2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU Power Train Problems

This is a 2020 Malibu with only 18,000 miles on it now. We are having intermittent loss of power. Car will be moving fine when suddenly it looses power when pulling into traffic from a stop. It has also happened on the highway(right after leaving the dealer service department) when going to pass a vehicle…all of a sudden power drops and rpms go up and car slows up. When it suddenly happens, pulling into traffic is very slow. The only way to get power back is to turn off traction control via a button. It is back at the dealer now. They have had it the last two weeks. They fixed a shift to park issue but cannot duplicate the loss of power. So they are saying it is ready to pick up. Once, recently, a check engine light come on along with a message saying something like low power mode. We went straight to the dealer with the vehicle. They had the car for three five out of six weeks and were able to duplicate the loss of power once. We wanted them to contact Chevy to help resolve this, but we are unsure if they actually did. These problems first were serviced in April of 2024. This car is very scary to be in, the way this happens and when it is happening.

My vehicle displays a "shift to park" message on the dashboard, even when the gear selector is in the park position. This prevents the car from being shut off, and in sometimes, the doors may not be able to be locked. Not understanding the issue initially has thus caused me to have to replace my car battery numerous times for battery drainage.

Problems with my transmission for over two years, I’ve searched the website and have taken it to a dealership since. The vehicle has had a hard shift and problems to accelerate. The issue continues to get worse and my car has stopped while in drive, only allowing me to go backwards. It was within warranty and low miles. I was told that that’s what new cars do. Transmission fluid has always been full and topped off. In order to know what is wrong I am told I would have to pull my transmission and was suggested to replace it because it would be an easier fix. The steering also pulls. I’ve contacted the dealership and was told to contact Chevy for recall and since it was not in their data they could do nothing for me.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal properly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who discovered metal debris inside the transmission and advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

Mileage: 106,000

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and shifting from drive(D) to park(P) the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact had shifted to park (P). The contact repeatedly shifted from neutral(N) to park(P) before the warning light turned off. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. Additionally, if the contact had not reset the "Shift to Park" issue, the electrical system and the audible chime were still active even though the vehicle was turned off. The contact had not yet taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

Transmission is snatching in drive and reverse. the car has 32,200 miles on it. it was purchased brand new. Need for front struts and rear shocks. Customer is 79 years old and don't understand why warranty want cover any of this.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and restart the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that her husband scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P1101(Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor Circuit Performance Issue). The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was diagnosed by another independent mechanic as a second opinion, with a Fuel/PCM Failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,400.

Mileage: 88,400

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to park the vehicle, after placing the gear shifter in park(P), while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

Mileage: 113,000

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Reduced" was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated and failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact was able to drive to the destination and turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Special Coverage Adjustment Number: N182188250; however, the model year was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

Mileage: 131,000

Put the car in drive and it sounded like a bomb went off and the car jerked very hard. Every light on the dash came on. The car did not want to go…when shutting off the car it says it is NOT in park and it is.

My car is displaying a "Shift to Park" message on the dashboard even when the shifter is already in the park position, preventing the vehicle from being turned off and potentially leading to a dead battery or the vehicle rolling away. The "Shift to Park" issue poses safety risks, as it can prevent drivers from turning off their vehicles and potentially lead to unintended movement. This issue is getting worse everyday.

P1101 AIR FLOW SYSTEM! I replacement almost every things ,but still have the p1101 code Park to Shift!

Car is not recognizing that is in park and displays a "shift to park message". Chevy has yet to address this WELL known issue and expects consumers to pay $700-$1000 for something they should be required to fix. This is a major safety issue

When putting my car in park and turning the car off I get a shift to park message.

When putting the vehicle into park, the vehicle says it is still not into park even though we shift it into park. The vehicle will roll down a grade.

Park switch in gear shift is faulty

I had a constant message when turning off the car to shift to park. When the car was off, it would say shift to park on my screen. Apparently there is a recall for this, but my VIN number was not included in the recall. I had Several instances where I had been driving and my brakes locked up, and it caused my car to stall out. I would have to turn my car off and back on and sometimes it would work and that message would go away to shift to park. I eventually had to get a new transmission on a four-year-old car.

