What does it mean when it says ESC maintenance Service Traction, Engine Power Reduced

It mean,s the traction control system need,s repairing,or bad sensor,

TST is correct. You need to get it to a Chevrolet dealership. That should still be under factory warranty. Unless it has over 100,000 miles.

Thanks! It's fixed now. I had a shortage in my fuse box.

Glad to hear! I'm hoping at no charge to you.

It wasn't much $150.00. Thanks for your help!!!

That's not too bad. No problem

This has happened to me 3 times now In the last 2 month's.i had it towed to the dealership. All 3 times the dealership has said their diagnostic shows no codes. And when it happens again, drive it to their dealership and while its happening they can diagnose it. Yeah sure, they want me drive it 29 miles away as bad as its acting. I have to drive that far and damage my car then it'll be my fault . 44,000 miles.im really upset.

I have a 2009 LTZ that was having the same problem. I took it in for the recall on the wire connections on the Brake Control Module. They performed the recall work and it fixed the problem. Basically they disconnect the wire harness, lubricate it so the wires all have a good connection and then strap it to prevent the same problem from happening again.

I have a 2007 chevy malibu and the traction light is on and the esc light is on.the front right tire is huming

I'm having this same problem withy 2010 Malibu! I took it in for recall and it is still doing it!! I am open to any options for fixing this!! HELP!!!!

I have a 2012 malibu lt...45,000 and the light just came on today..traction and ESC!!!

2010 Malibu ltz 3.6l. Same here... Yesterday got the powerless... ESC and traction reading across the odometer display. Just got a tube of dielectric grease and applied it to some of the connectors I could get to easily. Mainly the throttle position and maf sensor. I'm kinda scared to disconnect the main ecu, so I,ll ask the dealership to get that one if it keeps running like dogpoo.

2012 Malibu. Took to dealer. Not under warranty and said it was a bad sensor. Cost: $1,350. Ugh! 70,000 on car.

I have a 202 Malibu, used, and at about 50,000 miles it started this foolishness. The dealership said the code was for the throttle. Replaced the throttle, after a month it started again. Then they said the connector was bad, replaced the throttle connector. After another 30 days it started back. Took it back they said the connector was burnt out. Put a new one. That didn't fix it. Then they said they found it!!! It was a pedal sensor. Finally they got it. And here we are almost 6 weeks later and it has started again. This car is a piece of shit and needs to be recalled. I almost got hit in traffic twce because of this issue. I am going to call General Motors again for the 5th time. Now it's doing it everyday... I hate this damn car!!!

Bmoore38 you would qualify to turn it in under the lemon law, which means you'd get all the money back you've ever paid for the car plus whatever you've paid for repairs. If a problem can't be fixed after four times then it's considered a lemon. My 2010 has the same issue and I'm over it. Just waiting for it to do it for the fourth Time so I can turn it in under the lemon law. Chevy is a lemon!!

Dchic, they finally fixed it... It's was the computer throwing codes.. So they replaced it.. So far it's good, but I got the car used and from what I have researched online, Florida does not have a used car lemon law...I hope it's finally fixed but we are nearing the 30 day mark again so I will c what happens this car has been a nightmare..

Now it's doing it again... 2 months and I'm back to this bullshit

I own an '07 Malibu that has had this issue for a while. The Check Engine and Traction lights come on and it says "Engine Power Reduced" / "Service Traction" on the radio display. It started happening in the spring of this year (2015). It stopped after we did some preventative maintenance to figure out the problem. It stopped happening for several months and all the sudden back in October it started again... Taking it to the dealership tomorrow. Just praying the cost is reasonable as I'm going to college full time, and my mother doesn't drive, so it's my only way to finish school (45 min. drive / 4 days a week).

I have a 2010 chevy malibu LT and the traction control light came on.Also the message Engine Reduce Power. Well I press the brake pedal and it makes a weird sound but after that everything is working normal. Is my first time. Any suggestions?

This problem usually,is a bad traction control sensor,but if you have replaced the sensor,s and still have this issue,it will be in the wiring harness that is bad,chevy did not put heavy durable wiring to the sensor,s and it is a big issue with the Malibu,s.

T_S_T, Thank you for the advice. I will keep it in mind as I try to get my car fixed.

I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu one way to describe it. CHEVY PIECE OF SHIT. Multiple problems. Runs like crap. Been to several dealership and get the same blank expression from another "tech" with the line of we can not find anything wrong. Several times service esc has come on. This time engine power reduced almost got hit. Shit it of let it sit that goes away but the engine light comes on. From day one taking slow turns and it activates the control system causing breaks to pulsate and jerk the car. Then it does what it's states it's trying to prevent. Loss of traction. Eats brakes up like you would not believe. Driving along suddenly the temp sensor quits working, AC quits working and engine fans kick in. But hey guess what. They say no problem found. Had one tech tell me "ah just disconnect the battery. Let it sit for a few then plug it all back together. " well it fixes it for a while but for the love of god that's the service level of Chevy? Disconnect a battery? Now the top end is making all kinds of noise. Who wants to bet they will say no problem found. It also runs like crap when the engine is cold. yhe genius told me it's because I need an oil change. I change it every three thousand miles. As a matter of fact the sticker was in the window showing I had just had the oil changed two days prior to his intilectial diagnosis. Four oil changes later and guess what it still runs like SHIT but no problem found.

