2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
1,155
Owner Complaints
6
Recalls
75
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
The 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU has received a total of 1,155 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 9 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR, SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. 75 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (267 complaints), Electrical System (177 complaints), and Power Train (153 complaints).
Recalls for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
NHTSA has recorded 9 recalls for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU, potentially affecting up to 938,344 vehicles.
Recall 21V649000 — SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
| 402 vehicles affected
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.
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...
View full details →Recall 21V649000 — SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
| 402 vehicles affected
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.
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...
View full details →Recall 20V668000 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
| 194,105 vehicles affected
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.
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...
View full details →Recall 19V642000 — ENGINE
| 177,282 vehicles affected
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.
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.
View full details →Recall 19V642000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
| 177,282 vehicles affected
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.
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.
View full details →Recall 19V642000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS
| 177,282 vehicles affected
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.
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.
View full details →Recall 18V576000 — SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
| 210,628 vehicles affected
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.
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...
View full details →Recall 18V400000 — AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
| 66 vehicles affected
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...
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.
View full details →Recall 18V358000 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
| 895 vehicles affected
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.
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,...
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
1,155 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Shift to park error message appears on dash after turning off the vehicle. I have to turn back on the vehicle and take it out of park and shift it back and forth from park to drive then back to park to get the vehicle to turn off. This first January 2020. It was fixed in February 2020. This issue has started again in November 2025. The same error code and same results as the car won't cut off unless you push start it and shift out of park and back a few times.
I was driving on the freeway with my kids in the car at 60 mph and without warning I get an engine power reduced message and then my car losing power and starts dropping speeds down to 35 mph within seconds. I have cars speeding up behind me and I can't go any faster than 35 mph on the freeway so I am forced to quickly pull to the side of the freeway before I get hit. This was one of the post scariest situations for me any my children. I had to turn the car off and sit for awhile before I could start it back up and pray it made it home and didn't do it again. It has randonly done this for no rhyme or reason and no codes are showing when it's happening. I have no recalls on my car so this is something I believe Chevy needs to fix before someone gets seriously hurt.
2018 Chevrolet Malibu Premier with approximately 50,000 miles displayed a persistent “Shift to Park” message. The vehicle would not consistently recognize that it was in park, preventing the vehicle from shutting off properly and creating a safety concern. Dealer diagnosed a faulty transmission shifter assembly that was not sending a strong signal to the body control module (BCM). The shifter assembly was replaced at a cost of $611.31. This appears to be a known recurring defect affecting similar model year Malibus. Filing complaint to document safety-related failure.
Hard braking, reduced engine power
I was driving and the reduced engine power came on. I almost crashed because I couldn't control the steering
Safety Rating for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
The 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
General Motors, LLC has issued 75 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
PIT5551P — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
This Preliminary information communicates a "Forward Collision System Reduced" message displayed on the DIC when the Forward Automatic Braking has been set to the "Alert" setting. This is normal when the FAB has been set to "Alert".
PIP5596A — SERVICE BRAKES
This Preliminary information communicates that when removing the fuel line jumper hose care should be taken to be sure the line is reinstalled correctly to avoid a no/low fuel pressure situation.
22-NA-224 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This service bulletin provides a repair procedure to correct a customer concern of Reduced Engine Power, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTCs P0101, P0172, P0299, P0506, and/or P1101 Set.
18-NA-069 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This service bulletin provides a service procedure to correct conditions of Poor Engine Performance in Extremely cold weather conditions, CAC Icing, MIL Illuminated with DTCs set.
PIC6448A — HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM: INVERTER
This Preliminary information communicates That Techline connect is Not supporting the progaming of the T6 PIM / HPCM. and advies them to call Techline.
21NA139 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This service bulletin provides a repair procedure to correct a customer concern of a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTC P3055 Set.
20NA223 — EQUIPMENT
This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Steering is Sticking, Binding, Hard to Turn, or Stiff.
PIC6424 — AIR BAGS
This Preliminary information communicates a condition where there is only newer hardware available when replacing the Active Safety Control Module. The newer hardware is not compatible with whatis currently loaded into the SPS programming system. Engineering is working on a new software set to address the concern.
17NA305 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This technical bulletin provides a repair procedure to correct a condition of Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTCs P0615, P0617, P305C, P305D, P305E and/or P3054 Set.
20NA126 — STRUCTURE
This technical bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of finding a water leak in the rear compartment.
Showing 10 of 75 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET MALIBU
- 2013 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,358 complaints
- 2014 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 560 complaints
- 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 388 complaints
- 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,419 complaints
- 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,156 complaints
- 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU (current)
- 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 285 complaints
- 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 304 complaints
- 2021 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 97 complaints
- 2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 111 complaints
- 2023 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 46 complaints
Other CHEVROLET Models
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500 — 22,175 total complaints
- CHEVROLET IMPALA — 15,197 total complaints
- CHEVROLET TAHOE — 12,511 total complaints
- CHEVROLET EQUINOX — 12,135 total complaints
- CHEVROLET BLAZER — 11,032 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SILVERADO — 10,928 total complaints
- CHEVROLET SUBURBAN — 10,375 total complaints
- CHEVROLET COBALT — 10,106 total complaints