2019 Chevrolet Malibu: jerking or lurching

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · WI

Since 2024/2025 car has been malfunctioning, I’ve had it checked out but it just got worse and nothing was fixed l, it is I driveable and very unsafe. When driving it abruptly stops like it’s crashing Messages that pop up (Multiple ones at one time flashing as well) - service “ESC” -“service power steering drive with care” -“shift to park” -“low fuel” (but car has gas in it) - check engine light on -all lights flashing at once while jerking -car stops abruptly when you’re driving it -radio blacks out while driving -dashboard blacks out as vehicle is running -jerking while trying to stop -sensor malfunctions -transmission slippage -engine still on and running sounds like it’s cooling down and smells of it as well

Filed Mar 18, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · TX

Year 2019, code P1101- vehicle hesitates while drive, will reduce power while driving, while sitting idle at a stop the car will die and I will have to restart the vehicle. Multiple times while driving on the highway at 70mph my car has all of a sudden either reduced power causing the car to jerk and shudder very hard or has lost all power completely and forced me to pull over while avoiding other drivers on the road. SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF THIS!!! THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS AND RECALLED ASAP TO GET IT FIXED. I am not in a financial spot to just go buy a new car and I shouldn't have too either. I'm scared to even drive 10 miles down the road to take my children to daycare/school because of how bad it is.

Filed Apr 23, 2024 · Transmission · OK

I am making a complaint because there is a major deficiency that has put my safety at risk. The component of the vehicle that has a defect is the transmission. When the car is shifted in drive it will either stall and jerk forward, not jerk forward and not move forward from seconds to minutes at a time, and/or move forward about 50ft and stall again. I was making a right turn on a major road, speed limit being 40 MPH and the vehicle stalled and did not go forward until 20-30 seconds later. Vehicles were able to see me before getting closer and were able to change lanes however this is unacceptable. I had my two year old nephew in the car and this could have been a fatal accident. I have taken it to twice to be repaired and this problem has yet to be a fix. I can get invoices and documents to show the “repairs” however this problem exist and needs an solution.

Filed Apr 15, 2024 · Transmission · LA

Currently have 109,330 miles on my 2019 Malibu LT It’s very obvious that the transmissions in these cars are no good. My car accelerates slowly whenever it feels like it and entering the highway or any road to be honest, is like jumping off of a plane with no parachute, praying you don’t hit the bottom and die. Its scary! It jerks horribly at times while accelerating (along with slow acceleration). If I push the gas pedal more, the car’s RPMs revs high and the car shoots off like rocket then starts to accelerate slowly seconds after the hard take off. Someone is going to die at the hands of GM because the problem is being ignored! Please help us! Check the vehicles! See what the issue is! It’s not just “something simple”. Yet y’all are constantly rolling these cars out to customers. Feels like robbery!

Filed Jun 30, 2023 · Electrical · MD

SERVICE ESC flashed on my dashboard along with the car jerking when braking. Car has not been abused as this a new development. Check engine light stays on. Service ESC and LOW FUEL appear at the same time the brake jerk happens. Car has less than 50k miles despite being used everyday. Car does not perform accurately with the ESC not working.

Filed Apr 13, 2023 · Engine · IL

This is ongoing. Originally got trouble code p0239 after check engine light, cleaned throttle body. It went away. Then i got the same symptoms as a result of the throttle position sensor. I replaced that as well. Then i got a code for the turbo boost sensor. So i replaced that. Now I'm getting similar symptoms and the check engine light isn't turning on at all. I suspect maybe a catalytic converter, ecm issue, or transmission issue. I've repaired all problems that have given me a code. The car accelerates very slowly, while the rpms go up normally, then the car bolts off almost normally for a while. And becomes jerky. So I'm unable to safely pass others if needed or accelerate normally both from a stop and while moving. While driving at low speeds with the window down I can hear a sound that could be the turbo spooling up or maybe a fan. Also, the cooling fan will stay on for a while after turning off the engine. I contacted the dealer and they said the only recall is a CAC retainer and told me there were no other TSBs open for my VIN but i believe by car is eligible for multiple including but not limited to 19-NA-058.

Filed Mar 30, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · 71,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the "stability track" symbol illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the brakes started to grab, causing the vehicle to shudder. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked to the left which she corrected by turning to the right. The contact stated that additional warning lights for the power steering and ESC illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence, placed the vehicle in park (P) and turned off the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

Filed Jan 26, 2023 · Electrical · FL

all gauges shut off and turn back on while driving tire says it is flat and it is not car shuts off completely, resets, and turns back on while driving braking system not working code steering wheel jerks off to the side aggressively on its own while foot is on brake car hesitates to start up and hesitates to accelerate sometimes there are warning messages sometimes no warning steer assist turns off and shows message and jerks my wheel sideways AC control board only works half the time entertainment and GPS system blacks out randomly and doesn't turn back on the unpredictability is dangerous. the performance of this vehicle is unacceptable. having not one chevy service center properly repair this issue poses a extreme safety risk as the car's power toggles randomly and has to be restarted Multiple Chevy service centers have not given me definitive diagnostic. no one has fixed the issues. they only get worse daily. the service centers charge me money to "grease wires" and send me home every time.

Filed Jan 28, 2021 · Engine · 51,448 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2019 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 to 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to lose power and jerked. The contact managed to coast the vehicle to the shoulder of the road, turn the vehicle off and back on which resumed normal operation however, while the accelerator pedal was depressed going uphill, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was taken to hall chevrolet chesapeake (3412 western branch blvd, chesapeake, va 23321, (877)475-0719) where it was diagnosed that all 4 cylinders had misfired and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was diagnosed three additional times. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to another dealer and test driven however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and deemed the contact ineligible for any repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 51,448.

Filed Feb 20, 2019 · Transmission · 1,000 miles · NH

The engine "auto stop" feature can have enough of a delay to allow the accelerator to be pressed as the engine starts causing it to lurch forward rather than accelerate smoothly. It also can cause a delay when pulling out into heavy traffic. There is currently no way to temporarily or permanently defeat the system on this gm model according to gm service department. Though I am sure it is operating as designed for certain owner driving styles and traffic conditions this can be a serious hazard. Car makers should be required to either disable the feature permanently by owner request or have a method for the owner to bypass the system. With less than 250 miles I have experienced 2 incidents of almost hitting the car in front of me from a stop and 1 of almost being hit pulling into heavy traffic from a stop. I see many other similar complaints and hope this can be addressed before someone is hurt or worse due to it.