2009 Malibu. Have had this problem "fixed" several times and it's doing it again. They should have let GM go bust instead of bailing them out. How many #$%#$ sensors do you need on a car anyway? I'm going to sell this shit for scarp and buy something else.

Dealership replaced a sensor and fixed the tie-rod. The cost wasn't too bad and there is a 90-day / 3000 mile warranty on any work or parts replaced. My car is running great now, knock one wood. Praying for the traction light / engine power reduced message not to come back, but if it does within the 90-day period I will bring it back for them to figure out.

I have a 2012 Malibu. About 2 months ago it starting having some of the problems described in this thread. Service engine light, service esc, esc off, service traction control. When idling the car will jerk like its going to die. It misses bad. When they hooked it up to the computer the first time it said coil pack 2 was bad. They replaced it. Couple of days later it all started again. They put it back on the computer and again it said coil pack 2. They replaced the fuel injector on 2 this time. They test drive the car it runs fine. They leave it running in the parking g lot for about 30 minutes and when they go back to it, its missing and lights are on again. I drive 116 miles every day 5 days a week. This is the 3rd Chevrolet I have owned and I have had problems with them all. As for the wiring harness, mine has already been replaced. This mess started after it was replaced.

What Does It Mean When You Have A 09 Chevy Malibu And The Only Thing Popping Up Is Service ESC But Ain't Nun Of Your Senors Bad But My Car Won't Start At All I Have Ppl Looking At It And They Don't Even Know What's Wrong With It They Saying Its My Computer But I Don't Believe That's The Problem But My Car Won't Start At All And Its Making Me Mad Any Help Anyone ???

Have 2012 ltz with same issue car has been running fine chevy dealer says I have a blown cylinder wants $2200. Doesn't seem quite right to me

It's been a year.. Car still doing this shit.. General Motors is now fixing it for free. Too bad the dealership doesn't even know what the problem is. They have changed everything on my car... I'm about to call Mr General Motors...

@ jaja have u had any luck

I have a chevy malibu 2011. Esc traction serivce. What do i need buy to fix the problem...plz help me.

Geezus !

I have a 2011 malibu, same thing has happened to me. this being the second time. So far it has coincided with the rain. first time after about a day and dry weather the lights turned off and car went back to normal. Seriously hoping that happens again this time.

I have a 2009 Chevy Malibu and I have the same problem mine says drive5 Line2

Has a cold p1682 does anyone know what it means

For ranman0531 i have the same problems I took it to the dealership and they could not figure it out. A diagnostic my own car and it was the ECM computer your car is doing the same thing as mine

What Ron said. Mine started doing this 2 days ago, I have a 2011 malibu. We have had monsoon like rain for 3 days. I am hoping also it will go back to normal because I don't have thousands of dollars for trial and error. If it doesn't, I hope that I can find an answer in these forums. My brake fluid light goes on, then service esc, then service teaction, then they all go back to normal.

I HAVE A 2010 MALIBU LTZ , THE SERVICE TRACTION, ENGIEN POWER REDUCED NOTIFICATION POPPED UP YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS HEADING HOME . I STOPPED BY A SHOP WHICH WAS INFORMED THAT THE SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED . THERE ARE TWO , ONE IS UNDER THE GAS PEDAL AND THE OTHER IS UNDER THE HOOD. IN MY CASE THE ONE UNDER THE GAS PEDAL IS THE ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I PURCHASED ANOTHER PEDAL WITH THE SENSOR HOPEFULLY EVERY THING IS FINE ONCE ITS REPLACED.

My car (2009 Chevy Malibu LT 2.4) had similar messages popping up (esc service, esc off, esc traction) as well as the check engine light. Luckily, I had my very knowledgeable mechanic friend try to find the root of the issue. We replaced the spark plugs, checked the coils, checked the injectors and ohms, checked the wiring, saw that cylinders 2, 3, and 4 have power and signal from the PCM. Injector 1 has no power and signal from the PCM. I am adding fuel injector cleaner once my gas tank empties, but he was extremely confident that the main problem after diagnosis would be that the PCM is not sending a signal to fuel injector number one. Next step is to take it for a repair which I expect will be in between $300 and $400.

