I’ve got a 2017 Malibu with 132k miles, and I’ve been hearing this rattling noise after I accelerate from a stop. It seems to come from behind the passenger side of the dash and goes away once I’m cruising at a constant speed. This started after we had a really cold day at -4 F a couple of weeks ago. I’m planning to get it looked at next week, but I’m wondering if it might be exhaust-related? Has anyone else experienced something similar? Any guesses from other Malibu owners would be appreciated.
That sounds like it could be an exhaust heat shield rattling. Cold weather can sometimes make those parts more brittle, which might explain the noise after the temperature drop.
I had a similar issue with my Malibu. It turned out to be a loose bracket on the exhaust. Definitely worth checking out when you take it in.
Have you checked if anything is loose under the hood? Sometimes it can be something simple like a loose cover or shield.
Thanks for the suggestions! I’ll definitely bring this up when I take it in next week.