Chevy Malibu Vacuum Pump Recall – What Should You Know?

The problem with the vacuum pumps in Chevy Malibu with different engines is more than obvious. But you will be surprised to know that until now Chevrolet didn't care much about that. The issue covers at least the 2013-2022 models and is reported all over the world.

The only service bulletin that covers the vacuum pump checkup and possible replacement is bulletin number 21-NA-268. It's all about the no-start issue in some Chevrolet vehicles but it also has the part about vacuum pump inspection. Other than that, Chevy doesn't care about the obviously faulty vacuum pump and just installs the same faulty pump when your car needs a repair.

By the way, I also recommend you read the auto-stop article about the Malibu that I posted earlier.

What's the problem?

Hundreds of Chevy Malibu owners have issues with brakes. These problems are very serious because they affect the safety of driving. There have been several lawsuits against Chevrolet and I've heard about one class action suit called Johnson v. General Motors LLC that everyone can join.

The actual problem is as follows:

• people have vacuum pump problems at low mileage in several models of engines;
• this pump just blows and stops working;
• you lose the brakes and are in a dangerous situation;
• also, the blown pump is driven by the timing chain;
• the pieces of the blown pump may well damage the camshafts;
• in some cases, Chevy dealers say engine replacement is needed after such an event;
• the new vacuum pump that you buy and install will be of the same quality.

So, till now, Chevrolet hasn't done anything to deal with the vacuum pump problem. As far as I know, it's all about the 1.5L Turbo engines. I'm not sure if there are vacuum pumps in all larger non-turbo engines, but the majority of GM engines still have them. But if there is this pump in the engine installed in your car, you will most likely have problems with it.

Why will these pumps fail in GM engines?

Unfortunately, it's not only about the Malibu. Although exactly the Malibu became the hero of these lawsuits and reports, there are other cars equipped with the small turbo engines by Chevrolet and they all have these faulty pumps.

The primary reason they fail is because they are faulty. They have a pretty thin oil inlet and it may be clogged easily with any kind of debris and metal particles that are found in oil. After that, the vacuum pump overheats because it doesn't get the proper lubrication and it just fails.

The second reason is the poor maintenance. For example, if you don't change the oil and oil filter once every 10,000 miles, or once every year, you have a much higher chance of experiencing this problem.

Here's what happens:

• the oil gathers more and more hard particles of any nature;
• the oil filter gets clogged which is a pretty natural process;
• after that, the oil is dirty and can't be cleaned properly by the filter;
• some particles start penetrating to different units that are treated with oil;
• one of the first units to get clogged is the vacuum pump with the tiny oil inlet;
• the pump stops being lubricated and it quickly dies;
• when the pump is highly overheated, it may blow;
• you immediately lose brake boost and can get into accidents.

The major problem in the construction of several engine models offered by GM is that the vacuum pump is driven by the timing chain. This is a ridiculous engineering mistake that is hard to justify however hard you try.

The camshaft system should live its own life. Even hooking up the water pump to it is now thought to be a bad idea. But GM decided to install the vacuum pump exactly to the cam timing system instead of placing it in the accessory belt area. That's why, this may lead to the engine's death eventually.

Weird vacuum pump recall

In 2019, there was a massive recall campaign launched by GM to tackle the braking issues in General Motors trucks and SUVs. Overall, 3.8 million vehicles were affected by the problem. And, you may be surprised here, the main "hero" of the recall was exactly the vacuum pump.

The recall covered a lot of models made from 2014 to 2018. And the description was pretty scarce. They said there was an issue with the vacuum pump that could cause braking problems like too stiff brake pedal.

Hey, GM, this is exactly the problem people are having with the Malibu. So, why isn't a single Malibu VIN code included in that recall? I believe there is no answer to this question.

And here I found the key to the post-2018 Malibu problems. The recall clearly stated several things:

• the affected pumps had a certain filter screen for oil to come through;
• over time, the filter screen was covered with oil sludge and debris (of course);
• the flow of oil was reduced and the pump wasn't lubricated;
• so, after some time the pump lost its efficiency gradually;
• it could result in a slightly changed brake boost and require more pressure on the brake pedal over time.

GM identified in that 2018 recall that the culprit was the filter screen that was mistakenly put in front of the vacuum pump. You know what they did? They obviously removed the screen and kept using the same pump in the post-2018 models. This led to one bad issue: the vacuum pump started accumulating all those contaminants inside.

It meant that the pump wouldn't gradually lose its efficiency. It would just fail unexpectedly and you will have a stone-stiff brake pedal that will likely lead to serious road accidents.

Also, do you know what the recall was all about? They reprogrammed the brake control module to redistribute the braking power in accordance with the vacuum pump losing its efficiency gradually. This is fairly insane - I just don't know how NHTSA accepted this and let GM produce those faulty pumps for about 5 years after that recall.

Insanely enough, this recall doesn't cover all the vehicles that come with the faulty pump.

What should you do if you have problems with the Malibu vacuum pump?

You should know that GM dealers are well aware of the problem. They also know that there are several legal cases that are now active and in progress. It means that they will not want you to join these lawsuits and this is your advantage.

Once you identify any problems with braking in your Malibu, you should immediately take your Chevy to the dealer. Tell the dealership manager that you know about the lawsuits and want this pump to be replaced.

Also, ask them to make sure that the engine is not affected.

If the dealer is good enough, it will do the work for free even if the warranty is over. Otherwise, contact GM USA and demand some proper solution. I guarantee they will get back to you and offer some lucrative solution as soon as they can.

Can you prevent this problem from happening?

Well, there are still several things you may do to prevent this pump from failing:

• change oil much sooner than the driver's manual tells you to do this;
• change the oil filter with every oil change;
• choose good high-quality oil and filters (better buy OEM parts and materials);
• always make sure that the oil level is close to the higher mark on the dipstick.

Also, if you have a pre-2018 vehicle, ask your mechanic to take off the vacuum pump and check if it has a filter screen. It may require cleaning and the best solution is to remove that filter screen. The pump itself may require proper cleaning before it's reinstalled.

I would highly recommend replacing the vacuum pump once every 70-80 thousand miles along with the timing chain, water pump, chain tensioner, and other parts of the timing system. This way, you will ensure that your GM engine is safe from vacuum pump blowing.

Symptoms you should consider

So, one of the main tasks is to avoid vacuum pump blowing. Before it blows, it may malfunction for some time and your task is to notice this.

Here are the things you may want to notice:

• changed braking power;
• problems with braking distance;
• stiff brake pedal;
• dirty oil.

These are the clear signs that you should stop your vehicle and avoid driving it. Dirty oil is the sign that the engine should be cleaned properly. Otherwise, it may require replacement and there is no reason to hope that GM will pay for that unless the car is still under the powertrain warranty.

I hope this article answers your questions about the vacuum pump in the Chevy Malibu. If you have any questions or want to share your story, please write in the comments below!