2017 Chevrolet Malibu problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (132) · Power Train (98) · Engine (93)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Malibu model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
397 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Seat Belts:rear/Other:retractor 2021-08-20 · campaign 21V649000 · 402 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification 2018-06-14 · campaign 18V400000 · 66 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2018-05-31 · campaign 18V358000 · 895 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
Air Bags:side/Window 2016-12-02 · campaign 16V870000 · 113 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (1,331)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-26 · PIT5698F · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi provides diagnostics tips on how the lin bus works and how to diagnosis it.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-04 · PIP4902W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Unknown Or Other 2026-07-21 · PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
pi to help diagnose a/c concern
Unknown Or Other 2026-05-19 · PIP6113 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this document provides the technician with a diagnostic tip if the vehicle stalls and set diagnostic trouble code p0191 and may also set p0172. the diagnostic tip has the technician inspect the high pressure fuel pump body markings to confirm it is an original manufacture part. if it is not an origi
Unknown Or Other 2026-04-01 · PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a gds2 session log and upload to a technical assistance case in cx connect.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,331 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-26 · Tires“noticed a sidewall bulge in my tire upon parking. 245 40 r 19…”
2026-10-23 · Unknown Or Other“i have two separate incidents regarding the vacuum pump on my 2017 chevy malibu. about two years ago, i was driving on the freeway, my brakes locked up, car was dying, turns out my vacuum pump had exploded internally, causing metal pieces to go into my engine, it was in my oil as well. i had to replace the vacuum pump, and because it broke, it th…”
2026-10-07 · Service Brakes“i was driving on the tollway at 75 mph when i saw stopped traffic ahead of me, and when i tried to apply the brakes, they went from soft to hard and completely stopped working; i had to swerve across lanes into the grass to avoid a massive accident and to save my life, as well as the lives of my passengers and the people who would have been involve…”
2026-09-09 · Power Train“turbo cooler and turbocharger failure, diagnosis and replacement on february 4 and february 17, 2026 by a certified gm dealership. replacement of these parts was not included in service bulletin n222372590 (issued 12/22/22), which covered 100% replacement for the exact parts for the exact engine for a number of other gm vehicles manufactured from 2…”
2026-08-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“the vehicle is experiencing an apparent fuel-system malfunction. the vehicle has a very strong raw gasoline odor, significant difficulty starting, and appears to be consuming fuel at an abnormally high rate. after filling the fuel tank completely, i drove approximately 20 miles at most and the fuel gauge decreased by approximately one-quarter of a …”
2026-08-26 · Steering“i have a 2017 chevy malibu that in 2022 had a shift malfunction causing it to become stuck in reverse and roll backwards. it ended up having to be towed and was repaired in may 2022. on august 25 and 26, 2026 the car is now experiencing another shift to park malfunction whereby the vehicle does not detect that the shifter is in the park position.…”
2026-08-15 · Service Brakes“while driving my 2017 chevrolet malibu lt equipped with the 1.5l turbocharged engine, the brake vacuum pump failed due to the pump’s mechanical drive/tang shearing. the failure resulted in loss of vacuum assistance to the power brakes, creating a significantly harder brake pedal and a serious safety concern because braking assistance can be reduced…”
2026-07-10 · Unknown Or Other“transmission has been slipping since the day i bought the car in 2023 approximately at 90,000 miles, i have been keeping up with the manufactured recommendations on the transmission and march of 2026 i went to move the passenger seat and it no longer moves …”
2026-07-09 · Unknown Or Other“when the vehicle is shifted into park and the ignition button is pressed, the vehicle fails to shut down. the dashboard displays a "shift to park" warning message, indicating the vehicle does not recognize that the gear selector is physically in the park position.to shut the engine off, the driver must repeatedly wiggle, slam, or cycle the gear shi…”
2026-07-07 · Service Brakes“i have a 2017 chevy malibu 2.0 t. the incident involved the braking system. i was driving and as traffic came to a stop, i pressed the brake to stop and my brakes gave out. i immediately lifted my foot and press extremely hard on my brake pedal and was able to stop though the stopping distance was much further and nearly caused an accident. i have …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.