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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 · Jun 26, 2022
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

Son was driving my 2018 Malibu with 90,000 miles. Check engine light came on and car reduced speed from 75mph to 40mph on interstate! Autozone reading says replace Variable Camshaft Timing Solenoid. Very dangerous situation. Chevy should have to fix this.

NHTSA ODI #11471064

Mileage unknown · Jun 23, 2022
Unknown Or OtherCrash

My vehicle showed up on a Carfax report as being in an accident in Tennessee on 10/15/2020 when the vehicle was in Iowa on that date. The Chattanooga police report shows this VIN# on a 2002 Chevy Minivan owned by Enterprise Car Rentals with Colorado license plate 266XFH. My vehicle is a 2018 Chevy Malibu sedan purchased from En…

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My vehicle showed up on a Carfax report as being in an accident in Tennessee on 10/15/2020 when the vehicle was in Iowa on that date. The Chattanooga police report shows this VIN# on a 2002 Chevy Minivan owned by Enterprise Car Rentals with Colorado license plate 266XFH. My vehicle is a 2018 Chevy Malibu sedan purchased from Enterprise March 26, 2019. I do not understand why two vehicles have the same VIN #. Please investigate.

NHTSA ODI #11470598

Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2022
Air BagsExterior Lighting

Third brake light cracks on left side, resulting in damage to the brake light and letting water leak in through the roof damaging the car's interior, including the rear curtain airbags.

NHTSA ODI #11470384

15,050 miles · Jun 16, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, there was a warning light illuminated and a message stating: Action Required Place Vehicle in Park; however, the vehicle was already in park. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed that the harness needed to b…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, there was a warning light illuminated and a message stating: Action Required Place Vehicle in Park; however, the vehicle was already in park. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed that the harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,050.

NHTSA ODI #11469567

46,285 miles · Jun 15, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with ECM module failure. The dealer informed the contact that the ECM module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at…

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with ECM module failure. The dealer informed the contact that the ECM module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,285.

NHTSA ODI #11469433

Mileage unknown · May 28, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

I’ve brought the car in for the same thing “engine power reduced “ and they never were able to fix has been going on since February of 2019. codes related to the engine power reduced still occurred and are occurring on my vehicle, reported it to Gm ( have the emails) they offer me $2500 for a new car but won’t put it towards fix…

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I’ve brought the car in for the same thing “engine power reduced “ and they never were able to fix has been going on since February of 2019. codes related to the engine power reduced still occurred and are occurring on my vehicle, reported it to Gm ( have the emails) they offer me $2500 for a new car but won’t put it towards fixing this car, as it’s not a guaranteed fix as the vehicle has been brought in over 4-5 times for the same engine power reduced and never fixed it. I received a letter from GM regarding they will cover anything to do with “engine power reduced “ at no charge and now they won’t fix it. The last email gm said to report it to the dealership giving me the run around. This is one of MANY almost got in an accident today on the highway cause I was going 70 and it dropped to 40 out of no where of course with the engine power reduced message. I need help, please. I been going on since I bought the vehicle in 2019. Gm is doing nothing but taken advantage of for years

NHTSA ODI #11466483

Mileage unknown · May 17, 2022
Power Train

my 2018 malibu premier with 12600 miles on it, parking sensor, and wiring harness is defective. The shop tells me gm knows about it and recommends replacing them. when you park the car and turn it off it does not go into park, you can not lock the car, and the radio keeps playing. If you do not shake the shifter it stays that wa…

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my 2018 malibu premier with 12600 miles on it, parking sensor, and wiring harness is defective. The shop tells me gm knows about it and recommends replacing them. when you park the car and turn it off it does not go into park, you can not lock the car, and the radio keeps playing. If you do not shake the shifter it stays that way. If you do not have the radio on and you get out and close the door and walk away you do not know it. They want $450 to fix it as long as all goes well.I feel there should be a recall on this since they put in faulty parts and have notified their dealers.

NHTSA ODI #11464959

Mileage unknown · May 16, 2022
Electrical SystemPower Train

I got the error message, "Shift to Park" after putting my car in park. Thus, my car would not fully turn off, affecting the battery. This is a known issue with various make, models, and years of Chevrolet vehicles. If this had happened anywhere but home, if would have left me stranded. The dealership confirmed it was a known iss…

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I got the error message, "Shift to Park" after putting my car in park. Thus, my car would not fully turn off, affecting the battery. This is a known issue with various make, models, and years of Chevrolet vehicles. If this had happened anywhere but home, if would have left me stranded. The dealership confirmed it was a known issue as they have had to fix many of these vehicles. The bill was extremely pricey.

NHTSA ODI #11464890

58,000 miles · May 16, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle Stop feature engaged independently as designed, causing the engine to stop running. However, upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled and shut off. The contact …

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The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle Stop feature engaged independently as designed, causing the engine to stop running. However, upon releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled and shut off. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact shifted into the park, depressed the pedal, and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred twice. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ODI #11464788

Mileage unknown · May 13, 2022
Electrical SystemPower Train

Component/System: Transmission shift control not correctly sensing vehicle has been placed in parked condition. Symptom: After parking and shutting off engine, message is displayed "Shift to Park" and car dings and lights and electronics will not turn off. Started about a week ago and was intermittent. Jiggling the transmis…

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Component/System: Transmission shift control not correctly sensing vehicle has been placed in parked condition. Symptom: After parking and shutting off engine, message is displayed "Shift to Park" and car dings and lights and electronics will not turn off. Started about a week ago and was intermittent. Jiggling the transmission shift handle would always cause message to go away and electronics to turn off. Today, no amount of manipulating the transmission control handle will shut off the message. Tried to leave car in garage but lights and radio kept running. Decided to manually shut off lights and radio/info system hoping system will time out and shut down on its own. Finally got in contact with dealership who recommended I disconnect the battery cable until I can get the car into the shop. Safety concern: Though transmission can be verified as being in park, electronics will not shut down, thereby potentially allowing the electrical system to drain battery and not allowing car to be started when needed. Also, a bit concerned it was suggested by dealership I disconnect battery cable to eliminate power drain while "Shift to Park" error is occurring. Problem reproduced/confirmed by dealer: Not yet as the problem had a rapid onset from intermittent to full time over the course of a week. Having a bit of difficulty getting appointment scheduled that will get problem investigated and fixed. Loaner cars were discontinued last December and I live too far from dealership to be driven home. Inspection: No inspection has yet occurred; however, I have taken picture of "Shift to Park" message while transmission control handle is in the park position. Prior indications: There were no other signs of a problem. "Shift to Park" simply started and was intermittent over the course of a week. Jiggling the transmission control handle would quickly resolve the issue, then today, it has no impact.

NHTSA ODI #11464497

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.