2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 698 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 15th highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 23 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 17 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Seat belts, critical fastenersAug 20, 2021
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.
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 21V649000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionOct 29, 2020
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 20V668000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, softwareSep 6, 2019
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.
Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 19V642000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperAug 30, 2018
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.
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 18V576000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationJun 14, 2018
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.
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 18V400000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMay 31, 2018
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.
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
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.
Campaign 18V358000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
698 reports, newest first.
Engine, Mar 4, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the injector seals had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,660.
Other or unspecified, Mar 4, 2025
While driving 65 mph on the highway My car displayed a message saying reduced engine power. The car dropped down to 40 mph and continued to drop down. I was able to navigate to the shoulder of the road and turn the car off. It started back up but the check engine light was on and remained on for the remainder of the drive.
Engine, Fuel system, Gasoline, Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while on a trip and traveling at high altitudes, the check engine warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used a code reader which showed that the barometric pressure sensor was defective. Once the contact returned home, the mass air flow sensor was replaced. The following year while traveling in the same region at high altitude levels, the failure recurred. The contact also stated that the engine booster had started to fail due to ice accumulation in the charge air cooler (CAC), which restricted airflow. As a result of the failure, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 25 MPH. Upon investigation, the contact discovered Technical Service Bulletin No: 18-NA-069; which the contact linked to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The “Engine Power Reduced” message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. While driving 70 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 45 MPH unintendedly. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V642000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, ENGINE). The local dealer was contacted and provided the contact with an estimate for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 6, 2025
Car has "check engine light" mechanic says vapor canister vent solenoid is bad. Part number: 2282618. Also said they have been seeing this a lot on Chevy Malibus and other GM cars. Part was not available from Chevorlet for oven two months.
Power train, Feb 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the gear shifter was shifted into park; however, the message to shift to park was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed gear shifter harness. The contact was informed that the gear shifter harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times due to the persistent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 22, 2025
When I turn off my vehicle the shift to park indicator pops up.
Service brakes, Jan 19, 2025
Brake vacuum booster exploded into the engine.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jan 12, 2025
ENGINE POWER REDUCED light keeps coming on while driving and the car stalls and won't go over 20mph. Several repairs later and it is still happening almost daily. It has nearly caused an accident several times. This needs to be fixed and a recall for the issue needs to be issued by Chevy. With this many people experiencing this problem, why isn't Chevy obligated to address the issue?
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 9, 2025
Started car after acceleration, car started shaking , check engine light came on , acceleration decreased and message saying service Stabilitrak. 6 hours later started car and message no longer, check engine light off and car not shaking anymore. Chevy dealership diagnosed misfire, fuel injector needs replaced and damaged ECM.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Engine, Dec 20, 2024
I repeatedly get a “reduced power to engine” alert on my dash which causes my car to decelerate and I lose my power steering. This last time, the alert popped up on my dash, my car decelerated, and then my brakes would not work. I could not push the brake down to stop my car and ended up in a ditch. My brakes are now hard and I cannot start my car because of it. I have already had the recall for this issue fixed in the past but this will be the 3rd time I have brought my vehicle in for the same problem. I had diagnostic codes ran on my car soon after the accident happened and have attached the pictures to this form.
Electrical system, Electronic stability control (ESC), Engine, Dec 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while coming to a complete stop, the engine auto Start/Stop system engaged, causing the engine to shut off; however, the electrical system then became inoperable. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal to resume driving, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. Additionally, the contact stated that while coming to a stop, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and rolled to a stop. The stabili-trak and electronic stability control warning lights were illuminated. A message advising to open and to close the windows was displayed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that there were debris in the throttle. The contact was advised to drive at high speeds on the highway to correct the failure. The contact followed the instructions; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Dec 7, 2024
On 11/2/24, Dashboard was displaying "shift to park" message when car was turned off and in park, ignition button displayed orange. Was advised by service advisor that this is a known Chevrolet issue but no recall issued to date. The fix required a park switch replacement; jumper park switched was installed on 11/7/24.
Other or unspecified, Dec 3, 2024
The gear shift keeps saying shift to park when it is in park and there is no recall on this issue on my car but other malibu vehicles and mine is doing the same thing as others
Electrical system, Nov 20, 2024
Car keeps giving a “Shift To Park” message when vehicle is already in park. Leaving the vehicle running and draining the battery, let me stranded a few times because it was dead. Tried almost everything to get it to go away but it keeps giving the same message everytime I go to park it and vehicle won’t shut off. Very inconvenient and unsafe, Doesn’t seem to be a recall or fix for this issue.
Electrical system, Nov 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that upon turning the vehicle off, the message to “Shift to Park" was displayed and the electrical components remained on. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was faulty wiring in the electrical system. Additionally, the contact was informed of an undisclosed recall possibly related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.
Electrical system, Oct 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low power mode warning illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the failure occurred three times within a day. In addition, the contact stated that the night before, the vehicle was started; however, the vehicle then failed to start as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle went into auto theft mode. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred in July 2024. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an unknown recall repair was performed. The recall repair consisted of ECM was reprogrammed and OAT sensor was realigned. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,265.
Steering, Electrical system, Oct 3, 2024
While driving high speed such as are on the highway vehicle jerks and has gotten worse now so aggressively it almost jerks from my grip to the left. It’s without notice and over correcting at those speed could cause my vehicle to roll, or jerking into on coming traffic or into another vehicle to the left of me and the direction each time it’s occurred it’s jerked to the left. I’ve previously blamed it on the road or the wind when it’s happened since I’ve had it now almost 5 years. Now it’s getting so bad I’m afraid of my safety and others in my vehicle or other drivers I might be thrown into when it jerks violently and without warning. This is my only form of transportation and I owe money left in the vehicle and feel I’m being put in harms ways as well as other that could be impacted in my vehicle or other drivers.
Engine, Oct 1, 2024
Reduced engine power message pops up when I’m driving at 45 or lower speed. First time this happened was about 4 months ago, and couldn’t drive faster than 30 mph. After starting my vehicle a couple of times the message goes away. This reduced engine power message is almost a daily thing, but now it doesn’t affect my speed anymore, I can go at 65 mph and even with that warning light on.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Sep 30, 2024
While driving the speed suddenly reduced and brakes locked up on me. I was lucky enough to be able to veer to the left and get off the busy street without crashing into anyone or anything. When I stopped the car cut off and would not start back up even with a jump. This happened to me twice before and they did a recall on the same part. I need ot fixed again. I also had to replace the battery every time including this time.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 29, 2024
When parking it says shift to park even when I’m already in park. The dealer says it’s the shifter however after seeing numerous other vehicles with this issue I believe it’s electrical
Suspension, Sep 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the rear end of the vehicle made an abnormal popping and clunking sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 18-NA-136. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair, but the contact declined to pay for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the dealer had confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under the TSB. The failure mileage was approximately 75,633.
Power train, Sep 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and shifting to park park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. During the failure, the vehicle could not immediately be turned off, and the doors failed to lock. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced for a similar failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.
Service brakes, Sep 13, 2024
Defective vacuum pump damaged camshaft, reduced engine power, and caused loss of brakes while driving.
Service brakes, Sep 12, 2024
Brake pedal became hard to press down and could not stop car without having to jam down on the pedal. Per dealership the vacuum pump malfunctioned causing metal to enter engine