IllustrationREDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND LOSS OF POWER OCCURED. THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT IT SLOWED DOWN TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY. BATTERY AND ELECTRIC SYSTEM WAS STILL ON, BUT THE DASH AND EVERYTHING ELSE DIMMED OUT AS WELL. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND VEHICLE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH.
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 reportsIN MAY OF 2020 I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN WOODBRIDGE,VA FOR A ECM RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. AFTER WAITING FOR THEM TO DO THE RECALL THEY STATED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. FROM OCTOBER TO CURRENT MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING EVERYTHING THAT WAS STATED IN THE RECALL WHICH LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY NEVER CHA…
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IN MAY OF 2020 I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN WOODBRIDGE,VA FOR A ECM RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. AFTER WAITING FOR THEM TO DO THE RECALL THEY STATED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. FROM OCTOBER TO CURRENT MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING EVERYTHING THAT WAS STATED IN THE RECALL WHICH LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY NEVER CHANGED THE PART. MY VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ALMOST CAUSING ME A ACCIDENT AND MOST DAYS NOW IT WON'T EVEN START. I GOT MY BATTERY CHECKED OUT AND MY BATTERY TESTED 100% SO I KNOW THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO GET THAT PART REPLACED. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY WHEN IT'S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL, SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. -THANK YOU!
THE CAR SAYS IT'S NOT IN PARK WHEN YOU SHUT IT OFF. THE FOB SEEMS TO NOT RESPOND SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES IT WON'T START AND TELLS YOU TO PUT IT INTO THE CENTER CONSOLE POCKET BUT IT STILL WON'T RESPOND. IT WILL SAY THERE IS NO FOB IN THE CAR. I REPLACED THE BATTERY TO MAKE SURE THAT WASN'T THE ISSUE. EVEN WITH THE FOB IN THE CAR, I…
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THE CAR SAYS IT'S NOT IN PARK WHEN YOU SHUT IT OFF. THE FOB SEEMS TO NOT RESPOND SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES IT WON'T START AND TELLS YOU TO PUT IT INTO THE CENTER CONSOLE POCKET BUT IT STILL WON'T RESPOND. IT WILL SAY THERE IS NO FOB IN THE CAR. I REPLACED THE BATTERY TO MAKE SURE THAT WASN'T THE ISSUE. EVEN WITH THE FOB IN THE CAR, IT SET OFF THE ALARM WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. IT TOOK ALMOST 5 MINUTES FOR IT TO RESPOND TO SHUT THE ALARM OFF BUT IT WOULD LET ME LOCK THE DOORS WHILE SITTING INSIDE IT. SO IT REGISTERS THE UNLOCK AND LOCKING MECHANISM BUT NOTHING ELSE SOMETIMES.
VEHICLE IS NOT REGISTERING IN PARK, WHEN GEAR SHIFTER IS IN PARK. STARTED DOING THIS APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS AGO AND IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE
2018 CHEVY MALIBU. FIRST STARTED WITH CORRODED WIRES UNDER THE CAR WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE USB PORT MELTING MY CELLPHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS FIXED BUT AFTER THAT THE AC/HEATER ONLY WOULD BLOW OUT THE DEFROSTER THAT GOT FIXED. CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES. MY CAR HAD A RECALL FOR THE ECM MODULE NEEDED UPDATED BUT AUTO NATION SAID IT…
