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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

695 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 19, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

Again today my shift to park message came on to some odd noise help me please

NHTSA ODI #11545309

Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

Warning lights never come up for the five years I've had it On August 18, 2023 while driving I lost power to no gas no brakes to driving like this for five minutes at the end shift to park message came on I was scared thank God I didn't die. On September 15,2023 Ed Denas dealership stated my car fine I disagree with them as ag…

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Warning lights never come up for the five years I've had it On August 18, 2023 while driving I lost power to no gas no brakes to driving like this for five minutes at the end shift to park message came on I was scared thank God I didn't die. On September 15,2023 Ed Denas dealership stated my car fine I disagree with them as again shift to park message comes up. On September 17, 2023 when I parked at my driveway I got the message shift to park. Please help me and please help 2018 Chevy Mailbu customers. That gm implement the recall or gm replacement or gm repurchase these 2018 Chevy Malibu this is the only car I have please help me. Thank you

NHTSA ODI #11545077

Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2023
Unknown Or Other

When I shift car in park, it won’t let the car turn off and keeps saying “shift to park”

NHTSA ODI #11544377

Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2023
Electrical SystemSteeringSuspension

My car has auto stop and every time it cranks back up my radio blinks off, my lights blink off, all the lights on my dashboard come on and the error message Steering Assist is Reduced comes on the message center. Sometimes it doesn’t want to crank back up. Today when all that happened the message service stabilitrac also came up…

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My car has auto stop and every time it cranks back up my radio blinks off, my lights blink off, all the lights on my dashboard come on and the error message Steering Assist is Reduced comes on the message center. Sometimes it doesn’t want to crank back up. Today when all that happened the message service stabilitrac also came up. I can’t find any recalls.

NHTSA ODI #11544208

Mileage unknown · Sep 5, 2023
Power Train

I keep getting shift to park message every time I go to park. My vehicle is in park and won’t turn off the radio and lights inside. It is starting to drain my battery and every day I wake up my battery is now dead. No recalls for this however lots of complaints.

NHTSA ODI #11542576

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2023
Visibility

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that he noticed that there were shattered pieces of glass in the rear seats. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended in the rain, the rear windshield had exploded. The vehicle was taken to an auto glass repair center, where the windshield was re…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that he noticed that there were shattered pieces of glass in the rear seats. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended in the rain, the rear windshield had exploded. The vehicle was taken to an auto glass repair center, where the windshield was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the auto glass repair center for the replacement of the rear windshield. There was no further information provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11541856

Mileage unknown · Aug 30, 2023
Unknown Or Other

I recently purchased this vehicle used from the dealership. I have noticed that when I shift to park and turn the vehicle off it pops up the warning “Shift to Park”. It takes multiple attempts of turning the car back on and shifting back and forth to get the car to actually shift to park. I have looked up this issue and found t…

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I recently purchased this vehicle used from the dealership. I have noticed that when I shift to park and turn the vehicle off it pops up the warning “Shift to Park”. It takes multiple attempts of turning the car back on and shifting back and forth to get the car to actually shift to park. I have looked up this issue and found that I am not alone in this problem and that apparently it is a known issue with the transmission shift cable adjuster causing a discrepancy between the transmission and the gear shift. As far as safety I am worried that I can’t trust the gear shift when I shift it into park. As far as the rest I have not yet contacted my dealership. I just wanted to write this up as it seems like a well known issue and many people have been asking for a recall to fix this.

NHTSA ODI #11541571

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2023
Electrical SystemService Brakes

When I put my car in park a notice comes up in my dashboard saying “shift to park” even though when I take my foot off the break it’s in parked. I took it to a Chevy dealer and said it will $500+ to fix. I have asked 5 other people with my same car (2018 or 2019) and they have the same issue. Now my car is having issues when shi…

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When I put my car in park a notice comes up in my dashboard saying “shift to park” even though when I take my foot off the break it’s in parked. I took it to a Chevy dealer and said it will $500+ to fix. I have asked 5 other people with my same car (2018 or 2019) and they have the same issue. Now my car is having issues when shifting gears. There seems to be a delay in gear shifts when I go from drive to reverse or to park.

NHTSA ODI #11540520

Mileage unknown · Aug 24, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

No warnings was given.it was scary.my car lost power to 20 mph it drove to where I was able to safely get off the road gave me error messages to shutting down. I sure don't want this happening to others

NHTSA ODI #11540451

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

The third brake light cracked for unknown reasons in several spots. This has caused water to leak in and damage the ceiling/interior. It is just one of several issues that have happened since purchasing this vehicle brand new in 2018. It has singlehandedly been the worst vehicle that I have ever purchased as it has been unreliab…

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The third brake light cracked for unknown reasons in several spots. This has caused water to leak in and damage the ceiling/interior. It is just one of several issues that have happened since purchasing this vehicle brand new in 2018. It has singlehandedly been the worst vehicle that I have ever purchased as it has been unreliable, dangerous (shift to park, reduced engine power, etc) and costly with repairs.

NHTSA ODI #11540189

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.