2016 Chevrolet Malibu Brakes

Car suddenly stopped dead cold while driving on a highly driven road. No power. Several attempts were made to get off the main road and drive to a close neighborhood. Finally started and at every stop sign the car grinded during stopping and threw me backwards in driver's seat. Needed a tow. .

When I was driving my car with my child in it my break tightened up and I couldn’t apply them to stop I had to let my foot off the gas and let my car slow its self down safely. When I got my car home my husband looked at it and found out that my vaccum pump had went out and part of it broke off in the engine. This is very unsafe and this needs to be investigated because people can’t know when the vacuum pump is going to go bad this issue lays on gm and Chevy to make sure the parts they are using will hold up and be safe

My 2016 Chevy Malibu Limited is experiencing Electronic Brake Control Module (EBCM) failure symptoms that match Recall 39440, even though my VIN is not listed in the recall. Details of the problem: -The brakes would randomly feel like they were sticking and the car being held back -Brake lights would remain on -Car would float all over the road -ABS and StabiliTrak warning lights illuminated in the dash once. -ABS and ESC functions stop working, leaving only based braking available. -These failures occur intermittently but increased to everytime. -All 4 brakes are dragging, pulsing (no lights illuminated), reaching 240 degrees -Confirmed by mechanic EBCM This is a safety hazard. The vehicle becomes more difficult to control in adverse conditions without ABS/ESC. I transport my special-needs child in this vehicle, and I am deeply concerned for our safety. Why I believe recall expansion is needed: GM has acknowledged this exact defect in Recall 39440 (affecting other 2016 Malibus built during specific production dates). My vehicle is showing the same failure, and I request NHTSA investigate whether the recall population should be expanded to include additional VINs.

Brake Booster vacuum pump failed and pieces broke off in the engine.. it failed in the middle of driving with my [XXX] daughter.. the brakes padel was hard and was hard to stop.. could have caused a real bad accident even caused death if happened while driving.. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Brake booster vacuum pump failed and pieces of the pump broke off and in the engine..

Brake vacuum booster failed resulting in the brakes failing.

I was driving on the highway started to exit the exit ramp at the top of the exit ramp. There’s a stop sign. Want to stop for it previously to this my brakes were fine then I went to press on them to come to the final stop at the stop sign and they were super hard. and

When pressing on break it goes straight to floor sometimes or locks up and throws service needed code and reduce power steering

My 2016 chevy Malibu had brake vacuum pump failure. No warnings. Brake pedal got hard and could not stop. I was returning home with my 13 yr. old daughter from Tennessee and had to get it fixed so we could get home. Mechanic said this is a common problem and that there is a class action lawsuit on this problem with these cars about having a recall. This put me out of pocket 1986.00 dollars which is unacceptable and could have ruined my entire engine.

The brake booster pump needed replacing because of malfunction. I was driving on Fredrick Douglas bridge and needed to brake.. when I tried to brake, the brake pedal was very stiff (alot of pressure) and it took awhile just to slow the vehicle down. I had to apply all my force and push the pedal all the way down to try and slow the vehicle. The break pedal continued to stay that while I had to drive very slow to get to a safe place where I can park and wait for a tow of the car. The tow truck driver experienced the same problem trying to get the car up on the tow bed. My mechanic also experienced the issue with my car. No warning light was given on the dashboard at all. I took a look online and saw there were numerous complaints about this issue and Chevy has not issued a recall notice of this defect.

