ESC reduced power reads across my monitor's screen. It could be numerous of these that cause this. I've done what I can afford, but no luck. I've done research & it's very common for this to happen among these. Please help me out with at least pinpointing the problem, thanks!
2012 Chevrolet Malibu engine complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 103, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I been having the same problem for a year now.. constantly putting it in and out the shop and no one can find out what’s wrong with it.. the engine will loss it control and stop working in the middle of traffic which almost caused me a wreck several times. The Chevrolet dealership hasn’t done anything to help but charge me to look at it and they didn’t fix the problem. I have three kids and it has been a safety issue which is our only way to work and school. The car will skip constantly in the middle of traffic and several times someone almost ran into the back of my car. It will say engine power reduced, service traction and service sec I have spent ton of money trying to fix the issue and I have read several people have had the same problem.
This car will not start!!!! It starts when it feels like it. I’ve been stranded after work so many times for unknown reasons. Multiple mechanics have inspected car and cannot find the issue. Go on YouTube and search for this year car and you’ll find so many people in the same situation as me. The car has battery but the engine will not start. GM cars have this issue in common and it’s ridiculous GM cannot stand behind their brand. Please HELP US!!!
My vehicle fail to restart vehicle, but vehicle was running good before. Once I turn off the vehicle for couple of minutes when I returned back to my vehicle and tried to turn vehicle on it would not allow me to turn on lights on vehicle would stay on when taking key out of ignition. I kept trying couple of time until I open the hood to check battery move battery cables tried again until vehicle turn on. Once vehicle had turn on and put vehicle in reverse dashboard lights started turning on check engine a service warning message display and speed meter would go up and down. When going forward the steering wheel became hard to control while vehicle would go toward slowly then stop go fast and slowly again until I got home turn vehicle off. Didn't drive it anymore until two days later. The second time I was on the freeway when my vehicles speed started to significantly reduce speed very quickly. I became concern with my safety until I was able to pull over on the side of freeway car turned off. When trying to restart vehicle would fail to turn back on had to tow vehicle back home. I tried turning vehicle back on failed at first on the last try vehicle turned on but when putting on reverse or drive vehicle became undriveable thier was no movement on vehicle and speed meter would not move . I just purchased this vehicle only had 8 months with it I payed $5000 plus $600 on plates. I do make my vehicle available for inspection it is very dangerous going through this specially on highway. I checked my onstart vehicle report but it does not show that anything is wrong on the report. My insurance provider Geico car details only show it needs and oil change. I also notice that in the vehicle history shows it has an oil leak. I can not afford to pay for a mechanic at this moment my vehicle is just park at home now.
Vehicle is stalling out while driving, then when shuts off it will not start back up. Fuel pump was replaced, worked great for 1 whole day then did the same thing, left me stranded. Fuse box was then replaced. Ran great again until recently it stalled out in the middle of a very busy street causing me to almost be hit. Pins in the fuse box were replaced, but I'm still having issues, it seems to be related to the fusebox wiring itself, because I'm also having problems with things ran off of that fuse box! This getting ridiculous I've only had this car 4 months and it's been the worst car yet I've never had a vehicle leave me stranded. It needs to be recalled
Vehicle has died on me 5 times while driving.in motion one moment and dead the next, so far it has died on city streets, ive gotten lucky with it not being on the highway as I travel that frequently for work. It has been in and out of repair shop for multiple repairs and still not corrected.
I was driving on freeway and car went into engine power reduce mode, rapidly slowed down to 35 miles an hour.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. The contact attempted to start the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start-up with an abnormal clunking and banging sound coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the timing chain was slightly detached and became loosened. The vehicle was taken to heiser chevrolet west allis (10200 w arthur ave, west allis, wi 53227; (414) 327-2300) and the contact was informed that the timing chain failure had caused additional engine damage. The full diagnostic test was still pending. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 85,000.
Engine stalls when slowing down or waiting for traffic light. Called mechanic for diagnostic check. He said ecs not functioning correctly. I was 10 miles from my home when the car started to stall and it stopped 6 times before getting home. Engine hesitated, had to pump accelerator to get it going and steering was difficult. Is there a recall for that problem?
Engine losses power shuts off wont restat
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and loss motive power without warning. The contact veered to shoulder of the roadway. The contact turned the vehicle off and back on which failed to start. The vehicle was towed back to the contact's residence. The contact went to chevrolet of montebello (310 w whittier blvd, montebello, ca 90640) however, was informed that no recalls were on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,031.
