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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.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

10 reports
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150,000 miles · Jun 9, 2026
EngineService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate and attempting to exit the ramp at 40-45 MPH, the brakes failed. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V576000 (Service Brakes, Hydrauli…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate and attempting to exit the ramp at 40-45 MPH, the brakes failed. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V576000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the vacuum pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, confirmed there was no recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI #11742983

180,000 miles · Mar 23, 2026
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the brake was inoperable, and the contact was unable to properly stop the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. T…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the brake was inoperable, and the contact was unable to properly stop the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the mileage requirements for special coverage were not met. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ODI #11726455

111,000 miles · Jan 6, 2026
EngineService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal suddenly became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was required to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard while stoppi…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal suddenly became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was required to depress the brake pedal. The contact stated that the brake pedal went to the floorboard while stopping the vehicle. The contact then stated that after pulling into a parking lot, the contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA ODI #11709076

104,000 miles · Jul 2, 2025
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was firm while depressed, and the vehicle failed to immediately stop. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brake vacuum pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ODI #11670758

107,000 miles · Nov 16, 2023
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the braking system failed, and the brake pedal became firm while depressed. The "Engine Power Reduced" message was displayed, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, causing the vehicle to decelerate. The vehicle was later towed to the …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the braking system failed, and the brake pedal became firm while depressed. The "Engine Power Reduced" message was displayed, and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode, causing the vehicle to decelerate. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the braking system vacuum booster pump had failed and needed to be replaced, along with the camshaft and crank case which were damaged during the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 107,000

NHTSA ODI #11555493

83,000 miles · Sep 22, 2022
Engine And Engine CoolingService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle shifted into Limp Mode. The contact stated that she pulled over and when the gear was shifted to park (P), the brake vacuum pump failed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to her residence. The c…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle shifted into Limp Mode. The contact stated that she pulled over and when the gear was shifted to park (P), the brake vacuum pump failed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to her residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic went to her residence and diagnosed the vehicle. The independent mechanic retrieved DTC: P0365 for the camshaft position sensor. Additionally, the contact was informed that shattered pieces of the brake vacuum pump dispersed into the camshaft. The contact stated that pieces were also found in the oil lines. The contact stated that the brake vacuum pump was repaired; however, the camshaft sensor was not yet replaced due to the part not being available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

NHTSA ODI #11485891

79,000 miles · Aug 10, 2022
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the brake pedal depressed and it traveled to the floorboard as the vehicle failed to stop without warning. After the failure occurred, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon parking the vehicle. Due to the failure, the …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the brake pedal depressed and it traveled to the floorboard as the vehicle failed to stop without warning. After the failure occurred, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon parking the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where they discovered that both the vacuum pump and camshaft sensor were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000.

NHTSA ODI #11478592

77,000 miles · Feb 15, 2022
Service BrakesService Brakes, Hydraulic

The vacuum pump on my vehicle has gone out for the 3rd time in 2.5 years. This creates a safety issue as that the brakes stop working and it takes an extreme amount of pressure for the car to stop. This has occurred once on the freeway and twice in heavy traffic areas. This could cause an accident and potentially seriously hurt …

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The vacuum pump on my vehicle has gone out for the 3rd time in 2.5 years. This creates a safety issue as that the brakes stop working and it takes an extreme amount of pressure for the car to stop. This has occurred once on the freeway and twice in heavy traffic areas. This could cause an accident and potentially seriously hurt or kill someone. This has occurred once before the engine was replaced and twice since it's been replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11452088

18,000 miles · Dec 10, 2021
Power TrainService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact had to pump the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. Additionally, the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed even after the vehicle was in PARK. The vehicle was towed to the d…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact had to pump the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal went to the floorboard while depressed. Additionally, the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed even after the vehicle was in PARK. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer initially diagnosed that the brake pedal needed lubrication. The dealer lubricated the brake pedal; however, the failure recurred with a chemical odor detected. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed that the brake pump system and shift gear were faulty. The dealer replaced the brake pump system however, the chemical odor was still detected and the "Shift to Park" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

NHTSA ODI #11443350

15,000 miles · Aug 20, 2019
Service BrakesService Brakes, HydraulicCrashInjury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING AT A LOW SPEED INTO A DRIVEWAY THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED RIGH…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING AT A LOW SPEED INTO A DRIVEWAY THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED TO APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A FRACTURED RIGHT FOOT, WHIPLASH, AND SEVERAL BRUISES WHICH REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO WEIL TOWING AND STORAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED OR NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V576000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11245197

Official recalls

6

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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.