7 complaints reported

2020 Chevrolet Malibu SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
7
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2025

My car has been malfunctioning it keeps saying shift to park when it’s park and it show esc system issue and then the brakes stop working it has been going on and off took it to Lou bachrodt Chevrolet and they couldn’t fix the issue. I have done research online and it shows the same

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2025
Nov 2024

The brake pump in my 2020 Chevrolet Malibu LT 1.5 malfunctioned on 05/25/2024. My car had approximately 85,193 miles on the odometer when this occured. I was driving down the interstate on 05/25/2024 when I went to apply the brake pedal and it was completely stuck. I had to swerve into the grass on the side of the interstate to avoid collision. After I had the car towed home, I had a mechanic run a system diagnostic test on the car which showed an error/defective code for the brake pressure sensor.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2024
Sep 2024

On [XXX] I was driving to work and my check engine light came on. Immediately after this I was completely unable to brake. My brake pedal became so stiff and impossible to press. I very narrowly avoided an accident. I had the car towed to an auto shop where I was informed that I had a vacuum pump failure that essentially exploded and destroyed my cam shaft and shot fragments of metal into my engine in the process. I was quoted over $12,000 in repairs. After receiving this quote I began searching online to find what could have caused this to happen. I stumbled upon a class action lawsuit for this EXACT same thing (plaintiff [XXX] ). In addition to the suit there were 12 PAGES of comments from other Malibu owners who have experienced similar issues with their vacuum pump and braking system. This issue is also noted on MANY car repair forums, Chevy owner forums, YouTube repair videos etc. Please note that when I received the check engine light on 9/5 this is the first and only time I had any indication of a potential problem with my vehicle. In the year and a half that I have owned the car there has never been any issues, warnings or check engine lights. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: May 2024
Jan 2024

Brake vacuum pump locked up causing camshaft to twist and reluctant wheel to turn which damaged the engine. I'm being quoted $10,000 to fix which was actually $1,000 more to fix but they accidentally under quoted me and have to honor the original estimate. I don't have that kind of money and still owe almost $14,000 on the car.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jan 2024
Jul 2023

Car demonstrates random full vehicle power loss while in drive mode both at stop and while actually in motion and driving. Vehicle had a catastrophic loss of all break power while going downhill. Luckily while leaving the Lincoln Memorial in DC driver was traveling slow enough and able to get vehicle stopped without immediate injury. Car brakes would not reengage without 3k repair to import/export value(see receipt). 2 days later check engine light returned. 2 weeks later dealer is still in discussion with GM to identify cause of engine failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Jun 2023
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu E2. The contact stated that while at a complete stop at the stop sign, the auto START/STOP mode engaged, however the vehicle failed to restart upon releasing the brake pedal. The message "Engine Reduced Power" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had failed and the camshaft reluctor was in improper position. The dealer diagnosed that the vacuum pump and camshaft needed to be replaced. The parts were replaced. However, the failure reoccurred while driving. The contact stated while driving at 80 MPH and merging lanes, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly and the message "Engine Reduced Power" was displayed. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Vandergriff Chevrolet (1200 W Interstate 20, Arlington, TX 76017), who informed the contact that he would need to tow the vehicle to the first dealer to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle back to first dealer for additional diagnostic tests. The failure mileage was approximately 55,634.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Nov 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to slow the vehicle, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the oil change service light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the vacuum pump and engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
Incident: Oct 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Chevrolet Malibu has 7 SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.