2018 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,215 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 47/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 50,000 miles.
Below average
Where 2018 sits among all Malibu years
What owners report
“Engine power is reduced warning and check engine light anti skid warnings come on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
“Just now my car made odd noises to wanting to stop I got home and shift to park message came on well NHTSA help me GM don't want to help”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
“When you put it in park it tells you to shift to park, even if it is already in park”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
“Shift to park warning when exiting vehicle when the vehicle is in park and engine is off”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
“Engine power reduced indicated on dash and engine light came on while i was driving”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
“My 2018 malibu has a feature that when the car stops the engine will shut down when you apply the brakes and engine will start back when you release the brake my car has shut completely down when i've come to a stop all power shuts down the heat the radio everything”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Malibu
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 498 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 48,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 25,500 and 62,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Technical service bulletins
1,063 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Malibu TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
The 2018 Chevrolet Malibu drew 1,215 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 47/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Malibu problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu are engine (284 complaints), electrical (200), and other (175).
At what mileage do 2018 Chevrolet Malibu problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Chevrolet Malibu problems around 48,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 25,500 and 62,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.