After driving during the morning with no prior issue with brakes I proceeded to drive along a residential street going 15 miles per hour. When I began to press brakes while approaching a Stop - the brakes began to grind horribly, I let up off the brake and pressed again, same sound (grinding as if something was going to fall out the bottom of the vehicle around the pedal). I put the car in reverse and brake again, same sound, tried going forward a bit further, same grinding sound. Car seemed to be Immobile, undrivable. Called a tow immediately and towed to dealer - they kept vehicle overnight but the issue could not be duplicated while in their possession. They inspected the brakes and found nothing wrong. I picked up car but felt it was unsafe to drive so I drove only local area for the next week. The same issue occurred while leaving home about 1wk. later. Car was not drivable - brakes were hard and grinding horribly. I towed the car a second time immediately to another GM Dealer. The vehicle was kept for several days, the issue would not repeat itself @ dealership so it went undetected (they actually insisted that I needed a battery and a dead cell could cause the issue I was having and more) While this mad no sense, I went in to the dealer myself and drove the vehicle around the lot until the issue occurred again. The Technician came out an said, that's horrible and unsafe I know exactly what that is, it's the BRAKE Booster and it was very dangerous to drive like that. This faulty issue could have resulted in an accident had I been on the expressway, or even worse. it took 2 tows and 2 Dealers to find and confirm the issue. This issue is a dangerous hazard and - there should be a Recall on the BRAKE BOOSTER! It resulted in a costly $$ and dangerous hazard that could be avoided by having the vehicle recalled. e.g. *The engine light displayed intermittenly when this issue occurred but the Dealers were unable to detect the issue or any diagnostic problem.

The brake booster vacuum pump failed, twice. There wasn’t any warning messages prior to the failure. It is available for inspection. Both incidents happened on the freeway, which put mine and other drivers at risk. The first time it failed was in July 2022, then 3 months later in September after being repaired, failed again. The problem has only been confirmed by multiple mechanics. Not only did the vacuum pump fail, it’s extremely difficult to find a replacement part, new or used.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, she attempted to depress the brake pedal when the brakes locked and failed without warning. As a result, the contact rear-ended the rear of another vehicle. The contact sustained soreness and the other driver of the other vehicle sustained an injury to the back that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her place of residence. The contact scheduled an appointment with an independent mechanic. The dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that information will be sent but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, she depressed the brake pedal however, the brake failed to engage as needed. The contact stated that additional force was needed to stop the vehicle. While stopped, the vehicle inadvertently started rolling backward. The contact stopped the vehicle and then turned off the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking and the brake pedal was soft. The brake pedal had to be depressed to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic determined that the brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Second issue with brakes on 2016 Chevy Malibu. First issue fixed in September 2020 by replacing vacuum pump and sensor. The pump failed and pieces of the pump break off and fall into the engine. The exact same issue happened again June 2021. The brakes are very hard and a loud thumping noise was coming from under the hood when you pressed the brakes. It was very hard to stop the car. I knew it was the same issue from September 2020. The vacuum pump was removed and returned to the dealership where the I purchased it from in September 2020 when the original part failed. The part I returned in June 2021 was still under warranty. When I returned it and told them it failed the exact same way in 2020, the man in parts said "They PROBABLY won't warranty the part again since it failed twice. So there's probably something else wrong with your car" REALLY!!! I did notice that the part had been redesigned and the part that breaks off in the engine is no longer there. This proves Chevrolet knows this is an issue, but refuses to recall these vehicles. Thankfully I was on a country road, not driving fast when it failed this time. We live at the bottom of 2 hills, so I had to drive partially in the ditch to help the car slow down enough to safely pull into my driveway with no brakes.

PRESSING ON BREAK LOST BREAKING POWER. WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC BREAK VACUUM PUMP HAD ISSUE. HE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE ISSUE HE FOUND DOCUMENTED.

I WAS INVOLVED IN A COLLISON WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. IMMEDIATLY AFTER THE COLLISION THE BRAKES ON MY VEHICLE FAILED. I HAD TO USE THE CURB AND BUSHES TO STOP MY VEHICLE AFTER TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 300 YARDS FROM THE COLLISION SITE.

THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THE BRAKE BOOSTER SYSTEM. I HAVE HAD THIS REPLACED ONCE ALREADY. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS! THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND WHEN U PRESS THE BRAKE THERE IS A LOUD GUSH OF AIR AND IT'S HARD TO STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND CEASED AND FAILED TO RELEASE FROM THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS SYSTEM WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GEORGE NUNNALLY CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 2700 SE. MOBERLY LN, BENTONVILLE, AR 72712, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

BRAKING SYSTEM ERROR WITH THE BOOSTER, PRESSURE SENSOR, BOOSTER PUMP. CAR IS NOT BRAKING CORRECTLY AND CAUSING DRIVING ISSUES ALONG EITHER NOT BEING ABLE TO BRAKE CORRECTLY. WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR MAY NOR MAY NOT STOP IN TIME TO AVOID A CRASH. *TR

