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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 · Aug 22, 2023
Fuel/propulsion System

Underlying fuel pump went out

NHTSA ODI #11540052

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

My check engine light will come on, a message will pop up on the screen saying, "steering assist reduced drive with care." When i come to a stop and my car goes into auto stop the car will completely shut down. This can be in the middle of the street or during traffic. It will take my car awhile to start back up. I was told it i…

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My check engine light will come on, a message will pop up on the screen saying, "steering assist reduced drive with care." When i come to a stop and my car goes into auto stop the car will completely shut down. This can be in the middle of the street or during traffic. It will take my car awhile to start back up. I was told it is a sensor that is going bad consistently, this has happened to me 3 times. This is a known issue with a lot of Chevy Malibu.

NHTSA ODI #11540051

Mileage unknown · Aug 20, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

Vehicle shut down in traffic lost all power as I'm pushing my Vehicle to a safe location in neutral it starts back up without me starting it there was a recall for this year make and model the recall numbers are N192221960 NHTSA # 19V642 Date Issued: Sep 06, 2019 those problems are infact the same issues I am having

NHTSA ODI #11539615

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 75 MPH AND I WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES AND THEY DIDNT WORK I HAD TO TAKE MY FEET OFF THE GAS AND LET IT STOP ON ITS ON AND IT WAS SCARY. I GLAD TO BE ALIVE. AND WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN PARK IT STATED THE I NEEDED TO SHIFT TO PARK AND I COULDNT CUT THE CAR OFF SO AFTER CALLING SOMEONE TO COME GET ME …

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I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 75 MPH AND I WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES AND THEY DIDNT WORK I HAD TO TAKE MY FEET OFF THE GAS AND LET IT STOP ON ITS ON AND IT WAS SCARY. I GLAD TO BE ALIVE. AND WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN PARK IT STATED THE I NEEDED TO SHIFT TO PARK AND I COULDNT CUT THE CAR OFF SO AFTER CALLING SOMEONE TO COME GET ME FROM OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE RIDE. I HAD TO KEEP PUTTING THE GEAR IN PARK FOR IT TO GO IN PARK ANF THE MESSAGE WENT AWAY BUT IT KEEPS COMING ON.

NHTSA ODI #11537281

Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

The auto start stop function malfunctioning at a red light, causing vehicle to turn off completely. Vehicle will turn on once the brake is released. The transmission is slipping as well switching from first gear to second gear and causing a delay in departure.

NHTSA ODI #11536708

75,000 miles · Aug 2, 2023
Service BrakesCrash

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to reduce speed. As a result, he collided with the vehicle in the right lane on the rear driver's side. No air bags were deployed. No…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to reduce speed. As a result, he collided with the vehicle in the right lane on the rear driver's side. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, but no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine vacuum pump, resulting in a lack of vacuum for the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number 18V576000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #11536111

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2023
Exterior Lighting

3rd brake light cracked on both sides.

NHTSA ODI #11535642

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2023
Back Over PreventionVisibility/wiper

Back up camera display screen on the dashboard repeatedly fails to display a visual view of the vehicle when the vehicle is placed in reverse. The dashboard display screen only shows a solid blue image 90% of the time. (Image attached)

NHTSA ODI #11535192

Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2023
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

I drive my car everyday as usual but here lately my car shuts off while I’m driving and my dash goes completely black and I have no power and it doesn’t start back up

NHTSA ODI #11535191

Mileage unknown · Jul 25, 2023
Lane DepartureCrashInjury

On July 7, 2023, my Aunt was in a car accident that caused severe injuries to her body, face, and head. Her car is totaled. She believes the car's Lane Keep or Lane Departure systems are the cause of the accident. She has asked me to assist with reporting the accident and wants an investigation done. She received an "Lane De…

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On July 7, 2023, my Aunt was in a car accident that caused severe injuries to her body, face, and head. Her car is totaled. She believes the car's Lane Keep or Lane Departure systems are the cause of the accident. She has asked me to assist with reporting the accident and wants an investigation done. She received an "Lane Departure" warning about 3 days prior to the accident and again on the morning of the accident when she started the vehicle. She is unsure what the exact message said. When the accident occurred, she states she was vigilant, alert, and focused on driving. She was not on the phone and did not have any other distractions in the car at the time. She was driving on the Hwy when all of a sudden the car jerked her violently out of the lane and into a bridge. The car bounced off the bridge and ended up a ways down the road on the other side. She has a concussion, fractured sternum, fractured sinuses, cuts, bruises, and other injuries. Q. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? A. Yes, the vehicle is at the junk yard Q. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A. Severe bodily damage Q. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A. unknown Q. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? A. We are looking into how to engage the manufacturer and others Q. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? A. Yes, warning approximately 3 days before the accident and the morning of the accident.

NHTSA ODI #11534431

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.