When the car was turned off a message appeared that said shift the park the gear indicator already stated the car was in park and the car gear shift was already in park. Looked into this issue and apparently there is an open recall for the year and make of my car but it for some reason does not include my vin number

"Shift to park" error message and "engine power is reduced" error message

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the shift-to-park warning light was illuminated. The contact shifted the gear shifter until the warning light turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission shifter assembly. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 31,803.

Mileage: 31,803

Trouble going into forward gears. hard shifts into reverse. Hard idle, had transmission valve body replaced in october. Same issues before and after replacement

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed while the gear shifter was already in park(P). The contact stated that upon shifting out of park(P) and shifting back to park(P) several times, the vehicle failed to respond as needed, and the failure persisted. The contact stated that upon researching the failure online, the contact became aware that it was a common failure and that the battery needed to be disconnected. The contact disconnected the battery. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Mileage: 75,000

Shift to park issue . When the car is shifted to park, the system does not recognize the car is in park mode even though the stick is in Park. It starts beeping and that dash board screen shows SHIFT to PARK. It happened several times in October 2024. The dealer says it does not cover under the warranty and it has on 20000 miles and bought in 2021.

Vehicle will say shift to park and also can't use the limp mode and manually shift gears and also can't be used outside of 1st and 2nd gear

My vehicle will not shut off. It states "shift to park". Sometimes it takes 30 minutes of trying to get the car to shut off. Since this began, we were on a road trip, it's causing issues with accelerating on the highway & I believe it's damaging the transmission. 2020 Chevy Malibu had other models under recall for this same reason. I called Chevy dealership & they said they cannot help me. They told me to contact General Motors. I have a [XXX] baby, I'm [XXX] & lost my job after maternity leave. This should be resolved as it's causing me anxiety to drive it with my child in the car. Please help me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the shift to park error message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Mileage: 68,000

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled prior to accelerating. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with power train control module failure. The contact was informed that the power train control module needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to contact the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of an unknown recall campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,765.

Mileage: 77,765

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while shifting into park(P), the vehicle rolled backward before the contact could shift the vehicle into park(P). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the contact stated that she was not notified of what had been repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The contact drove the vehicle back to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Mileage: 70,000

Car is indicating "Shift to Park" after placing in park and turning off. Unable to lock vehicle. Lights remain on. Took vehicle to dealer though it's a widely known issue I will be required to pay? Transmission was replaced at 35K due to manufacturing defect. Every 20k miles I'm going to have more transmission issues? It's just not right!

I was driving down the road and the car started slowing down and even when I would give it gas wouldn’t accelerate. After pullling over and allowing the cars behind me to pass I tried to pull back out into traffic and the car would not engage into gear. When giving the car gas it didn’t move. I shifted the transmission into park and tried shifting into every gear including reverse and the car wouldn’t go anywhere I had to sit in the road for about 20 minutes then the car shift very hard into drive and began accelerating. Now when trying to drive it every time it stalls out either when first trying to back up or take off or decelerates while driving down the road making me fearful for my life due to being hit from behind sue to no notice or warning before the car decelerates

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to exit the vehicle; however, the shift to park message was displayed on the instrument panel. The Push to Start button was illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

Mileage: 51,000

engine misfire, shift to park and transmission

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and while attempting to turn off the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact shifted out of park(P) and shifted back to park(P) several times until vehicle responded as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while her daughter had attempted to turn off the vehicle while the vehicle was parked. The contact's daughter was unable to successfully shift to park(P) and allowed the vehicle to turn off independently after a while. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

Mileage: 56,000

When this issue first started. My display said put the driver window down then back up. Seconds after following this prompt my car display says shift to park. I was already in park and had shut the engine off. When I open the driver door my horn beeps 2 times and my start button is yellow not allowing me to turn the vehicle completely off. As the days pass my 2020 Chevy Malibu now says shift to park Everytime I go to get out of it. Today when this happened I was trying to get it to read my vehicle was in park for about 20-30 minutes. Finally after wiggling my shifter the display disappeared.

