Illustration2018 MALIBU SHIFT TO PARK MESSAGE. THIS ISSUE IS VERY COMMON AND PEOPLE ARE BEING CHARGED $700 PLUS DOLLARS BY DEALERSHIPS TO FIX. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Malibu years
Owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu are substantially higher than 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
840–25K
8425–50K
8150–75K
3275–100K
17100–150K
9150K+
307 reports with mileage · 388 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 279 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 191 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 169 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 reports4 fire reports14 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
191 reportsI BROUGHT MY CAR BACK IN JUNE . I'VE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS AND THINKING IT'S ONLY MY BATTERY BACK TO BACK . I'VE BEEN STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHERE MY CAR WOULD JUST COME OFF . ONE TIME JSO POLICE HAD TO GIVE MY CAR A JUMP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AT A LEFT TURNING LIGHT. MY CAR HAVE STOPPED ON BEACH BLVD WHICH WAS…
Read full complaint
I BROUGHT MY CAR BACK IN JUNE . I'VE BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS AND THINKING IT'S ONLY MY BATTERY BACK TO BACK . I'VE BEEN STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET WHERE MY CAR WOULD JUST COME OFF . ONE TIME JSO POLICE HAD TO GIVE MY CAR A JUMP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET AT A LEFT TURNING LIGHT. MY CAR HAVE STOPPED ON BEACH BLVD WHICH WAS EARLY IN THE DAY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET . IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE I HAD TO GET A PORTABLE JUMP STARTER. I LOOKED INTO IT & GOT BRAND NEW PARTS FOR SO MANY THINGS AND ONE DAY IT JUST WOULDN'T CRANK ANYMORE . THE LIGHTS AND RADIO AND EVERYTHING COME ON AND EVERYTHING BUT IT'S NOT CRANKING ANYMORE . I CALLED MANY CHEVROLETS AND WAS INFORMED BY THAT MANY 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU'S WERE RECALLED AND NO DEALERSHIP IN MY TOWN IS TRYING TO HELP ME . THE GAS GOES OUT THE CAR VERY FAST AND EVERYTHING. THE CAR HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR MONTHS BUT NOW IT'S FINALLY TO THE POINT WHERE IT WON'T COME ON AGAIN . I'M ONLY 19 AND WAS JUST 18 WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR ON MY OWN IN THE FIRST PLACE AND NOW I'M STUCK WITHOUT ANYTHING TO DO.
DURING AUTO STOP FEATURE OF 20108 MALIBU, CAR WILL POP UP WITH "STEERING ASSIST REDUCED, PLEASE DRIVE WITH CARE" MESSAGE AND DISAPPEAR. CAR WILL ALSO SHUT OFF AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING AUTO STOP. CHEVY DEALERSHIP WILL NOT CALIBRATE CAR TO FIX ISSUE.
WHEN THE LEFT TURNING SIGNAL IS ON AND FOOT ON BRAKES THE VEHICLE CUTS OFF ALL LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD LIGHT UP AND WHEN YOU PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND TRY TO RECRANK A MESSAGE STATED NO GASOLINE.
I TURNED ON MY CAR AND IT SAID 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' ON THE SCREEN AND I COULD ONLY ACCELERATE UP TO 35MPH. I WAS GOING UP HILL IT FELT LIKE MY CAR WAS BARELY MOVING. TURNS FELT MUCH SLOWER GOING UPHILL WHEN DRIVING IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
DRIVERS SEAT WILL NOT MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARDS. SEAT IS LOCKED IN THE FORWARD POSITION AND WILL NOT MOVE BACKWARDS.
THE ONSTAR SYSTEM SHOCKED MY HUSBAND. THE CAR WON'T START SOMETIMES. THE DASH BOARD READS DIFFERENT THINGS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO START CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE YARD WITH NOTHING PLUGGED UP TO DRAIN THE BATTERY.
