Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
2018 Chevrolet Malibu — Known Issues & Recalls
Complaints from Jan 2020 to Dec 2020
The most reported issue is engine problems (73 complaints). 22 complaints involved crashes. 4 involved fires.
Open Safety Recalls (6)
NHTSA Campaign: 18V400000
Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
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.
NHTSA Campaign: 18V576000
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
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.
NHTSA Campaign: 18V358000
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
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.
NHTSA Campaign: 19V642000
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
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.
NHTSA Campaign: 20V668000
Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
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.
NHTSA Campaign: 21V649000
Component: SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
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.
Owner-Reported Issues (20 of 670)
Unknown Or Other →2 issues
Shift to park error message appears on dash after turning off the vehicle. I have to turn back on the vehicle and take it out of park and shift it back and forth from park to drive then back to park to get the vehicle to turn off. This first January 2020.
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Shift knob found grounding inside shifter..had to pay out of pocket. $1087 to have shifter replaced!
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Engine →2 issues
I was driving on the freeway with my kids in the car at 60 MPH and without warning I get an engine power reduced message and then my car losing power and starts dropping speeds down to 35 MPH within seconds. I have cars speeding up behind me and I can't go any faster than 35 MPH on the freeway so I am forced to quickly pull to the side of the freeway before I get hit.
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Engine power reduced car shuts off and will not start
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Air Bags →1 issue
Your car was involved in a serious crash—hit on the driver's side at 35 MPH, then spun and hit a pole on the passenger side. Despite the severe damage to windows and the entire passenger side being smashed, none of the airbags deployed. No warning lights appeared before or during the crashes. The vehicle was declared a total loss.
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Service Brakes, Hydraulic →1 issue
Your brakes suddenly became unresponsive while driving, causing your car to decelerate on its own and preventing you from stopping properly. The dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the issue, and Chevrolet indicated your vehicle exceeded the mileage limit for warranty coverage. This may require inspection and repair of your brake hydraulic system, potentially including brake fluid replacement, brake line inspection, or master cylinder service.
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Suspension,engine →1 issue
I was driving and the reduced engine power came on. I almost crashed because I couldn't control the steering
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Service Brakes,engine →1 issue
The Vacuum pump continues to go out causes code P1101. I have replaced it 4 times and people just in my town are fighting this code for dear life like me! It causes our brakes to barely work and make it completely unsafe to drive as the check engine light goes in and out for MAF sensor.
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Tires →1 issue
A repair shop installed the wrong tire size on your vehicle — they put 245/45R17 tires when your 2018 Malibu needs 225/55R17. This mismatched tire can affect how your car handles and performs. When you contacted the shop to fix their mistake, they refused to help and were unprofessional about it. The fix will require replacing the incorrect tire with the correct size specified for your vehicle.
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Electrical System →1 issue
Your car's display shows a 'Shift to Park' warning even though you've already shifted into park. The car doesn't recognize that it's actually in park, which means you may have difficulty turning off the engine or unlocking the doors. This is an electrical system issue where the park position sensor isn't communicating correctly with your vehicle's computer.
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Electrical System,structure,visibility/wiper →1 issue
The rear camera comes “loose” and does not register all the time. It seems to be a simple electric issue; possibly an electrical short. I believe it can be easily “fixed” (temporarily) by opening the trunk and running fingers over the camera, it should not happen.
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Steering,power Train,fuel/propulsion System →1 issue
In 2020, I received multiple red recall notices in the mail regarding a safety issue. I scheduled an appointment with a Chevrolet dealership in Los Angeles and have a voicemail confirming the appointment. At the time, I did not follow through with ensuring the repair was fully completed, which I take responsibility for.
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Power Train,engine And Engine Cooling →1 issue
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was a failure near the fuse box. Additionally, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle while the brake pedal was depressed.
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Power Train →1 issue
2018 Chevrolet Malibu Premier with approximately 50,000 miles displayed a persistent “Shift to Park” message. The vehicle would not consistently recognize that it was in park, preventing the vehicle from shutting off properly and creating a safety concern. Dealer diagnosed a faulty transmission shifter assembly that was not sending a strong signal to the body control module (BCM).
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Steering,suspension,power Train →1 issue
I've taken my car in now 4 times to Chevy dealers just to be told there was nothing wrong. Turnes out that my torque converter (transmission) is going bad. And I can't get a Chevy dealer to honor my almost expired warranty.
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Electrical System,fuel/propulsion System →1 issue
The vehicle shut off in the middle of the street. I had to get it jumped to start again. There was a fuel leak.
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Service Brakes, Hydraulic,engine →1 issue
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while coming to a stop, the brake pedal suddenly became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated.
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Service Brakes →1 issue
Hard braking, reduced engine power
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Power Train,engine →1 issue
I was driving along and my car went into a reduced engine power mode. Code came up as the gas pedal sensor.
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Service Brakes,forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
Antilock Braking System
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Related Vehicles
Other Chevrolet Malibu years: