2016 Chevrolet Malibu Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 304about this part
- Share
- 36%of 841 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 52,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 304 complaints about the engine of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, 36% of the 841 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 52,000 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“While riding on the highway at 70mph I experienced a total loss of power. The car warned me and the engine light came on. I could not accelerate beyond 30 MPH. When I had it checked with a code sensor it told me there was an issue with the throttle position sensor. The code was p2138. This created a very dangerous situation on a quick moving highway.”
NHTSA complaint #11402725, filed 2021-03, 42,000 miles“I was coming to a stop at a traffic light. I received an alert on my dash reduced engine power and my check engine light came on. My car became much less responsive to pressing on the accelerator and seemed to be having trouble going more than ~30 MPH. An inspection of the problem gave the error code p2138 as the source of the issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11405011, filed 2021-03, 50,000 miles“Engine light came on and vehicle displayed reduced engine power . Vehicle lost acceleration and I had to pull to the side of the road. After turning off vehicle, waiting a minute, and restarting vehicle it ran ok for 5 minutes. Sometimes it runs longer before the light comes back on and I lose power again. This is dangerous!!!”
NHTSA complaint #11389297, filed 2021-01, 56,000 miles“When the car goes into the auto stop mode it completely dies and the light. No dash lights, no dome light, no hazard lights, literally nothing works. This has happened 3 times so far, and all three times I was in the middle of traffic. I'm not happy, I have had trouble out of this car with other issues sense I gotten it back in july of 2020”
NHTSA complaint #11385714, filed 2020-12, 98,000 miles“As I was exiting the highway the just slowed to a crawl . The screen said reduced engine power and wouldn't allow me to accelerate past 15 - 20 miles per hour. Luckily there were no cars following behind me at the time . I pulled over shut the car off and issue continued. I plugged up a code reader and got p2138”
NHTSA complaint #11396726, filed 2021-02, 87,577 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11026017Jun 5, 2025This service bulletin provides information on replacing the intake manifold when the engine is replaced after severe internal engine damage.
- 11024485May 15, 2025The service bulletin advises the tech of a normal transmission shift condition and the delay in throttle response when the throttle plate is opened rapidly and advises the…
- 11020254May 7, 2025This service bulletin provides information to dealership personnel for new vehicles with less than 1,000 miles that may not pass California smog inspection or smog inspection in…
- 11017876Apr 10, 2025This service bulletin provides a service procedure to correct conditions of Poor Engine Performance in Extremely cold weather conditions, CAC Icing, MIL Illuminated with DTCs set.
- 11017263Mar 25, 2025This bulletin advises the technician to flush the cooling system multiple times if oil has been found in the cooling system and replace the parts that may be contaminated due to…
- 11016942Mar 4, 2025This bulletin advises the technician to flush the cooling system multiple times if oil has been found in the cooling system and replace the parts that may be contaminated due to…
- 11014230Jan 31, 2025This bulletin advises the dealers to maintain the vehicle stock on hand by doing a full inspection on the vehicles before being sold (prepping) to the customer.
- 11014233Jan 30, 2025This service bulletin provides service information to technicians on guidelines to replace Oil Cooler, Oil Cooler Lines and Oil Tank if the engine was replaced where large…
- 11013069Jan 9, 2025This bulletin provides information on identifying Non-GM Engine Calibrations for Gasoline Engines using the Tech 2 or GDS 2.
- 11011900Nov 22, 2024This diagnostic tip bulletin provides additional information on how to diagnose a possible valve, lifter or camshaft issue.
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | 7% |
| 2023 | 13 | 18% |
| 2022 | 29 | 29% |
| 2021 | 15 | 17% |
| 2020 | 59 | 30% |
| 2019 | 65 | 34% |
| 2018 | 281 | 40% |
| 2017 | 253 | 36% |
| 2016 | 304 | 36% |
| 2015 | 70 | 26% |
| 2014 | 125 | 36% |
| 2013 | 204 | 24% |
| 2012 | 99 | 11% |
| 2011 | 160 | 16% |
| 2010 | 115 | 8% |
| 2009 | 61 | 4% |
| 2008 | 62 | 6% |
| 2007 | 28 | 3% |
| 2006 | 33 | 3% |
| 2005 | 49 | 5% |
| 2004 | 17 | 1% |
| 2003 | 47 | 8% |
| 2002 | 22 | 4% |
| 2001 | 26 | 4% |
| 2000 | 19 | 2% |
| 1999 | 5 | 1% |
| 1998 | 2 | 0% |
| 1997 | 4 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
222 complaintsOther or unknown
177 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
166 complaintsVehicle speed control
152 complaintsBrakes
104 complaintsElectronic stability control
76 complaintsFuel system
54 complaintsSteering
42 complaintsBody and structure
40 complaintsExterior lighting
19 complaintsSuspension
19 complaintsAir bags
18 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology