Chevrolet Malibu Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls — NHTSA Data
Comparing used Chevrolet Malibu options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
Model-year trends show patterns. Run a VIN check for the exact Chevrolet Malibu you plan to buy.
CHEVROLET MALIBU (2017–2026) has 1,993 NHTSA complaints and 20 recalls. Engine issues (690 complaints) and electrical problems (545) are most common. The 2017 model year alone accounts for 715 complaints. Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recall records.
- Make
- Chevrolet
- Model
- Malibu
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 1,993
- Safety recall campaigns
- 20
- Crash-related complaints
- 67
- Fire-related complaints
- 11
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (715 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (5 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Below Average
Chevrolet Malibu: Which Years to Avoid & Which to Buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
⭐ NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
Below AverageBased on NHTSA complaint data, the Chevrolet Malibu from 2017–2026 has 1,993 complaints and 20 recalls. The 2017 and 2018 model years account for 1,399 complaints, with engine (690) and electrical system (545) being the top concerns. Buyers should prioritize inspecting these systems and verifying recall completion. Source: NHTSA owner complaints and recall records.
- Engine complaints total 690, the highest of any component.
- Electrical system complaints total 545, the second most reported.
- The 2017 model year has 715 complaints, the most of any year.
- Engine stalling or failure
- Electrical system malfunctions
- Transmission issues (power train: 485 complaints)
2017 and 2018 have the most complaints (1,399 combined), driven by engine and electrical system issues.
2024–2026 show very few complaints (20 total), suggesting improved reliability, though sample size is small.
- Verify all open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for engine and electrical repairs
- Have a mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
- Check for any outstanding safety recalls
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
20 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
Safety Recall
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 1,993 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
1,993 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V212000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2025 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V212000 (Back Over Prevention) through Turo Car Rental Marketplace; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was blank. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
Vehicle was parked, all windows and doors closed. Key remained out of the vehicle. Car parked for several hours without being touched, when suddenly it began to roll forward on its own. The car continued forward and quickly went down a short hill into a rocky area of a field before coming to a stop.
Backup camera has blurred vision when in R, the view on the dashboard is extremely blurry and seems to be condensed/ wet. Please check and advise.
Chevy sold me a vehicle knowing that the radio was faulty and known to glitching out. I took it to the dealer and they replicated the problem. GM has known about the issue since 9/2024 when the issued the bulletin about the problem. They sold me the vehicle knowing that the problem existed and did not disclose that to me. That is a violation of CA law.
My 2024 Chevy Malibu has lost power and is not shifting properly yet it’s not displaying any codes. It shifts and jerks very hard when on a cold start but also will not get up and go when I pull into traffic. This has caused me to almost get hit numerous times. It’s like it freezes and won’t go! The dealership could not recreate the problem (shocker), and since no codes they sent me away. Said last time it was due to the battery so I paid to replace that yet that did nothing to the engine/transmission problem. In addition to this issue, I think there’s an electrical issue. My rear view camera will often be distorted like I’m looking through a fish bowl and it has also come on while I’m driving on the freeway. I often lose my infotainment system too. It loses connection all the time and the screen goes black and disconnects from CarPlay. My onstar button will sometimes go red when this occurs but not all the time. Even when I lose the CarPlay, I can’t even get the Bluetooth to work. I purchased this vehicle used at 40k miles and my power train warranty will expire in less than 5k miles yet I can’t get any help with making it safe.
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V212000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
There have been numerous days that I press brake to start car in which it does not start. I wait until it will. The trunk seems unaligned as there's more gap on right side. Carpet in front floor is not correct as I have to tuck under trim by door constantly. Backup camera seems distorted and has been not correct in lines to park but remains distorted by the unclear view and awkward angle. While driving at times it feels like going into another gear and it's an automatic. The breaking at times is very hard and pushing passengers forward.
The rear camera does not always show the yellow pattern for me to drive in reverse. I intend to have the camera replaced with the recall. The camera is in the weather and not under chrome as my Chevy Equinox 2012. The size of drink holder is smaller than Equinox. No lighting in console as my Equinox. No lighting in glove box. No CD player as my Equinox. The fabric is cut too short in the front floor. I have to manually cover the carpet with edging. There are other nice features in the 2024 Malibu. I am grateful it was built in KANSAS!
Telematics module failure.
