← New search

2014 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 310.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

230 reports with mileage · 121 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 86 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

19 crash reports8 fire reports11 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

24 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2026
Fuel/propulsion System

2014 Chevrolet Malibu LS ECO , has a start/stop system that will shut off the engine at a traffic light or stop sign upon reaching a full stop and when the brake pedal is firmly pressed. Upon releasing the brake pedal the engine should immediately restart and driver can proceed. Randomly and intermittently the engine will fail t…

Read full complaint

2014 Chevrolet Malibu LS ECO , has a start/stop system that will shut off the engine at a traffic light or stop sign upon reaching a full stop and when the brake pedal is firmly pressed. Upon releasing the brake pedal the engine should immediately restart and driver can proceed. Randomly and intermittently the engine will fail to restart, recently it occurred while in heavy traffic with many traffic lights. Problem not noticeable in rural driving. Have not contacted a dealer, no recall found for my VIN. No Check engine light or MIL is illuminated. Can be unnerving when it happens, people are beeping their horns behind me while I have to shift into park, turn off ignition and restart. Engine restarts normally. 2014 model appears to not have a method of disabling this feature. Car has approximately 111,000 miles on it. Problem first occurred last year 1 or 2 times. Yesterday 2/13 was first time it occurred multiple times in one trip. I have not brought the vehicle to anyone at this point for evaluation. This problem appears In many areas on the internet with other owners of this vehicle type. I am not the first to experience it. What can be done?

NHTSA ODI #11718024

Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion System

Automatic Start/Stop feature is faulty! When it activates, it prevents the engine from restarting for several minutes. This puts myself and others in my car at a major risk of getting in an accident. I have so far been lucky and avoided any accidents. Several thousand has ben spent to try and fix the issue, with no luck.

NHTSA ODI #11675623

Mileage unknown · Jul 1, 2025
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

Cant pass smog due to code P2646

NHTSA ODI #11670516

Mileage unknown · Jun 30, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

The headlights burn out frequently the air conditioner does not work the ignition had to be replaced there's always a code of p0171 the start/stop feature does not work the brakes make the car shake. When does stuff takes place I have to pull the vehicle over cousin me to put others in danger by being on the shoulder of the road…

Read full complaint

The headlights burn out frequently the air conditioner does not work the ignition had to be replaced there's always a code of p0171 the start/stop feature does not work the brakes make the car shake. When does stuff takes place I have to pull the vehicle over cousin me to put others in danger by being on the shoulder of the road broke down. Yes the car is available for inspection. The radio randomly turns on and off therefore the backup camera does not work as it should why this vehicle has not been recalled is beyond me.

NHTSA ODI #11670354

Mileage unknown · Dec 2, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion System

P0420 code

NHTSA ODI #11628204

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2024
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

I have a 2014 Malibu with 87,450 miles. It has worked perfectly up until 6 months ago. It started stalling in traffic intersections and at stop signs, which is a dangerous safety issue. The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. I took i…

Read full complaint

I have a 2014 Malibu with 87,450 miles. It has worked perfectly up until 6 months ago. It started stalling in traffic intersections and at stop signs, which is a dangerous safety issue. The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. I took it to countless mechanics who could not figure out what was causing the problem because the Check Engine light did not come on and no codes were triggered. The problem became worse over time and once the vehicle stalled, it would not immediately restart. I took it to my Chevy Dealer and they were baffled as well. They uploaded new software which included the Auto Stop feature, but it continued to stall. They replaced the front battery and checked the one in the trunk. It still stalled. The Dealer said that since the Check Engine light did not come on, they were shooting in the dark. I asked them to disconnect the Auto Stop function, but they said that they couldn't. Unlike other models, there was no disconnection method. I have looked at many on-line chats on the 2014 Chevy Malibu and this defect in the Auto Stop function seems pretty prevalent. No one has come up with a workable solution. I filed a Notice of Claim with Chevrolet corporate and asked them to provide a fix. Does anyone have any ideas of either how to fix the Auto Stop or to disable it? Right now I am shifting into neutral at all traffic signals and stop signs, so that the Auto Stop function does not engage, but that seems like a poor fix to the problem.

NHTSA ODI #11572302

Mileage unknown · Dec 31, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

6 months ago our car’s auto stop/start feature started to malfunction. The car will stall and sputter on the start after coming to a stop. This is very dangerous! On multiple occasions, the car would not accelerate through a turn on a light stalling out in the intersection. we have also been nearly rear-ended at red lights becau…

Read full complaint

6 months ago our car’s auto stop/start feature started to malfunction. The car will stall and sputter on the start after coming to a stop. This is very dangerous! On multiple occasions, the car would not accelerate through a turn on a light stalling out in the intersection. we have also been nearly rear-ended at red lights because the vehicle will not accelerate on a green light. This issue is well discussed on the Internet with many owners reporting the same issue. Chevrolet should be held accountable for this repair. This is not an isolated event with my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11562822

Mileage unknown · May 28, 2022
Fuel/propulsion System

I have a 2014 Malibu with 80,000 miles. It started stalling in traffic intersections and at stop signs, which is a dangerous safety issue. The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. Engine light comes on, but no code stored. The problem …

Read full complaint

I have a 2014 Malibu with 80,000 miles. It started stalling in traffic intersections and at stop signs, which is a dangerous safety issue. The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. Engine light comes on, but no code stored. The problem became worse over time and once the vehicle stalled, it would not immediately restart. No one has come up with a workable solution. I am shifting into neutral at all traffic signals and stop signs, so that the Auto Stop function does not engage, but that seems like a poor fix to the problem.

