2017 Chevrolet Malibu Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 139 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 48,875 miles. The words owners use most often: “shift park” (40% of reports).
- 139power train complaints
- 48,875median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $710typical repair cost reported by owners
- 63%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Shift park: mentioned in 55 of 139 complaints (40%)
- Engine power: mentioned in 30 of 139 complaints (22%)
- Turn off: mentioned in 28 of 139 complaints (20%)
- Gear shifter: mentioned in 12 of 139 complaints (9%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu at $710, and half of them between $530 and $840.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2019–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 80 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 139 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Chevrolet Malibu power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Malibu | 1 | 9% | — |
| 2024 Malibu | 6 | 14% | 45,000 |
| 2023 Malibu | 8 | 11% | 30,310 |
| 2022 Malibu | 23 | 23% | 38,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 28 | 31% | 60,000 |
| 2020 Malibu | 58 | 29% | 72,500 |
| 2019 Malibu | 67 | 35% | 48,000 |
| 2018 Malibu | 171 | 24% | 43,150 |
| 2017 Malibu | 139 | 20% | 48,875 |
| 2016 Malibu | 166 | 20% | 42,000 |
| 2015 Malibu | 31 | 11% | 83,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 52 | 15% | 51,890 |
| 2013 Malibu | 54 | 6% | 66,500 |
| 2012 Malibu | 49 | 5% | 74,500 |
| 2011 Malibu | 112 | 11% | 78,225 |
| 2010 Malibu | 133 | 10% | 74,200 |
| 2009 Malibu | 121 | 8% | 88,000 |
| 2008 Malibu | 86 | 9% | 88,000 |
| 2007 Malibu | 47 | 5% | 88,921 |
| 2006 Malibu | 43 | 4% | 100,000 |
| 2005 Malibu | 65 | 7% | 88,500 |
| 2004 Malibu | 64 | 6% | 100,000 |
| 2003 Malibu | 13 | 2% | 54,500 |
| 2002 Malibu | 5 | 1% | 114,045 |
| 2001 Malibu | 18 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2000 Malibu | 26 | 3% | 47,597 |
| 1999 Malibu | 21 | 3% | 60,000 |
| 1998 Malibu | 50 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 1997 Malibu | 9 | 2% | 57,800 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Turbo cooler and turbocharger failure, diagnosis and replacement on February 4 and February 17, 2026 by a certified GM dealership. Replacement of these parts was not included in service bulletin N222372590 (issued 12/22/22), which covered 100% replacement for the exact parts for the exact engine…
When the vehicle is shifted into Park and the ignition button is pressed, the vehicle fails to shut down. The dashboard displays a "Shift to Park" warning message, indicating the vehicle does not recognize that the gear selector is physically in the Park position.To shut the engine off, the driver…
Shift to park error on dash. GM is aware of this issue and won't do anything about it. This causes stress and can cause battery drain. The issue lies within the microswitch that reads that the shifter is in park. The metal arm that activates the switch wears down or the wiring is faulty. Several…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2017 Chevrolet Malibus have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 139 owner complaints about power train for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu (20% of the 703 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 48,875 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners report a typical cost of $710 (half paid between $530 and $840), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “shift park”, in 55 of 139 complaints, followed by “engine power” (30).
Other 2017 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2017 Chevrolet Malibu problems or power train problems across all Malibu years.