2016 Chevrolet Malibu Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu most often describe the car failing to recognize it is in Park, which leaves lights and radio on and can drain the battery, and episodes where the dash shows reduced engine power and the car drops to a crawl. Brake pedal firmness or failure, water leaking in around the rear window and third brake light, and stability-control warnings also come up repeatedly, with many reports in the 40,000-90,000 mile range.

1. 1
   Engine

   Reduced engine power / limp mode while driving

   • 215 complaints (26%)
   • median 56,500 mi at 4.1 yrs old (134 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $610 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2017–2026

   The check engine light comes on with a reduced engine power message and the car will not accelerate past about 20-25 mph. Some owners say the accelerator pedal or its position sensor was the diagnosed cause, and restarting sometimes restores normal operation for a while. Complaints describe these episodes at highway and city speeds. Reported across a wide range, often around 40,000-80,000 miles, sometimes at higher mileage.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Scan for stored engine and throttle-pedal codes, and ask whether the accelerator pedal assembly or wiring has been serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving on my way to work and all of a sudden my cars lights come on the dash and say service stabilitytrak soon and reduced engine power as well as the check engine light. The car decrease speed to 25 MPH and almost caused a wreck. I was not able to go over 25 miles an hours and was finally able to pull off and stop”

   NHTSA complaint #11321534, filed 2020-04, 120,000 miles

   “I was driving and my car had a message that said engine power reducing and the car dropped speed on the highway to 15mph and almost caused a wreck. Now my engine light is on since then. My car has been in and out the shop since I brought it brand new 0 miles for some type of engine related failure, sensors etc. My warranty has expired and now I am forced to pay out of pocket for maintence.”

   NHTSA complaint #11318199, filed 2020-03, 70,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Shift to Park message, car won't shut off

   • 182 complaints (22%)
   • median 40,500 mi at 4.0 yrs old (115 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $560 (median of 12 quotes)
   • filed 2016–2026

   After shifting into Park, the dash displays a "Shift to Park" message even though the lever is in Park. The car then may not shut off, doors won't lock, and the radio, dash and interior lights stay on, which owners say drains the battery. Several had the shifter or transmission control module replaced, and some report the message returning later. Mostly reported between roughly 11,000 and 80,000 miles, often after a stop when the driver tries to turn the car off.

   Recall 16V5020001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Confirm the car turns off cleanly and locks after every shift into Park, and ask whether the shifter assembly or control module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2016 chevy Malibu ls.. At times my engine will not shut off. I have to keep starting and trying to turn off . An alert says please put in park, I do and hold it in park but difficult to turn off. This happens when I have stopped at the store , home or wherever iam going to leave the vehicle. This has happened many times , the worst was two days ago at home, tuesday , august 25, 2020”

   NHTSA complaint #11351612, filed 2020-08, 61,300 miles

   “My shift to park indicator displays on the dash when my car is already in park. The car can't be turned off until the indicator goes off. I usually change gears and put back in park or push it harder while it is already in park. I had this repaired on 9/14/18. The chevy dealership replaced the transmission control shift level selector. It is now doing it again. It started that shift to park again on 8/7/2020.”

   NHTSA complaint #11348498, filed 2020-08, 30,298 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brakes hard, soft or slow to stop

   • 168 complaints (20%)
   • median 62,114 mi at 3.8 yrs old (119 state mileage)
   • 13 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $900 (median of 10 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe the brake pedal becoming firm or needing extra force to stop, or sinking toward the floor, often with a grinding noise. Some were told the ABS system or brake vacuum pump had failed, and in a few cases the pedal did not release normally. Dealers handled these as individual repairs rather than a single known fix. Most often reported between about 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 16V272000

   What to check: Test the pedal on a long stop for firmness or noise, and ask whether the brake vacuum pump or ABS module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We had been driving for over an hour to our destination as I came to the second red light that was right past one we just passed with no problems, the brakes made a loud noise underneath the car and brakes would not work. As I pulled to the side of the road, you had to press brakes with both feet and everytime it would make a loud sound.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326624, filed 2020-05, 64,423 miles

   “While driving to my job and I pressed on the pedal brake, it felt like the brakes was having trouble to brake so I had to brake hard and drive carefully. It would make a sound when I would press down on the pedal. Took it to a mechanic and he told me that the ABS is broken and that's what giving me a hard time to brake. He checked all of my brakes are still good and nothing wrong with them.”

   NHTSA complaint #11307181, filed 2020-02, 75,000 miles
4. 4
   Electronic stability control

   Stability control warning light

   • 126 complaints (15%)
   • median 64,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (91 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,800 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   The StabiliTrak or stability control light comes on, sometimes with the check engine light and shaking or hard braking. Some owners were told the ABS or electronic brake control module was at fault, and others describe it appearing alongside the reduced power message. Reported mostly between about 50,000 and 90,000 miles, sometimes reoccurring after repair.

   Recall 16V272000

   What to check: Ask for a scan of stored ABS and stability-control codes, and confirm whether the electronic brake control module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My electronic control system is misfiring for a few days now. It is causing my stability control light to come in and also my engine light. When the stability light comes on my car shakes a little bit while driving. I put my vehicle on a diagnostic test and the codes came back that the ECM is misfiring”

   NHTSA complaint #11299596, filed 2020-01, 60,000 miles

   “My stability track light has been coming on for 2 days now and it is now causing my vehicle to shake when I am driving it. I am definitely concerned because this is a safety hazard. The light came on once last month as well, but now the light is appearing more frequently.”

   NHTSA complaint #11298491, filed 2020-01, 60,000 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Water leaks at rear window / third brake light

   • 61 complaints (7%)
   • median 39,000 mi at 3.4 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • filed 2017–2025

   Water enters around the third brake light and rear window, soaking the trunk, headliner and rear seats. Owners report standing water around the spare tire and mildew smells, and some say the brake light housing was loose or not fully sealed. Repairs reported include resealing or replacing the light housing. Reported from roughly 15,000 to 95,000 miles, often noticed after rain or a car wash.

   What to check: Check the trunk and headliner for water stains or mildew, and look at whether the third brake light housing sits tight and sealed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On the both back side, where the seat belts are next to small windowand top part of roof waterbis leaking in when I wash my car and maybe even when it rains. There probably mildew, and rust. Also when I park my car the warning light says put car in park, but its in park.”

   NHTSA complaint #11362661, filed 2020-10, 36,000 miles

   “I first noticed the problem on my 2016 Malibu ls when going through a car wash. I'm not sure when exactly the issue happened, but according to the body shop it appears to be faulty designing. The water and chemicals were leaking at the rear window. Heavy rains would also result in the car leaking non-stop. I took the car in and the found that the third brake light was not secured fully and water was spilling through there. Apparently it was lose to the point where it didn't take much to take the light out. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11372857, filed 2020-11, 27,000 miles

Buying note. Have a mechanic scan for engine, ABS and stability-control codes and check the shifter behavior and trunk for water before buying. Confirm which open recalls have been performed, since several cover the same areas as the common complaints.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.