I have a 2010 Malibu and since the moment I pulled it out of the dealership parking lot the service ESC and service traction lights have been going on and off. This issue is very annoying in itself, however, the worst part is that my brake lights are going off when I break and staying on as I drive!! Very scary and dangerous, so after many attempts of getting my car serviced to no avail, GM finally recalled the parts for my car! I figured at that point I would no longer have to worry about my sensors going off/ driving in fear of causing an accident due to faulty brake lights… Boy, was I wrong. I don't think I've gone a month without this issue arising, and now that the recall is over I get to pay out-of-pocket again! I have called Chevrolet customer care and will continue to do so, this problem is just so frustrating! The last time I was at the dealership the repair man told me the sensor comes loose which is located on the passenger side of the center counsel and that all they can do is use zip ties to tighten it back up and that's how they "fix" it for $200. If anybody knows how to to take off your center counsel and find such sensor, let me know! At this point I much rather try doing it myself

I have a 2008 Malibu Ltz and hopefully this will help some people that have been experiencing the ESC service/ traction control, engine stumbling, high rpm and slamming when shifting delema... I've been experiencing all of these issues and figured out that it was all stemming from a 15A Fuse under the hood in the driver side fuse panel that you access after removing the battery cover. The prongs that the 15A fuse push down into had been spread too far apart so when the fuse was pressed in it was not making good connection which in turn was compromising signals for the ignition coil. The fuse slot in question is labeled 43 or 44 ignition coil.immediatly after correcting this I started the car and whala all issues completely went away. After correcting this issue you will have to unhook your negative cable to clear all BS codes that have accumulated during this nightmare and this will also eliminate your check engine light. Hope this helps to ease your stress and get you back on the road! Good luck

I have a 2009 chevy malibu and the service esc service traction control eng reduced power and check engine light come on at same time randomly going down road. I have replaced the timing valve sensor camshaft position sensor oil change new spark plugs tps and its still doing it. Im at my witts end oh dealership says they have no clue what to do now. Any suggestions?

I have a 2011 chevy Malibu and this morning driving to work (live in upstate ny so idk if the cold is a factor) the esc service traction control and reduced engine power came on. Started shaking and going slow on a dark spiral road. I freaked out and call my fiancé who is in Kentucky at he moment. Waited a few mins, started it back up and it was fine and headed home. About 20 mins later the same thing happened. I'm annoyed and petrified at this point and just want to get home. Let it sit a few more mins and finally just made it home! Anyone know what this could be and how expensive it is? I leave for Kentucky in a few days to get married!!! And don't want to have this happen on the 12 hour drive there

Is it the fuse box under the hood because I'm having the same issue

I'm having issues with my 2009 Malibu LTZ saying powersteering, ESC OFF, AND SERVICE ESC????? Anyone know why it keeps doing this and check engine light pops on with it then next day gone and keeps randomly doing it

I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu, and while I was on the highway my car suddenly jerked and lost a lot of power it felt like. My power steering went and about 5 service lights came on. It also read service esc, service traction control etc... my ABS light, brake light, trac controL light, engine light, and battery light came on. Luckily I was close to a rest area. Any help with this one?

Two years now, warranty done.. the dealership is now saying rodent damage and they need to replace all the wires for only $3700... they will never get my money.. it's stop and go.. sometimes I get months with no issues but today it did it 6 times on my way home.. it just started up again this weekend after 2 months ... time to trade this shit in .. I will never ever ever buy another Chevrolet..

I don't have an answer but a question , do you have any updates on how the car is running now and what did they replace to fix it . Thanks .

I have an 05' Malibu Maxx and it does the same thing. My traction control light comes on and then engine shuts down. It's very dangerous.

We have a 2010 Malibu and it's popping up the same thing. Wife went out to her car and the car wouldn't start. I go out there and it pops up "Service ESC, Service Traction and Reduced Engine Power". Seems like running through this entire thread the problem is either 15A fuse under the hood (slot 43 or 44), Accelerator Pedal Sensor, Throttle Position Sensor, Traction Control Sensor or Wiring Harness. It also seems that GM is crap and they should have never been bailed out to sell us crap cars. I am start with the cheapest fix first and will repost when I find what is going wrong...

SelSmith84 do you have a conclusion yet? Thanks

Took it to the dealer , they replaced the Fuel injector , Ignition Coil , new Spark Plugs and did what they called "Decarb" since I have the extended warranty it was only $200 .They told me I need to try to use Top Tier fuel . I have the car for 3 weeks so far, running good , nothing popped out yet ....... I will let you know in 3 more weeks .

After years of driving foreign cars decided to give chevy another try...BIG MISTAKE....my 2008 malibu is a piece of shit it's constantly in the shop...now the display is saying traction control reduced engine power...I should've bought a Toyota camry...I will never buy a chevy vehicle again

Well..my son started his 2011 Malibu brown in color and it has the same symptoms that I'm reading about in other posts. Stay tuned we will have it towed in the morning. We have a certified mechanic so we will see!

my car is due to go in for the 4th time (July 11, 2017) for the ESC problem (trying another dealership). Mine seams to only be an issue in warm weather months in Ohio. I will post if there are any solutions. GM customer care hasn't helped one bit.

