2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (3) · Vehicle Speed Control (2) · Seat Belts (1)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year (campaigns announced since 2010).
Service bulletins (295)
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 295 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-06-29 · Seat Belts“to whom it may concern, i am writing to report a serious issue concerning the recall history of my vehicle and to request an investigation into what appears to be unresolved and inaccurately closed recalls. vehicle information: •make/model/year: 2018 chevy malibu hybrid •date of purchase: 2018 (i have been the sole owner since) several safety r…”
2025-03-09 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“one of my first problems with this car is the “shift to park” error message. this message on the dashboard indicating that my gear is not in p (park) when in fact it is . this error will not allow me to turn off my car even though i am parked. my second issue is just recently i have been experiencing from idle noise and small leakage looks as thoug…”
2024-11-22 · Power Train“the car has a reoccuring problem where is stalls in the middle of driving the vehicle. a warning comes up to shift to park. the car then restarts, runs extremely rough and stalls out. it then signals to shift to park again. the car is extremely unsafe. i took the vehicle to gm dealer and they said the car is "confused" between running on th…”
2024-05-24 · Fuel System, Gasoline:fuel Injection System:injectors · 53,349 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart. the contact stated while restarting the vehicle, the contact heard a rattling sound. the vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. the vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to t…”
2023-11-03 · Power Train · 80,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu hybrid. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. the shift-to-park warning light was illuminated. the contact could pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable t…”
2023-08-22 · Unknown Or Other“noticed the rear center mounted stop lamp was cracked on the left side and found there was a substantial leak of water into the trunk from said lamp. this particular vehicle is the hybrid which makes this dangerous as the water is dripping over the high voltage battery. vehicle has not yet been inspected.…”
2023-08-03 · Unknown Or Other“shift to park message comes up when driving and car turns off. also check engine light comes on for code hybrid/ev powertain control module. the car was towed to a dealership and has been in service for 3 weeks and they can't figure out problem. i did pick car up once due to not being able to diagnosis problem and check engine light with same code …”
2022-02-06 · Vehicle Speed Control“as i was driving with cruise control on a freeway at 70 mph the car suddenly displayed a warning to reduce speed. i continued to try to get to the next exit but almost instantly it started reducing my power and slowed me down to a crawl. i pulled over on the freeway and it would not restart. the tow truck to it to a chevy dealer and the next mor…”
2021-06-15 · Unknown Or Other“engine lost power on interstate highway. while this did not result in a crash/ rear end collision, the potential for such injury seems high. 1-2 days prior there were some warning lights (check engine light). called a dealership tuesday morning and earliest service appointment was in one week but they assured me that the car was drivable in the me…”
2020-11-06 · Electrical System · 37,000 mi“the car says it is not in park when it is. it will not shut off because it is not in park.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.