2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 704 complaints · 6 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (126 complaints · 17.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 24
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 17
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2017 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 126 of 704 owner complaints (17.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 126 complaints, 17.9% of reports ENGINE 126 · 17.9% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 107 complaints, 15.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 107 · 15.2% · 1 crash reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 91 complaints, 12.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 91 · 12.9% · 4 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 62 complaints, 8.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 62 · 8.8% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 56 complaints, 8.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 56 · 8.0% · 2 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 32 complaints, 4.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 32 · 4.6% · 5 crash reports STEERING: 32 complaints, 4.6% of reports STEERING 32 · 4.6% AIR BAGS: 10 complaints, 1.4% of reports AIR BAGS 10 · 1.4% · 7 crash reports SUSPENSION: 8 complaints, 1.1% of reports SUSPENSION 8 · 1.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 198 complaints, 28.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 198 · 28.1% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 126 17.9% 1 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 107 15.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 91 12.9% 4 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 62 8.8% 1 crashes · 2 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 56 8.0% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 32 4.6% 5 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 32 4.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 10 1.4% 7 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 8 1.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 198 28.1% 4 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2017; the first recall shown was reported in May 2018. 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2019-Q3: 34 owner reports 34 2019-Q4: 31 owner reports 31 2020-Q1: 31 owner reports 31 2020-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2020-Q3: 34 owner reports 34 2020-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2021-Q1: 38 owner reports 38 2021-Q2: 25 owner reports 25 2021-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 2021-Q4: 36 owner reports 36 2022-Q1: 30 owner reports 30 2022-Q2: 23 owner reports 23 2022-Q3: 28 owner reports 28 2022-Q4: 24 owner reports 24 2023-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2023-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2023-Q3: 41 owner reports 41 2023-Q4: 23 owner reports 23 2024-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2024-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q3: 21 owner reports 21 2024-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2025-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2025-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2025-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2025-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2026-Q1: 17 owner reports 17 2026-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2026-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 Owner reports Oct 2017 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 18V358000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V358000 Recall campaign 18V400000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V400000 Recall campaign 18V576000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V576000 Recall campaign 19V642000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V642000 Recall campaign 20V668000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V668000 Recall campaign 21V649000 ◆ Recall campaign 21V649000 Investigation DP22005 ● Investigation DP22005
  • Campaign 18V400000 was reported 233 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V668000 was reported 528 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 21V649000 was reported 93 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 7
2019-Q1 Owner reports 7
2019-Q2 Owner reports 13
2019-Q3 Owner reports 34
2019-Q4 Owner reports 31
2020-Q1 Owner reports 31
2020-Q2 Owner reports 17
2020-Q3 Owner reports 34
2020-Q4 Owner reports 40
2021-Q1 Owner reports 38
2021-Q2 Owner reports 25
2021-Q3 Owner reports 28
2021-Q4 Owner reports 36
2022-Q1 Owner reports 30
2022-Q2 Owner reports 23
2022-Q3 Owner reports 28
2022-Q4 Owner reports 24
2023-Q1 Owner reports 10
2023-Q2 Owner reports 13
2023-Q3 Owner reports 41
2023-Q4 Owner reports 23
2024-Q1 Owner reports 15
2024-Q2 Owner reports 12
2024-Q3 Owner reports 21
2024-Q4 Owner reports 10
2025-Q1 Owner reports 15
2025-Q2 Owner reports 16
2025-Q3 Owner reports 17
2025-Q4 Owner reports 18
2026-Q1 Owner reports 17
2026-Q2 Owner reports 17
2026-Q3 Owner reports 7
Recall campaign 1 18V358000
Recall campaign 1 18V400000
Recall campaign 1 18V576000
Recall campaign 1 19V642000
Recall campaign 1 20V668000
Recall campaign 1 21V649000
Defect investigation 1 DP22005
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V358000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V400000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V576000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V642000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V668000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    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.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 21V649000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 704 complaints · page 1 of 29

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources