2014 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 363 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 18th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 19 involved a crash and 8 involved a fire. 17 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical system, ignitionJul 5, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Campaign 16V502000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, sun/moon roof assemblyMar 23, 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles October 24, 2011, to March 5, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Slide or Tilt switch for the roof panel may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from inadvertently being pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
The Slide or Tilt roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed and the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a pinch injury.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software to remove auto-close feature for certain switch positions, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15176.
Campaign 15V164000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, power assist, vacuumMay 14, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through May 2, 2014, and equipped with a 2.5L engine with the auto stop/start option. The affected vehicles may experience a complete loss of brake vacuum assist, disabling the hydraulic boost assist. As such, these vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
If the hydraulic boost assist is disabled, slowing or stopping the vehicle will require additional brake pedal effort and a lengthened stopping distance. Both of these effects increase the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic brake control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 3, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020. General Motors number for this recall is 14201.
Campaign 14V247000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, discMay 8, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Lacrosse vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 31, 2014 and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured February 7, 2014, through March 31, 2014, and equipped with 17 inch front brake rotors. The affected vehicles may have had brake rotors intended for the rear of the car accidentally installed on the front. The rear rotors, while the same diameter, are thinner and may result in a front brake pad detaching from the caliper.
If a brake pad detaches from caliper, there may be a sudden reduction in braking, lengthening the distance required to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake rotors, and install the correct rotors with new brake pads, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 20, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14128.
Campaign 14V240000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionFeb 21, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Campaign 14V092000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, defroster/defogger/hvac systemNov 13, 2013
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.
Campaign 13V567000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
88 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Mar 9, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. It was later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle mileage was 177,918. The contact had owned the vehicle since 2022. After scanning the vehicle with an OBD scanner, the mileage was discovered to be 286,307.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Jan 23, 2026
Car started shaking in the middle of driving it about 30 mph and all the electrical like door locks were going up and down car wasn’t accelerating and an alert came up for stabilizing wheels i believe. It happened for about a couple seconds and then everything went back to normal and randomly happens while I’m driving.Check engine appeared and went to the mechanic shop i usually go to and found out I had ebcm and ecm modules bad. Do some research on the car and noticed it had a recall back in 2014 for EBCM. The problem has resurfaced
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 13, 2025
Unknown, The ignition switch turns on when off position or restart engine when in off selection on ignition switch And the radio is powered back on if key left in the ignition switch powered off When u leave vehicle
Electrical system, Aug 29, 2025
I have been an issue with my auto stop system past 6 months. While driving and coming to a complete stop the auto stop kicks into gear as it should but when I release the gas pedal to drive off it stalls for a about 20 seconds unlocking/locking doors and proceeds to kick into drive gear. I have had auxiliary battery checked and it’s good. Checked main battery components those are good too! No check engine light came on only when I removed auxiliary battery removed to have it diagnosed it did give me a code of UO101 but quickly went away when replaced. Still trying to figure what the issue may be but it’s becoming more and more constant and worse. Dangerous when it happens on uphill and cars behind because car rolls backwards almost hitting them.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Electrical system, Aug 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the heater and A/C system were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was provided an estimate for the repairs and for other unrelated repairs. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. Additionally, the contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the vehicle restarted independently without the key in the ignition switch. The contact also stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding, causing the braking distance to be extended. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 139,098.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 30, 2025
The headlights burn out frequently the air conditioner does not work the ignition had to be replaced there's always a code of p0171 the start/stop feature does not work the brakes make the car shake. When does stuff takes place I have to pull the vehicle over cousin me to put others in danger by being on the shoulder of the road broke down. Yes the car is available for inspection. The radio randomly turns on and off therefore the backup camera does not work as it should why this vehicle has not been recalled is beyond me.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Mar 3, 2025
This is now the THIRD time this has happened, and GM doesn't seem to care, because when my mechanic "fixed" my auto stop problem, it was because GM themselves got the code to "fix" my car. My auto stop worked one time, before today, after my repair last week. I was at a stop light where my auto stop turned on. My brakes WERE STUCK AND COULDN'T BRAKE so I put it in park! THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE WHEEL AND BRAKE LOCKING OCCURRED. GM FIX THIS!
Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Feb 18, 2025
When the auto stop feature turns on, the car totally stops, and doesn't turn the engine back on for 20 minutes. I had complained about this before, and the mechanic did NOT fix it, so I am complaining AGAIN! I was in the middle of the street when it stalled! The steering wheel and brake locks up, and it's impossible for the engine to turn on. It revs, but doesn't work. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED.
Electrical system, Feb 15, 2025
Auto start stop malfunctioning, my safety as well as my children have been in the car when the car has stopped while in the middle of driving. It has stopped in the middle of the road and on the freeway in moving traffic and for 1-3 minutes the car won’t start back up leaving me and my family stranded in the middle of the road where anyone can and have almost hit us. When I’ve sent the car to my dealer mechanic he told me the car cuts off like that because it runs hot when that is not the reason after he told me that he fixed I drove off and it stopped on me as the light was turning green for traffic to go. The car had the issue about 3 days after i purchased it I’ve which was last year 2024 in June and as of now the issue still hasn’t been fixed by the dealer
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 6, 2024
powertrain there is a problem with auto stop restarting then dying. The transmission not engaging after a complete stop like it is neutral this only happens after the car has been driven a bit everything at temp. today stopped for trash service auto stop engaged got ready to go nothing gunning and gunning never died like no power though finally moved no more stops till home a problem sitting in road can not move. have not taken to shop yet money for it now not.
Electrical system, Oct 12, 2024
Hello. I have a 2014 Malibu. Recently it has been stalling when coming to a stop and yet there are no engine/warning lights on. Took it to numerous mechanics, spoke with people at the dealership service area and yet nothing! Nobody can figure it out at all. I’ve had the throttle body replaced, module piece, and a few other parts by someone who previously worked at the Chevrolet dealership and even they can’t figure it out. This is not only a safety hazard but a very uncomfortable feeling riding a car and having to put it into Neutral when approaching a light or stop sign ! My car will tell me if my turn signal is on for longer than 2-3 minutes so I’m not understanding why it won’t tell me why my car is shutting off. I’m frustrated because I’m paying different mechanics to figure it out and it’s still an unsolved problem! It would be nice if Chevrolet can look at everyone’s vehicle and not charge this time!! I have children so having them ride in a car that stalls is UNACCEPTABLE!
Electrical system, Seat belts, Seats, Aug 31, 2024
I have an electrical problem with my car. Driver seat is electrical and the seat has been stuck in one position. The siding of the seat where the buttons are broke. The seatbelt gets stuck from the plastic being broken. I’ve had the car for a year and within 3 months of purchase I had to change brakes and it needs brakes again.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Jun 30, 2024
When Stopping/Coming To A Stop. The Auto Start Feature Kicks In And Causes My Locks To Unlock And Lock Back And The Car To Stall For A Second Or So
Electrical system, Jun 9, 2024
When coming to a complete stop, the auto stop feature kicks on and then stalls the car and won’t restart. Have seen in many online forms that this is a very common problem with these cars
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 4, 2024
When I come to a stop at a red light & the car is idling the car turns off & I have to put the car in park and turn the car on so over again. This happens in busy intersections
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 16, 2024
I have a 2014 Malibu with 87,450 miles. It has worked perfectly up until 6 months ago. It started stalling in traffic intersections and at stop signs, which is a dangerous safety issue. The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. I took it to countless mechanics who could not figure out what was causing the problem because the Check Engine light did not come on and no codes were triggered. The problem became worse over time and once the vehicle stalled, it would not immediately restart. I took it to my Chevy Dealer and they were baffled as well. They uploaded new software which included the Auto Stop feature, but it continued to stall. They replaced the front battery and checked the one in the trunk. It still stalled. The Dealer said that since the Check Engine light did not come on, they were shooting in the dark. I asked them to disconnect the Auto Stop function, but they said that they couldn't. Unlike other models, there was no disconnection method. I have looked at many on-line chats on the 2014 Chevy Malibu and this defect in the Auto Stop function seems pretty prevalent. No one has come up with a workable solution. I filed a Notice of Claim with Chevrolet corporate and asked them to provide a fix. Does anyone have any ideas of either how to fix the Auto Stop or to disable it? Right now I am shifting into neutral at all traffic signals and stop signs, so that the Auto Stop function does not engage, but that seems like a poor fix to the problem.
