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2016 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Malibu years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than the model-year median of 310.5.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

525 reports with mileage · 312 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 302 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 222 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 166 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

23 crash reports2 fire reports9 injury reports

What owners actually said

837 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2021
Steering

THE AUTO RIGHT AFTER BEING STOPPED AND WHEN YOU START AGAIN THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND ALMOST CAUSES AN ACCIDENT. THE STEERING ASSIST REDUCE COMES ON. LOOKING ON GOOGLE THIS IS A COMMON AND BAD PROBLEM WITH THE AUTO AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL. THANK YOU

NHTSA ODI #11433837

Mileage unknown · Sep 20, 2021
Unknown Or Other

CHMSL water leaking inside the vehicle from rear roof stop light, it’s a speacial coverage from GM. My vehicle has odor smell & inside water damage & mold Starling Chevrolet Orlando is non cooperative & giving me false information & run around between dealership & GM

NHTSA ODI #11433627

110,000 miles · Sep 13, 2021
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while pulling up to the driveway, his wife informed him that the front passenger side headlight and rear driver side brake light were not working. Part of the vehicle's radio also melted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with electric…

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The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while pulling up to the driveway, his wife informed him that the front passenger side headlight and rear driver side brake light were not working. Part of the vehicle's radio also melted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with electrical failure and the front passenger side headlight bulb was replaced. However, the failure recurred, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI #11432803

36,000 miles · Sep 2, 2021
StructureVisibility

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated as the vehicle was being washed at the car wash, he noticed that there was water leaking into the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the windows of the vehicle would become foggy while driving in all seasons of the year, affecting his vi…

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The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated as the vehicle was being washed at the car wash, he noticed that there was water leaking into the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the windows of the vehicle would become foggy while driving in all seasons of the year, affecting his visibility of the road. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA ODI #11431473

71,000 miles · Aug 30, 2021
Power Train

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position, the message "shift to park" displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle was unable to be turned off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the shifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehic…

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The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position, the message "shift to park" displayed on the instrument panel and the vehicle was unable to be turned off. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the shifter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000. The VIN was invalid.

NHTSA ODI #11431088

60,450 miles · Aug 30, 2021
Seat Belts

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt retractor malfunctioned, and the seat belt would not secure the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileag…

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The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt retractor malfunctioned, and the seat belt would not secure the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,450.

NHTSA ODI #11430975

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2021
Electrical SystemEngine

Drove home from work and grocery shopping, killed the engine and noticed the fan was still running. Got back in the car and pressed to start the engine again. The engine stumbled to start but did start. I killed the engine again and everything went off (including the fan) as it should have. I decided to start the car again t…

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Drove home from work and grocery shopping, killed the engine and noticed the fan was still running. Got back in the car and pressed to start the engine again. The engine stumbled to start but did start. I killed the engine again and everything went off (including the fan) as it should have. I decided to start the car again to see if it would repeat what happened. The car started, but no lights came on on the dashboard or radio. I had to press the start button again before any lights would come on. But the engine would die about 3 seconds after the lights came on. The light on the start button was green the entire time until I pressed it a third time. (I have video of this). After this the car wouldn't start at all. I left the car alone for the evening. The next morning I attempted to start the car and it wouldn't start at all, it was as if the battery was dead. I drove my daughter's car to work. The battery was purchased in early 2019 and was still under warranty, but the dealership wouldn't check the battery back unless it was in the car, which wouldn't start. I purchased a battery tester and the battery was dead. I recharged the battery and the car still stumbled to start but would eventually start after several tries. The car appears to drive ok, but won't start without charging the battery or getting a jump start. And once it starts, it's very hard to get it to start again immediately. This has been going on for 2 months now. I haven't been driving the car because I have an hour one way commute to work and can't chance the car giving me any issues. I periodically jump start the car and drive it for 5-10 miles. Yesterday, I jump started the car and when I killed the engine, the fan didn't go off again. It took about 6 tries to start the car again, once it started and I killed the engine the fan finally stopped. The check engine light has been on and off during these past 2 months with these current issues.

NHTSA ODI #11430566

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2021
Service Brakes

Second issue with brakes on 2016 Chevy Malibu. First issue fixed in September 2020 by replacing vacuum pump and sensor. The pump failed and pieces of the pump break off and fall into the engine. The exact same issue happened again June 2021. The brakes are very hard and a loud thumping noise was coming from under the hood wh…

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Second issue with brakes on 2016 Chevy Malibu. First issue fixed in September 2020 by replacing vacuum pump and sensor. The pump failed and pieces of the pump break off and fall into the engine. The exact same issue happened again June 2021. The brakes are very hard and a loud thumping noise was coming from under the hood when you pressed the brakes. It was very hard to stop the car. I knew it was the same issue from September 2020. The vacuum pump was removed and returned to the dealership where the I purchased it from in September 2020 when the original part failed. The part I returned in June 2021 was still under warranty. When I returned it and told them it failed the exact same way in 2020, the man in parts said "They PROBABLY won't warranty the part again since it failed twice. So there's probably something else wrong with your car" REALLY!!! I did notice that the part had been redesigned and the part that breaks off in the engine is no longer there. This proves Chevrolet knows this is an issue, but refuses to recall these vehicles. Thankfully I was on a country road, not driving fast when it failed this time. We live at the bottom of 2 hills, so I had to drive partially in the ditch to help the car slow down enough to safely pull into my driveway with no brakes.

NHTSA ODI #11430562

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

The car stalls if i stop or in traffic..the car is still running I can have the gas pedal to the floor it will not go then it takes off really quick when when it powers back on it feel like it loses power when I’m trying to go but the car is running the whole time it’s Hybrid propulsion system General Motors LLC (GM) is recallin…

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The car stalls if i stop or in traffic..the car is still running I can have the gas pedal to the floor it will not go then it takes off really quick when when it powers back on it feel like it loses power when I’m trying to go but the car is running the whole time it’s Hybrid propulsion system General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Malibu Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 27, 2015, to June 3, 2016. The affected vehicles have a shut-off switch for the high voltage battery for use when servicing the vehicle. This manual service disconnect switch (MSD) may not be properly installed and thus may not lock into position, unexpectedly disconnecting the high-voltage power while driving, effectively stalling the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11430408

Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2021
Engine

Stability track

NHTSA ODI #11426748

Official recalls

9

21V649000 · Seat Belts:critical Fasteners; Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

Aug 20, 2021

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Seat Belts:critical Fasteners

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Consequence: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

18V400000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Jun 14, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

18V358000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 31, 2018

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

16V781000 · Air Bags:side/window

Oct 26, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured November 18, 2015, to June 7, 2016. The fabric of the side-impact air bag cushion may tear during deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 27, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16079.

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.

16V272000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc)

May 5, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured March 7, 2016, through March 12, 2016. The memory chip in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may fail and cause the loss of electronically controlled brake systems including anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the EBCM fails the primary braking system will still function, however, the loss of ABS and ESC increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a replacement EBCM, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020). GM's number for this recall is 39440.

16V151000 · Air Bags:side/window

Mar 11, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Malibu vehicles manufactured February 16, 2016, to March 5, 2016. The two weld studs that mount the front and rear side impact air bags may fracture and separate from the air bag during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, "Side Impact Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 31820.

16V125000 · Air Bags:frontal

Mar 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.

16V084000 · Electrical System:software

Feb 11, 2016

Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection", and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15808.

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.