GM Eyeing Issue With Outgoing Chevrolet Malibu Stop/Start System, Is A Recall Next?
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There’s a potential problem concerning the eight-generation Chevrolet Malibu, according to a recent report by ABC News. GM has even recognized the issue but at this point is not issuing a recall or even a service bulletin.
The problem isn’t life threatening but it’s still an issue nonetheless: the 2.5L engine with stop/start technology won’t shutoff at stoplights.
Like many modern cars, the 2014/2015 Malibu with the 2.5L Ecotec engine is equipped with start/stop technology that’s supposed to shutoff the engine at stoplights in order to save fuel. But that’s just not happening, says Malibu owner Russell Gordon.
“I couldn’t get it to initialize so I kept going back to the dealership to explain to them that there was an issue,” says Gordon. “It was really starting to irritate me”.
While Gordon’s original dealership couldn’t figure it out, a different dealership took a peek and concluded there was a malfunction in the brake position module, he says.
The news outlet reached out to GM for comment and a spokesperson replied via email:
“We are aware of a potential issue with the Brake Pedal Position Sensor and are currently evaluating. We are trying to better understand root cause at this point.”
The news outlet failed to recognized that the 2014/15 Malibu is also equipped with stop/start as standard, and we’re curious as to whether or not the alleged problem also extends to the more popular mainstream Malibu.
The company says its engineers are eager to speak with owners like Gordon in order to better understand the issue, but at this point there are no plans to issue a recall or even a service bulletin. However, a very similar recall was issued not too long ago.
Experiencing a similar? You can call GM at 304-462-9256 or contact them through the Warranty, Repair and Lemon Law website right here.
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What I’m not getting it is is it not shutting off all the time or what?
I had a similar problem with my 2014 1LTZ a few months after I bought it. The engine would not shut off for several days in a row. The dealer said nothing was wrong with it. It does shut off now, but not every time.
Auto stop was working fine until I took it in for inspection. Driving back, it didn’t work at all and hasn’t for 2 weeks. Technician said nothing they did would affect it. Said it was coincidence. ?????????? Have appointment for them to look at it–again.
OK so this is what I did. The tachometer didn’t seem to be moving the way it should. So, when it was safe to do so, I quickly accelerated to about 60 miles an hour until the indicator really jumped. At the next stop, the auto stop WORKED. And it did for the next seven stops until I got home. Strange, but it IS working now, so I cancelled the appointment. They didn’t ask why, so I didn’t tell them……..
did you went from a stop to 60 mph or?
No, I was driving at about 25 MPH when I accelerated. I still don’t know why I thought it would work, I just had nothing to lose. I do not plan to drive today, but I will see if it is still working tomorrow. If it is, I will NOT reply.
I wish this had been the case with the rental I drove. The start / stop feature is annoying as hell.
I’m really not liking this feature.
Me too. This feature shakes the car like hell when it’s stop and restart the engine.
Although the system worked when the heater was on, so far this season it doesn’t kick in when the AC is in use.
I have a 2015 Malibu with this auto-start/stop feature and I would LOVE to have my car have this problem! The system, for me, is quite irritating. I really wish I could disable it.
Yea I have a 2013 Chevy Malibu and I wish this feature was just optional. I don’t care about saving the tiniest bit of fuel when I come to a stop for a couple seconds. I swear it’s ruining my transmission because the car is still in gear when it auto shuts off. Now when I come to stops and my car goes from 2nd to 1st I feel the car jerk and it’s really bothering me. They need to get rid of this feature. It’s not like it really saves that much gas. Let’s be real.
same. now the transmission is slipping at only 8000 mile on this pos
Might as well get used to this. I’d say it will be standard on almost all vehicles before too long. Just another was to meet the new fuel mileage requirements. Ford is even going to put it on pickups soon.