The gear shift DOES NOT recognize when the car is in park. The entire transmission was replaced last year under warranty, but the gear shift is not covered. When putting the car in park, the screen shows “P” for park, but also displays “!Shift to Park!” and beeps nonstop. When this issue first happened, a simple jiggle of the gear shift handle would make it go away. Over time it turned into yanking the shift, then moving from park to drive and back again over and over, then driving around the parking lot and trying to turn it off repeatedly, and now today the car did not shut off for 3 hours despite all of my efforts. I have been late to work MANY times, I have drained my battery several times, and my anxiety has never been higher with this car. The engine turns off, but the battery stays on. My husband had to unhook the battery entirely from under the hood for it to turn off after THREE HOURS. After doing research, I found it would be over $300 to replace the entire assembly (plus labor), and 2020-21 models are not covered under this recall affecting LITERALLY EVERY OTHER MALIBU IN EXISTENCE. PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fix the problem!!! recall this PLEASE! I cannot afford to fix this myself (with no guarantee it would even fix the issue) and cannot afford to buy a different car. This is ridiculous!!!!!!!

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Car had numerous times of completely turning off mid drive and was taken into a certified dealer for inspection, with a conclusion that nothing was wrong. The transmission has failed (03/22/24) and has been recently replaced upon diagnostics from certified dealer. 2 days later after receiving vehicle from transmission fix (04/20/2024) the vehicle began to experience Electronic Stability Control errors and caused steering assist to also fail mid drive and cause a locked steering wheel. These errors occurred (04/22/2024 and 04/23/2024) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? All of these factors explained above have happened during a drive and has put me at risk of numerous accidents that could have been fatal. The most recent one dated above, happened in the middle of the road with little to no where to safely pull over and restart the car system. Again, could have resulted in a fatal accident. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Electronic errors of the vehicle shutting off was unable to be reproduced or confirmed by dealer. Transmission failure has been confirmed and replace. ESC and steering assist has yet to be confirmed from dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? This vehicle has been inspected by numerous dealers and or auto shops with little to no help in fixing any problems. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? I also have warning lights from all times I have experienced failures or warnings from the vehicle and will be providing this.

The power train may be defective. The auto shut off on the vehicle completely shuts off when you stopped at a red light. The entire vehicle restarts, and then 12 lights appear on the dashboard. The car starts shaking sometimes when it's being driven. The vehicle is currently being looked at, at the dealership. I was told that the diagnostics is reading 19 codes and misfires.

After you shift the car into park and shut the motor off, the car flashes a warning on the instrument panel to shift the car into park. Which it already is. Appears there was a recall for this for 2016-2019 cars, but not the 2020 year like mine. Happens consistently.

My vehicle malibu2020. When I park sometimes It says shift to park sign. On dash board. The makes it difficult for car. To shut. off i have to keep pressing the plus and minus sign on the gear shift to cut off.

I put the car in park and it says a message that says shift to park but I am in park already and now my battery keeps draining and the lights on shifter blink continuously when I’m in park if I click shift button the message goes away but I don’t think it should be doing this and I’m not the only person from what I have read.

Vehicle through a "service engine" and lost partial power. The vehicle slowed considerably and was not able to accelerate as expected. Fortunately, this was rush hour traffic and it was slow. Normally, the traffic moves at 60 MPH plus or minus 5 MPH. The loss of power on I10 can be extremely unsafe. The dealer revealed that our car had a scan code P0299. They cleaned the Thottle Body and stated it was the likely problem. However, they said they tested the crank case pressure and it was at 0 PSI, instead of the expected vacuum. There was no indication, that crank case pressure or the PCV was the root problem. I pointed out that crank case should be measured in INH2O. I think they mis diaganosed and were trying to lead me to replace the PCV, and ultimately the turbocharger itself. I think it is probably a sensor or perhaps another component. I took my car away from the lot and will report any other incidents or findings.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine revved loudly while coming to a stop. Additionally, the vehicle lost motive power while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer confirmed that the vehicle performed as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 21-NA-004 (Continuously Variable Transmission). The failure mileage was 27,344.