The rear camera frequently does not work when the vehicle is put into reverse. This creates a major safety concern and makes it difficult for me, especially as an older driver, to safely back out of parking spaces and avoid hitting someone or something. The rear camera is an important safety feature that I rely on daily. I am requesting that the vehicle be properly repaired, or bought back if the issue cannot be permanently fixed.
My rearview camera froze while I was reversing. Also when I put the vehicle into drive, the screen stayed on the backup camera after it eventually unfroze, showing the road behind me, it was very distracting. I have no photos or videos available because I was driving no warning lamps were visible, no auditory signals were present
The backup camera is malfunctioning and will not display anything behind me. Just a black screen saying “service vision system.” There are far too many blind spots when it comes to reversing with this car that I feel unsafe when I have to back out of parking spots or driveways. I have taken the vehicle to a GM dealership and they refuse to replace the camera because there is “no remedy” available even though they, themselves seen the camera was inoperable. The camera was going in and out for about three weeks prior to it completely being unusable about three weeks ago.
The backup camera has completely quit working. Only shows a black screen saying “service vision system.” Since it has went out completely about three weeks ago I no longer feel safe backing out of parking spots or driveways, especially when my children are in the car. The car has quite a few blind spots that only the backup camera would show you. The rear vision system started to go in and out about six weeks ago and completely stopped working three weeks ago. I have since taken the car to a GM dealership to have it fixed after finding an open recall on the backup camera. They witnessed the camera malfunction with their own eyes and found the recall themselves, but then relayed to me there was nothing they could do because the recall had not been remedied.
The contact owns a 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V212000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment system screen glitched, displayed a green image and turned blank intermittently. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera was inoperable, and the message "Service Visual System" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that there would be a charge for a diagnostic test, and that the warranty company would be contacted for coverage. The contact declined to pay a fee because the failure was related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Camera doesn’t work tire sensor randomly works when it wants to also car keeps saying service esc but when I got to the dealer to show these problems they don’t see any they also told me they can’t fix my camera because there is no remedy or fix for it right now so basically I can’t any help and have been going thru these things since I got this car brand new
The camera intermittently stops working, which makes backing up dangerous—especially since I’m [XXX] [XXX] . I haven’t taken it to the dealer yet because the issue happens unpredictably, and every time I consider going in for repairs, the camera starts working again. I need a reliable solution to fix this problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My vehicle sometimes will not start when I press the Start Button and press the brakes at the same time. The dashboard will light up with a message that says “Service ESC” followed by “Engine Power is Reduced”. When it does start, I can drive the vehicle for a moment before it does the Engine Power Reduced mode where the car feels like its pulling more. It has done this several times while I’m driving on the highway which often times causes me to have to pull over to the side of the road, or make my way to the slow lane so I can pull into a gas station or somewhere public at the next exit. When the dashboard lights up with “Service ESC”, ALL of the hands on my dashboard (i.e the hands for the speedometer, gas, the car temp AND the RPM) move radically back and forth while the car is driving. Sometimes the speedometer will say 0mph even tho the car is moving. Sometimes I am able to pull over and turn my car off and back on and the lights will go away, but often times this doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, it feels like it only exacerbates the problem because when I shift it into park and then attempt to turn off the vehicle, it says “Shift to Park” even though it IS parked. In fact, this morning when the vehicle wouldn’t start after I tried to start it with the button, I attempted to turn the vehicle off (because the radio would come on and I can see lights on the dashboard, but the vehicle itself won’t start) and it said “Shift to Park” even though it is parked and has been since last night. I contacted the nearest Chevy dealership and they informed me that they have dealt with plenty of these complaints lately. I have not had an inspection completed by the dealership because my extended warranty is up and I do not have the funds to pay for a diagnostic inspection.
Water is pooling in the trunk of my car. I took it to the chevy dealership for a diagnostic and today, they told me water is leaking into the car because of a faulty seal. I just did some research online and have learned that this has been a common issue. I read that warranties have been extended to cover this defect. I would like chevy to extend my warranty to cover this defect, which they've known about for quite some time. As they know, water pooling in a car can lead to other problems.
See attached document for complaint.
Showing 20 of 1,993 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Before You Buy, Check the Exact Chevrolet Malibu
These pages show model-year patterns across 10years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
📖 Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Chevrolet Malibu has 1,993 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Chevrolet Malibu has 20 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 67 of the Chevrolet Malibu's 1,993 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Below Average) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Chevrolet Malibu vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Chevrolet Malibu vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Chevrolet Malibu has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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📍 Check a Chevrolet Malibu by State
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used Chevrolet Malibu.