2019 Chevrolet Malibu engine problems
66 of the 193 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 316 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database2 of the 66 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2019: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 3 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 8
Half of the 22 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 17,000 and 65,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
193 complaints in all about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu, 8 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Chevrolet Malibu engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
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.
I was driving home from work on the highway going 63 MPH. I started to feel my car shaking as though it was going to stall out. My car has a little over 17k miles on it. On my display saying service ESC with a cresent wrench on the side, my traction control light was on (car with the swervy road) and my transmission light flashing.
Driving the car, on a highway at approx. 75 MPH, check engine light comes on and dashboard states "engine power restricted". Now the car has little power and takes 18 seconds to get from 0-60 making it a road hazard. The vehicle only has 42,000 miles on it
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 15 MPH with the power reduced message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to chapmen Chevrolet located at 1717 e baseline rd, tempe, az 85283 to be diagnosed.
As with other years of this vehicle , I also have has my engine shut off while going down the highway. More than ten times in the last week
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications316 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P1101 P0299 P0101 P0172 P0506 B3925 B3926 B3927
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 67 complaints
- electrical problems 64 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 66 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (34% of everything owners filed about it), and 316 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 1 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 51,448 miles; half of them between 17,000 and 65,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.