2018 Chevrolet Malibu fuel system complaints

Filed Jan 31, 2019 · Fuel system · 100 miles · TX

Sometimes, when the throttle pedal is depressed acceleration is immediate and the vehicle performs acceptably with a smooth and consistent rate of acceleration. However, sometimes the vehicle sputters for a while, not for a consistent period of time, and eventually acceleration kicks in and the vehicle performs acceptably. Sometimes when the throttle pedal is depressed, the vehicle accelerates very slowly, with no noticeable sputtering, no gear change and does not kick into acceptable acceleration (I have not tested the vehicle for a long period of time when it had this response so acceleration might eventually kick in). Intermittent delayed acceleration happens when the throttle pedal is depressed at a stop or when the vehicle is moving at various speeds. Intermittent delayed acceleration is a safety hazard. For example, when entering a freeway with heavy trucks traveling at 75 MPH or more, the driver of a vehicle with intermittent delayed acceleration would not know if it would be safe to merge into traffic. If acceleration was smooth and consistent, the driver could anticipate the vehicles performance and merge safely. If delayed acceleration occurred, the vehicle might be able to merge safely providing the freeway onramp had enough length and the oncoming traffic had enough space between vehicles. However, since the delayed acceleration is intermittent and when it occurs, the delay is not consistent, the merging vehicle could potentially be rear-ended by a heavy truck resulting in severe injury or death.