It's been two years and I'm still having this issue.. warranty done.. nobody can fix it .. it just comes and goes .. I'm just gonna have to learn to accept it until I can trade the car in. it's just fucked up wiring .. I keep hearing fuse, but what fuse and how come the dealership can't find it.. I give up, and I suggest y'all do the same. Chevrolet sent me a check for $1000, towards a trade in, they can't fix it. I have stalked the corporate office. It's a wrap. Good luck, I will be reading to see if anybody ever figures this out..

09 Malibu lt 3.6 with the 6 speed. Always was proud to wear my bowtie and mage the mistake of making my first new car this steaming pile. Trans went out at 60k miles, windshield laminate separation after 3 years, a.c. works when it wants to,left front speaker that also Controls audible warnings went out while the others still work. Brake lights on the blink, had seals on the half shafts go out, excessive brake wear in short periods, head lights that burn out every few months,replaced the battery 5 times. now the dash is lighting up every warning there is ,reduced engine power ,shuddering ,service air bags, esc,traction, then it will turn off at freeway speeds.open the driver for and close it again and hey it'll start up and run fine a few more minutes. When this pile started doing the seizure routine it also developed the front end whine as previously mentioned. Oh damn almost forgot the coolant leak on the passenger side /top of engine.it's the most expensive lawn art I've never wanted. Waiting on Chevy to come out with another special warranty so I can get rid of it in drivable condition. Might just accidently wrap it around a light pole since I have full coverage. Never again will I buy a new Chevy. F.u. gm ! The safety ratings that car got is why I bought it and i won't let my wife and kids near it now.

Ok.. I'm back. We had the 2011 Malibu/ brown. The mechanic replaced the throttle body and reprogrammed the computer. He said he done some other preventive maintenance as well. Tow and everything he charged me $600. So far so good!

I changed my throttle body too, and got a new cord and everything... car still fucked up.. it throws the throttle body code when they put it on the machine to see why the service engine light on. It's always going to say throttle body. I hope u have better luck than me. I just had to replace the lower control arms .. it's running fine.. this week..maybe it was the control arms this whole time .. I doubt it .. keep u posted

Grease/lubricate all wiring connections. We had this problem for a year and almost stopped driving it. Also check if you have a sunroof because the tubing was undone and had been leaking water into wiring. Runs like a dream now. Cant believe my husband fixed it for free after even replacing the ignition switch with no luck

I will give that a try. Its a shame they sell you a car, but then you have to fight to get it fixed and pay for their guess work.

Just a update car running great, but also make sure you remove the negative battery to erase any codes. Will update monthly to make sure all is good.

Check the drivers side dash panel when you open the door, it pulls right off. There are 2 wiring connectors, grease both of them with some sort of bearing grease or electrical lubricate, we used plain bearing grease. Also under the hood there are many wiring connections, 2 connected to the computer next to the battery and one connected to the firewall above the battery, apply just enough grease to cover the holes not plug them. Please update if this helps anyone.

The service ESC light came on and the power steering on the dash. Does anyone know what that means and where to take it to be fixed

It means gm found another sucker.don't feel bad this room is full of em myself included.if u have a malibu it means u are gonna deal with people in india telling you there's nothing they can do.get ready for a long hard tooth and nail fight.sell it, learn from it, buy a Honda or Toyota. Good luck

Our 2012 is doing this same crap. Started about a month ago at 96k miles after our local dealership repaired a bad connector in the airbag system. Service ESC, service traction control, reduced engine power, etc. It runs so rough when this happens, that it cannot be driven. It's funny how it never had any issues until right after they messed with it. I've never been more upset with a car in my life. My 07 silverado acts up a little, but it's got nearly 220k on it. I've always been a Chevy guy, but I won't buy another of their cars. The trucks are ok, but the cars suck. I don't want to spend another dime on this thing. If I could go back, we'd have a Camry.

UPDATE (9/14/2017)..my ESC saga. ESC was happening in the warm months -started in 2015. Dealership said it was the brake sensor- so replaced Aug 2016. Month later it came back. Two more trips to the dealership- could not diagnose issue. I let it go as it stopped during cold months. Back again 2017. I still ignored. Found out there was a brake light service bulletin (which I was having issues with) - had that fixed. BUT during that service they said "hey we noticed your BRAKE PEDAL SENOR isn't working" At that point I handed him the work ticket from a year ago. They replaced it as it was under the 1yr part warranty (barely). So one month with the new part and no sign of ECS. of course now the tire pressure sensor stopped working but I can live with that. Time to think about a new car..and not another Chevy ever.

enjoyed all the feedback as I find brake recall and steering recall sprinkled in. I had this happen and the reduced power setting causes the misfire/throttle body codes to appear. Ignore them and reset codes. Don't fall for carb/throttle/cylinder repairs until we solve the basics for less...again issue is Traction control not the engine. A major wire harness is just under / next to drink holder.. also there is well documented water leaks causing similar problems with corrosion or water present. norskygrl is correct - use grease to insulate it from moisture and prevent shorts.

