2018 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Malibu years
- About as many complaints as other years 17th of 29 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 6 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 700 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. That ranks 17th out of 29 Malibu model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (281 complaints, 40%), typically at around 50,000 miles. Complaints mention 23 crashes, 4 fires, 17 injuries. There are 6 safety recalls covering this model year.
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- 700owner complaints
- 6safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 23complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2018 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 281 | 40% | 50,000 | “engine power” (36%) | — |
| Electrical System problems | 192 | 27% | 46,560 | “shift park” (33%) | — |
| Power Train problems | 171 | 24% | 43,150 | “shift park” (47%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 151 | 22% | 37,403 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 114 | 16% | 51,670 | “engine power” (50%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System problems | 84 | 12% | 29,000 | “power reduced” (15%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 61 | 9% | 24,112 | “vacuum pump” (31%) | — |
| Steering | 42 | 6% | 15,484 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 21 | 3% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 17 | 2% | 76,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 14 | 2% | 22,494 | — | — |
| Suspension | 13 | 2% | 71,317 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 10 | 1% | 93,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 1% | 800 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 7 | 1% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 1% | 29,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 1% | 103,167 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 5 | 1% | 46,407 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 31,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0% | 96,336 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Other/i Am Not Sure | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 0% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 0% | 123,074 | — | — |
| Visibility | 2 | 0% | 87,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 0% | 30,617 | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2018 Chevrolet Malibu recalls (6)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seat belts:rear/other:retractor; seat belts:critical fasteners
Problem: 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.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Power train:automatic transmission
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Engine; electrical system:software; fuel system, gasoline:fuel injection system:injectors
Problem: 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.
Risk: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:caliper
Problem: 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.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:sensor:occupant classification
Problem: 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.
Risk: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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.
Fuel system, gasoline:delivery:fuel pump
Problem: 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.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
On 10/8/26 My vehicle failed in the middle of traffic as I was driving the car forcefully slowed down. When I proceeded to press the gas the car began driving in reverse putting me in immediate danger causing 2 different car to almost hit me from behind. I put the car in park , turned on my hazard…
My chevy stopped while driving. The engine light came on and engine power reduced. The brakes locked up and I could not go anywhere. Code P1101, Vacuum Pump Failure and ECM came up. Financing this vehicle. Have not been able to drive it in 3 weeks.
I was driving in town through a stoplight when I noticed my brakes stopped working. Also when I had stopped the car still in drive and the car had shut off completely in the middle of the road and was not able to turn back on. The car would keep trying start but none were successful. My car also…
Examatory mark appears on the dashboard say that engine speed as reduced
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle while in park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact shifted in and out of park(P) and wiggled the gear shifter several times, but the failure persisted and the vehicle could…
Other Chevrolet Malibu years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Malibu | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 Malibu | 43 | 2 |
| 2023 Malibu | 71 | 2 |
| 2022 Malibu | 98 | 1 |
| 2021 Malibu | 90 | 2 |
| 2020 Malibu | 198 | 1 |
| 2019 Malibu | 192 | 1 |
| 2018 | 700 | 6 |
| 2017 Malibu | 703 | 4 |
| 2016 Malibu | 839 | 9 |
| 2015 Malibu | 270 | 3 |
| 2014 Malibu | 351 | 6 |
| 2013 Malibu | 836 | 10 |
| 2012 Malibu | 907 | 2 |
| 2011 Malibu | 978 | 3 |
| 2010 Malibu | 1,363 | 3 |
| 2009 Malibu | 1,509 | 5 |
| 2008 Malibu | 989 | 4 |
| 2007 Malibu | 977 | 3 |
| 2006 Malibu | 1,116 | 6 |
| 2005 Malibu | 975 | 3 |
| 2004 Malibu | 1,147 | 6 |
| 2003 Malibu | 569 | 2 |
| 2002 Malibu | 567 | 2 |
| 2001 Malibu | 721 | 2 |
| 2000 Malibu | 922 | 3 |
| 1999 Malibu | 789 | 1 |
| 1998 Malibu | 976 | 3 |
| 1997 Malibu | 443 | 4 |
See all Chevrolet Malibu problems by year, every Chevrolet model, or the Chevrolet VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu?
Owners most often report engine, electrical system, power train problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 281 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu?
Yes, 6 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Malibu model years, the 2018 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.