2017 Chevrolet Malibu: jerking or lurching

Filed Jul 3, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · LA

I was driving back home and stopped at a red light. When the light turned green I started driving, but my car was jerking a little too much. I pulled over and turned my car off. When I cut my car back on my brake became very hard to the point I had to push down extra hard to stop my car. I started back driving home once I realized my car needs to be turned completely off and sit. While I'm driving I see a message on my dashboard saying "Engine power reduced." Luckily I made it home safely with no wrecks, but when I had to brake my car was still moving jerking while in place. Also when I made it home and turned my car off I heard a fan like noise that eventually stopped.

Filed Sep 8, 2025 · Acceleration, Brakes · OH

I was driving my car on the highway doing 65 mph when all of a sudden my car started rapidly jerking losing the power to accelerate and entering “limp mode“ there was multiple cars behind me when my car lost the power to accelerate. I was in the far left lane and couldn’t even go higher than 7 miles an hour and had to cross across three lanes at 7 mph on a 65mph highway to pull over. I had my children in the car and almost caused a huge accident dude to this issue. The issue in hand is the vacuum pump. It completely shattered in my engine, causing severe engine damage. And it caused my brake pedal to become hard as a rock. I couldn’t break without using my emergency break. I had no brake power at all. My car had to be towed.

Filed Mar 7, 2024 · Fuel system · AL

The warning light comes on and off and is showing (P0498/P0449) which is the evaporative emission system vent control electrical circuit signal has low voltage for a predetermined period of time. Its calling to replace the evaporative emissions canister vent solenoid and I have seen 3 vehicles the same as mine needed the same thing fixed. When the vehicle is in park you can feel it jerk and also while pressing gas when you pull off it stalls. When cranking you can smell fumes .

Filed Aug 9, 2022 · Engine · OH

While driving, car speed decreases to 20 MPH. I continue to push the pedal and then suddenly revs up to pedal speed. The vehicle jerks while this is happening. There has been a loud clinking sound under the pedal area. No warning lamps. This happens intermittently and dealership will not do any repairs without a code or replicating the issue. This is a huge safety concern and I can no longer drive this vehicle safely. What can I do to get this repaired?

Filed Jul 1, 2022 · Acceleration, Engine · 180,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle jerked and decelerated from 65 MPH to approximately 20 MPH; the vehicle then independently accelerated to 40 MPH. While at a stop sign, the vehicle stalled. The engine power reduced message was displayed. Additionally, water had entered the trunk of the vehicle and the contact was concerned about mold. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

Filed May 9, 2022 · Electrical, Seats · NY

Engine light continues to come on repeatedly. Resetting does not fix the problem. Engine shuts off while driving. Then suddenly the engine comes back on at an accelerated speed. Engine shuts off at traffic light when my foot is on the brake. When I remove my foot from the brake and press the accelerator the car jerks into gear. Sometimes the STABIL TRACK appears on my dash board. Also, STEERING REDUCE BE CAREFUL appears on my dash board. Sometime the driver side window will not go up or down. I have CAR SHIELD but I can not find a mechanic to accept it. They all say that CAR SHIELD is a rip-off.

Filed Apr 26, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · IA

I have Taken my car back and forth to the dealer so many times since ive had the 2017 Chevy malibu LT my car lost power once before and now it feels like it wants to lose power again my engine make this off noise it rides rough I have no warning lights on They told me it could be a computer problem and they could not fix it and the all of a sudden it was okay then my gas is running out quick and engine oil and i have a burning smell but they keep saying nothing is wrong it jerks when i shift gears sometimes and it makes a loud noise and no hazards light are on I feel like they are clearing codes and trying to sell me a new car because they keep telling me to trade it in they will buy it back Ive told them i feel like me and my child safety is at risk because I could be driveing and my car can shut down on me and get in a real bad accident im still making payments on the car and dont wanna get another loan for me to pay out more money for another car Ive had car in shop more than Ive drive it I got car with 34,000 miles and it has 54,000 now no car should have all these issues with these miles I have a 6 year old that rides in this car and something gotta be done this putting out lifes at risk

