHICLE IS CLEARLY IN PARK, I RECEIVE A MESSAGE ON THE DASH THAT I NEED TO "SHIFT TO PARK". THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH MANY GM VEHICLES AND IF YOU LEAVE THE CAR LIKE THIS, IT WILL DRAIN YOUR BATTERY. I HAVE TO REPEATEDLY SHIFT OUT OF PARK AND BACK IN TO GET THE MESSAGE TO GO AWAY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WILL DO WHEN THIS STOPS WORKING. THE DATE OF "WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" IS THE MOST RECENT, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES.

NHTSA ID

11360250

Incident

Sep 20, 2020

Mileage

106,000 mi

HYBRID BATTERY CORROSION DUE TO FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT LETTING WATER INTRUDE INTO TRUNK. I WAS OUT OF COUNTRY FOR MOST OF 2019 AND WHEN I RETURNED I WENT THROUGH MAIL AND DISCOVERED A LETTER FROM GM STATING THAT WATER CAN GET INTO TRUNK AND CABIN FROM A CHMSL. I CHECKED MY TRUNK AND IT WAS FULL OF WATER AND METAL ITEMS ARE AND WERE OXIDIZED AS WELL AS THE HYBRID BATTERY IN THE TRUNK. THIS CORROSION WILL NOT STOP ONCE ESTABLISHED ESPECIALLY WITH CHARGED ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. AND PREMATURELY SHORTENING THE LIFE OF THE HYBRID BATTERY DUE TO POOR QUALITY AND DEFECTIVE NUTS USED TO SECURE THE CHMSL.

NHTSA ID

11310278

Incident

Feb 5, 2020

Mileage

20,068 mi

TWO TIMES IN 24 MONTHS AND APPROXIMATELY 62,000 MILES THE PRIMARY 12 VOLT BATTERY HAS FAILED. THIS FAILURE CAUSES THE TRUNK LOCK TO BECOME INOPERABLE. THE TRUNK CANNOT BE ACCESSED IN THIS SITUATION. BECAUSE THE TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE FAILED 12 VOLT BATTERY. ALSO THERE IS NO WAY TO FOLD THE REAR SEAT BACKS AS THE RELEASE LEVERS ARE LOCATED IN THE TRUNK. THIS SITUATION IS BOTH A SAFETY DANGEROUS HAZARD AND INCONVENIENCE. BOTH OF THESE OCCURRENCES HAPPENED WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED IN OUR GARAGE.

NHTSA ID

11300988

Incident

Jan 21, 2020

Mileage

62,400 mi

WITHIN 1 YEAR I BOUGHT BRAND NEW HYBRID MALIBU CAR FROM CHEVY DEALER, I HAD EXPERIENCED DEAD 12V BATTERY. DEALER REPLACED THE BATTERY WHICH I PAID EVEN THOUGH I THOUGHT IT SHOULD BE WITHIN WARRANTY. LAST NIGHT I EXPERIENCED 3RD DEAD BATTERY AGAIN AFTER I PARKED THE CAR FOR 7 HRS OFFICE WORK. THE 2ND TIME DEAD BATTERY OCCURED WAS LAST JUNE 2019 ONLY, DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE BATTRY. ITS A 3RD TIME THAT I EXPERIENCE DEAD BATTERY (STATIONARY/PARKED) FOR BRAND NEW CAR 2017 HYBRID MALIBU WITHIN 2 YEARS. OBVIOUSLY ITS NOT THE BATTERY ISSUE BUT ITS DESIGN OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. BEFORE AND DURING THE BATTERY ISSUE, I GOT STABILITRAK LIGHT ON AND STEERING ASSIST IN REDUCED ALARM AS WELL. I JUST WANT TO VENT MY FRUSTATION WITH THIS BRAND NEW CAR. HOPE OTHER CAR OWNERS WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS INFO. FOR 10 YEARS I NEVER HAD BATTRY ISSUE ON MY PREVIOUS CAR. THANKS

