2010 Chevrolet Malibu: jerking or lurching

Filed Sep 22, 2026 · Tires, Transmission · 122,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. After starting the vehicle with the transmission in park(P), the gear shift indicator indicated that the transmission was in drive(D). The transmission was shifted into drive(D), and the vehicle jerked and the engine revved loudly, but the vehicle failed to move. The TPMS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the gear shifter was loose while shifting, and the vehicle rolled forward while parked. The contact shifted the gear shifter back and forth and then shifted into park(P) before the proper gear was recognized. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 12V460000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Filed Jan 24, 2023 · Electrical · LA

Since sometime in 2016, these warning messages came on the dash periodically after hitting a bump - Service Traction, Service ESC, ESC off, Eng Power Reduced. The engine light stayed on. The car then ran slowly. After stopping and pulling off again, the car jerked forward. This could be dangerous in traffic! At first, I was told by a mechanic that my gas petal sensor needed to be replaced. After each of the 3 replacements, the problem seemed to be solved. But after a while, the warning messages would return after hitting another bump. The engine light would again stay on. Now, these warning messages come on every time I drive the car, with the engine light staying on. The same problems while driving still occur. A second mechanic advised me to put in this complaint, saying the problem was well-known to Chevrolet. He diagnosed it as being caused by water getting into a poor connection between the wire safety harness and the computer. The machine at AutoZone gave this assessment of the problem - "The ECH has detected that the APP sensor 1 and APP sensor 2 disagree more than 4.5 percent for less than 1 second. Probable cause: 1. Poor electrical connection. 2. Failed APP sensor." When I took the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer in July 2016, they were unable to fix the problem. It would be really wonderful if this serious problem was the subject of a safety recall and was fixed for all affected drivers!

Filed Dec 19, 2022 · Driver assistance, Engine · 265,000 miles · LA

The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving over rough roads, the vehicle displayed a Service Traction, Service EFC and EFC Off, and Engine Power Reduced messages. After coming to a complete stop and then the attempting to accelerate, the vehicle started to jerk. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who replaced the accelerator pedal twice however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was returned to the certified mechanic, and it was determined that water was leaking into the wiring harness and the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 265,000.

Filed Dec 6, 2020 · Transmission · 60,000 miles · CT

Slow to accelerate then jerks forward .car has65000 on it no transmission leaks plus the transmission is sealed .no dip stick to check level.dealer said that's because it's a sealed unit.they aslo said l dont have to change it just yet.low miles.however I've heard this years transmission are very bad.

Filed Apr 29, 2020 · Brakes, Electrical · 89,300 miles · WI

My check engine, power steering, service ESC, ESC off, brake system (!), ABS system lights all flash, and all of my gauges fluctuate simultaneously. The same problem keeps occurring, and I have had my control computer nodule replaced, as well as my power steering module replaced at lynch chevrolet in kenosha, wi. While driving my car shifts/jerks, and my steering wheel locks up, almost causing me to crash. When I come to a stop at a light or sign, my car does not want to accelerate, causing me to be in an intersection for longer than normal because my car won't take off. The vehicle also jerks into different gears while all of these service lights are flashing. This feels very dangerous to drive, and the problem cannot be resolved. It started in january and is continuing to happen despite replacing parts.

Filed Feb 21, 2020 · Driver assistance, Steering · 200,000 miles · CA

On the dash power steering warning comes on along with service ESC then ESC is off. This has been happening while driving. The power steering will cut off.. Also of I'm idle the steering wheel will start jerking by its self

Filed Jul 30, 2019 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 73,000 miles · IL

Brake lights flicker while driving when not pressing on the brakes. Ecs and check engine lights keep coming on and the car is jerking while driving.

Filed Nov 13, 2018 · Steering · 89,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet malibu. While attempting to drive the vehicle, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked left to right. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

Filed Aug 15, 2018 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 234,567 miles · NV

While driving my car on the highway out of nowhere power engine reduced would come up on the dash and would not accelerate and transmission and traction warning lights would show on dash as well also power steering show on dash and the car jerk a little and the speedometer and fuel hand wouldn't move

Filed Aug 4, 2018 · Acceleration, Transmission · 92,000 miles · FL

I was driving at a speed of 40 MPH when all of a sudden I heard a high revving sound as if another vehicle was right beside me passing and soon realized that it was my car revving with the RPM gauge going above 3 and my car slowing down. Moments later my passengers and I felt a sudden "jerk" and the car jetted forward only to start revving again and this time I was merely moving at about 20 MPH as I was still in shock from the first revving and non-accelerating moment. After trying helplessly to get the car to move at a speed of at least 15-20 MPH, I decided to stop/restart the car and try using the manual shift. It gave another sudden "jerking" movement and moved in m5 but not even 10 seconds the car started with the loud revving sound as if I were mashing gas which I wasn't and we barely made it home at about 10mph using hazard lights. We basically had to push it over 2 very small speed bumps on the way in the gate. I decided to take it to the autonation shevy dealership where I bought it but unfortunately the car would not move and instead had to be towed there. Autonation chevy did a "diagnosis" of sorts and within moments called to say that there is metal in the transmission and I need to pay a whopping $4,300.00 to have it fixed. Of course I could go on about how frustrating and humiliating this whole ordeal has been from beginning to $$$$ end bud I'd appreciate it if chevy can reach out to me because I have a friend who said she had the same issue with her malibu. I'm sure there are others out there but I'm now wondering if chevy wants to wait until god forbid a dire situation occurs before they fix this problem.

Filed Jul 3, 2018 · Steering · 120,000 miles · IA

My 2010 malibu has started to have all sorts of steering issues, I have had a lot of the same issues others have had, my ESC and power steering light came on, I shut the car off and restarted it and it worked like "normal" but since then there is a lot of play in the steering wheel, and even if you are sitting still, the wheel itself makes a sudden little jerk type movement. Is there anything out there to fix these issues???

Filed Mar 19, 2018 · Driver assistance, Steering · 109,000 miles · MI

There are alerts about the power steering and the service ESC on the dash when I turn on the car. Sometimes when I start the car the steering wheel shakes and jerks, without my control. This affects my driving abilities and is a clear danger. The steering wheel shakes the most when I am stopped, but it shakes the entire time I am driving the vehicle. The other times I start the car, the power steering alerts come on and there is no power steering and I have to steer manually. This problem started slowly; originally the wheel shook but not as violently as it does now. Over the past couple weeks it has gotten worse, and recently the power steering has gone out when I've started. Before I could just restart my car and the power steering would work, but now the more I restart the car the less likely the steering will work properly. This problem started in january but intensified in march.