2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
4/5
Safety Rating
304
Owner Complaints
1
Recall
40
Service Bulletins
1
Investigation
Overview of the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
The 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU has received a total of 304 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 2 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR, SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS. 40 technical service bulletins have been issued by General Motors, LLC for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (56 complaints), Electrical System (52 complaints), and Power Train (50 complaints).
Recalls for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
NHTSA has recorded 2 recalls for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU, potentially affecting up to 804 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 →Owner Complaints for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
304 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
Several things have been going wrong with this car. I have only had it for about 7 months. Minimal driving. Got the car with 84,000 miles and it now has 88,000 miles. About 2 months ago the check engine light came on. Got it into a shop and they said an oil change may possibly help with this. Got the oil change, cleared the code, drove it around and check engine light came back on. Brought it back to the shop and now the entire valve cover needs replaced. It’s been about 2 weeks since then haven’t had it fixed due to low funds. A couple days ago I was driving with two [XXX] olds in the car and was at a stop light. After about a minute the cars engine turned completely off lost all power including the center screen that displays your settings and radio, all lights, and the screen behind the wheel all with my foot on the break at a stop light. Due to this situation I was unable to turn my hazards on to alert the cars coming up being me at a green light absolutely panicked that we were going to get into an accident. A little while after the car turned back on, but unfortunately when trying to push down on the gas pedal nothing was happening. No revving sound and no movement of the car. Car still in drive. A police officer pulled up behind me to check if we were okay. He stayed to keep us safe until people came to push the car off to the side. During the push the wheel was almost completely locked up as well as the breaks. This is not the first time the breaks have locked up on me. Next day we got the car to a safe area to be parked. A couple days later went to try and turn the car on and immediately the car is shaking violently and making horrible noises. The car is unsafe for me to drive and unsafe for people on the road. This car is completely unable to be driven now also due to the horrible shaking. No recalls were found under my VIN, but all of these signs seem to be a problem for other people. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Several things have been going wrong with this car. I have only had it for about 7 months. Minimal driving. Got the car with 84,000 miles and it now has 88,000 miles. About 2 months ago the check engine light came on. Got it into a shop and they said an oil change may possibly help with this. Got the oil change, cleared the code, drove it around and check engine light came back on. Brought it back to the shop and now the entire valve cover needs replaced. It’s been about 2 weeks since then haven’t had it fixed due to low funds. A couple days ago I was driving with two [XXX] olds in the car and was at a stop light. After about a minute the cars engine turned completely off lost all power including the center screen that displays your settings and radio, all lights, and the screen behind the wheel all with my foot on the break at a stop light. Due to this situation I was unable to turn my hazards on to alert the cars coming up being me at a green light absolutely panicked that we were going to get into an accident. A little while after the car turned back on, but unfortunately when trying to push down on the gas pedal nothing was happening. No revving sound and no movement of the car. Car still in drive. A police officer pulled up behind me to check if we were okay. He stayed to keep us safe until people came to push the car off to the side. During the push the wheel was almost completely locked up as well as the breaks. This is not the first time the breaks have locked up on me. Next day we got the car to a safe area to be parked. A couple days later went to try and turn the car on and immediately the car is shaking violently and making horrible noises. The car is unsafe for me to drive and unsafe for people on the road. This car is completely unable to be driven now also due to the horrible shaking. No recalls were found under my VIN, but all of these signs seem to be a problem for other people. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Several things have been going wrong with this car. I have only had it for about 7 months. Minimal driving. Got the car with 84,000 miles and it now has 88,000 miles. About 2 months ago the check engine light came on. Got it into a shop and they said an oil change may possibly help with this. Got the oil change, cleared the code, drove it around and check engine light came back on. Brought it back to the shop and now the entire valve cover needs replaced. It’s been about 2 weeks since then haven’t had it fixed due to low funds. A couple days ago I was driving with two [XXX] olds in the car and was at a stop light. After about a minute the cars engine turned completely off lost all power including the center screen that displays your settings and radio, all lights, and the screen behind the wheel all with my foot on the break at a stop light. Due to this situation I was unable to turn my hazards on to alert the cars coming up being me