Suspension, Electrical system, Feb 14, 2024
The car tries to start in its own. Even if the key is on the off-position. The car struts and shocks aren’t the best it won’t take a bump without moving the car
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 31, 2023
6 months ago our car’s auto stop/start feature started to malfunction. The car will stall and sputter on the start after coming to a stop. This is very dangerous! On multiple occasions, the car would not accelerate through a turn on a light stalling out in the intersection. we have also been nearly rear-ended at red lights because the vehicle will not accelerate on a green light. This issue is well discussed on the Internet with many owners reporting the same issue. Chevrolet should be held accountable for this repair. This is not an isolated event with my vehicle.
Electrical system, Nov 16, 2023
No incident has occurred, thankfully. Car was purchased used in January 2018. It is now approximately about 9 years old. This issue happens intermittently but the electrical systems seem to be misfiring. Basically, it gives false negatives/positives. (1) The check engine comes on and off all the time even after servicing the vehicle with the mechanic. (2) The passenger seat has front airbags that get activated when someone sits in the seat. Lately, the seatbelt alert goes off while nothing heavy is in the seat. I have to latch the seatbelt to get that alert to stop. (3) The automatic lights that come on when you open the door sometimes don't turn on and the auto lights indicator is on. (4) Lately, when I have turned off the engine and opened the door, the radio won't turn off even after I have removed the keys. Electrical malfunctions could be happening due to the wrong wires being installed or something and may cause the car not to work any longer. I'm not sure but I don't want to encounter issues while I'm driving.
Electrical system, Oct 24, 2023
See attached document from complainant
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 1, 2023
The automatic start and stop function does not work properly. When the car comes to a stop and auto stops, the vehicle shuts off and does not power up when you hit the gas. My safety is put at risk due to the car shutting off and the possibility of someone hitting me. The vehicle has been inspected countless times. I was told it was an electrical issue. Then told it was the battery. Brand new battery and issue isn’t fixed. The car cut off once and all the lights came on. Now no lights comes on it just cuts off.
Electrical system, May 16, 2023
THE AUTO STOP SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS SHUTS OFF AT RED LIGHTS AND DOES NOT ENGAGE WHEN BRAKE RELEASED AND GAS PEDAL PUSHED. THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF COMPLETELY AND HAS TO BE PUT IN PARK AND RESTARTED IN TRAFFIC WHICH CAN BE DEADLY. THERE'S NO WAY TO DISENGAGE THIS IS NOT A GOOD FEATURE.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 2, 2023
The AutoStop/Start feature malfunctioned while at a busy intersection. The AutoStop engaged but failed to start the engine, once pressure was released from the brake pedal. This has been an issue for about a year now. I have replaced both batteries, both VVT sensors, and the oil pressure sensor in the last year, thinking this would solve the issue. This vehicle has not been inspected by a mechanic, just scanned with a handheld scanner at a parts store, every time there is a check engine indicator light on. There are no dash indicators when this malfunctions, I just have to turn the vehicle completely off, or pump the accelerator in order for it to start.
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when they started the vehicle all its lights illuminated however it only turned on the vehicle not start the engine. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the passenger-side wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact was unable to specify which wiring harness. The vehicle had not been repaired due to parts any longer being in production. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the matter. The parts no longer being in production were confirmed. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Electrical system, Engine, Jun 7, 2022
The Auto Stop would engage and then when I put my foot on the accelerator, it stalled out. I would turn the vehicle off and restart it. I took it to countless mechanics who could not figure out what was causing the problem because the Check Engine light did not come on and no codes were triggered. The problem became worse over time and once the vehicle stalled, it would not immediately restart. I took it to my Chevy Dealer and they can’t figure it out .