NHTSA Data Explorer

Chevrolet Malibu

Data refreshed September 6, 2026

Select a model year to filter results to that year of the Chevrolet Malibu.

Complaints

20,577

Active records

Recalls

59

Active records

TSBs

4,400

Active records

Filing history

Monthly totals over the last 20 years. Click a legend item to show or hide that series.

Reported severity

Based on consumer complaints filed since 2000. Recalls and TSBs do not include severity data.

Deaths

23

Injuries

677

Crashes

828

Fires

185

Top reported issues — Chevrolet Malibu

Click a category to expand its values.

Operating state

8,342

Reporting mechanism

6,377

Steering behavior

5,793

Condition issue

4,164

Engine behavior

2,599

Lighting behavior

2,417

Performance issue

2,371

Driver assistance issue

2,343

Vibration/harshness

1,806

Noise

1,732

Starting behavior

1,417

Safety restraint issue

1,333

Braking behavior

1,033

Transmission/drivetrain behavior

993

Electrical issue

977

Fluid issue

884

Access/entry issue

785

Thermal issue

759

Powering on/off behavior

752

Safety restraint behavior

509

HVAC behavior

386

Ride/handling behavior

352

Infotainment behavior

300

Smell

225

Recent change

196

Wiper/washer behavior

101

Communication/network issue

34

Electrified system issue

12

Recent filings

The 10 most recent filings for each type.

2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 3, 2026


Driving along the highway the CEL light came on followed by reduced engine power warning. Vehicle abruptly slowed down to 35mph (limp mode). Were there to be another vehicle behind me, they would have to do emergency braking. My vehicle would not start after pulling over to the shoulder. A tow truck was dispatched, and after diagnosis from the service center; The fuel pump module was found to be defective.

2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 3, 2026


While driving my 2022 Chevrolet Malibu on the freeway, I experienced a loss of braking. This created a serious safety hazard because I was unable to stop the vehicle normally. The vehicle had previously displayed a check-engine warning. I brought the vehicle to the Chevrolet dealer. The dealer is requesting approximately $4,000 for repairs and has refused to perform the turbo-related recall/special coverage repair unless I pay for those repairs. I am requesting that NHTSA review this incident…

2021 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 2, 2026


The problem with this model is the CVT Trasmission thats in the vehicle when put into drive mode it stalls to change gears and want change gears for about 5 min then it kicks in to go it does that very often i have took it to the dealership and spent tremendous mount of money the transmission are crapy and stalls the car when put into drive mode please help im not the only one experiencing this issue there is a Chevrolet malibu group chat on Facebook and other sites these transmission needs to…

2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 2, 2026


2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid LT 1.8L - current mileage 147,059 miles The factory exhaust heat exchanger failed internally, leaking engine coolant into the exhaust system. This caused check engine codes P0401 / P26BE, loss of cabin heat, coolant loss, and exhaust fumes entering cabin. GM has released 4 revisions of this part and all fail the same way, indicating known defective design. The part is currently on indefinite national backorder with no ETA from GM (Order #343585 from GMPartsNow on…

2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 2, 2026


The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message Shift to Park was displayed on the instrument panel. The gear shifter was shifted back into drive and then back into park to turn off the vehicle. The contact also stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, started to lose automotive power, and then continued driving; however, the vehicle operated at reduced power and failed to exceed 30 MPH. The check engine…

2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 1, 2026


I was driving and all of a sudden all the warning lights start going off on my vehicle’s dashboard and the car jerks back and forth while decelerating. This has happened twice on the highway putting me in danger of crashing or making cars around me crash. On a seperate occasion my brakes failed, causing the car to jerk abruptly in traffic, thankfully I was able to pull over. Some times the car will limit my speed to below 60mph for “safety” reasons. The same set of issues have happened to…

2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 1, 2026


I understand that the vehicle is outside of its original warranty period. However, I do not believe that the expiration of the warranty should automatically make me responsible for a component failure that occurred at only approximately 39,000 miles. The PCV valve and orifice are not routine maintenance items that I would reasonably expect to require replacement at such low mileage. Unlike tires, brake pads, batteries, or other components that are expected to wear out and require periodic…

2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Sep 1, 2026


The car started giving warnings on the dash SHIFT TO PARK even though the shifter is in park. When it happens you can not shut the car off fully causing the battery to drain, you also can not lock the vehicle. The car only has 19K miles on it and GM refuses to fix because the car is out of the standard warranty period by six months.

2023 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Aug 31, 2026


The contact owns a 2023 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the hard skin material on the steering wheel was crumbling. The contact stated that the right and left hands were severely peeled. The contact inspected the steering wheel and placed a white glove on each hand and rotated the steering wheel. The contact became aware of a black substance on both gloves. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or…

2012 CHEVROLET MALIBU

Filed Aug 31, 2026


Car has 161,848 miles and the seat frame broke on the drivers side of my 2012 Chevy Malibu. It had a slight tilt to the right. It was taken to the Chevrolet Dealership and they inspected and verified that the frame welding was broken. I have a video from the service tech showing the broken frame. I took a screen shot of the video and attached it to this incident repot. I would be happy to share the video but it won't allow me to share on this page. I asked the dealership if there was any…

Data sourced from NHTSA's public datasets. Issue classifications are generated by Repair Surge. About this data.

Updated September 6, 2026. Refreshed nightly.