Filed Nov 11, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · CA

STEERING ASSIST REDUCED DRIVE WITH CARE message comes on car screen. The steering wheel jerks and acceleration is reduced. This is putting everyone in my car at risk as we are not able to accelerate fast enough if anything were to happen. Car has been taken to the dealership and they are unable to identify the problem. I checked online and multiple Malibus are having this problem. If you're looking for a safe car for your family member this is not the car. These cars have these errors built in the system and the dealership are unable to find the problem costing a lot of money on diagnostics to get no results. Please notice all the complaints I hope my word is heard. If mine is not heard I hope the next persons will be.

Filed Dec 15, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 61,000 miles · IL

I was on the eway and I was going 80mph in the left lane, and my car jerked to decelerate to 20mph. The message said, 'engine power reduced'.

Filed Dec 11, 2020 · Engine, Transmission · 100,000 miles · GA

About 6 months ago, I was driving in the interstate going about 70 MPH, when my vehicle dropped its speed to 20 MPH advising of ' reduced engine power ', the speed did not decrease which caused a hault & jerk. Which could have turned fatal if there was a vehicle behind me. October 30th, I was driving about 30mph in a residential area when I approached a stop sign and my vehicle suddenly lost power, after about 3 minutes I was able to start the vehicle and drive to the dealership. The battery and a sensor had been replaced. Exactly two weeks later, I was driving on the street around 25-30mph, approached a stop again and car powered off.. Immediately taken to dealership and they could not identify the problem. This is a huge safety hazard, I do not drive on the highway out of fear that the car may shut off. I've been to authorized dealerships & had the transmission checked out by certified transmissions shops and can't source the problem

Filed Oct 11, 2020 · Acceleration · 45,000 miles · SC

I purchased my 2017 malibu from jud kuhn in sc, it had 40,000 miles when purchased. Week 2 I was at a stop light hit the gas to take off the vehicle wouldn't move so I hit the gas a little harder still nothing then suddenly it jerked and took off fast. I thought maybe my foot wasnt on the has right. The next day I got in the car to back out my drive way and it did it again the same exact way. The same day the engine light came on and onstar sent me a email about a emission issue. I called the car dealer told them about the acceleration issue and the engine light. No one called me back and the engine light went out . A few days later the light returned and I called again. This time they serviced it stating the car needed a computer update and charged me 100 dollars and stated they couldnt find the problem with acceleration and the update may have fixed it. Sunday oct 11th I went to leave me house again and the car wouldn't move the same thing happened hit the gas wouldn'mtove then took off. I got out of the drive way onto the road and it did it again. At this point I'm sceptical about the dealer as well as the vehicle and I have children and am afraid that one day I will pull out infront of oncoming traffic and may be hit because of the acceleration issues. I'm calling the dealer again today

Filed Oct 11, 2020 · Steering · 60,000 miles · WA

Bought this car new for my daughter to drive back and forth to college, I wanted a safe car for her, but this car is anything but safe. Started having issues with getting random steering assist warning lights, then TPMS lights, then it shut down in the middle of an intersection and it had to be towed. The dealership has been unable to find anything wrong with the car and now its out of warranty and is costing us hundreds of dollars in service fees. Battery has been replaced and its still having issues. Lately she has been complaining that the car suddenly drifts at highway speeds and she has to make corrections that jerk her all over the road. It does this at random, not every drive, maybe every other, it feels like an electrical issue and not a mechanical issue. She has almost crashed twice, was pulled over this past weekend coming home for another dealership visit because an officer noticed the weaving and corrections and assumed she was drunk. Again, the dealership cannot find anything wrong. I have explained the issue, brought in a technical bulletin that explains the exact issue, still no resolution, they still say they cannot find anything and send me home with another bill. This car is not safe to drive, and once winter hits and the roads become slick, this issue will likely result in an accident. I have refused to let her drive it to college at this point and the car is sitting in my driveway. The dealership is useless even after showing them hundreds of internet complaints. Why is gm ignoring this issue?