It’s really annoying when your vehicle throws some unexpected messages and doesn’t allow you to follow your routine. If your Chevy Malibu throws the “Shift to Park” error message, you will not be able to shut off the engine sometimes, and then you will have problems starting it because the ECU thinks the shifter is not in the Park position.
In short, the “Shift to Park” error message in the Malibu means that the car doesn’t detect the shifter in the Park position and it may mean that the shifter assembly is faulty. This is a huge problem with several bulletins and recalls but it is still progressing in several Chevrolet and GMC vehicles.
In this article, I will cover the following:
- What’s the “Shift to Park” error message when the shifter is in Park?
- Possible reasons for the “Shift to Park” error message in the Malibu.
- How can you turn off the engine when you see “Shift to Park”?
- How to solve the problem with this error message in your Malibu?
Chevy Malibu says “Shift to Park” – what does it want?
I once saw this message when I tried to turn off the vehicle without shifting it to park. It was in a car with the old-fashioned key ignition and the key stopped the engine but didn’t move further and I couldn’t take it out. Also, the “Shift to Park” message appeared on the dash of the Malibu. Thankfully, I just forgot to put the shifter in Park and after I did this, everything was fine.
But later, I learned that many Malibu owners (as well as owners of other Chevy cars) often have to deal with this problem and see this message even though they put their vehicles in Park. So, the situation becomes annoying when your shifter is in Park but the Malibu still says “Shift to Park”. Why can this happen?
Here’s why the Malibu may say that:
- the ECU or TCM doesn’t get the signal that the shifter is in Park position;
- it means that the parking pawl is not engaged and if you release the brake pedal or don’t activate the handbrake, the car may easily roll;
- also, this means that the key will not come out of the ignition cylinder or you won’t be able to completely turn off the car with a button;
- this means that the car still thinks that your transmission shifter is in D or R;
- also, if you leave the car like that, you won’t be able to start it because it will still think that the transmission is in Drive or Reverse;
- this function is aimed at monitoring the shifter position and foolproof the car preventing many kinds of different damages.
This is why you can see the Malibu showing you this message. Of course, the first thing you should do when you see the “Shift to Park” error message on the dash is to check whether the shifter is actually in Park. If not, this saves you a ton of your time – just put it in Park and continue your driving routine.
But you may guess that I’m writing such a big article not just to remind you that you should always put the transmission in P before you turn off the engine and leave the vehicle. This is a very common mistake with a number of GM models. The Malibu is among the most affected models with no proper solution (at least this is what they told me in the dealership).
Reasons for “Shift to Park” in Malibu when the shifter is in P
When I was researching information for this problem, I spoke to several Malibu owners who were advised by their dealerships to replace the transmission! It’s insane because the problem is obviously not in the transmission.
I can only imagine one possible issue when the “Shift to Park” message may appear on the dash of the Malibu because of the gearbox. It’s when the parking pawl is broken. But you are not likely to ignore this, anyway.
Here are the most common reasons that may trigger the “Shift to Park” message:
1. Faulty shifter switch
Your Malibu transmission shifter has a special switch that is activated when the shifter is in the P position. This is a small black switch that’s located under the plastic cover and you can easily get to it without having any experience or knowledge.
So, this switch is obviously problematic, and very often this is the reason why you see the “Shift to Park” error message. If you ask a dealership mechanic, they will tell you that this switch is not serviceable and can’t be replaced. The entire shifter assembly should be replaced.
But hold your horses. I’ve found the needed switch in Chinese online shops and it may cost you about $10 including delivery. I know people who installed such switches and are happily driving their cars with no error messages or faults.
The switch should be chosen by the VIN or at least by the year of your Malibu. This is the small black part with a metal contact over it.
Of course, you may also try to clean the contacts in the old switch. But I think they fail to work properly just because they are faulty.
2. Wiring problems
GM is known for making numerous mistakes when connecting wires in their cars. A 10-year-old Chevy car will almost certainly have several problems in its electrical system. The shifter switch is also connected with the help of soldering and this can be the reason for your problem.
Check the wires that connect the shifter assembly with all other parts of your car. It’s extremely likely that some wire just fell off or lost connection. You will need a soldering iron or some free time to solve this problem.
3. Shifter assembly problems
Sometimes, replacing the switch will not solve the problem just because the shifter itself is not OK. It may be broken or worn or it may just fail to deliver the needed signal because of some internal failure.
You may actually replace the shifter assembly and continue driving your Malibu. Yes, this is going to cost you much more money than just replacing the switch. But if nothing else helps, you can do this to save the vehicle.
4. Low battery
Usually, this error message shows up when you are trying to turn the car off and leave it. But you can’t because the vehicle doesn’t turn off and shows you the “Shift to Park” message. It will obviously drain the battery while you are away.
But if the error message is shown when you are trying to start the Malibu, chances are that the culprit for this is the dying battery. When the voltage in your battery falls sharply down 10V or even 9V under load, the electronics in your car may start glitching heavily. This may trigger random messages and fry some sensors or switches.
Turning off your Malibu when it shows “Shift to Park”
While with the key ignition, it’s not that bad – you can turn off the engine but can’t take the key out of the ignition cylinder, in cars with the button, you can’t even turn off the engine sometimes.
If this happened to you, follow these tips:
- First, try shifting the transmission in different modes and getting it back to P. After several tries, you may be lucky to get rid of the error message.
- You may also try to play with the shifter button that you usually press to move the shifter. It may have the bad contact and this is why the message may appear.
- If this doesn’t help, set the shifter to Neutral, turn off the car, apply the parking brake, and you are good to go.
- If nothing helps, you may try extreme ways of turning the engine off. Apply the parking brake, set the shifter to N, and open the hood. Locate the air filter box and disconnect the pipe from it. Use anything that can choke that pipe or block the air intake in any other way. The engine will quickly stall.
- Also, when the engine is off, you may try disconnecting the battery to try and reset the ECU. It may help you bring the car back to normal for now.
Anyway, even if you managed to temporarily “repair” the vehicle, don’t ignore this message. If you see it twice or more, it’s a good reason to go to the dealership or to the repair shop you can trust. Have your vehicle inspected and repaired.
Getting and installing the new shifter switch
While GM still doesn’t know what can cause this issue, many Malibu drivers say it’s the shifter switch. For replacing it, you may need to solder it, or better to find a car electrician who will do that for you. I don’t know if you can buy this part as an OEM replacement unit but you can obviously find it in different online shops. It’s worth trying before you agree to any more expensive kinds of repairs.
Are there any lawsuits I can join?
Yes, many times Chevy owners tried to legally get compensation from Chevrolet for this kind of problem. You can join several class-action lawsuits or file a personal claim. However, I don’t think you will get compensated much money for this.
Unfortunately, Chevy doesn’t do a lot to solve this problem, so if you don’t want to get frustrated by this error message regularly, you should locate the issue and solve it. In many cases, it won’t cost you a lot of money.