NHTSA ODI #11466498

Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

Reduced Engine Power

NHTSA ODI #11461733

53,079 miles · Feb 6, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

WHEN START STOP WAS ENGAGED AT LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF EVERYTHING ON THE DASH AND RADIO WENT BLANK. IT AUTO STARTED AND AC WAS NO LONGER WORKING. AFTERWARDS I SMELLED A SLIGHT BURNING SCENT (IN LOUISIANA TRAFFIC, I WAS UNSURE IT WAS ME) BUT CAR RAN FINE. WHEN START STOP ENGAGED THERE WAS A LONGER THAN NORMAL PAUSE BEFORE WOULD AU…

Read full complaint

WHEN START STOP WAS ENGAGED AT LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF EVERYTHING ON THE DASH AND RADIO WENT BLANK. IT AUTO STARTED AND AC WAS NO LONGER WORKING. AFTERWARDS I SMELLED A SLIGHT BURNING SCENT (IN LOUISIANA TRAFFIC, I WAS UNSURE IT WAS ME) BUT CAR RAN FINE. WHEN START STOP ENGAGED THERE WAS A LONGER THAN NORMAL PAUSE BEFORE WOULD AUTO START WOULD ENGAGE. IT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO CRANK ON OCCASION FOR A FEW KEY TURNS. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TRUNK WOULD MYSTERIOUSLY POP OPEN. STARTED DISPLAYING TWO KEY FOBS PROGRAMMED, ABS STABLE TRACK, REDUCED ENGINE POWER, LOW BATTERY AND ANOTHER THING I CAN'T REMEMBER AT START UP. I CHANGED THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR WITH NEW ONES AND THE NEXT DAY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FLICKERED AS WELL AS HEAD LIGHTS. AND WHEN I WAS TO TAKE IT IN TO DEALERSHIP IT HAD COMPLETE ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS THE ENGINE FUSE BLOCK AND REPLACED IT. NOW THE ENGINE LIGHT IS STILL ON AND HAS A PAUSE BEFORE IT START. WILL NOT SEND DIAGNOSTICS TO MY CHEVY APP. REMOTE START IS NOT WORKING WITH ENG LIGHT ON. I TOLD THEM I THOUGHT IS WAS BATTERY CONTROL MODULE BUT HE INSISTED THAT IT WAS JUST THE ENGINE FUSE BLOCK. I CANNOT EXPLAIN THE ANXIETY. AND HAVE TOLD MY FAMILY THAT IF I DIE IN THAT CAR TO SUE GM. THERE SHOULD BE NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR AT 6 YEARS OLD. 53000 MILES AND IS DRIVEN LESS THAN 50 MILES A WEEK.

NHTSA ODI #11394952

Official recalls

6

16V502000 · Electrical System:ignition; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Jul 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:ignition

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

15V164000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly

Mar 23, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles October 24, 2011, to March 5, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Slide or Tilt switch for the roof panel may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from inadvertently being pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The Slide or Tilt roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed and the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a pinch injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software to remove auto-close feature for certain switch positions, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15176.

14V247000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum

May 14, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through May 2, 2014, and equipped with a 2.5L engine with the auto stop/start option. The affected vehicles may experience a complete loss of brake vacuum assist, disabling the hydraulic boost assist. As such, these vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the hydraulic boost assist is disabled, slowing or stopping the vehicle will require additional brake pedal effort and a lengthened stopping distance. Both of these effects increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic brake control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 3, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020. General Motors number for this recall is 14201.

14V240000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc

May 8, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Lacrosse vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 31, 2014 and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured February 7, 2014, through March 31, 2014, and equipped with 17 inch front brake rotors. The affected vehicles may have had brake rotors intended for the rear of the car accidentally installed on the front. The rear rotors, while the same diameter, are thinner and may result in a front brake pad detaching from the caliper.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a brake pad detaches from caliper, there may be a sudden reduction in braking, lengthening the distance required to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake rotors, and install the correct rotors with new brake pads, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 20, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14128.

14V092000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Feb 21, 2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.

13V567000 · Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System; Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System:windshield:electrical Heating Element

Nov 13, 2013

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System:windshield:electrical Heating Element

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Consequence: The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.

Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Consequence: The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.