Mileage: 27,344

Shift to Park Alarm will not stop beeping. Looked into it on the internet found it to be a known issue with GM. Can prevent the doors from unlocking and would drain battery and annoyance. Replaced shifter assembly at a cost of $567.28 I believe GM knows of the issue and should recall the defective parts. I am making this complaint on behalf of my 85 year old Mother that purchased the 2020 Malibu with the remaining 3 year/36000 miles warranty. In November of 2022 she had the Alarm Shift to Park come up and would not stop. I return the car to the shop where she purchased it, expecting the issue to be covered by warranty. I found out the car was put in service in August of 2019 making the warranty expired. The mechanic that replaced the shifting assembly explained the problem to me and gave me the defective part. When researching the problem I found that GM it aware of the issue and should recall and fix the problem. I have contacted GM but they refuse to reemburse me. I filed a complaint with the BBB and I see that there is a class action lawsuit over this issue. I have my complaint on file in hope that GM will voluntarily recall or be forced to if enough people complain.

Shift to park error, No power to car, reduced engine power, camshaft positioning error, brakes failed (completely went hard unable to press) almost causing crash.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the odometer and tachometer readings were incorrect. The Services ESC, power steering, power steering assist, and check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was turned off and restated and operated normally; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became stiff and the vehicle lost power brakes functionality. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by an authorized dealer. The failure mileage was 65,000.

Mileage: 65,000

A few days ago, when I put the car in park and turned it off, there was a message on the screen saying "Shift to Park." It was in park. I could not get out of the car because it was still getting power. If I tried to lock the doors, it sounded the alarm. I had to turn the car on and off multiple times to get it to go away. It would've drained the battery if I'd left it. Who knows if it was really in park either. It's been doing it ever since. I called the dealer and they want $350 to fix it. The guy told me they've been seeing this on Malibu's and "now it's happening on the Traverse models, too." I've been reading online how this has been happening since at least 2016, but there is no recall. Why NOT?? This is dangerous and they're aware of the problem. They've issued service bulletins on how to fix it!

The shifter gear control/ shifter assembly keeps failing on and off. It’ll give me a warning shift to park. It did this while drive on a major highway then my car loss all power as I was in the second lane causing so much safety concerns. It is also alerting me when I’m in park now that I need to shift to park more frequently. Extreme issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would intermittently hesitate and stall with the traction control and check engine warning lights illuminated. Once the vehicle stalled, the contact had to wait a few minutes before successfully restarting the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer on multiple occasions however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate or determine the cause of the failure. The contact had the pistons, battery terminal, transmission, and wiring harness replaced; however, the failure persisted after each repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

I need my pistons and rings replaced. My car only has 57,000 miles. My car has been diagnosed with excessive piston blowby from 2 different independent service centers. Both times I have been to Chevy to get it fixed under warranty, they’ve charged me $200 for diagnostics each time and told me it is my PCV valve that needs fixed. I had them fix my PCV valve and I still have excessive piston blowby. Chevy just wants to keep bringing my car back in for more diagnostics. I have spoken with GM customer service 2 times and somehow every single time I give them my VIN they hang up. My car is a 2020 with only 57,000 miles on it. There’s absolutely no reason why I should need all new pistons and rings and why Chevy service centers won’t just get it done! I have diagnostic reports, receipts, and videos of everything.

1. Something under the car hood is making a whistle type noise. Is available for inspection. 2. I don't know if it is a safety risk. 3. The problem has not been confirmed by the dealer. 4. The vehicle was inspected by the dealership. 5. There were no warning lamps on or anything. The whistling appeared under the hood around May 23,2021. 6. The whistling appears under the hood of the car after driving it approximately 30mins with the air conditioner on. 7. I took it to the dealership and they seem resistant to fix the problem!

The vehicle will randomly shut off while driving. All warning lights light up on the dash and notification of "reduced steering" pops up. Taken to the dealership and has been there for 19 business days. They will fix a component, I have picked it up twice and it has shut off before I could even get home forcing me to tow it back. This last time they were bringing the car around and it shut off in their own parking lot before they could even give me the keys. Every time they run diagnostics it's a new code. Vehicle is unsafe to drive due to shut-off and loss of steering.