at a green light absolutely panicked that we were going to get into an accident. A little while after the car turned back on, but unfortunately when trying to push down on the gas pedal nothing was happening. No revving sound and no movement of the car. Car still in drive. A police officer pulled up behind me to check if we were okay. He stayed to keep us safe until people came to push the car off to the side. During the push the wheel was almost completely locked up as well as the breaks. This is not the first time the breaks have locked up on me. Next day we got the car to a safe area to be parked. A couple days later went to try and turn the car on and immediately the car is shaking violently and making horrible noises. The car is unsafe for me to drive and unsafe for people on the road. This car is completely unable to be driven now also due to the horrible shaking. No recalls were found under my VIN, but all of these signs seem to be a problem for other people. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owned a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the brake pedal became inoperable. There was a warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal failed to function properly while attempting to stop the vehicle. Additionally, while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the contact became aware that brake fluid was leaking onto the engine. A mobile independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the brake vacuum pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, who associated the failure with TSB: N222372590. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
Safety Rating for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
The 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU received an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
| 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 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
General Motors, LLC has issued 40 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
PIP5621E — UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This Preliminary information communicates to the dealer technician that TAC recommends the utilization of the GDS2 software to aid in diagnosing automatic transmission concerns. TAC is requesting the GDS2 session logs be sent in before the dealer contacts TAC.
21-NA-268 — ENGINE
This service bulletin provides diagnostic/repair information to correct customer concerns of a Crank No Start or Extended Crank, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated or Possible Increased Brake Pedal Effort.
23-NA-119 — EQUIPMENT
This service bulletin provides service procedure information to correct a customer concern of Shift to Park Displayed on DIC When Vehicle is in- Park, No Start - DTC B000A Set.
PIE0741B — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This engineering information (EI) closure ends the need for further information from technicians in regards to having Loss of Power, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated, Gauges Inoperative and/or multiple warning lights/messages Displayed on Driver Information Center (DIC) and having multiple DTCs set.
23-NA-040 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This service bulletin provides a procedure to replace the torque convertor if found the cause of the rattle or engine stalling when placing transmission in gear.
PIE0741 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This engineering information (EI) is requesting information from technicians to perform the check list provided and contact the engineer listed in regards to having Loss of Power, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illuminated, Gauges Inoperative and/or multiple warning lights/messages Displayed on Driver Information Center (DIC) and having multiple DTCs set.
PIT5839C — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
This Preliminary information communicates to GM dealers that the above mentioned concern is software related and that General Motors is working on a solution.
18-NA-069 — STRUCTURE
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.
21-NA-220 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This service bulletin provides a procedure to inspect and possibly repair terminals that may be damaged to correct customer concerns of Loss of Power, Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated, Gauges Inoperative and/or Multiple Warning Lights/Messages Displayed on Driver Information Center (DIC).
21-NA-186 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Service Engine Soon Illuminated in DIC and/or a Malfunctioning Fuel Gauge with DTC U0076/U18A2/P1001/P1434 or Other Message Counter Incorrect Codes Set.
Showing 10 of 40 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU
NHTSA has opened 1 investigation into potential safety defects in the 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU.
Investigation EA25005 — AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE Engineering Analysis
Opened:
DTN Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Other Model Years of the CHEVROLET MALIBU
- 2015 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 388 complaints
- 2016 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,419 complaints
- 2017 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,156 complaints
- 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 1,155 complaints
- 2019 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 285 complaints
- 2020 CHEVROLET MALIBU (current)
- 2021 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 97 complaints
- 2022 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 111 complaints
- 2023 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 46 complaints
- 2024 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 15 complaints
- 2025 CHEVROLET MALIBU — 5 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