I was driving and it said engine power reduced .couldn't pick up speed.
"power steering" message comes on randomly and the power steering goes dead while I'm driving. This seems to be a known issue with this malibu and should be a recall. There are many complaints online about this issue. This has occurred multiple times. This is dangerous and should be a recall purchased vehicle in 2013 since than has happen close to 10 times.
My vehicle has 86,200 miles on it and I have to have both heads rebuilt because of a burnt exhaust valve. I have been told multiple times that this should not be happening at this low mileage on the vehicle. The engine idles really rough when in park or not in drive or motion. When stopped at a stop light, the "service traction, service ESC, ESC off" comes on. This goes away once you start driving again.
Was driving on the interstate and car message center displayed engine speed reduced then it displayed within 5 minutes of the first message engine disabled . Car while not start.
I recently purchased a 2012 malibu lt, which is having the same issues, as was report; mar 26, 2019 - kaufman, tx - engine when driving or sitting at idle not moving service ESC and traction control flashes on dash. Which is causing check engine light to stay on causing misfire on cylinder #1 and then random misfire. The car hasn+t been able to be inspected in 2 years have had at 3 chevrolet dealerships and all can+t figure out issue . The 1st dealership said we have no idea what+s wrong with the car. The second dealership said the car needed #1 injector and injector harness and throttle body which was replaced didn+t even make it off the lot and check engine and traction control and ESC lights was flashing again they said might have cracked head car has been pressure tested doesn+t use water and doesn+t get hot. They are just trying to throw parts at it at my expense. The 3rd dealership which car is at now is telling me possible burnt valve causing all my issues with car said they did compression test and all cylinders have 170 pounds in all 4 cylinders which is not possible. I have replaced map sensor, PCM, spark plugs, 1 injector, injector harness, throttle body and nothing has helped car. The car never had any issues with misfire until the ESC and traction control started flashing and in 2 years still has been solved at any dealership very disappointed in need of help to fix issue. How do you fix the problem? [xxx]. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
The car seems to run fine once it starts. The problem is getting it to start. Sometimes the car starts without any problems and then sometimes it won't. It has left me stranded multiple times. We replaced the fuel pump, which seemed to fix the problem for a few days and then the same thing started to happen. We replaced a couple of fuses. Again this seemed to fix the problem for a few days and then the same thing started to happen. My husband and I noticed that there is some wiring that is always hot leading from the fuse box to the fuel pump. Basically we believe that chevrolet used cheap crappy thin wiring. Because of this, the car won't start. We did some research online and it seems that everyone who owns a 2012 chevy malibu has had a similar problem that has cost consumers hundreds of dollars. We have always owned a chevy and this is the first vehicle that we have ever had a problem with. We are seriously considering switching to toyota or nissan since chevrolet has been receiving complaints and thus far has chosen not to do anything. Chevrolet manufactured the 2012 chevy malibu and was aware of the issues surrounding the fuse box, fuel pump, and the wiring. One of these days, the car is going to catch fire because of the faulty system. It is extremely frustrating to see all of these chevy malibu owners experiencing the same issue and chevrolet does nothing. We never know if the car is going to start; it's literally a guessing game. Sometimes we tap the fuse box, sometimes we kick the side of the rear passenger door, and sometimes we have to sit and wait 15 minutes and then the car will start. Chevrolet needs to have a recall and fix the issues surrounding the 2012 chevy malibu. Eventually the wiring is going to catch fire.
164,00 miles. Temp 34 f. Drove car 3 miles and stopped at intersection. Put signal on and attempted left turn. Steering became locked. Break and accelerator went to lowest position nearest floor. Engine stayed on but car would not move even after lifted foot off break and attempted to push accelerator. . Put in park. Stopped engine. Restarted. No change after start. Again put in park pushed on break turned ignition it started. Was able to drive and steering back to normal. No noticeable problem after that.
Timing chain just came off at 86000 miles. Driving fine until engine RPM slowed to idle speed then shut off. Was unable to start and stranded. No codes or warning. Luckily this happened in a parking lot but could have easily happened on a highway.
The car struggles to pick up speed. The rpms go up to between 4 and 5 and it doesnt shift when it should. It struggles accelerating to go up hills. The same RPM issue happens no matter if car was just started or had been running for long time. The check engine light wont shut off. Mechanic hooked it up to diagnose it, result showed it was solenoid. Replaced solenoids and light remained on. Reset check engine light. Light came back on. Hooked it up to diagnose, still reported solenoid.