My 6 month old 2015 Impala has been fairly intermittent since the day I took it home. Auto-stop works for a couple weeks, then quits for a few days, then works for a couple weeks, etc. I finally took it to the dealer and they found there was a software update for this issue. They installed it and it’s worked consistently well since then. Until 5 days ago when it quit working again… Yesterday I stopped and got the car washed (it was very over-due…), and immediately after, auto-stop started working again. Continues to do so, performing flawlessly. I’m guessing that one of the sensors that looks through the windshield figured the glass was fogged-up (due to the grime on the windshield), so the auto-stop system was disabled while it tried to clear the “fog” by keeping the air conditioning on.
My car is 2 months old with 4,000 miles. I have noticed within the last week or so that the auto/stop feature isn’t working. I can live with that, but really liked the idea of the savings in gas.
Same issue here plus my bluetooth cuts off when the auto stop comes on in my 2015 Malibu Lt periodically.
The dealership said they fixed the problem,and guess what …. same crap!!!
2014 Chevy Malibu that I purchased new. After about a year and a half the auto stop feature stopped working, took it in to be serviced they did not notice any issues. Then it stopped working all together, my heat would shut off every time I came to a stop and the engine would stay on. The heat/ac would only work while I was accelerating, then the heat stopped working at all. The check engine light came on recently and the car would’nt start, took it to the dealer and of course the special “auto stop battery” has to be replaced at a cost of $500. I got the vehicle a good jump and drove it to the Honda dealer where Im trading it for a Pilot. In my opinion Ive been sold a car with a faulty untested feature that causes system failure, a lemon. I hope someone starts a class action suit, I know others that have had the same experiences.
exact same problem here.
The same thing just happened to me. 556$ to fix the battery module. LIVID
have the same issue!!! but nine will not restart when the stop /start function kicks in! I have to cut it completely off and recrank… going to get me killed. Chev needs to recall and fix this issue
Hey my car is doing the very same thing and the mechanics at my dealership thought I was insane. Because the car didn’t fully shut off with them but I told them they have to be on auto stop for at least a min or long red light or stop sign not let off the brake for a bit and when you do my auto start doesn’t crank the car I would have to restart the whole car all over to finally pull off or put the car on park so it won’t go on auto start did you get the issue fix?
Battery module.
2016 Impala 11K miles.
Issue 1: About 20% of the time when car in in Auto/Start mode when I release the brake, all of the doors unlock, then lock, then the engine starts.
Issue 2: (3) times instead of vehicle going to Auto/Start mode it went to OFF. This required me to put the car in Park and use me key to start it. I consider is a major safety issue.
Issue 3: Check engine lights comes on and off whenever it feels like it.
Took it to the dealer twice, First time they looked at like me I was from Mars and did nothing. Second time they said my key fob needed to be resynced with the car. This fix lasted about 2 hours . Took the car back the same day and they said I would have to bring it back the following week. I travel for business so it is very difficult to just leave a car at the dealer without other means of transportation. BTW now my other Key Fob does not work.
My 2015 Malibu cuts my radio,phone and on star off when I release the brake. Dealership has had it total of 3 weeks all together and can’t find a fix.
Were they able to find the issue? My 2015 Malibu is doing the same thing.
Did you ever find out what the problem was? My 2015 does the same thing. Plus the engine light would intermittently go on. Until now…it just stayed on.
My 2015 Malibu is doing the same after getting a new battery.
2016 Impala Auto Stop Feature (11K Miles)
Issue 1: While in Auto/Stop mode, when you release brake, all doors unlock, lock then the car starts. Occurs about 10% of the time.
Issue 2: You assume the car is in Auto/Stop, but it is OFF. You are required to put the car in Park and turn the key to start car. This has a occurred (9) times as of 5/20/2016. This is a safety concern, especially in heavy traffic.
Issue 3: Check Engine light comes on and off at various times. Light is on about 30% of the time.
Issue 4: Theft Deterrent warning light comes on and car will not start. If you remove the key and try again and it usually works. Occurred about (5) times.
Dealership Trip 1: Mentioned issues during and oil change. Dealer could not find anything wrong.
Dealership Trip 2: Took to dealer for issues and they said my key fob needed to be synced with car. Issues 1 and 3 occurred within 2 hours of repairs. Now my second key fob no longer works.
Dealership Trip 3: Scheduled 05/23/2016
If you don’t like the system, disconnect the hood release switch. This disables the start stop feature.
