2011 Chevrolet Malibu: hesitation when accelerating

Filed May 7, 2023 · Electrical · OK

It started out as a minor intermittent problem, alerting that I need to service traction and service esc. When this problem occurs, the car hesitates to accelerate from stop. Problem has gotten to the point that the vehicle is trying to die when idling for more than a minute or so and is struggling to accelerate. From doing research, I have found that this problem is very common in this Make and Model, with years varying. This is an issue that needs to be addressed as many people have experienced this and filed complaints and are spending lots of money out of pocket to try to find the issue.

Filed Aug 14, 2018 · Fuel system · NY

When excellerating from a sitting position the engine doesn't excellerate at the same time. There is hesitation from stepping on the gas to actually moving and once the excelleration kicks in the car propelled quite fast almost like a sticky choke.

Filed Mar 13, 2018 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 80,000 miles · MN

The car hesitates on a dry straight road going 55 miles per hour, but also on wet roads going 30 too. The cruise control randomly does not disengage. Most concerning for me is when I am at a complete stop and press on the gas to move forward the car randomly slows and shuts down without warning.

Filed Sep 5, 2017 · Transmission · 30,654 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to wymer chevrolet in cumberland, md where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The transmission was replaced and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,654.

Filed Sep 20, 2016 · Transmission · 56,600 miles · MN

Had multiple concerns regarding slow acceleration and rough jerking when shifting gears which I was told was normal for my vehicle model especially in comparison to my previous vehicle an honda accord. Purchased car with 34k miles on it at 56k miles I was reversing out of a parking spot and felt a sudden hesitation. Car still drove normal in drive, drove about half a mile on highway and once exiting highway I noticed a weird screeching sound coming from my car. Pulled over to a mcdonalds to inspect vehicle and it was still making noise. Turned vehicle off and went through p,n,d and sound persisted. Drove vehicle a few blocks since I was close to home and sound stopped. Brought car to a repair shop to have inspected per the shop everything was intact and they could not duplicate noise. One day later I stopped on a side street at a stop sign and when I pressed the gas to pull away from stop sign car would not move. Tried again, car revved and moments later car would jerk forward violently. Crawled car to side of street and had towed to dealership where they diagnosed the issue as transmission failure, deeper diagnostic work revealed a belt had broken within the transmission. Have received car back with rebuilt transmission however car still is very sluggish with slow response in 1st and 2nd gear.

Filed Jan 13, 2016 · Electrical · 65,000 miles · FL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the anti theft warning light illuminated as the vehicle hesitated to start. The contact mentioned that smoke started to emit from the engine compartment. After inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that smoke and unknown fluid were bubbling out of the battery. The dealer was contacted, who stated that the failure was due to a shortage within the battery. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000.

Filed Jul 29, 2013 · Transmission · 56,716 miles · VA

Car slips 1st to 2nd (RPM buzzes up) this occurs when car has been driven for 30 miles or more and when it is above 85 degrees. It also hesitates 2nd to 3rd when cold. I was almost hit in the rear twice when the car slipped between 1st to 2nd. Took car to the dealership and they said nothing they could do as it did not show anything on the computer. Note that since they looked at the car on 7/26/13 the transmission continues to slip between 1st to 2nd gear. Note that the dealership test drove in the morning when it was still cool outside and did not drive it but a few miles. I was charged for checking the transmission $84.53. Car was first taken to another dealership on 11/23/12 as the transmission was slipping between 1st, 2nd, 3rd gears (44,000 miles on car). Computer showed no issues, car was one quart low in transmission fluid. Charge was $49.69. First I don't understand the difference in price as the dealership 11/23/12 did more and charged less. Second the car continues to hesitate when shifting between gears "everyday" I drive it (in the afternoon when it is warm). I am scared to drive the car due to almost being hit. Plus I am having to pay for this when it is still under warranty.

Filed Aug 7, 2012 · Acceleration · 4,800 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while attempting to accelerate. The contact mentioned that there was a 3-4 second delay when the accelerator pedal was engaged. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who explained that the manufacturer changed the way the system reacts in the vehicle, as a result the signal from the accelerator pedal goes through the computer first and then the engine which causes the delay. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage and current mileages were 4,800.

Filed May 29, 2012 · Transmission · 23,000 miles · MO

Sunday, may 27th 3pm cst driving in southwest missouri, the transmission hesitated shifting to a higher gear. I pulled over and parked on a back road, turned the car off and back on. When I shifted into reverse, the transmission did not shift, pressing the gas had no effect. I shifted the car into d, the car lurched forward but moved ? Increasing speed it shifted to 2nd roughly and then into 3rd with hesitation ? It would not shift into a higher gear from there. I did not note a check engine light at that time. Because there was no cell phone signal I drove to the nearest relative?s house in oklahoma. While driving I shifted into neutral and back to drive, the transmission hesitated and took a good 15-20 seconds to engage in 3rd gear. The check engine light was on but the display did not indicate what the issue was. Shifting to manual, the display did not indicate the car was in manual (should have read m3). Shifting back to drive had no result. The car maintained speed in 3rd gear. So I drove in 3rd gear with my hazards on, north on 43, through seneca (no chevy dealer), to my aunts house in oklahoma. I contacted gm roadside assistance 800-chevusa and had the car towed. The car now sits at a dealer in joplin mo awaiting "diagnosis" and the gm customer service people will not authorize a rental car until a "diagnosis" has been done. 1st business day for dealer is tuesday, may 29th and they state they have a back log of diagnosis and can not get to it until weds or thursday. It has been a real catch-22 getting support since the dealer is too backlogged to diagnose I am renting a car on my own dime, plus live 3 hours from joplin! Note that over the past year the car occasionally had automatic gear shift delays that were not consistent and were tolerable because the transmission recovered.

Filed Aug 22, 2011 · Brakes, Transmission · 1,800 miles · CT

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that a growling noise would be heard coming from the brakes whenever they were applied at low speeds of approximatley 5 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the brake pads and rotors were repaired. Approximately two months later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer to be repaired. The contact also stated that the vehicle would experience difficulty shifting from second to third gear. As a result, there would be an increase in engine rpms, but the vehicle would hesitate before accelerating. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 1,800 and the current mileage was 5,000.