My car dies when driving down the road. Electrical problem to the fuel pump
Timing chain came off @ 75k miles. Called gm. They will not stand behind their product. Kept telling me to take it to a dealer. I already had it towed to a mechanic and can't afford to tow it somewhere else. Just driving down the road and the chain came off. I will never buy another chevy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. While driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled and it took multiple attempts to restart. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer where the battery plug was cleaned, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The service engine light has been on for 3 years. Chevy has been unable to diagnose the issue despite changing out the sensors and clearing the codes. This effects the rest of the engine settings including fuel as it adjusts them based on a default. The rail support for the driver's seat has also broken loose and fallen down which makes the vehicle unsafe to drive. This seat issue was only notice earlier this year.
One day, driving on a freeway my car all of a sudden accelerated out of nowhere, then on the dash showed 'service ESC' then immediately after 'reduced engine power' and shut off. It would not turn back on and I was on the middle of the freeway. I had to have it towed to a nearby shop while I waited for hours to get the throttle body replaced- total of $560 and my car worked for the next two days then did the same thing, this time I was on a side street so it was mostly just annoying. This has happened more times than I can count since I've had this car (for 6 months) and chevy dealerships won't do anything without charging me a ton of money and I've read hundreds of other complaints about the same exact issue I'm having online, in their testimonies, they've gotten multiple things 'fixed' because of the code that shows up, but then days later it's the same for every single one, it reverts back to the original problem. This is unacceptable of chevrolet, and I'm very upset that I personally have put so much money, not to mention everyone else that has, into a seemingly unsolvable problem, caused by a mistake on chevrolet's part. Please do something, thank you.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle experienced acceleration failure and stalled. In addition, the gear had a difficult time shifting from park into reverse or drive when attempting to move out of a parked position. The vehicle was taken to bergstrom chevrolet of madison (1345 applegate rd, madison, wi 53713, (608) 271-2212) where it was diagnosed that the body control module and an electric brake control module needed to be installed. In addition, a rear passenger side wheel speed sensor alternator circuit needed to be installed. The vehicle remained at the dealer since july 16, 2019 and the contact was informed that the repair would cost $2,700. The manufacturer provided a case number and referred the contact to a manager. The contact had not yet spoken with the manager. The contact was trying to find out what repairs were completed by the previous owner and was concerned that the repairs were not done properly. The dealer could not provide a service repair history for the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown.
Was driving and my car stopped accelerating. I pushed on the gas and it would not go. I was on the free way and almost had an accident. Also car would no longer start after stopped. Would act like it was going to start and does not. I've had several toes with my children in the vehicle. A huge safety concern.
Takata recall it constantly shakes and my car is constantly pulling and random codes pop up all the time . Not to mention it's a 2012 and it's rusting majorly. I am driving when my car seems to be missing a beat it wants to jerk on me like it wants to stop running. I was on a city street it happens a lot .
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 chevrolet malibu. While driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle approximately 20-60 minutes later. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was an electrical failure and additional diagnostic testing needed to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated on two separate oil change intervals, metal shavings were found in the oil filter and oil pan. Crews chevrolet (located at 8199 rivers ave, north charleston, sc 29406, (843) 820-7800) was informed of the failures. The contact stated that the failure recurred five times. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v252000 (service brakes, hydraulic, electrical system, exterior lighting, vehicle speed control, electronic stability control). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
When driving or sitting at idle not moving service ESC and traction control flashes on dash. Which is causing check engine light to stay on causing misfire on cylinder #1 and then random misfire. The car hasn't been able to be inspected in 2 years have had at 3 chevrolet dealerships and all can't figure out issue . The 1st dealership said we have no idea what's wrong with the car. The second dealership said the car needed #1 injector and injector harness and throttle body which was replaced didn't even make it off the lot and check engine and traction control and ESC lights was flashing again they said might have cracked head car has been pressure tested doesn't use water and doesn't get hot. They are just trying to throw parts at it at my expense. The 3rd dealership which car is at now is telling me possible burnt valve causing all my issues with car said they did compression test and all cylinders have 170 pounds in all 4 cylinders which is not possible. I have replaced map sensor, PCM, spark plugs, 1 injector, injector harness, throttle body and nothing has helped car. The car never had any issues with misfire until the ESC and traction control started flashing and in 2 years still has been solved at any dealership very disappointed in need of help to fix issue
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Chevrolet Malibu?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history