My wife's 2011 malibu LTZ had the loss of power and traction control come up along with the check engine light. Sometimes the plastic cover on top of the engine comes loose and doesn't have a good seal on the air intake. This resolved that problem twice now. Just press down on the cover on top of the engine to seal it. Should have a better way of keeping it tight, but I haven't had time to Jerry rig something together together keep this from happening.

i have a 2013 chevy malibu it's happen to be 2times. i went home next morning i turn it on and the engine light was still on but it ran like nothing had happen. it has 114000 miles and i wonder how i will have to pay to get it fix

I am a 2012 Chevy Malibu LT owner. I bought my car in Detroit, MI 2013, and it had 50,000 miles on it. Since buying this car I have only put 16,000 miles on this car in 4 years. For the most part I can truly say that it has been a Gem for me. No problems with proper maintenance. Shortly after I purchase this car when I put my foot on the accelerator to increase speed it would hesitate, and it was very noticeable. I took it to get an oil change, I never had any lights or warning, just thought I would get one. The serviceman at the oil change place brought me the oil cap and said smell it, and it smell of gasoline. He explained that the reasoning for it and convince me to get this solution run through my engine, after the smoke and clearing, the problem of hesitation was solved and I have not had a problem with it since. I have been living in Louisville, KY since Aug 2014 and still no problems with the car. Now to the "SERVICE ESC", since owning this vehicle I have never seen that code, now after owning the car four years, no waranty and hearing a humming noise, I have read all the possible solutions and I am going to try a couple of them. I am hoping that one of these work. Check back and I will keep everyone abreast of my results. One more off note, I have a friend back in Detroit that has the same care and she had a blown headlight, and repair requires taking off the whole fender in order to replace the headlight. Is anyone aware of this snafu that GM has place Malibu owners under. ME Lewis

yes to replace a bulb or headlight in the front you have to remove the fender. Theres a video out there on youtube that shows you how. They don't want anyone to be able to work on their own cars.

so im having the same issue as pretty much everyone else. service stabilitrak comes on along with service power steering. i had an ignition switch replaced and all that did was give my car power back the weird part is those lights still come on but when putting car in drive the "D" doesn't show up nor does my speedometer or my gas gauges they are all not working. the ac doesn't work either so i was told by my mechanic to have them reset the engine computer or have it reprogrammed. i am hoping this helps because the last time i took it up they told me there was nothing they could do about it. all the test came back negative.

My car had that light come on today which is bullcrap!! I actually like my car but unfortunately it's starting to piss me off I took my car to emissions test 3 months ago and after running it 3 times they says their system can't pick up my cars computer and I'm thinking to my self why not!! GRANTED my engine isn't on or has ever been on and now I the engine power reduced engine shows up!!! I don't how many times I already changed my tie rods and brakes because my car runs threw. Them Quick also and my two front control arms also and now my right tire sounds like it's about to fall off.. my car sounds broken going over slight bumps till this day (only on the right tire). And the crazy thing about all this is I also took my car to the chevy dealership and they says nothing is wrong but the "intermediate shaft"and also my safety air bag light won't go away!!! I had that sensor fixed a 1 year ago so I thought threw chevy but noooo!!!after almost a year later... it's on again and has been on for the past month..

I have a 2009 Malibu LTZ. I loved this car until this damn thing happened. After reading the comments in this thread, I am not sure I want to take my car to the dealership for them to give me some bull sh!t excuse. The Eng PWR reduced and traction ctrl came on yesterday, and now have to wait a couple days before a dealership is open.

I have a 2016 chevy Malibu. I haven't had any issues until this week. I noticed a very quick brief message about traction while the car was in cruise control on my long drive home from Texas to Louisiana Sunday. I would have missed it had I not glanced down for a brief second. Then fast forward to yesterday morning and the reduced engine power message flashes and the check engine light comes on and my car will not accelerate....while I am driving in rush hour traffic on the interstate. I was able to go 30 miles an hour and get to my work and had it towed to the local chevy dealership. They said the code was to replace my accelerator pedal, which they replaced under extended warranty (I have 60,000 miles on the car - I do a lot of interstate driving). After all the reading I have done, this makes me nervous. I don't want to keep throwing codes every time the "29 miles is up". This better have fixed it. I already don't like that they took the silver pedal and put a standard black one - I thought the silver was more aesthetically pleasing. I will keep you posted.

I have a 2011 Malibu with 99000 miles (all highway) we live in Maine and when the temp reached 50 I started getting "ESC/Traction Control" and Check engine light. Ran great on a cold start but once the engine warmed up it was starting hard/missing firing. Today spent $200 at the local shop and replaced a wire on the wiring harness and it is running like a champ again.

