2016 - 2017 Chevrolet Cruze and Malibu Piston Problems

Multiple owners of the 2016-2017 Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Malbu owners have noted odd premature piston failure in their engines. GM is aware of the issue and issued a technical service bulletin that says:

Some customers may comment on a rough running engine with the Malfunction Indicator Lamp ON. Upon inspection, a technician may find DTC P0300 set along with a misfire low compression in one or more cylinders. This condition may be caused by a damaged piston.

That TSB is accessible here. Additionally, the warranty extension from GM is found below:

March 2017

This notice applies to your vehicle, VIN:______________________

Dear General Motors Customer:

We have learned that your 2016 or 2017 model year Chevrolet Malibu may have a condition that could cause your engine to perform poorly and oil consumption to increase. In addition, a service engine light may illuminate indicating an engine misfire. If the condition is present, and the engine is not repaired immediately, a piston may become damaged, and the engine may need to be repaired or replaced.

Your satisfaction with your Malibu is very important to us, so we are announcing a program to prevent this condition or, if it has occurred, to fix it.

What We Will Do: Your GM dealer will reprogram the Engine Control Module (ECM) and change the engine oil. This service will be performed for you at no charge until March 31, 2019.1 After that, any applicable warranty will apply.

What You Should Do: To limit any possible inconvenience, we recommend that you contact your dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for this repair. By scheduling an appointment, your dealer can ensure that the necessary parts will be available on your scheduled appointment date.

Important: In the future, when replacing the engine oil for the 1.5L L4 turbo engine, GM strongly recommends dexos 1 approved ACDelco Full Synthetic 5W-30, Mobil 1 Full Synthetic 5W-30, or any other oil meeting dexos 1 second generation requirements.

Enclosed with this letter please find an owner manual supplement which updates the engine oil requirements for your vehicle. Please keep this insert with your important vehicle documents for reference.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, just contact your dealer or the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the number listed below.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern that this situation may cause you. We want you to know that we will do our best, throughout your ownership experience, to ensure that your GM vehicle [or if only one model involved, list name] provides you many miles of enjoyable driving.

Terry M. Inch

Executive Director

Global Connected Customer Experience

Enclosure

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If you're in California and you’ve taken your Chevrolet Malibu or Chevrolet Cruze to a dealership for issues above, from engine failure, piston failure or any warranty condition, we can help you…. AT NO COST TO YOU!  Valero Law, APC is a California consumer protection firm dedicated to protecting the lemon law rights of California consumers and ALL cases are taken on a contingency basis, meaning if there is no recovery, there is absolutely no fee to you!