IllustrationI have an electrical problem with my car. Driver seat is electrical and the seat has been stuck in one position. The siding of the seat where the buttons are broke. The seatbelt gets stuck from the plastic being broken. I’ve had the car for a year and within 3 months of purchase I had to change brakes and it needs brakes again.
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
560–25K
4225–50K
4250–75K
4375–100K
37100–150K
10150K+
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
Seat Belts complaints
7 reportsI went to put my seat belt on, car was parked, (driver side front) and the cable that holds it the floor snapped in half. Can not use seat belt until I get it replaced. Called dealership and I knew car was out of warranty, but this is a safety issue. Said nothing they could do. The belt itself is ok, it's the cable on floor tha…
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I went to put my seat belt on, car was parked, (driver side front) and the cable that holds it the floor snapped in half. Can not use seat belt until I get it replaced. Called dealership and I knew car was out of warranty, but this is a safety issue. Said nothing they could do. The belt itself is ok, it's the cable on floor that broke in half. Car on has 30,000 miles on it. This Happened today Nov. 4 2021. Car is available for inspection
WHILE TRAVELING FROM WORK (BOULDER) TO HOME (WESTMINSTER) I HIT A PATCH OF SLUSH WHICH PULLED MY CAR TO THE RIGHT. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT THE CARS PULL, THE BACK END OF THE CAR SLID OUT FROM BEHIND ME CAUSING THE CAR TO GO SIDEWAYS FOR A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THE CAR GOT TRACTION AND WENT FRONT END FIRST INTO THE CENTER MEDI…
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WHILE TRAVELING FROM WORK (BOULDER) TO HOME (WESTMINSTER) I HIT A PATCH OF SLUSH WHICH PULLED MY CAR TO THE RIGHT. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CORRECT THE CARS PULL, THE BACK END OF THE CAR SLID OUT FROM BEHIND ME CAUSING THE CAR TO GO SIDEWAYS FOR A LITTLE BIT BEFORE THE CAR GOT TRACTION AND WENT FRONT END FIRST INTO THE CENTER MEDIAN/BARRIER. I THEN GOT OUT OF ANY ONCOMING TRAFFICS WAY, PULLED OVER, AND CALLED 911. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A HIGHWAY. THE SEAT BELT NEVER LOCKED UP TO PROTECT ME AND THE AIRBAG NEVER DEPLOYED. I HIT THE WALL HEAD ON ONCE MY CAR CAUGHT GRIP.
THE CAR WAS REAR ENDED AT A FAST SPEED AS IT WAS PROCEEDING AT A SLOW PACE AS TRAFFIC WAS STARTING TO TAKE OFF FROM BEING AT A STAND STILL. THE PERSON DRIVING WAS SLAMMED INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AT THE SAME TIME THE SEAT BELT FLEW OFF AND THE BUCKLE STRUCK THE DRIVER ON THE ARM CAUSING INJURY THE SEATBELT WOULD NOT RETRACT BACK …
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THE CAR WAS REAR ENDED AT A FAST SPEED AS IT WAS PROCEEDING AT A SLOW PACE AS TRAFFIC WAS STARTING TO TAKE OFF FROM BEING AT A STAND STILL. THE PERSON DRIVING WAS SLAMMED INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AT THE SAME TIME THE SEAT BELT FLEW OFF AND THE BUCKLE STRUCK THE DRIVER ON THE ARM CAUSING INJURY THE SEATBELT WOULD NOT RETRACT BACK INTO PLACE AND ALSO THE DRIVER'S KNEE HIT THE STEERING CAUSING THE KEY TO BREAK OFF INTO THE IGNITION CAUSING INJURY TO THE KNEE AND LEG. THE CAR ACCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE TOP OF THE BRIDGE LEADING TO THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS MOVING AT A SLOW PACE BECAUSE TRAFFIC HAD STOPPED THEN PROCEEDED TO GO. IT DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO GO FULL SPEED BEFORE BEING STRUCK. I BELIEVE THE FORCE OF THE IMPACT CAUSED THE SEATBELT TO MALFUNCTION I DON'T KNOW WHY THE AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY.
