There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibuin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I was driving my car on the highway and the car begin to feel like it was about to shut off. Shortly after, the car check engine light turned on with a warning sign on dashboard stating “engine reduce.” the check engine is still on and my mechanic states my turbo needs to be replaced. I have an appointment for second consult with chevy dealer to verify.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the message to depress the brake pedal and shift to park(P) was displayed. The vehicle was restarted but stalled again. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure only occurred while driving at speeds below 40 MPH. The vehicle was returned to the same mechanic, and it was determined that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the PCV valve and the valve cover were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and advised that the oxygen sensor was not OEM and replaced the Oxygen sensor with an OEM part. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and reprogramed the hybrid engine control module. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The contact had not taken the vehicle back to the dealer or to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact informed the manufacturer of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low engine power" message was displayed. The contact was able to arrive at the destination where the vehicle stalled and was unable to restart. The check engine 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 124,000.
Reduced engine power that causes vehicle to lose power at dangerously low speeds.
Fuel leaking from engine
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to exceed 20 MPH. The engine power reduced message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the accelerator pedal position sensor and the battery had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the engine also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
Engine power reduced
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Engine Power Reduced" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. Due to the issue, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, and the contact was forced to pull over and turn off the vehicle. The contact waited approximately 30-40 minutes before restarting the vehicle and resuming normal driving. The vehicle was previously taken to a dealer; however, no codes were found. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be caused by the floormat being under the accelerator pedal. The contact had the floormat removed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure, and another appointment was scheduled to service the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. In addition, the message that there was no power was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a blown spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,200.
P0301 Error - Cylinder 1 Misfire. First the Check Engine light and Service Stabilitrack light turn on. Then seconds later, the car began to violently shake and sometimes the gas will not go resulting in the car being stuck in the middle of the road for about 60 seconds before moving again in stop-and-go traffic. These warning lights turn off and on. The dealer says this is the result of a plastic piece breaking due to general wear-and-tear and the only solutions are to replace the pistons or replace the whole engine. Multiple smaller repair shops say this is a known issue and it doesn't have any open recalls. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving my vehicle the engine light turned on with a message stating ‘engine power reduced’. I am unable to drive over 20 miles per hour.
I keep getting a message that goes on and off saying engine power reduced, which slows the pick up and the car down while driving.
The vehicle showed no warning signs prior. The vehicle was being driven and it STOPPED as it If the breaks had been pressed in the middle of driving on a highway. Afterwards a message popped up that said engine power reduced. After that message appeared the car came to a stop and would not start back up.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during cold weather, the engine would overheat, with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was Hot(H). In addition, the contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated and the "Reduce Power Mode" message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a mechanic discovered an accumulation of ice and sludge on the throttle body. Due to the failure, the oil became contaminated when released from the throttle body. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 10228956 (Engine and Engine Cooling); which the contact linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the service bulletin. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
My dash warning lights came on and the engine shut off. The battery voltage seems fine, and the car will start but only run for a short time. I cannot drive it for fear of stopping on a highway or main road.
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the reduced speed warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. The vehicle decelerated and the brake pedal became stiff while depressed, while the RMP’s fluctuated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the vacuum pump was replaced; however, the contact stated that the RPM’s was still fluctuating. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving, if the accelerator pedal was not depressed, the vehicle would shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH while driving. The contact stated that a DTC code for the camshaft was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
“Engine power reduce” error on dash as well as check engine light. Driving on highway at fast speeds when this message displayed and my cars mph dropped to 30mph. I’ve had this issue fixed once already with the dealership and it turned out to be the sensor throttle or something with the pedal. Yet, 5 months later, I am having the SAME problem. This is very unsafe
My wife has had this happen three times now in her Malibu: she's driving on the interstate and the engine suddenly loses power. A light comes on that says "engine low power mode," and the check engine light comes on. She has to complete the journey at low speed (less than 30 mph). Once she gets home, shuts the car off, opens the door, and when she comes back and restarts it 10 minutes later, it's fine. Today, it didn't shut the check engine life off, so we brought it in for diagnostic. We researched online and found the class action suit for "accelerator pedal sensor" being faulty. We believe this is what's going on. It's currently at the garage getting diagnosed. This is a known, dangerous issue that GM should take responsibility for!
The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the engine power reduced message displayed and the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the air intake system was faulty. The mechanic cleaned the air intake system; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026