NHTSA ID

11291559

Incident

Dec 26, 2019

Mileage

9 mi

I PURCHASED A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU AS I AM A SALESMAN AND ON THE ROAD ALL DAY. MY REDUCE ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON. THE CAR IS NOT EVEN 2 YEARS OLD. I WAS ADVISED IT CAN BE THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR OR THROTTLE BODY. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE FOPR THE SAME CAR. WHY IS A BRAND NEW CAR HAVING THIS ISSUE?. I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND REDUSED SPEEDS TO 20 MPH AND ALMOST CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I CONTINUALLY NEED TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF CAR TOP RESET ITSELF. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS.

NHTSA ID

11221316

Incident

May 15, 2019

Mileage

76,000 mi

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE BACK IN AUGUST 2018. IN JANUARY 2019 I NOTICED THAT MY HEADLINER, BACK SEAT, AND TRUNK WAS WET AND IT SMELL MILDEWY. I HAVE 3 CHILDREN THAT HAVE ASTHMA AND I DON'T FEEL THAT IT IS SAFE FOR THEM. I TOOK IT BY THE DEALERSHIP AND SHOWED THEM THEY SAID THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT WELL THEY ORDERED A PART FOR THE VEHICLE AND STATED THEATER SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL ONGOING. I'VE BEEN BACK ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS AND THEY DID A WATER TEST AND CANNOT FIND THE SOLUTION. WHEN THE PROBLEM OCCURRED THE VEHICLE WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY AFTER IT RAINED THE PROBLEM DOESN'T SHOW UP RIGHT WAY IT MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF HOURS OR A DAY. I'M AFRAID THAT IT MAY BE MOLD IN MY HEADLINER AND IN BETWEEN MY SEATS AND TRUNK FROM THE WATER BEING STATIONARY. I KNOW OF A ANOTHER CAR SAME MAKE AND MODEL HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM AND WE ARE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE WITH THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ID

11182271

Incident

Jan 3, 2019

AFTER TRIP OF A FEW MILES AND AFTER TURNING OFF THE START/STOP(KEYLESS) SWITCH, THE SCREEN MESSAGED THAT THE REMOTE KEY WAS NOT DETECTED, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL IN THE CAR. NEITHER REMOTE KEYS WOULD NOT PERFORM ANY FUNCTION NOR WOULD MANUALLY PUSHING DOOR LOCKS OR SWITCH. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES REMOTE KEY OPERATION RETURNED.THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER. THE DEALER CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM. I AM WORRIED THAT THIS WILL STOP THE ENGINE IN A CRITICAL SITUATION.

NHTSA ID

11170929

Incident

Dec 21, 2018

Mileage

14,000 mi

THE CAR WAS PARKED AND I WAS EXITING MY VEHICLE. I PIVOTED TO CLOSE THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR. I ACCIDENTALLY DID NOT HAVE MY LEG FULLY CLEAR OF THE DOOR. THE WING TIP EDGE ACTED LIKE A SHOVEL AND TOOK OUT A PIECE OF SKIN ON MY LEG AS I CLOSED THE DOOR REQUIRING STITCHES. I WAS USING A NORMAL AMOUNT OF FORCE TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND WAS SHOCKED AT THE DAMAGE THE DOOR TIP DID TO MY LEG. IT WENT THROUGH THE SKIN LAYER DOWN TO THE MUSCLE. I BELIEVE THE WING TIP DESIGN OF FORWARD CAR DOORS ARE A SAFETY HAZARD AND RISK FOR INJURY. PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING THE EDGE MORE ROUNDED LIKE THE REAR DOORS. THE FILES I AM INCLUDING ARE FROM THE DAY OF INJURY (11/11/17) AND AFTER STITCHES (11/13/17).

NHTSA ID

11149817

Incident

Nov 11, 2017

Mileage

15,450 mi

MY REASON FOR WRITING IS MY CAR WAS STRUCK IN THE WINDSHIELD BY A ROCK REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE WINDSHIELD. AFTER THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED, I NOTICED UNDER CONDITIONS OF BRIGHT LIGHT SUCH AS A SUNNY DAY, I COULD NOT SEE CLEARLY THROUGH IT BECAUSE OF SIGNIFICANT REFLECTIONS OFF OF THE DASHBOARD. SEE PHOTO NUMBER 1. I DID BRING THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE CHEVROLET DEALER WHO REPLACED THE WINDSHIELD, AND THE GLASS COMPANY THAT SUPPLIED THE WINDSHIELD. THEY BOTH AGREED THE REFLECTIONS SEEMED UNUSUAL, BUT STATED THE AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT MET THE APPROPRIATE GLASS STANDARDS. SEE PHOTO 2 FOR THE GLASS MANUFACTURER. THEY SUGGESTED I REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WITH AN OEM REPLACEMENT, WHICH I PLAN TO DO FOR SAFETY REASONS. MY REASON FOR WRITING IS TO ASK IF YOU CAN TELL ME WHAT STANDARD FOR OPTICAL TRANSMISSION IS REQUIRED OF NON-OEM REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELDS. IF I CAN SHOW THAT THE WINDSHIELD DOES NOT MEET FEDERAL GLASS STANDARDS PERHAPS THEY MIGHT HELP WITH THE ADDED COST OF REPLACEMENT. I DO HAVE A GOOD TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING OF OPTICAL TRANSMISSION AND REFLECTANCE, AS I AM A RETIRED OPTOMETRIST. I MIGHT ADD THAT PART OF THE HIGH REFLECTANCE OF THE WINDSHIELD IS IN PART DUE TO THE ASH-GRAY INTERIOR COLOR, A DESIGN FLAW. HOWEVER, THE REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD IS MUCH MORE REFLECTIVE THAN THE ORIGINAL, BASED ON MY BEST RECOLLECTION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

NHTSA ID

11120520

Incident

Nov 18, 2017

Mileage

1,000 mi

THE CAR SOMETIMES HAS A HUGE DELAY AFTER YOU PUSH THE START BUTTON ON DASH TO ACTUALLY START, AND BEING A HYBRID THE CAR SHAKES BAD WHEN ENGINE STARTS, IT'S SOUNDA LIKE CRAP TO BE HONEST. I'VE GOT 12K MILES ON IT AND IT'S BEEN SERVICED AT CHEVY ONLY, AND THE [XXX] THING HAS A RATTLE IN THE DASH THEY 'CAN'T FIGURE OUT' AND THEY DON'T HEAR ANY ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE. AND THEY SAY IT'S NORMAL TO LAG THAT BAD WHEN STARTING, AS IT HAS TO 'POWER UP'. BUT WHEN CAR WAS NEW IT DIDN'T DO THAT PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11082119

Incident

Jan 15, 2018

Mileage

7,200 mi

6/13/2017 I WAS INVOLVED IN A 2 VEHICLE COLLISION ON A HIGHWAY. I WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN A VEHICLE PULLED OUT DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME, ATTEMPTING TO CROSS MY LANE OF TRAFFIC. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOWED. STAFF AT THE TOW SERVICE DISCOVERED THE REAR DOOR AIRBAGS HAD NEVER BEEN PLUGGED IN AT THE FACTORY. THIS IS A LACK OF QUALITY CONTROL AT MANUFACTURERS LEVEL.

NHTSA ID

11000133

Incident

Jun 13, 2017

Mileage

5,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU HYBRID. THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND IT FAILED TO TURN OFF AND CONTINUED BLINKING ONCE THE TURN WAS COMPLETED. THE CONTACT HAD TO MANUALLY TURN OFF THE BLINKER. ONE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND WAS UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE FIRST DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE A RECOMMENDED REPAIR SOLUTION. A SECOND DEALER INDICATED THAT THE CONDITION WAS NORMAL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70.

NHTSA ID

10939907

Incident

Jan 2, 2017

Mileage

70 mi