Thanks, I ended up taking this to my mechanic. They said it was a bad throttle bearing and some other bearing. I ended up paying $598 dollars to fix this. They told me that there is a bulletin out for this, but no recall. Chevy needs to get with this, there seems to be way too many people with this problem.

That is what I thought it was too after reading all of these post. Chevy deal wanted $120 an hour to look at it. I brought it to my local mechanic instead. I had 1 wire on the harness that was ready to snap. It was the first wire that response to the fuel injection which is why I was having all the issues with stalling and misfiring.

Which wiring harness was fixed in the last couple posts? Is this the one under or near the cup holders? My 2011 Malibu LTZ just started acting up today and I drive all day for work and can't be without without car. Hoping I make it safely through the rest of the week so I can find some time to check through these suggestions on the weekend.

IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN. My wife was driving and on the way home, she received the same Engine Power Reduced alarm. This time the mechanic said it was the throttle body, which costed me almost $300. Chevy needs to take care of this bull shit!

It was the one under the hood. The only time my car would act up is 1) when the engine was warm-which made since because the faulty wire was warmed up and not making a full connection 2) Warm start the car would misfire but would start run really rough and come out of it. I spend 2 hours at the garage before they were able to replicate the problem.

I have a 2012 LTZ (Issue #1) which started shaking a week after I purchased from a used car lot. I let Discount tires sucker me into buying four new tires. It was ok for a couple of weeks and started back shaking. (Issue #2) After three days of it being parked, I started it up, it was shaking hard, the ESC light flashed along with the traction light. I let run awhile and the light went off and it ran normal. (Issue #3) While picking up speed between 60-70 I would get a little jerk but never lost power...I panic and dropped it off at the transmission shop, which it has been for two days and so far all they can tell me is that they don't think it is the tranny, it make be the control but after they do their diagnostic they will give me a call back.....Anyone know what this could be? Sound a lot like some of the issues everyone else is having.

Alicia - unfortunately while we all have similar problems the solutions are all over the place. I have found everything from the sensor peddle to the wiring harness as the issue. Call Chevy customer care 1.80.222.1020. While they didn't do much I did get them to pay for one of diagnostic test. How they win the JD power awards it beyond me.

Fuse box in trunk , normally a bad relay . don't get beat just order the 20$ relay kit

It was a tune up and I also had King's Transmission (Kent, WA) to flush my transmission. They are a good shop, kept my car for two days test driving. Then they diagnostic it

A tune up?? I haven't tried that. I'm about to throw the whole entire car away. 3 years of this mess on and off. This is a bad week for my car, it messed up several times on the way to work this morning. I'm about to trade it in this year.

We have had this problem twice now on 2010 Chevy Malibu. I noticed that it happened when it was raining both times. Dealership did some checking and found the windshield is leaking and the water runs down to several control systems. They are fixing the windshield and parts and we will see if this solves the problem. Anyone else notice if it happens more when it is raining?

Funny (not funny) how there are dozens of different answers for the same problem on this thread.

gidgetram i just had this problem too GuruWDKG and yes it was raining, have u had any luck in getting urs fixed. please let me know, ty.

Throw the whole car away!!! I finally got rid of mine and went out and got me a 2018 Mazda 6, no issues! Love my new car. I will never buy Chevrolet again.. worst experience of my life.. 3 years and it never stopped.. good luck .. I can finally stop following this conversation!!

I had service traction and service esc showing on my dash just like most in this text stream. I also had my BRAKE LIGHTS STAYING ON! I borrowed a friends cheap hand tester and got 3 errors. C0131, C0161 and C0561. If your brake lights are staying on or off - whatever, it's a faulty brake pedal sensor. I bought 1 online for under $10 and installed it. Luckily all the error lights went away and my brake lights work again. I had to plug the tester back in again and clear the errors, but I'm told you can clear them as well by disconnecting the battery for 5 minutes. There is also a chance your new sensor needs to 'relearn' itself. If that's the case, you need a tech 2 device which means you need a dealer or at least a service place to do that. Went crazy trying to diagnose my problem, and like this string, got extremely frustrated. For those that had reduced power message along with the other errors, I saw a blog that helped numerous people by just filling a low coolant reservoir. HOPE THIS WAS HELPFUL AND YOU READ THROUGH THE STRING TO GET TO ME.

I have the misfortune of owning a 2011 Chevy Malibu. About a year ago, I started seeing “service esc” “service traction” and “tire low add air”. So far, we have tried an oil change , a tune up, replacing all 4 tires, replacing a timing chassis and replacing a tensioner along with multiple gaskets. It is now a year later and about $3000 and it STILL isn’t fixed. I will try replacing the fuse #43 and #44 as suggested in this thread. If that doesn’t work, I am willing to try to replace the peddle sensor. I cannot believe this is such a large problem and yet there is no recall on the problem. I think we should all call Chevy and file a complaint. At least then it’s documented. From the sound of it, this is definitely going to continue to be a problem. Good luck, everyone. If anyone figures out what this piece of crap, straight from hell, demon car wants from me, please let me know.

