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2017 Chevrolet Malibu

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Malibu years

Owner complaints for the 2017 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

397 reports with mileage · 305 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 253 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 161 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 139 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports

What owners actually said

702 reports
Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

Vehicle shut down completely while at intersection with no warning including no dash board warnings, recently had vehicle repaired at dealership computer was replaced, injectors cleaned, fuel system flushed. This car is unpredictable at times and not safe if turning off with no warning, if I did get a warning it's after the vehi…

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Vehicle shut down completely while at intersection with no warning including no dash board warnings, recently had vehicle repaired at dealership computer was replaced, injectors cleaned, fuel system flushed. This car is unpredictable at times and not safe if turning off with no warning, if I did get a warning it's after the vehicle shut down then started back up with "Stabil break" code and reduced steering. I have kept up with the maintence on this vehicle since purchase had no wrecks and it's money gone down the drain. I'm not understanding why there hasn't been a recall on this cars electrical component's there seems to be some time of communication issue between the computer & parts causing the car to completely shut down.

NHTSA ODI #11597498

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2024
Unknown Or Other

Shift to Park Error. Then the battery goes dead.

NHTSA ODI #11597294

37,200 miles · Jun 17, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. In addition, the message that there was no power was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informe…

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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the engine seized. In addition, the message that there was no power was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a blown spark plug. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,200.

NHTSA ODI #11594901

Mileage unknown · Jun 17, 2024
Exterior LightingStructureUnknown Or Other

On March 18, 2024, I noticed that water began to enter the car when it was in the carwash. I opened a claim with the insurance company and an investigation was carried out that lasted approximately 3 months. On June 11, the body shop received my car to diagnose and provide a quote to the insurance company for the necessary repai…

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On March 18, 2024, I noticed that water began to enter the car when it was in the carwash. I opened a claim with the insurance company and an investigation was carried out that lasted approximately 3 months. On June 11, the body shop received my car to diagnose and provide a quote to the insurance company for the necessary repairs due to this water damage. The workshop considered it to be a problem in the upper rear brake light and mentioned that this is a Chevrolet recall on these cars. The insurance company called me and told me that I had to go directly to the dealer to have the necessary repairs made to my car that were caused by this water problem. However, I cannot find information about this recall online.

NHTSA ODI #11594698

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2024
Unknown Or Other

When the car stops the auto stop turns on, but when the car is ready to move the auto stop will turn the car off or lose power. Another issue is that when the car is in park an error message says shift into park. This will not allow you to turn the car off. The car is in the park.

NHTSA ODI #11593257

75,000 miles · Jun 7, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while stationary at a stop light and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended, and the vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle was previously repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact …

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The contact owns a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while stationary at a stop light and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended, and the vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle was previously repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure usually occurred during summer, on very hot days. The contact also stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11593032

Mileage unknown · May 31, 2024
Electrical System

Shift to park replaced 2 times problem still happening. Car says not in park when in park.

NHTSA ODI #11591813

Mileage unknown · May 30, 2024
Electrical System

The infotainment system cycles and will change the radio, activate the gps anything that can be controlled through the infotainment system, it also changes the instrument cluster at times; the lane detection, distance alarm all the features, even the language and MPH to KPH. This can cause a sudden shock and safety issue as you …

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The infotainment system cycles and will change the radio, activate the gps anything that can be controlled through the infotainment system, it also changes the instrument cluster at times; the lane detection, distance alarm all the features, even the language and MPH to KPH. This can cause a sudden shock and safety issue as you are now unaware of the vehicle speed and even cause eratic driving as this can be a shock and take you by suprise.

NHTSA ODI #11591482

Mileage unknown · May 28, 2024
Unknown Or Other

Shift to park light com s on after I am parked and the the car is parked. My son got out of the car thinking it as off. It since has happened to me at least 8 times the last week

NHTSA ODI #11591034

Mileage unknown · May 25, 2024
Electrical SystemPower Train

When powering off car, shift to park message is displayed even though the car is in park. The vehicle will not power all the way down, and the battery will drain.

NHTSA ODI #11590760

Official recalls

4

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.

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.

16V870000 · Air Bags:side/window

Dec 2, 2016

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Insufficient welds could cause the inflator to separate and propel air bag debris into the cabin during a crash. Also, the inflator could fail to inflate during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.

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.