2018 Chevrolet Malibu problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (113) · Power Train (98) · Engine (96)
🧭 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
308 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (6)
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.
Power Train:automatic Transmission 2020-10-29 · campaign 20V668000 · 194,105 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Engine 2019-09-06 · campaign 19V642000 · 177,282 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2018-08-30 · campaign 18V576000 · 210,628 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
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.
Service bulletins (1,065)
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 2026-04-01 · 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.
Unknown Or Other 2026-03-09 · PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email gds2 session logs into technical assistance.
Showing the 6 most recent of 1,065 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-08 · Power Train“on 10/8/26 my vehicle failed in the middle of traffic as i was driving the car forcefully slowed down. when i proceeded to press the gas the car began driving in reverse putting me in immediate danger causing 2 different car to almost hit me from behind. i put the car in park , turned on my hazard lights and got out of the vehicle . i called my hus…”
2026-10-04 · Vehicle Speed Control“my chevy stopped while driving. the engine light came on and engine power reduced. the brakes locked up and i could not go anywhere. code p1101, vacuum pump failure and ecm came up. financing this vehicle. have not been able to drive it in 3 weeks. …”
2026-09-26 · Vehicle Speed Control“i was driving in town through a stoplight when i noticed my brakes stopped working. also when i had stopped the car still in drive and the car had shut off completely in the middle of the road and was not able to turn back on. the car would keep trying start but none were successful. my car also stated that there was reduced power to the engine and…”
2026-09-21 · Vehicle Speed Control“examatory mark appears on the dashboard say that engine speed as reduced …”
2026-09-18 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (Tcm/Pcm/Tecm) · 181,385 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle while in park(p), the message "shift to park" was displayed. the contact shifted in and out of park(p) and wiggled the gear shifter several times, but the failure persisted and the vehicle could not be started. the vehicle was diagnosed by three …”
2026-09-02 · Power Train · 180,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message "shift to park" was displayed on the instrument panel. the gear shifter was shifted back into drive and then back into park to turn off the vehicle. the contact also stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle shuddered, start…”
2026-08-06 · Fuel System, Gasoline · 169,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated that there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond, requiring the driver to pull over to the side of the road. the m…”
2026-08-03 · Unknown Or Other“i own a 2018 chevy malibu. at approximately 57,000 miles, the original engine experienced a vacuum pump failure that resulted in catastrophic engine damage. the engine was replaced by general motors under the vehicle's warranty. i then drove the vehicle for approximately another 52,000 miles with the warranty replacement engine. at that point, i…”
2026-07-30 · Vehicle Speed Control“ a software error in 1.5l turbo model disable fuel injectors, preventing the engine from starting or causing a sudden stall while driving. it’s been confirmed to be an previously opened recall that was fixed by previous owner. but, is happening again to me. yet i’m being told it has been closed and cannot be fixed unless i pay out of pocket. there …”
2026-07-29 · Unknown Or Other“i’ve reported this problem but as i got into the repair their was far more damaged that was caused due to the vacuum pump. it took out my exhaust camshaft and sent metal through out and the timing needs replaced as well. a shop would rather total my car than what it would cost to fix. i’m attempting to fix it myself but have been without my car for…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.