2016 Chevrolet Malibu Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE BRAKE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY STOP. DURING THE FAILURE, THE BRAKE PEDAL COULD NOT BE DEPRESSED AND SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTONATION CHEVROLET GILBERT (3215 S. AUTO WAY, GILBERT, AZ) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE VACUUM PUMP WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND FAILED TO ACCELERATE. KELLER CHEVROLET (LOCATED AT 3600 GENESEE ST, CHEEKTOWAGA, NY 14225, (716) 650-4589) STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT PERFORMED HIS OWN DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND RETRIEVED FAILURE CODE: P0556 (BRAKE BOOSTER PRESSURE). THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.
BRAKES OR ESC COMPLAINT I AM A GRANDMOTHER WHO DRIVES HER GRANDDAUGHTERS TO AND FROM SCHOOL. AS I AND MY GRANDDAUGHTER EXITED THE FREEWAY ONTO THE SERVICE ROAD, I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SLOWED DOWN. AFTER GOING ANOTHER 50 FEET I PRESSED THE BRAKE TO STOP AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT AND THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BOARD..QUICKLY I PRESSED THE PEDAL AGAIN AND IT WENT TO THE FLOOR FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE THIRD TIME I PRESSED THE PEDAL AS HARD AS I COULD INTO THE FLOORBOARD. THERE WAS A VIBRATING SOUND. NEXT, I PRESSED THE PEDAL FOR THE FOURTH TIME AND FELT THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF RESISTANCE AND IT PERFORMED PROPERLY AND STOPPED THE CAR. I DROVE A FEW MORE BLOCKS TO MY DESTINATION GOING 10 MILES AN HOUR WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON. I CALLED MY ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE SERVICE TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE NEXT DAY I EXPLAINED THE EXPERIENCE TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY DROVE IT AND SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE EXPERIENCE. THEY DROVE THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES BUT THEN SAID THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG SO THEY WERE READY TO GIVE IT BACK TO ME. I SAID I'M NOT READY TO TAKE IT BACK AND THAT THEY SHOULD BE GLAD THEY DIDN'T DUPLICATE MY EXPERIENCE, BECAUSE, THEY MIGHT HAVE HURT SOMEONE.. I CALLED GM AND THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME AND SAID HE DROVE IT AND IT PERFORMED NORMALLY. I ASKED HIM TO CONSULT WITH THE FACTORY OR TRY TO GET A BRAKE SPECIALIST TO LOOK AT IT. AND I TOLD HIM I WILL NOT DRIVE THE CAR ANOTHER INCH UNTIL THEY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED AND FIX IT. THEY DID NOT GIVE ME A LONER CAR SO I HAVE RENTED A CAR AT $50 A DAY. I HOPE TO GET THIS RESOLVED.
