2008 Chevrolet Malibu: stuck in gear or won't shift

Filed Jan 27, 2021 · Electrical, Steering · 138,000 miles · VA

I bought this vehicle 3 weeks ago and for the past week it won't start. Power to everything but no crank. I took out battery and starter and they're both fine. All relays and fuses are fine. I took out all fuses under hood and car started fine. Made it 5 minutes up the road, my car started shaking badly,the power steering appeared on dash, speedometer stopped working, rpms worked, and car wouldn't shift out of 1st. That is dangerous and my vehicle was recalled for eps but no one will help me and this has been a re occurring issue with chevy malibus in general. I had to turn around and just coast the whole way home then my car locked and wouldn't let me take it out of park when I got home.

Filed Oct 16, 2020 · Transmission · 113,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated while driving in reverse, the gear shifter moved through the gears and was stuck in park. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to terry marxen chevrolet cadillac (1118 w rte 66, flagstaff, az 86001, (928) 302-2515) where the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v224000 (power train) and was no longer covered under warranty. The failure was diagnosed as a fractured shifter cable. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 113,000. Invalid VIN.

Filed Aug 16, 2020 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · NC

This vehicle threw itself into limp mode while my wife was driving down a busy interstate highway, and after suppossed repairs did the same again when she was in a bad section of the city. In the first case, suddenly dropping to 25mph while traffic is going 70mph is an unacceptable risk considering that the car was still mechanically able to function normally, its just that this ridiculous sensor system won't let it. (when taken to the mechanic and he cleared the code, the car drove and shifted normally so it was mechanically able function. In the 2nd case my wife and daughter are again put at risk , again when the car was mechanically able to function. I understand the concept of not doing damage to your car when it "senses" something is wrong, but the decision of driving it anyway should never be taken away from the owner who is far more aware of the circumstances than a computer module that doesn't even know where it is. These systems are now so interdependent that even the dealerships can not figure out how to fix these problems without just throwing parts at it. This all needs to change!

Filed Feb 12, 2020 · Driver assistance · 100,400 miles · MA

My vehicle has been running just fine until the other day when my vehicle out of nowhere went into 'limp mode' and I couldn't go over 20 MPH. The notifications on my dash were 'eng pwr reduced' and 'service ESC'. After looking online for possible causes, it is very clear that engine power reduced and service electrical system is an extremely common problem with chevy malibu's from older models to newer 2016-2018 models). Not only is it common, but most people that experience the same issue I did, end up spending thousands trying to fix the problem. Repairs range from changing the throttle body to sensors to battery cables & terminals. A few get lucky but for the majority of malibu owners, the problem returns within days or if they're lucky, they get a couple of months before the error codes come back. All one has to do is search the forums of cargurus.com or youtube for videos to find the countless posts of chevy malibu owners all experiencing the same problem. I personally read of many accounts where owners were on the highway when all of a sudden they have the engine power reduced. This is a huge safety concern and eventually someone or multiple people are going to get killed when they lose power at a high rate of speed. Chevy is undoubtedly aware that there's a problem and are choowing to turn a blind eye instead of issuing a recall. What's it going to take for gm to admit there's a problem? Multiple deaths? Mechanics, even those that work for gm know there's an issue but don't know how to fix it permanently. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I can't afford to pay thousands for guess work. I shouldn't have to even consider it because gm knows there's an issue and aren't doing anything about it. Before people get killed, an investigation needs to be conducted & a recall issued!

Filed Sep 16, 2016 · Transmission · 128,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. While driving 20 MPH and attempting to place the vehicle in reverse, the vehicle would not shift gears. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but it failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and repaired. The dealer was notified, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000.

Filed Sep 2, 2016 · Transmission · 171,000 miles · MS

When trying to accelerate at a complete stop, the car will not go -- it seems to stall. When the car tries to shift from 3rd to 4th gear, the RPM's increase very high and the car will not shift until I release my foot from the accelerator. Once it shifts, it will maintain speed.

Filed Jan 26, 2015 · Transmission · 77,200 miles · WI

The automatic transmission would not shift correctly and would slip and not engage when I would step on the accelerator. General motors has a service safety bulletin out on the wave plate replacement but will not cover the cost of my repair. The document id 2294206 and also another number of 09-07-30-012. They have identified that the following list of vehicles have a problem 2008-2009 buick enclave,2008-2009chevrolet equinox, malibu, 2009 chevrolet traverse, 2007-2009 gmc acadia, 2007-2009 pontiac g6, 2008-2009 pontiac torrent, 2007-2009 saturn aura, outlook, 2008-2009 saturn vue. I can only hope that my complaint will cause a safety recall of the listed automobiles.

Filed Jul 25, 2014 · Transmission · 180,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed. The contact also stated that when attempting to shift into park, the gear shifter would remain stuck in park. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing, who stated that the shift cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number 14v224000 (power train), however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Filed May 11, 2014 · Transmission · 188,674 miles · TX

I just bought the car yesterday and it drove fine but today while pulling away from a stop sign the car began to shift very rough even felt as the transmission was slipping then a few minutes later the car would not accelerate and I pulled over and drove off and the car did not shift out of first gear and also reverse does not work...I was told it was the clutch wave plate which is an issue with several different gm vehicles.

Filed May 1, 2014 · Transmission · 99,928 miles · CO

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift into park and failed to start. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the shift cable was broken and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who advised him that the vehicle was not included in recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v460000 (power train). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 99,928.

Filed May 21, 2013 · Transmission · 90,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 chevrolet malibu lt. The contact started the ignition and shifted into reverse. The vehicle would not shift into any other position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the gear shifter cable was replaced. The vehicle was repaired one month prior to the failure under the federal safety agency campaign id number was 12v460000 (power train). The technician advised the contact that the recall repair was not related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2011 · Transmission · 62,000 miles · VT

My 2008 chevy malibu's shifting cable broke. I was driving it and went to park and it would not go into park however I had it in park on the gearshift. When I exited the vehicle it rolled forward. I had to set the emergency brake to keep it stopped. My car is at the dealership right now and I was told it was not covered under the powertrain warranty. Since the 2009 malibu has the same problem and there is a recall on the shifting cable clip, I feel the 2008 chevy should be included and I should not have to pay for it.