IllustrationTHE CHECK ENGINE HAS COME ON THREE TIMES ALREADY SINCE I HAVE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE... EVERYTIME THE CODE IS FOR EMISSIONS SYSTEM. WE HAVE REPLACES THE VALVE AND THE CANISTER FOR EMISSIONS AND THE ENGINE LIGHT STILL COMES ON.. ALSO THE SHIFT TO PARK ISSUE.
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Malibu years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
840–25K
8425–50K
8150–75K
3275–100K
17100–150K
9150K+
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 reportsWHEN PUTTING MY CAR IN PARK TO TURN OFF, THE CAR DOESN'T RECOGNIZE IT'S IN PARK AND THUS WON'T TURN OFF. AS SUCH, I CANNOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE.
I WAS DRIVING ALONG LIKE NORMAL AND THE CAR JUST STOPPED RUNNING. WE CANNOT GET IT TO START. WE TRIED JUMPING IT, BUT NO LUCK. I HAVE A BRAND NEW BATTERY, SO IT'S NOT THE BATTERY.
I WAS DRIVING MY CAR THIS MORNING THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, I WAS IN A STOP WHEN I WOULD RESTART THE CAR TO GO MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD DO A QUICK SHIFT TO THE LEFT THEN BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION THEN I WOULD GET THE STEERING ASSIST REDUCED SIGN FOR SECOND THEN DISAPPEAR. IT DID IT 4 TIMES IN A MATTER OF AN HOUR AND A HALF. AND …
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I WAS DRIVING MY CAR THIS MORNING THIS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, I WAS IN A STOP WHEN I WOULD RESTART THE CAR TO GO MY STEERING WHEEL WOULD DO A QUICK SHIFT TO THE LEFT THEN BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION THEN I WOULD GET THE STEERING ASSIST REDUCED SIGN FOR SECOND THEN DISAPPEAR. IT DID IT 4 TIMES IN A MATTER OF AN HOUR AND A HALF. AND DID IT ONCE LAST WEEK WITH NO MASSAGE DISPLAY.
THE VEHICLE ENGINE REDUCED POWER WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSING ABRUPT DROP IN SPEED TO LOWER THAN THE SPEED LIMIT ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND A BUMPER TO BUMPER COLLISION.
CAR WENT BACK TO DEALERSHIP MONDAY BECAUSE OF PROBLEM I HAD LAST YEAR. LIGHTS COMES ON IN DASHBOARD : STABILTRACK, ENGINE ICON, REDUCED STEERING, LOW FUEL. ON MY WAY TO WORK MONDAY JUST MADE IT OUT MY DRIVEWAY AND STARTED UP THE HILL AND THE LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING. BRAKES HAD TO BE PUSHED ASK THE WAY TO THE FLOOR FOR IT TO STOP…
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CAR WENT BACK TO DEALERSHIP MONDAY BECAUSE OF PROBLEM I HAD LAST YEAR. LIGHTS COMES ON IN DASHBOARD : STABILTRACK, ENGINE ICON, REDUCED STEERING, LOW FUEL. ON MY WAY TO WORK MONDAY JUST MADE IT OUT MY DRIVEWAY AND STARTED UP THE HILL AND THE LIGHTS STARTED FLASHING. BRAKES HAD TO BE PUSHED ASK THE WAY TO THE FLOOR FOR IT TO STOP ROLLING BACK DOWN THE HILL. I LET IT ROLL BACK TO GET THE CAR OUT OF STREET. THE CAR WOULDN'T TURN OFF WHEN I PRESSED THE START/STOP BUTTON. PRESSED THE BUTTON AGAIN THE CAR TURNS OFF BUT ALL LIGHTS ARE ON IN THE DASH. PRESS BUTTON AGAIN AND LIGHTS GO OUT BUT THE START BUTTON IS LIT. SHIFT TO PARK COMES ON DASH. IT'S IN PARK. COULDN'T GET ENGINE TO TURN ON. COULDN'T MOVE GEAR SHIFT THAT HAS NO LIGHTS ON COLUMN OR DASH TO TELL WHAT GEAR IT'S IS IN. GOT CAR TOWED TO GREENWAY IN TUSCUMBIA, AL. HAD TO FIND A RIDE TO & FROM WORK BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LONER .PICKED CAR UP TUESDAY(THEY SAID THE BATTERY NEEDED TO CHARGED & THERE WAS A RECALL THEY FIXED) MADE IT HOME OK. WENT TO STORE, NO PROBLEM. GOT IN CAR TO GO TO WORK WEDNESDAY AND IT STARTS ACTING UP AGAIN. AND WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AT WORK, THERE WAS SMELL LIKE THE BRAKES WERE REALLY HOT. CALLED DEALERSHIP DIDN'T GET THROUGH TO SERVICE BUT GUY SAID HE WOULD GET MY NUMBER & HAVE SOMEONE CALL, NO ONE DID. GOT IN CAR TO LEAVE WORK THE LIGHTS STARTED AGAIN BUT I WAS ABLE TO COME HOME WITH NO FURTHER INCIDENTS. THE ENGINE ICON WAS STILL ON THOUGH. I'M SICK OF THIS CAR! AND I'M TIRED OF GOING TO THE DEARSHIP EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS OR EVERY 2 WEEKS! BUY THIS LEMON BACK!
THE CAR IS A 2018 AND THE DEALER SAYS THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SHIFTER IS BAD. THE CAR READS IT'S IN PARK BUT SAYS SHIFT TO PARK TO SHUT CAR OFF. IN TALKING WITH OTHERS FOUND OUT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM AS WELL. I JUST BOUGHT IT USED IN JULY 2020 WITH 41000 MILES AND IT'S BEEN DOING THIS SINCE I GOT IT OFF AND …
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THE CAR IS A 2018 AND THE DEALER SAYS THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SHIFTER IS BAD. THE CAR READS IT'S IN PARK BUT SAYS SHIFT TO PARK TO SHUT CAR OFF. IN TALKING WITH OTHERS FOUND OUT SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM AS WELL. I JUST BOUGHT IT USED IN JULY 2020 WITH 41000 MILES AND IT'S BEEN DOING THIS SINCE I GOT IT OFF AND ON. I TOOK IT TO DEALER TO REPORT PROBLEMS BEFORE I HAD IT 30 DAYS AND WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUES.
CAR IS STATIONARY WHILE WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND REDUCED DRIVING ASSISTANCE ERROR MESSAGE WILL POP UP BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THE RADIO WILL ALSO CUT OUT IN PROCESS OF CAR TURNING BACK ON FRIM AUTO SHUT OFF. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR OVER A MONTH AND SEEMS TO GET WORSE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TODA…
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CAR IS STATIONARY WHILE WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND REDUCED DRIVING ASSISTANCE ERROR MESSAGE WILL POP UP BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THE RADIO WILL ALSO CUT OUT IN PROCESS OF CAR TURNING BACK ON FRIM AUTO SHUT OFF. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR OVER A MONTH AND SEEMS TO GET WORSE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON TODAY ASWELL
WHILE DRIVING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON , DISPLAY SAID DIMINISHED ENGINE POWER , NO THROTTLE RESPONSE
WHEN CAR IS STATIONARY WAITING FOR RED LIGHT TO CHANGE, THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF AND POWER CYCLE SHOWING STABILITRAK ERROR MESSAGE BEFORE TURNING BACK ON. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY AND ENGINE IS OFF FOR SEVERAL HOURS.
Official recalls
621V649000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.