WE HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR OVER AN HOUR TO OUR DESTINATION AS I CAME TO THE SECOND RED LIGHT THAT WAS RIGHT PAST ONE WE JUST PASSED WITH NO PROBLEMS, THE BRAKES MADE A LOUD NOISE UNDERNEATH THE CAR AND BRAKES WOULD NOT WORK. AS I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, YOU HAD TO PRESS BRAKES WITH BOTH FEET AND EVERYTIME IT WOULD MAKE A LOUD SOUND. *TR

WHEN BRAKING TO STOP AT LIGHT SOMETIMES MY CAR WILL JERK LIKE IT IS TRYING TO TAKE OFF. WILL HAVE TO PUSH HARD ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET IT TO STOP. WON'T HAPPEN FOR A WHILE THEN IT WILL HAPPEN 4 TO 5 TIMES IN A ROW THEN WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN FOR A WHILE. SOMETIME I FEEL LIKE MY CAR IS GOING TO JUMP OUT OF CONTROL.

AFTER FILLING UP WITH GAS, BRAKES STARTED MAKING A LOUD NOISE AND SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE SLIPPING. THE FIRST TIME WAS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 21. THERE WERE NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER 20 MINUTES OF DRIVING THE SOUND STOPPED AND BRAKES SEEMED FINE. AGAIN ON OCTOBER 28TH, THE EXACT THING HAPPENED AFTER GETTING GAS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BRIEFLY AND WENT OFF. AFTER 30 MINUTES OF DRIVING THE ISSUE STOPPED. THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON OCTOBER 29TH AFTER GETTING GAS. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS STAYED ON. THE BRAKES MADE THE SAME LOUD NOISE AND SLIPPING FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES, THEN WERE FINE. I STOPPED AT O'REILLY'S TO GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE. IT SAID "BREAK BOOSTER PRESSURE SENSOR" ERROR. MILEAGE 134,000 WHEN FIRST HAPPENED, CURRENTLY 134,511 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY THIS ISN'T THE FIRST ISSUE I'VE HAD WITH THIS CAR. PURCHASED JANUARY 29, 2016, GASKET LEAKED WATER IN CABIN 6/16@37K, VEHICLE STALLING MULTIPLE TIMES 7/16-10/16@45K-60K NO ISSUE FOUND, MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR REPLACED 11/16@70K, STALLING AGAIN IN TRAFFIC 12/16@70K NO ISSUE FOUND, ENGINE POWER REDUCED 1/17@71K NO ISSUE FOUND, ENGINE POWER REDUCED 1/17@72K ACCELERATOR SENSOR REPLACED, STALLING AGAIN MULTIPLE TIMES 2/17-9/17@75K NO ISSUES FOUND, SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE WHEN IN PARK 11/17-2/18@80K ENTIRE GEAR SHIFT REPLACED. CONTINUED TO HAVE INTERMITTENT STALLING/SLUGGISH ISSUES. SERVICE STABILITRACK ERROR WITH ENGINE SHUTDOWN AFTER AUTOSTOP 11/18-12/18@98K DIAGNOSED AS BATTERY IN TRUNK (NO BATTERY ACTUALLY IN THE TRUNK) ISSUE CONTINUED TO 1/19, BATTERY REPLACED 1/19 BY ANOTHER DEALERSHIP. EXTENDED WARRANTY ENDED 2/19 DUE TO MILEAGE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ONLY CAME ON FOR 3 OF THE ISSUES LISTED ABOVE. CAR WAS TAKEN TO 2 AUTHORIZED CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS FOR ALL ISSUES EXCEPT CURRENT BRAKING ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE BOOSTER PRESSURE SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,114.

THE BRAKE PEDAL SQUEAKS WHENEVER I STEP IT, AS A 2016 CAR. THIS PROBLEM REALLY SHOULD NOT OCCUR. ALSO, I RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. MANY CHEVY USERS, INDEED MALIBU USERS REPORTED THIS PROBLEMS ONLINE.