My 2009 Malibu esc/traction light been coming on and my car cuts off and then wont restart. What can I do..

Update: it wasn’t the fuses. Any new suggestions?

My 2010 Chevrolet Malibu LT ECS Traction light keep coming on n reduce to no speed

the only thing good to come of a Chevy commercial. Its worth the chuckle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBsq6HBBzw&list=RDd03svtYlFm8&index=3

My 2010 does all of the above, I still have the car since it’s worthless. Went out and bought a ford. Prolly take the Chevy to a junk yard. Sad tho only has 125k miles on it. But all the problems started way before that. GM is a joke

No fix? Or recall? 2011 Malibu 2.4 ecotec 6 speed auto. Service traction engine power reduced every 10-45 miles on 450 mile trip. Freezing weather.

https://youtu.be/h9x9XNSxxtA This fixed mine..good luck everyone

Has anyone ever put new fuel injectors in? I can turn my car off... then the car starts.... and bogs out very timely. It seems. Engine power reduced, service ESC, service traction. Then turn the car off.... parked... turn key.. it will tell me if it is EPR SESC ST. If not... I start it... then boom... done again.

I'm having the same issue. Service ESC & Engine Power Reduced. Code said some sensor was bad. Paid $400 to fix that. 12 hours later, same problem. Why can't they know what's wrong the first time? I don't want to pay another $400 and hope that they guessed right this time.

This entire thread is ridiculous. Everyone has a Malibu with the same errors and issues but everyone lists different "fixes" that the mechanics/dealerships have tried... Fuse box, wiring harness, this sensor, that sensor... WTF? I had mine for over a year and not one single issue. Now this!?!? If they have to replace every sensor and harness in the car, I'd be better off buying a new car!

@MJE1010 you are absolutely correct. All these people having the same problem and there is no fix to it. I've spent well over $3000 last year and after the last time taking it in, my check engine light came on again. I am not about to put more money into this thing since it isnt worth that much money any way. So far nothing wrong, but i havent driven it much this winter. There needs to be a recall on this.

I found it interesting the "low coolant" was a suggested fix. Then another person has said they spilled water from cupholder into lower electronic components, and THAT was the problem - or there is an actual recall for the steering device, and another recall on brake lights. At end of day, GM created an over-protective system that reduced your engine speed to crawl in case two reference voltages were not the same. Maybe it is corrosion on the grounds in engine... OVERALL, the issue with my car - is that it more likely happens when engine is hot or warm. It happens much sooner in summertime. So low coolant - prob allowed engine to heat up more than normal and viola - ESC reduced power occurs. I think there is the main ECU right at front of car near battery - and it overheats - causing issues. Thus - many pay dealer for a new ECU board. Most other car brands have the ECU protected inside firewall or use interior to keep it cool. This car is right there in the hottest section where the action is... so yeah, I'm going to get my open recalls resolved, fill up coolant and see if this car can last another day. I remain following this lead to see what else is suggested until I donate it to the nearest pick-n-pull. Good luck everyone.

I am hoping I found a $10 fix for this issue with mine. I have a 2LT 3.6 6 speed. I thought I'd start with the MASS sensor and throttle body cleaning and recharge my K&N. When I took the tubing from the air box to the throttle body off, a brown liquid like runny melted chocolate came out. A lot of it. It was from the breather tube off the crankcase that feed into the tubing. There was a reservoir in the tube that evidently had filled over the 200k miles. I am hoping this resolves the issue, I cleaned the MASS sensor and throttle body (Was really dirty) and we shall see. Thought I'd share, hoping this may help some on here with this issue

I had alarms problems of all kinds with my Malibu 2009 wich cost me a lot of money in mechaniical searchs of all kinds. I finally went to an electronic car specialist who found the problem within one hour and solved it. It was a bad solder inside the computer which was solved in no time.

So I have a 2010 malibu LTZ. I'll start with what I know. Last year I had the issue with the brake lights always being on but then being completely off when the brake pedal was pressed. It's been a year but I believe the dash said something about the traction control as well as the EBCM (electronic brake control module). Dealership wanted $1,400 but I wasn't buying it. Took it to my cousin's shop and he said its a common issue. He greased some connections on the panel under the center console and the issue has not been back since. Charged me about $100-$150. Hope that helps someone........Now for my current issue. Went to leave work this morning and started the car. It came up with the other big issue that everyone is talking about. Service ESC and engine power reduced. Also the check engine light was on. Decided to give it a go and drive it home from work as its only a 15 minute drive. Elected to not take the highway as I wasn't sure what was going on. So while the engine power reduced thing limited my acceleration quite a bit, it didn't seem to limit my top speed that I know of. It took off real slow and took a bit, but it would eventually get up to 55+ mph. Haven't had a chance to dig into it yet but in my semi-proffesional opinion I believe it's going to be a similar fix as I had last year. A bad connection somewhere. Loose wires/cables. Maybe a fuse. You have to understand that G.M. has been notorious for garbage wiring since the 90's. I will update everyone in a few days when i get to the bottom of this. And if you have any of these issues and come accross this thread, please don't get suckered by some shop for thousands of dollars. While a lot of these issues may not be directly related or fixed the exact same way, I'd be willing to bet most of them stem from a common issue. Also, I might add that it's been raining non stop all night. So I'm sure that probably plays a part as others have mentioned as well.

