IllustrationWHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING THE CAR WILL SAY "REDUCED ENGINE POWER" AND WILL NOT LET ME ACCELERATE. THIS IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY ON THE HIGHWAY OR MIDDLE OF THE STREET. IT HAS DONE THIS ONCE BEFORE AT A STOPLIGHT WHERE THE ENGINE TOTALLY SHUT OFF.
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
What owners actually said
695 reportsWHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN PARK, A MESSAGE COMES ON THE DASH SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK'. THE VEHICLE IS ALREADY IN PARK, BUT THE CAR DOESN'T PICK THAT UP. IT IS A KNOWN CHEVY ISSUE THAT THEY HAVE YET TO RECALL. HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I WAS FORCED TO GO OVER A CARDBOARD BOX THAT HAPPENED TO BE ON MY LANE. I FELT IT HIT THE UNDERSIDE OF MY CAR. A FEW MINUTES LATER, I SMELLED SMOKE AND I WAS ALSO ALERTED BY SURROUNDING DRIVERS TO PULL OVER. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND RAN OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO ABOUT 100FT AWAY. I COULD SEE FL…
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN I WAS FORCED TO GO OVER A CARDBOARD BOX THAT HAPPENED TO BE ON MY LANE. I FELT IT HIT THE UNDERSIDE OF MY CAR. A FEW MINUTES LATER, I SMELLED SMOKE AND I WAS ALSO ALERTED BY SURROUNDING DRIVERS TO PULL OVER. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND RAN OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO ABOUT 100FT AWAY. I COULD SEE FLAMES IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR. BY THE TIME I REACHED OUT TO EMERGENCY SERVICES AND THEY GOT TO THE LOCATION, THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY ON FIRE. *TR
THE CAR STALLS WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND SHUT THE CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON TO FIX THE ISSUE BUT IT DOES IT SOMETIMES A FEW TIMES A DAY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WHILE PRESSING THE PUSH TO START BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO REED CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 4500 RAEFORD RD, FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A YEAR LATER, …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START WHILE PRESSING THE PUSH TO START BUTTON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO REED CHEVROLET LOCATED AT 4500 RAEFORD RD, FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28304, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ECM AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. A YEAR LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SAME DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 88,000.
ONCE MY CAR IS STOPPED AND I SHIFT TO 'P'(PARK) AND I TRY TO TURN OFF MY VEHICLE IT STILL GIVES ME THE 'SHIFT TO PARK' MESSAGE. THE SHIFT GEAR HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPLACED BY THE CAR DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT STARTED TO DO IT AGAIN. IT HAS UNDER 36,000 MILES ON IT AND WE THOUGHT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN FIXED ALREADY B…
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ONCE MY CAR IS STOPPED AND I SHIFT TO 'P'(PARK) AND I TRY TO TURN OFF MY VEHICLE IT STILL GIVES ME THE 'SHIFT TO PARK' MESSAGE. THE SHIFT GEAR HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN REPLACED BY THE CAR DEALERSHIP. HOWEVER AND UNFORTUNATELY, IT STARTED TO DO IT AGAIN. IT HAS UNDER 36,000 MILES ON IT AND WE THOUGHT THE ISSUE HAD BEEN FIXED ALREADY BUT IT STARTED TO DO IT AGAIN LESS THEN A YEAR LATER. *TR
AUTO STOP JUST STOPED WORKING ALSO WHEN I PUT IT ON PARK IT SHOWS 'SHIFT TO PARK' BUT THE VEHICLE IS ON PARK ALREADY. *TR
VEHICLE TRANSMISSION NOT ENTERING IN PARKING , CAUSING VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWARD OR BACK IF PUT ON PARKING. THIS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT AND SERIOUS INJURIES . THIS MIGHT BE A SENSOR OR AND ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN THE GEAR SELECTOR, BECAUSE IF YOU WIGGLE THE SELECTOR SOMETIMES IT WILL GO AWAY. VEHICLE WILL SHOW MESSAGE VEHICLE NOT I…
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VEHICLE TRANSMISSION NOT ENTERING IN PARKING , CAUSING VEHICLE TO MOVE FORWARD OR BACK IF PUT ON PARKING. THIS COULD CAUSE ACCIDENT AND SERIOUS INJURIES . THIS MIGHT BE A SENSOR OR AND ELECTRICAL FAILURE IN THE GEAR SELECTOR, BECAUSE IF YOU WIGGLE THE SELECTOR SOMETIMES IT WILL GO AWAY. VEHICLE WILL SHOW MESSAGE VEHICLE NOT IN PARKING. *TR
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET I GOT AN ALERT ON THE DASH INDICATING 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED' CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. CAN'T ACCELERATE. CAN'T GO MORE THAN 30 MPH. NO OPEN RECALLS IN MY VEHICLE, BUT SEEMS A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING SAME ISSUE? *TR
WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY THE SPEED CONTROL WAS ON THE CAR POWERED DOWN ALMOST MADE US WRECK AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOLLOWED BY THE POWER DOWN ALERT THE CAR WAS DRAGGING IN SPEED AND COULD NOT ACCELERATE. THERE IS ONLY 35000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR
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.