WHEN I'M SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AWAITING MY TURN TO PROCEED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK THE CAR IS FINE. AFTER SITTING AT THE LIGHT AND IT'S TIME TO DRIVE, I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE BREAK AND MY CAR SHUTS COMPLETELY OFF. WHEN I APPLY A LITTLE GAS THE CAR TURNS BACK ON AND IT MALFUNCTIONS EVEN MORE. MY DASH BOARD GOES HAYWIRE WITH…
Read full complaint
WHEN I'M SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AWAITING MY TURN TO PROCEED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK THE CAR IS FINE. AFTER SITTING AT THE LIGHT AND IT'S TIME TO DRIVE, I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE BREAK AND MY CAR SHUTS COMPLETELY OFF. WHEN I APPLY A LITTLE GAS THE CAR TURNS BACK ON AND IT MALFUNCTIONS EVEN MORE. MY DASH BOARD GOES HAYWIRE WITH DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGES. IT SAYS THE FUEL IS LOW WHICH IT IS NOT, I COULD HAVE A FULL TANK. THE BACK DOOR IS UNLOCKED, I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT MESSAGE BEFORE UNTIL THE MALFUNCTION. MY BLINKER TONE EVEN CHANGES AND MY CAR IS RELUCTANT TO ACCELERATE. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE NOW.
WHILE GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON MY 2018 MALIBU, I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION ON MY DASH THAT SAID MY ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER. AFTER CLEARING THE NOTIFICATION, MY CAR DROPPED IN MPH AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 60MPH. AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER THAT, MY MPH DROPPED AGAIN AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 25 MPH WHILE MY RPMS WERE SPIKIN…
Read full complaint
WHILE GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON MY 2018 MALIBU, I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION ON MY DASH THAT SAID MY ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER. AFTER CLEARING THE NOTIFICATION, MY CAR DROPPED IN MPH AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 60MPH. AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER THAT, MY MPH DROPPED AGAIN AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 25 MPH WHILE MY RPMS WERE SPIKING AT 4000. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID THE ACCELERATION SENSOR IS BAD AND I HAD TO REPLACE MY ACCELERATOR AND WAS FOREWARNED THAT THIS IS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S A FACTORY DEFECT. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM GIVEN THERE'S A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALREADY OUT THERE. BUT I WANTED TO ADD TO THE MASSES SO CHEVY IS FORCED TO FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE PEOPLE GET SERIOUSLY HURT.
WHEN DRIVING, MESSAGE WILL APPEAR ON DASH STATING THAT ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED. MY CAR WILL GO IN TO LIMP MODE, AND WILL NOT INCREASE HIGHER THAN ABOUT 340 RPM, AND CANNOT ACCELERATE FASTER THAN 25 MPH. SOMETIMES I HAVE BEEN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND RESTART MY ENGINE, AND THIS ERROR WILL GO AWAY. THERE WERE …
Read full complaint
WHEN DRIVING, MESSAGE WILL APPEAR ON DASH STATING THAT ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED. MY CAR WILL GO IN TO LIMP MODE, AND WILL NOT INCREASE HIGHER THAN ABOUT 340 RPM, AND CANNOT ACCELERATE FASTER THAN 25 MPH. SOMETIMES I HAVE BEEN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND RESTART MY ENGINE, AND THIS ERROR WILL GO AWAY. THERE WERE A COUPLE TIMES WHERE THIS ERROR DID NOT IMMEDIATELY GO AWAY AFTER RESTARTING MY ENGINE AND I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE HOME AT 25 MPH. LUCKILY I HAVE NO BEEN REAR ENDED YET, BUT THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND IS FREQUENT WITH 2018 MALIBU'S ACCORDING TO SEVERAL ONLINE ARTICLES.
Official recalls
621V649000 · 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.
20V668000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 29, 2020
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
19V642000 · Electrical System:software; Engine; Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
Sep 6, 2019
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Additional source detail variants (3)
Engine
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Electrical System:software
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Consequence: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
18V576000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper
Aug 30, 2018
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 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 18279.
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.
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.