Check tire pressure

Solved for a 2012 Malibu. I had the same issue after I replaced my brake pads. I was flabbergasted how I could’ve damaged a sensor because I did t go anywhere near any. When I started the car after replacing all the pads, I too received the SERVICE ESC and SERVICE TRACTION errors. After a quick trip to autozone for the free scan, code P0113 came up (replace mass air intake sensor). Didn’t quite make sense at first, then I remembered... I just changed my air filter and had to take the air filter sensor off to go to the filter. Hooked that bad boy back up and the SERVICE ESC and SERVICE TRACTION errors went away, but the check engine light remained. Drive for a couple days, probably ~30 miles and it reset itself. Hope I can help someone out there with my experience.

Exactly what Matt said, I had the airflow sensor disconnected while doing a tuneup and forgot to reconnect it and Service ESC light went on. So whoever has that be sure to check that connection as well while trying to diagnose

2010 chevy malibu ls, same thing but my error codes are P2135 throttle/pedal position sensor/switch A/B Voltage correlation and code P0223 throttle/pedal position sensor/switch B circuit high. Could it actually be these sensors or does this sound more like a loose wire? I haven't got hundreds to put into a mechanic's pocket but I'm lost as hell. This is the second time this happened, the first was about a month ago and it seemed to happen when heading uphill and today, again heading uphill. Turn it off for a few minutes and it works fine. Get home, check the OBD II codes and those are what I got. I cleared those codes and ran the OBD II again and no error codes. Something is going on with all of these Malibu's and I would like a definite answer as to what and why it is because I can't run out and buy a new car especially if I can't trust this one enough to be able to sell it. Sucks because I really like this car, a hell of a lot nicer than the POS cavalier I was driving before it, but not if it's going to reduce speed at any given time. I wouldn't say it was a warm engine because I had only been driving it for about 15 minutes with 3 stops along the way before it happened. Aftter reading this thread I can only see that there is no fix for this, sooner or later no matter what you did it sounds like it's going to happen again. Chevy should own up to this and make it right.

no answer--09 esc service and traction lite on also power steering lite on --now it's saide esc off ---what is this

2012 Chevy Malibu 2.4L EcoTech: there is a seal that goes around the throttle body and the air intake that looks like the motor cover.. I had the service esc service traction and the engine power reduction or whatever it is. Anywho.. that seal had a huge crack in it. It was almost falling completely in half. . Fixed it.. and the problem fixed. I took for a spin and it seemed to fix the lag in acceleration, the rpms are to where they need to be now, and the car is just driving better in general. I'm really hoping for this simple fix to solve the issue. Hope it helps.

2011 Chevy Malibu battery and now you say you have to drive it for a hundred miles for it to reset itself

Just got used 2010 Malibu. Bad decision. 5 days later, service esc service traction. All kinds of communication error, but n9 idea how long ago they occurred, cause just bought it. Today at gas station, couldn't start car. Service esc, service traction again. No turn-over. Plugged in diagnostic tool, no link. Radio and windows and such work, but don't shut-off when key out and door open. Had to disconnect battery to prevent discharge. Seems I have a comminications problem ?..

I have a 2020 Chevy Malibu, when I barley got in it to pass someone (getting it up to 65) I had someone of these same problems. And I had a similar problem a few months back with me starting it to leave work on lunch and I had my Check Engine light come on and absolutely no power had it towed to the dealer ship and they did an update and it fixed the problem until today and I’m very angry for the amount that I pay and it’s a 2020 I have already had this many problems

I have a 2009 Malibu that I bought a coupla years back from a single owner, with barely 50,000 on it at the time. I thought, "Dream Car." On my way home a couple of nights ago (it now has 67,000), my power steering went out in the middle of a busy intersection, so I grabbed the wheel and muscled it to keep going, and then the wonderful speedo scrolls that everyone else is talking about: No ESC, Service ESC, Power Steering, No Traction Control. I managed to get it home, but am doubtful that I want to put it into a garage for repair, according to everything I've been reading in this post. Now my "Dream Car" is a "Nightmare Car." So no more Chevy's to take to the levee. And besides, there's no more Miss American Pie anymore, either.