Your vehicle report
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 700
- Received Oct 2017 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Gear shifter fails to register Park135 complaints · 19% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed84 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Engine suddenly shuts off while driving38 complaints · 5.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #21V649000General 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.
- Recall #20V668000General 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Gear shifter fails to register ParkFirst signal: Sep 2019
- Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speedFirst signal: Dec 2019
- Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedalFirst signal: Mar 2023
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 23 crashes, 4 fires, 17 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 12 |
| 2019 | 85 |
| 2020 | 120 |
| 2021 | 126 |
| 2022 | 104 |
| 2023 | 84 |
| 2024 | 56 |
| 2025 | 64 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 48 |
| Total | 700 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 135 | 19% | 26.9× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Sep 2019 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 2.2% |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 84 | 12% | 6.7× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Dec 2019 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.9% |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 38 | 5.4% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 33 | 4.7% | 7.5× | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 32 | 4.6% | 2.4× | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 29 | 4.1% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 17 | 2.4% | 7.5× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Mar 2023 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.2% |
| Chevrolet Silverado loses power and hesitates | 15 | 2.1% | 2.3× | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 13 | 1.9% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 12 | 1.7% | 4.6× | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 11 | 1.6% | – | NHTSA recall #18V400000 |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 10 | 1.4% | 1.4× | |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 10 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine won't start or cranks intermittently | 9 | 1.3% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 8 | 1.1% | 4.2× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Jan 2026 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.1% |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 8 | 1.1% | 1.9× | NHTSA recall #18V358000, #19V642000 |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 5 | 0.7% | – | |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 5 | 0.7% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 4 | 0.6% | – | |
| Rearview backup camera fails or goes black | 4 | 0.6% | 0.7× |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #21V649000August 20, 2021402 vehicles affected
seat belts: critical fasteners; 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.
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.
NHTSA recall #20V668000October 29, 2020194,105 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #19V642000September 6, 2019177,282 vehicles affected
electrical system: software; engine; 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.
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.
NHTSA recall #18V576000August 30, 2018210,628 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #18V400000June 14, 201866 vehicles affected
air bags: sensor: occupant classification
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #18V358000May 31, 2018895 vehicles affected
fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN