2021 Chevrolet Malibu
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 89 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 23rd highest complaint count among 26 Malibu model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 1 involved a fire. 1 person was injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
SeatsMay 19, 2022
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may have an improper weld in the power tilt-adjustment mechanism.
An improperly welded seat frame may not adequately restrain the driver in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect the driver's seat and replace the cushion frame, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212356050.
Campaign 22V359000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Representative owner complaints
89 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, Jan 14, 2024
I was parking and when I parked my dashboard popped up saying shift to park when it’s in park. My car won’t turn off .. tired to turn it off but it can’t I moved the car back and forth and put on park and nothing.. I know this is an ongoing issue because on my other Malibu that I purchased had that problem and now on my 2021 Chevy Malibu has that issue now. Thank god I wasn’t somewhere else stranded because it was below 0 in Chicago.
Power train, Nov 27, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted into park(P), the vehicle started to roll. The contact stated that the shift to park message was then illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
Electrical system, Nov 3, 2023
When trying to turn the car off, it will not allow me, warning light comes on saying shift to park. This has happened several times over the past week. I have to continuously turn the car on and off, put in drive then back to park before the message goes away, allowing me to turn off the car. I am 3k miles out of my bumper to bumper warranty, so the dealership is charging me $500.15 for a new shifter assembly for what they said was a common failure in GM cars. If its common then it should be a recall for several make and model years. My coworker has 2021 Blazer and the same thing happened to her but she was still under warranty so her repair cost $0.
Other or unspecified, Oct 15, 2023
When I parked my car and tried to turn off the ignition, a warning buzzer kept beeping and a warning on the dash was telling me to “shift to park”. I moved the shifter numerous times to make sure it was in park, but the warning continued. This happened several times now. A few times the warning went off after I wiggled the shifter knob numerous times, but not always.
Electrical system, Sep 10, 2023
When I move my car to park and shut off the vehicle it shows a "shift to park" message. This keeps my car from shutting off on a regular basis.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Aug 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power and failed to accelerate. After approximately 45 minutes of driving, the vehicle was turned off and restarted without the key fob. Additionally, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the vehicle lost communication with the transmission, brakes, and engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that di-electric grease was needed on the wires. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
Electrical system, Jul 25, 2023
Malibu will be in park, engine off, but when exiting the vehicle a message will appear "SHIFT TO PARK", although the vehicle is in park. The electrical will not shut off, which is a hazard, as the vehicle's battery remains on. I am forced to turn the car on, shift to a different position (not "park", and then forcefully shift back to park). I contacted the dealer that has done all of my work, they were aware of the problem and offered to fix under warranty. They claim to have replaced my transmission harness. The problem was fixed for about one week, but now the problem has resumed sporadically. I have contacted the dealer again as of this morning to seek resolution. The consumer stated that the manufacturer has not resolved the issue yet.
Other or unspecified, Jul 6, 2023
Every time I parked the car, the dashboard will light up and give me a message to " SHIFT TO PARK" I have read that this can means a malfunction in my transmission or it could be a sensor. I have also read that this type of cars have a recalls on 2016-2019. I just purchased this car Aug of 2022
Other or unspecified, Jun 30, 2023
The car is constantly displaying the shift to park display on the dash after the car is placed in park. Can turn the car off with the display but the prompt stays on the display and the electrical power does not shut off resulting in battery drain unless you constantly mess with the shifter until it removes the shift to park display. My first encounter with the dealer is Monday and was told they can't work on it if they can not replicate the issue. Sometimes it goes a week without doing it so who knows. Been doing this about 3 weeks now.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Aug 4, 2022
3 times now, the car has turned off while in gear or in motion. In an Arbys drive thru on a hill above a highway. Backing out of a parking spot in VA. And pulling through a busy intersection in VA. The safety hazard is that you lose power brakes and steering when a vehicle isn’t running, one could easily be unable to avoid a wreck. Also the general danger of your vehicle randomly shutting off. No warning lights appear before during or after this happens. The 3 dealerships that have looked into the issue state they are unable to recreate the problems and there’s no codes stored in the system so there’s nothing they can do. No police or anybody other than the dealerships have inspected the vehicle. These issues began happening less than a week after purchasing the vehicle.
Tires, Oct 20, 2021
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu equipped with Firestone FT140. The contact stated while driving during the rain while coming out of a complete stop the tires began to spin not gaining traction on the road. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Electrical system, May 2, 2021
THIS WAS A RENTAL CAR, EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRONIC KEY FOB AND A STARTER/TURN ENGINE-OFF BUTTON ON THE DASHBOARD. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE COULD BE LOCKED REMOTELY FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE, WHILE IT CONTINUED TO RUN. ADDITIONALLY, IT APPERED THAT AN OCCUPANT OF THE LOCKED VEHICLE WHO DID NOT HAVE AN ELECTRONIC KEYFOB IN HIS POSSESSION COULD NOT OPEN THE DOORS FROM THE INSIDE. THUS, ADULTS OR CHILDREN COULD BE ASPHYXIATED UNDER CERTAIN NOT-TOO-HARD-TO-IMAGINE SITUATIONS.
Seats, Apr 25, 2021
IN THE CASE OF A HARD BRAKE WHILE IN MOTION, THE VEHICLES SEATS BOTH FRONT AND REAR UN-LATCH AND BECOME FREE IN MOTION. THE FRONT SEATS UN-LATCH FROM THE BASE, MOVING THE SEAT FORWARD AND THE REAR SEATS UN-LATCH AND FALL FORWARD OPENING THE TRUNK FROM THE INSIDE.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Apr 15, 2021
DRIVING THROUGH A SANDSTORM AT 45MPH( SLOW LANE AND SPEED SURE TO VISIBILITY) ON INTERSTATE 10 FROM RANCHO MIRAGE TO DESERT HOT SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, THE VEHICLE WINDSHIELD CRACKED NEARLY A FOOT. I WAS CHARGED $400 BY ENTERPRISE RENTALS SINCE THIS WAS A RENTAL VEHICLE. A SMALL CHIP COULD BE SEEN, SIZE OF A BALL POINT PEN TIP, AT BEGINNING OF CRACK. ENTERPRISE HAS THE PHOTOS AND THIS WAS REPAIRED BY CALIBER AUTO GLASS IN TUSTIN, CA. RENTAL VEHICLE UNIT # 7T1DM2. 2021 CHEVY MALIBU WITH 5,360 MILES ON ODOMETER AT THE TIME. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, A DEFECT IN THIS WINDSHIELD AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. ENTERPRISE RENT A CAR 32UA 78385 VARNER RD. SUITE D PALM DESERT, CA 92211