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2018 CHEVY MALIBU. FIRST STARTED WITH CORRODED WIRES UNDER THE CAR WHICH HAS LEAD TO THE USB PORT MELTING MY CELLPHONE CHARGER WHICH WAS FIXED BUT AFTER THAT THE AC/HEATER ONLY WOULD BLOW OUT THE DEFROSTER THAT GOT FIXED. CAR HAD ABOUT 20,000 MILES. MY CAR HAD A RECALL FOR THE ECM MODULE NEEDED UPDATED BUT AUTO NATION SAID IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE UPDATED AFTER GETTING MY CAR BACK IT WOULDN'T START I WOULD HAVE TO LOCK IT UNLOCK IT OPEN THE DOOR A FEW TIMES AND THEN IT WOULD START, SO MY BATTERY GOT FRIED BECAUSE SOMETHING WAS DRAINING IT PAID 200$ FOR A NEW ONE BECAUSE AUTO NATION SAID THEY DIDN'T TOUCH THE CAR BECAUSE IT DIDN'T NEED AN UPDATE BUT WHAT GETS ME IS THEY HAD TO PLUG INTO IT TO FIND OUT IT DIDN'T NEED AN UPDATE, THEN THE CAR STARTED SAYING (SHIFTER TO PARK) GOT GM CORPORATE INVOLVED AND THEY MADE AN APPOINTMENT 1/13/2020 AT CHAPMAN FOR ME TO TAKE MY CAR IN TO FIGURE OUT THAT I NEEDED A NEW WIRING HARNESS FROM THE SHIFTER TO THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY UPDATED THE ECM MODULE BUT YET AUTO NATION SAID IT DIDN'T NEED THE UPDATE, SO BASICALLY THE AUTO NATION DOESN'T WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CAR MESSING UP. I SAT AT AUTO NATION FOR 45 MINUTES AND THEY DIDN'T TOUCH MY CAR. SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT AND NO ONE WANTS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. YESTERDAY I PICKED MY CAR UP FROM CHAPMAN 1/27/2020, THEY REPLACED THE WIRING HARNESS FROM THE SHIFTER TO THE TRANSMISSION, TODAY 1/28/2020 I'M GETTING THE SAME MESSAGE 'SHIFT TO PARK'. I'M GETTING TIRED OF THE RUN AROUND WITH BRITTANY AND HAVING 3-4 OTHER PEOPLE CALL THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE SITUATION AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS SITUATION. SO NOW THE MILES ARE AT 59,000 MILES NO WARRANTY. THIS ISN'T A RELIABLE CAR. GM SAID IS OUR FAULT WHY THIS HAPPEN THAT IS WHAT TAYLOR THE ADVISOR TOLD US TODAY 2/3/2020. STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE PARK TO SHIFT AS OF 11/24/2020.
DELAYED ECCEL ELECTRICAL STEERING AN BATTERY LOSS. TIRE LOW WARNING RESET FOR ALL TIRES CONTINUE TO COME ON, BATTERY DIES BROUGHT CAR TO DEALER THEY SAI IT HAD ONLY 1 RECALL AN IT WAS FIXED
WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AS I APPROACHED A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS BUT UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE, UNTIL IT IS JUMP STARTED IT WILL START, I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. ONCE I ARRIVED AT HOME AND I PARKED THE VEHICLE, IT COMPLETELY SHUT…
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WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AS I APPROACHED A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO TURN ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS BUT UNABLE TO START THE VEHICLE, UNTIL IT IS JUMP STARTED IT WILL START, I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. ONCE I ARRIVED AT HOME AND I PARKED THE VEHICLE, IT COMPLETELY SHUT ITSELF OFF AND I WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE IT JUST STARTED AGAIN. WHICH I WAS ABLE TO LOCK THE VEHICLE WITH THE REMOTE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES NOW ON DIFFERENT DATES.
WHEN PUTTING MY CAR IN PARK TO TURN OFF, THE CAR DOESN'T RECOGNIZE IT'S IN PARK AND THUS WON'T TURN OFF. AS SUCH, I CANNOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE.
CAR IS STATIONARY WHILE WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND REDUCED DRIVING ASSISTANCE ERROR MESSAGE WILL POP UP BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THE RADIO WILL ALSO CUT OUT IN PROCESS OF CAR TURNING BACK ON FRIM AUTO SHUT OFF. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR OVER A MONTH AND SEEMS TO GET WORSE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TODA…
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CAR IS STATIONARY WHILE WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND REDUCED DRIVING ASSISTANCE ERROR MESSAGE WILL POP UP BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THE RADIO WILL ALSO CUT OUT IN PROCESS OF CAR TURNING BACK ON FRIM AUTO SHUT OFF. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR OVER A MONTH AND SEEMS TO GET WORSE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TODAY ASWELL
WHEN CAR IS STATIONARY WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND POWER CYCLE SHOWING STABILITRAK ERROR MESSAGE BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY AND ENGINE IS OFF FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
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.