This will also disable the remote start. It’s bumping the 100 degree mark around here. That’s an hard choice to make.
my issue that was somewhat like your was finally fixed. The replaced a module. Have them call Preston Hood Chevy dealer and ask for Max in service department. I tool a long time for them to finally find this problem as no one had seen it before. Also contact GM direct and have them help
2014 Malibu 2LT and autostop which will not work as described.
I have just completed a journey with GM on trying to get autostop/start to work as advertised.
The selling dealership applied all the software updates that were available. Replaced the auxiliary battery. After several more trips to the dealership, I was told that if I did not use the AC it would work. Note, I had my AC in Eco mode.
Called the GM help line and had to explain what the autostop/start feature as they had no clue. Finally got them to open up a record and requested a different dealership.
Went to the alternate dealership and talked thru what was happening. Also described that when I had a 2015 Malibu loaner the autostop/start feature worked. Described that I could force the autostop/ start feature to work (sometimes) by pushing hard on the break pedal after coming to a full stop.
The service manager drove the vehicle and agreed that the autostop/start was not working. He was able to make it work by doing a hard stop. Went back to the dealership and he reviewed his findings. GM changed the brake pressure required to activate the autostop feature between 2014 to 2015. The 2015 requires less brake pressure. Service manager attempted to get an answer from GM Engineering. No luck. I finally asked to get the GM area rep involved. Last week I got a call back from the dealer and I was told that the GM area rep said that GM can not fix the autostop/start problem on the 2014 Malibu.
I bought the 2014 Malibu over a Toyota Camry XLE because of the fuel mileage claims.
It would be nice if GM would stand behind their products and make them would as advertised. All I was asking for was to make my 2014 work like the 2015.
I have a 2014 Malibu LTZ. The start/stop doesn’t work either when the AC is in Eco mode. Of course it’s supposed to.
i have a 2014 same issue.. gonna get me killed heavy traffic 4 lanes and it will not crank when light turned green!! I called GM.. nothing!! needs to be a class action before a death !! not sure what to do… not paying a dealership for something that is their fault
I bought our 2014 Malibu 2LT in part on the fuel efficiency claims which included the autostop/start feature plus the highway claim of 5.3l/100kms ( I am in Canada). After almost 24 months of taking it to the dealership, calling the customer service line I was able to get to a regional GM rep indirectly thru a dealership. The regional GM rep told the dealership that they can not fix the autostop/start feature on the 2014 Malibu.
My problem is that is does not work consistently when coming to a stop. I have to come to a complete stop and then put the brake peddle harder in order to activate the autostop feature. Since this is now a timing event, it does not always work. I am able to make it work 2 put of 10 stops ( somedays). The other way to make it work is to do a hard stop which is nit acceptable if you want to extend the life of your brakes and also keep one’s wife happy.
What I have learned. I drove a 2015 Malibu and with my driving style the autostop/start feature would work 8 out 10 stops consistently, that is acceptable to me. The dealership that got to the regional rep was able to determine that the brake pedal pressure to invoke the autostop feature changed between 2014 and 2015 with the 2015 requiring less pedal pressure.
The solution is obvious, align the 2014 autostop/start specs with the 2015 specs.
Note: I do not find the autostop/start operation a problem. When it works, the transition from a funding mote to autostop is seamless. The restart is quick and there is no delay to leaving a stoplight. Note: in Europe I saw many drivers shutting off their engines at red
Iights to save fuel.
All I want is to have the feature work as advertised. That is what I paid for and I would expect that GM would step up to their obligations. In my mind, I have a level of distrust over any advertising claims being made by GM. In reading an article on the 2016 Malibu, they stated that the mileage claims for the 1.4 turbo were achieved by using a driving style which did not require the use of the turbo for either city or highway driving. Is that consistent with real world drivers or is this just a way of getting unrealistic mileage claims which is misleading to the buying public.
We have a 2014 Malibu? the same auto stop issues,remote start issues and not being able to work the door locks, now yesterday when driving on the highway the auto stop worked at 65 mph. Something is seriously wrong and gm won’t stand behind it