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2015 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2015 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

160 reports with mileage · 110 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 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 68 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports9 fire reports10 injury reports

What owners actually said

270 reports
17,000 miles · Sep 10, 2019
Electrical System

INITIALLY, CIRCA TWO YEARS AGO, HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON HARD BRAKING - THE RADIO DISPLAY SCREEN AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN, CAR STALLED. AFTER RESTART, CAR WOULD ONLY MOVE FORWARD SLOWLY. EVENTUALLY THIS CLEARED. THE CAR HAS HAD A TOTAL OF ~5 INCIDENTS OF COMPLETE BATTERY DRAIN AND CONSEQUENT FAILURE TO START AFTER …

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INITIALLY, CIRCA TWO YEARS AGO, HAD AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE ON HARD BRAKING - THE RADIO DISPLAY SCREEN AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN, CAR STALLED. AFTER RESTART, CAR WOULD ONLY MOVE FORWARD SLOWLY. EVENTUALLY THIS CLEARED. THE CAR HAS HAD A TOTAL OF ~5 INCIDENTS OF COMPLETE BATTERY DRAIN AND CONSEQUENT FAILURE TO START AFTER SITTING, EVEN THOUGH THE ALTERNATOR PREVIOUSLY WAS SPINNING, AND "BATTERY VOLTAGE" REPORTS AS SOMEWHERE IN THE 13-14 V RANGE. ON THREE SEPARATE REPAIRS, DEALER HAS REPLACED THE AFT BATTERY, THEN THE FORWARD BATTERY, THEN UPDATED FLASH MEMORY (OF BATTERY CONTROL? ANTILOCK BRAKE CONTROL, NOT SURE), PER A RECALL NOTICE AFFECTING OTHER NEARBY MODEL YEARS. AFTER THIS, THE CAR WENT SEVERAL MONTHS WITHOUT INCIDENT, BUT DRAINED BATTERY AND FAILED TO START AGAIN THIS WEEK. IT APPEARS THAT THE COMPLEX AUTO STOP/START ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS FLAWED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE LOCAL DEALER CANNOT DIAGNOSE WHY THE BATTERY KEEPS DRAINING. BECAUSE THE FORWARD BATTERY CAPACITY IS VERY LARGE, AND USAGE OF THE CAR IS LOW, IT TAKES SEVERAL MONTHS TO DRAIN THE BATTERY. WHEN THE BATTERY IS DRAINED, THE CAR NO LONGER FUNCTIONS - POWER STEERING, ELECTRONICS, ETC, HENCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE IF IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ODI #11254386

75,000 miles · Aug 20, 2019
Electrical System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT ARRIVED HOME AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT, THE ANTI-THEFT CONTROL SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS ONLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MA…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT ARRIVED HOME AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO RESTART IT, THE ANTI-THEFT CONTROL SYSTEM WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS ONLY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11245269

71,000 miles · Aug 8, 2019
Electrical SystemEngine

AUTO STOP WHICH COMES STANDARD IN 2015 MALIBU'S WITH 2.5L ENGINES WILL NOT ENGAGE. IT USED TO WORK FLAWLESSLY, BUT IT WILL NOT ENGAGE. MULTIPLE FORMS THAT I HAVE READ HAVE PEOPLE STATING THEY HAVE THE SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11242487

48,000 miles · Aug 5, 2019
Air BagsElectrical System

THE SENSOR LIGHT FOR MY AIRBAGS STAYS ON. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 50,000 MILES ON IT, AND THE SENSOR DOES NOT WORK.

NHTSA ODI #11241877

103,000 miles · Aug 5, 2019
Vehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE CONTACT REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD MADE AN UNEXPECTED STOP. THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT; AFTER THE IMPACT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO USE THE BRAKE PEDAL DUE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE CONTACT REAR-ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT HAD MADE AN UNEXPECTED STOP. THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT; AFTER THE IMPACT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO USE THE BRAKE PEDAL DUE TO THE VEHICLE'S AIR BAGS DEPLOYING. THE CONTACT THEN FORCED THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY COASTED TO A STOP AFTER THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE INTO A GRASS FILLED AREA. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A BRAIN BLEED AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION. THE OTHER DRIVER SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES; HOWEVER, NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS GIVEN TO EITHER PARTIES INVOLVED IN THE COLLISION. AFTER THE COLLISION, THE CONTACT WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WHERE THEY DISCOVERED SHE HAD BLEEDING ON HER BRAIN AND WAS TREATED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AT THE SCENE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (POP'S CHEVROLET BUICK600 US-23, PRESTONSBURG, KY 41653(606) 263-1507). THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA ODI #11241743

10,000 miles · Jul 30, 2019
Air Bags

AIR BAG LIGHT KEPT COMING ON.

NHTSA ODI #11240747

135,047 miles · Jul 16, 2019
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

MY 2015 CHEVY MALIBU LTZ ECO, JUST SUDDENLY LOSS POWER WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT. THE AUTO STOP HAD ENGAGED ONCE I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. UPON GIVING THE CAR GAS TO TAKE OFF, THE AUTO STOP HAD BEEN DISENGAGE. FOOT ON THE GAS TO GO AND THE VEHICLE JUST SAT THERE FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN IT JUST CAME ALIVE AND TOOK OFF. AT FIRST I WAS…

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MY 2015 CHEVY MALIBU LTZ ECO, JUST SUDDENLY LOSS POWER WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT. THE AUTO STOP HAD ENGAGED ONCE I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. UPON GIVING THE CAR GAS TO TAKE OFF, THE AUTO STOP HAD BEEN DISENGAGE. FOOT ON THE GAS TO GO AND THE VEHICLE JUST SAT THERE FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN IT JUST CAME ALIVE AND TOOK OFF. AT FIRST I WAS THINKING IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION ACTING UP. THEN THE COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER HAPPENED.

NHTSA ODI #11232604

22,000 miles · Jul 11, 2019
Seat Belts

REAR SEAT BELTS WILL NOT RETRACT. FRONT DRIVER SEATBELT ON OCCASION WILL NO BUCKLE

NHTSA ODI #11230920

48,000 miles · Jul 7, 2019
Air Bags

LIGHT WARNING COMES ON STATING SAFETY AIRBAGS DEFECTED. WE NEED THIS FIXED UNDER RECALL AND HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI #11229901

15 miles · Jun 28, 2019
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Power TrainService Brakes

TAKATA RECALL THE TRANSMISSION IN THE 2015 CHEVY MALIBU JERKS AT LOW SPEEDS AND AT HIGH SPEEDS IT HOLDS THE GEAR WHEN SLOWING DOWN

NHTSA ODI #11223127

Official recalls

3

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.

15V666000 · Air Bags:side/window

Oct 16, 2015

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of one or both of the side impact air bags, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not properly inflate. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Additionally, if the air bag does not properly inflate, the driver or passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.

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.

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.