There are 37 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2020 Chevrolet Malibuin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The shifter will not read when the vehicle has been placed in park.
Th e brakes are not working at all. We have to go slow then the brakes are hard to press. Th I s makes it keep driving anc brake pedal doesn't stop it.
A liAdjustmentght came on my dashboard. State power engine reduce period then it stalls when I press my foot down on the accelerator not giving it any power to go period then when I try to break it actually pushes my foot back off and it's hard to break period and when I press the start button to turn the engine on. It turns right back off after about.Maybe four or five seconds and no I just had to have a towed to my home. The special Coverage adjustment code in 182188250 is what my vehicle would apply to, but that code only covers the 2016 and 2018 models. What can I do now? Because it is under that code. But the dealerships won't cover it because they're saying my model is not but twenty twenty I need help please. I have 132k miles. Good condition. Why wouldn't letter models be covered under the same act?What would make it stop if it's doing the same thing?It did for those twenty sixteen and twenty eighteen models
Shift to park
Will not shift into park with out hitting the shifting lever
Shift to park
I was driving in the interstate at about 4pm on May 16th and the check engine light came on. Thus is nothing new because since I bought the car on Feb. 14th, 2024 the check engine light is on about 75% of the time. I went to use my brakes and the pedal was hard as a rock. I had to use both feet to depress the pedal to get the car to slow down. I brought the car to Autozone and they did a scan and it showed the Power Brake Booster Vacuum Sensor needed replacement. I ordered it and had a friend who is a mechanic replace it and the problem still persisted. My friend thought it was the Power Brake Booster Vacuum Pump. I ordered it and he replaced it and the brakes are back to normal. My research regarding this has found that his is a VERY common issue with this vehicle which has lead to costly repairs for many people and has resulted in a class action lawsuit. This is a SERIOUS safety issue! When a person can’t hardly press their brakes when driving that endangers the lives of the driver, the occupants of the car and every other person on the road. Why do we have to wait for people to be killed before this is fixed?
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, an unknown warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stopped at a traffic signal and after depressing the accelerator pedal when the light changed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts, but the vehicle failed to exceed 5 MPH while accelerating. The contact stopped and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, the battery was replaced, and the system was reset; however, the failure reoccurred and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the front wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
“shift to park” message appears after car has already been shifted to park. Will not allow car to be turned off as the car thinks it’s still not in park. Known issue with earlier models of the malibu that warranted a recall of models 2019 and before. Seems like this is a continued issue in the 2020 model
Malibu displays “shift to park” message because of a known issue with the electronic shifter. The shifter fails to detect when the vehicle is properly in park, requiring adjustments until the system recognizes the correct gear position. Informed by dealer to just move gear shift back and forth until message clears then can turn off vehicle. This can take up to 10-15 minutes. Also advised to keep emergency break on or vehicle could roll away!!! Apparently this is a known issue per the mechanic. Said the electronic shifter may or may not resolve this and if it doesn't resolve the problem can also affect the transmission.
My car is in Park. But the dash board is flashing Shift to park. I need to turn it off and on multiple times until it finally stops. I can not lock my car if this is happening and I can’t just let it go because it will drain my battery.
The problems listed in my vehicle are the following • U0073: Control Module Communication Bus A Off • U0100: Lost Communication With Engine Control Module • U0121: Lost Communication with Electronic Brake Control Module • U0140: Lost Communication With Body Control Module • P0700: Transmission Control Module Requested MIL Illumination I believe this is due to a bad design in the wiring. Also the electric brake vacuum broke which is a common problem.
Yes my car has just started to displaying a shift to park message on the message center when you shift the car into park. I know there are recalls on 2016-2019 Malibu and now it’s doing it on my 2020. Come on Chevy
So far it is only once in a while when I shift into park and turn off the engine the ‘Shift to Park’ message will be displayed in the dash. Sometimes I can jiggle the shift lever a little to make it go out, other times I have to start/stop engine , shift out and into park several times to make it go out. I don’t want to leave the vehicle without making sure it’s in park. I read in another complaint that the doors won’t lock, and that it goes into accessory mode and could drain the battery down if left that way, but I did not check if that happens on my vehicle. It just started doing this a few weeks ago. I have not contacted the dealership yet, but I understand that GM has put out a recall on the Malibu and other models concerning this issue. I am hoping it will cover my VIN. number soon. Thank you for taking time to read my complaint.
After pressing the button to turn the vehicle off the message board displays a "shift to park" alert. The vehicle will not completely turn off until you clear the message. I do not know how to clear the message so the vehicle will completely turn off and to keep this from happening again. It requires me to turn the vehicle off, restart it, put it in drive, stop, put it in park, then turn it off. Simply turning the vehicle off and back on does not clear the message. It takes me at least 3 tries to get the vehicle to finally turn off normally without the "shift to park" message. This does not happen every single time when I turn the vehicle off and at no particular frequency. It is very annoying because it happens when you least expect it. When you are on a time schedule you do not have 5-10 minutes to re-start and turn off the vehicle again numerous times to get the message to disappear. It is also not good for the engine and transmission components to keep having to go through this process. This issue has been occuring for approximately 1 year. I thought it was fixed because the message stopped coming up for awhile but the issue is occurring again at no particular frequency. Please check into this and issue a recall. From what I can see, I am not the only one having this issue.
The TMC and MAF sensor goes out within 100,000 Mileage
Shift to park detected when I have gear in park
Where the warnings appear, it keeps saying shift to park. If this continues the car battery will not work.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to exceed 15 MPH. The Power Steering Reduced and Service ESC messages were displayed, and the check engine and low fuel warning lights were illuminated. The engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was cold. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was carbon build up. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced and the orifice tube needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
UNKNOWN- Complaint about Vehicle Turning Off While Reversing Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to bring to your attention an incident that occurred on August 9, 2023, involving my vehicle unexpectedly turning off while I was reversing. I believe this incident raises concerns regarding the safety and reliability of my vehicle, and I would appreciate your assistance in addressing this matter. On the mentioned date, as I was reversing, my vehicle suddenly shut off, leaving me with no choice but to place it in park and restart it. This unexpected shutdown created a hazardous situation and caused inconvenience. To ensure the safety of myself and others on the road, it is crucial to identify the underlying cause of this issue and take appropriate measures to prevent its recurrence. I have already taken some initial steps to investigate the problem, such as checking the battery terminals for security and corrosion. However, as a layperson, I am not equipped with the necessary expertise to accurately diagnose the problem. Therefore, I kindly request your expertise and resources to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter. It is my understanding that the NHTSA plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and reliability of vehicles on the roads. I believe that by investigating incidents like mine, you contribute to the overall safety and well-being of drivers and passengers nationwide. I urge you to consider this incident as an opportunity to identify any potential defects or safety concerns that may exist within my vehicle model or its components. I would greatly appreciate it if you could guide me on the appropriate steps to take in order to initiate an investigation into this matter. If there are any specific forms or documents I need to complete, please let me know, and I will be prompt in providing the necessary information. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your guidance and support
Showing 1–20 of 37 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 26, 2026