IN DECEMBER OF 2018 ON A ROAD TRIP, MY BRAKES FAILED; I LITERALLY HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. THIS HAPPENED ON THE PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE, WITH MYSELF, MY MOTHER AND MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER IN THE CAR. YOU CAN IMAGINE THE FEAR I FELT AT THAT TIME. THANKFULLY, I WAS ABLE TO MERGE ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK. MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN HARRISBURG, PA AND IT TOOK THEM A WEEK TO REPLACE THE VACUUM PUMP. JULY 2019 I NOTICE THAT MY ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND THERE IS A MESSAGE ON MY DASHBOARD THAT STATES 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER.' I IMMEDIATELY MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT I INITIALLY PURCHASED THE CAR FROM. MY CAR HAS BEEN THERE SINCE TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2019 AND THEY TELL ME THAT THE 'ANTI-LOCK BRAKE' SYSTEM HAS FAILED AND THEY ARE STILL TRYING TO PINPOINT WHY THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. THE DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED THAT WE TAKE THE CAR HOME AND BRING IT ON ANOTHER DAY, BUT AGAIN, LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, THE BRAKE PEDAL BECAME STIFF AND WE COULD NOT APPLY PRESSURE TO IT! THEY HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE VACUUM PUMP AGAIN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A MEDIAN. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT CALLED CARLISLE CHEVROLET BUICK GMC CADILLAC AT (972) 938-8000 (LOCATED AT 1701 US-287 BYP, WAXAHACHIE, TX 75165) AND WAS INFORMED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS COMPLETED AT HER RESIDENCE BY A FAMILY MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE ROTOR SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
2/2/18. WAS TRAVELING AT 47 MPH WHEN A TRUCK STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 CAR LENGTHS AWAY. I HIT THE BRAKE TO STOP, FELT THE PEDAL VIBRATE FOR A FEW SECONDS AND THEN THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VIBRATION WENT AWAY. PUMPED THE PEDAL AGAIN AND SLOWED THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE RIGHT BEFORE HITTING THE TRUCK. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, THE AUTO STOP FEATURE DID NOT WORK. THE ONSTAR DID NOT ACTIVATE.THE ROADS WERE DRY, AND THE ROAD WAS FLAT. GM SENT SOMEONE TO RETRIEVE THE DATA FROM THE COMPUTERS, WE HAVE COPIES OF THE REPORT. THE DATA SHOWS 5 SECONDS BEFORE THE CRASH. ACCORDING TO THE BRAKING DATA, THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED AT 47 MPH AND THE VEHICLE SLOWED BUT DID NOT STOP. AFTER GETTING THE VEHICLE BACK FROM THE BODY SHOP, WE HAD THE CODES PULLED AND FOUND NUMEROUS CODES IN THE DIFFERENT MODULES. THERE WAS A CODE U0415-71- INVALID DATA RECEIVED FROM ELECTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL MODULE PRESENT AS A HISTORY CODE. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CHEVY DEALER AND THEY CONFIRMED ALL THE SAME CODES. WE HAD TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER THAT DID THE BODY WORK IN CASE IT WAS ACCIDENT RELATED. THE SECOND DEALER IS CLAIMING THAT EVEN THOUGH CODES ARE PRESENT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN FIND WRONG. I BELIEVE THE ABS FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE AND WAS THE DIRECT CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT.
I SLAMMED ON THE BREAKS AT AROUND 55-60 MPH AND I KNOW MY ANTI LOCK BREAKS DIDN'T LOCK. I FELT THE WHEELS STILL ROLLING MY CAR SLOWLY CAME TO A BUMPY STOP. AS IF THE TIRE WOULD ROLL THEN STOP ROLL THEN STOP.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE APPROACHING A STOP, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE. THE CONTACT CALLED A LOCAL DEALER (MILLER BROTHERS OF ELLICOTT CITY LOCATED AT 9035 BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, ELLICOTT CITY, MD 21042 410-988-6185). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,922. ..UPDATED 10/13/17 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE HAS AN AUTO STOP FEATURE ON IT FROM THE FACTORY. WHEN THE VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP, THE FEATURE CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SHUT DOWN AND RESTART. THIS CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS IF STOPPING ON AN INCLINE, AS THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIFT BACKWARDS. UPDATED 10/17/2017*JS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL FOR HALF AN HOUR, AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FAIRWAY CHEVROLET (LOCATED ON 3100 E SAHARA AVE, LAS VEGAS, NV) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED OR DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,090.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD WHEN IT WAS DEPRESSED. THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SLID INTO THE REAR OF THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITY FOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,100.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MAILBU. WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT AT 3 MPH, THE ABS ENGAGED WITHOUT WARNING. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. WHILE GRADUALLY DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE DRIVING, THE ABS REPEATEDLY JERKED THE VEHICLE FOR MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE NO FAILURES WAS DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 61.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR DRIVER SIDE BRAKE PADS WERE INSTALLED BACKWARDS AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145. UPDATE 01/15/16 MA THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. *JS
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Quick Summary
The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu has 37 Brakes complaints on file. 6 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.