2021 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Recalls & Reliability
130 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 5/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Other leads the reports.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2021 sits among all Malibu years
What owners report
“Parked car and it was dinging. Looked at dash and had shift to park warning. Car has 15000 miles. Had to hit shifter to get dash to turn off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Malibu
“When I move my car to park and shut off the vehicle it shows a "shift to park" message. This keeps my car from shutting off on a regular basis.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Malibu
“When you put the car in park and shut the car off a message displays on the dash saying place vehicle in park. You have to wiggle the gear shifter for the message to disappear. It appears the gear shifter has a bad sensor”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Malibu
Recalls (2)
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may have an improper weld in the power tilt-adjustment mechanism.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the driver's seat and replace the cushion frame, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer…
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…
Technical service bulletins
692 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2021 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 2021 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
The 2021 Chevrolet Malibu drew 130 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 5/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2021 Chevrolet Malibu problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu are other (29 complaints), electrical (28), and transmission & drivetrain (27).
Does the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 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.