2011 Chevrolet Malibu Engine Problems
Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 75,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “engine power” (29% of reports).
- 160engine complaints
- 75,000median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 44%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Engine power: mentioned in 47 of 160 complaints (29%)
- Service ESC: mentioned in 27 of 160 complaints (17%)
- Throttle body: mentioned in 26 of 160 complaints (16%)
- Traction control: mentioned in 20 of 160 complaints (13%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 139 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 160 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 3 an injury.
Chevrolet Malibu engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Malibu | 13 | 18% | 63,810 |
| 2022 Malibu | 29 | 30% | 76,000 |
| 2021 Malibu | 15 | 17% | 36,500 |
| 2020 Malibu | 59 | 30% | 65,000 |
| 2019 Malibu | 64 | 33% | 51,724 |
| 2018 Malibu | 281 | 40% | 50,000 |
| 2017 Malibu | 253 | 36% | 56,114 |
| 2016 Malibu | 302 | 36% | 52,000 |
| 2015 Malibu | 70 | 26% | 66,000 |
| 2014 Malibu | 125 | 36% | 75,000 |
| 2013 Malibu | 204 | 24% | 78,825 |
| 2012 Malibu | 99 | 11% | 81,000 |
| 2011 Malibu | 160 | 16% | 75,000 |
| 2010 Malibu | 115 | 8% | 76,000 |
| 2009 Malibu | 61 | 4% | 113,000 |
| 2008 Malibu | 62 | 6% | 94,362 |
| 2007 Malibu | 28 | 3% | 92,434 |
| 2006 Malibu | 33 | 3% | 120,500 |
| 2005 Malibu | 49 | 5% | 107,261 |
| 2004 Malibu | 17 | 1% | 127,500 |
| 2003 Malibu | 47 | 8% | 85,600 |
| 2002 Malibu | 22 | 4% | 95,666 |
| 2001 Malibu | 26 | 4% | 109,740 |
| 2000 Malibu | 19 | 2% | 109,500 |
| 1999 Malibu | 5 | 1% | 86,950 |
| 1998 Malibu | 2 | 0% | 178,000 |
| 1997 Malibu | 4 | 1% | 68,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Car started to loose power and wanted to cut off had to drive with both feet put in the shop a few times but couldn't find any wrong finally stopped driving it and then I started back to driving it and still doing the same thing, finally the motor went out.Have notice more Malibu's in this area and…
- Reduced engine power, appears on the dashboard. The motor begins to shake, slow down excessively if I'm driving on the highway, and needs to be shut off to reset the computer. Yes, this is available for inspection. However, We are going to try to fix this ASAP, as I drive an hour to and from work…
My car stopped running at 78,500 miles. I had it diagnosed twice and I was told the engine needs to be replaced. Even though I bought the vehicle (brand new) in 2010, how can the engine be bad because on the website it states that if the vehicle has more than 100,000 miles then it's possible for…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2011 Chevrolet Malibus have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 160 owner complaints about engine for the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu (16% of the 978 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 75,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu?
The most frequent phrase is “engine power”, in 47 of 160 complaints, followed by “service esc” (27).
Other 2011 Chevrolet Malibu problems
See all 2011 Chevrolet Malibu problems or engine problems across all Malibu years.