Chevrolet Malibu Recall Issued Due to Risk of Sudden Engine Stall Posing Crash Hazard

GM has issued a recall that impacts more than than 175,000 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles, which contain a defect that may cause the engine to unexpectedly stall while the car is in motion, posing an increased risk of an accident crash and injuries.

The Chevrolet Malibu recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on September 10, due to a software issue that may cause the engine’s fuel injectors to fail, causing the engine stall or fail to start. To date, no injuries or crash events have been reported in relation to the recall.

The recalled vehicles are equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. According to the recall notice, under certain conditions, the vehicles engine control module (ECM) may send a disabling signal to the engine’s fuel injectors, causing the engine not to start or to stall.

While the condition is believed to be rare, General Motors warns customers the ECM disabling signal could be sent to the fuel injectors and stall the vehicle unexpectedly and without warning, even at high speeds which could increase the risk of a crash.

GM announced the most common effect will be the engine failing to start, which will cause the check engine light to illuminate on the dashboard cluster.

The recall includes approximately 177,276 model year 2018 Chevrolet Malibu sedans manufactured by General Motors LLC of Warren, Michigan from April 25, 2017 through September 20, 2018. They were distributed for sale throughout the U.S. to licensed dealers.

General Motors says it continues to work on a software update that will repair the issue, however none is available to date. Customers whose vehicles are still under warranty will be offered a loaner vehicle in the interim.

Once the software upgrade becomes available, customers will be provided instructions on how to schedule a free repair at their local dealer, where dealers will be instructed to reprogram the ECM software. Customers with additional questions or concerns regarding the recall may contact GM customers service at 1-800-630-2438 and reference the recall campaign number N192221960.