WE HAVE A FAMILY MALIBU, PURCHASED BRAND NEW. MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER GOT OUT AT ONE STOP, AND GOT IN ON THE NEXT STOP. THE BACK SEATBELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE HAS FREEZE FOR NO APPEARENT REASON, NOT ALLOWING THE SEATBELT TO COME BACK OUT PAST A FEW INCHES. IT IS NOT FOLDED,ECT AND IS STILL NEARLY NEW. A TRUCK DID PULL OUT IN FRONT OF …
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WE HAVE A FAMILY MALIBU, PURCHASED BRAND NEW. MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER GOT OUT AT ONE STOP, AND GOT IN ON THE NEXT STOP. THE BACK SEATBELT ON THE DRIVER SIDE HAS FREEZE FOR NO APPEARENT REASON, NOT ALLOWING THE SEATBELT TO COME BACK OUT PAST A FEW INCHES. IT IS NOT FOLDED,ECT AND IS STILL NEARLY NEW. A TRUCK DID PULL OUT IN FRONT OF US IN NOVEMBER 2017 WHILE THE FAMILY WAS IN THE CAR, WE HIT IT GOING ABOUT 15 MPH, BUT THAT WAS 8 MONTHS BACK AND LIKELY ISN'T RELATED. (AIR BAGS DIDN'T GO OFF DUE TO LOWER SPEED).
BRAKING BEFORE POTENTIAL COLLISION, ESPECIALLY SMOOTH BRAKING, REVEALS THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR HAS AN INHERENTLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNSAFE DESIGN. *TR THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT HAS DELAYED AND INCONSISTENT LOCKING, OFTEN NOT LOCKING IN BRAKING OR LOCKING LATE. EVEN WHEN IT DOES LOCK EARLIER, IT ALLOWS TOO MUCH TRAV…
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BRAKING BEFORE POTENTIAL COLLISION, ESPECIALLY SMOOTH BRAKING, REVEALS THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT RETRACTOR HAS AN INHERENTLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNSAFE DESIGN. *TR THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT HAS DELAYED AND INCONSISTENT LOCKING, OFTEN NOT LOCKING IN BRAKING OR LOCKING LATE. EVEN WHEN IT DOES LOCK EARLIER, IT ALLOWS TOO MUCH TRAVEL, I.E. 1/3 DISTANCE TO WHEEL. UNDER MODERATE BRAKING, BEFORE ENOUGH DECELERATION OCCURS TO LOCK THE BELT, THE DRIVER CAN TRAVEL VERY FAR FORWARD AND IT'S HARD TO HOLD ONESELF BACK. EVEN WHEN READY FOR THAT, THE FORCE NEEDED IS A DISTRACTION FROM WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE ROAD AND MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT TO STEER. ALSO, EXPERTS HAVE SAID THAT BEING TENSE DURING A COLLISION MAKES INJURIES WORSE OR MORE LIKELY. THE COMPLAINANT HAS TESTED THIS MANY TIMES UNDER STRAIGHT BRAKING ON 25-45 MPH ROADS WITH THE SEAT AS FAR BACK AS IS DRIVABLE AND THE WHEEL AS FAR AWAY AS PRACTICAL FOR A SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE SIZE GUY. UNDER MODERATE BRAKING, THE BELT LOCKED WITH MY HEAD 1 INCH FROM THE WHEEL. IF A COLLISION FOLLOWED, MY HEAD WOULD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE AIR BAG WOULD DEPLOY AT NEARLY POINT-BLANK RANGE TO HEAD AND CHEST. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT HAS AN ALTERNATE MODE ACTIVATED BY PULLING THE BELT ALL THE WAY OUT, WHICH ACTIVATES A RETRACT-ONLY RATCHET SO IT WILL HOLD THE PASSENGER CLOSE TO THE SEAT UNTIL RELEASED. THE DRIVER'S BELT DOES NOT HAVE THAT FEATURE. SUGGEST CRASH TESTING WITH BRAKING FROM 70 TO 40 MPH JUST PRIOR TO COLLISION RATHER THAN CRUISING INTO THE BARRIER AT STEADY 40. WITH THE 2014 MALIBU'S RESTRAINTS, THE DUMMY COULD EASILY BE 1/3 TO FULLY AGAINST THE WHEEL AT MOMENT OF COLLISION. THE PERSON SUBMITTING THIS COMPLAINT DOES NOT FEEL AT ALL SAFE WHILE DRIVING WITH THIS DEFECT IN THE PRIMARY DRIVER RESTRAINT SYSTEM. THIS IS A 3-YEAR-OLD CAR THAT HAS NOT BEEN IN A COLLISION, GOING BY RECORDS AND PROFESSIONAL INSPECTION. *TR
THIS AUTO JERKS WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL,THEN WHILE GOING 60 MPH UP A HILL DOWN SHIFTS FOR MORE SPEED,THEN I REACH THE TOP OF HILL CRUISE STAYS IN LOWER GEAR AND PICKS UP SPEED. UNSAFE TO DRIVE. *TR
Official recalls
616V502000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.