[Gsimon121]

Hi everyone. I bought my 2019 lt Malibu about a year ago at 35k miles. I started having an acceleration issue that caused the car to abruptly lose power for a few seconds as the rpm still climbs until the car suddenly gains speed and throws you into the seat. This problem does not happen all the time (usually starts to occur when driving for decent amount of time)and only happens when the AC is on. I know when using AC it takes some of the power of the car but I also know it isn’t this noticeable. I had a recall for the throttle body and got it done and then all seemed fine until a couple months ago. It does the exact same thing as before but now I notice it occurs when I accelerate to 2k rpm and then the car hesitates until the rpms hit somewhere between 2.5-3k rpm.
I have around 48k miles, if anyone can help it would be much appreciated!

 

[cp-the-nerd]

It's quite hot outside lately. If you are using regular octane gas, the engine could be struggling with heat soak. It reduces power and ignition timing to avoid pre-ignition (spark knock). Turbocharged engines are extra susceptible to high temperatures. I make sure my wife uses premium in her 1.4L turbo every summer because it is more resistant to spark knock.

 

[campb292]

If trying higher octane doesn't help you can try having the ECM reprogrammed. There is a bulletin for intermittent hesitation or low power behavior. The hesitation or low power can occur with or without a fault code or check engine light. The update is covered free of charge up to 80,000 miles if eligible.

Bulletin: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10166651-9999.pdf