Model year record

2018 Chevrolet Malibu

6 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 1,403 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 21V649000

Seat belts: rear/other: retractor

Component
Seat belts: rear/other: retractor
Manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Vehicles affected
402
Reported to NHTSA
2021-08-20
Owners notified
2021-09-17

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 20V668000

Power train: automatic transmission

Component
Power train: automatic transmission
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
194,105
Reported to NHTSA
2020-10-29
Owners notified
2020-12-15

Defect description

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V642000

Engine

Component
Engine
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
177,282
Reported to NHTSA
2019-09-06
Owners notified
2019-10-16

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V576000

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
210,628
Reported to NHTSA
2018-08-30
Owners notified
2018-10-11

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V400000

Air bags: sensor: occupant classification

Component
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
66
Reported to NHTSA
2018-06-14
Owners notified
2018-08-07

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V358000

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

Component
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
Manufacturer
General Motors LLC
Vehicles affected
895
Reported to NHTSA
2018-05-31
Owners notified
2018-07-02

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Manufacturer 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.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Engine31550,000 mi
Electrical system21446,560 mi
Power train17643,300 mi
Unknown or other17537,000 mi
Vehicle speed control11951,340 mi
Fuel/propulsion system9523,700 mi
Service brakes7919,028 mi
Steering4616,467 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)2150,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline19100,000 mi
Suspension1675,633 mi
Air bags1524,988 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic12107,000 mi
Exterior lighting9800 mi
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking846,407 mi
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift820,400 mi
Structure: body624,000 mi
Back over prevention: warnings5
Visibility/wiper515,000 mi
Other/i am not sure4
Seat belts496,336 mi
Back over prevention: rearview system braking3
Engine and engine cooling: engine: engine control module (ECU/ECM)3123,334 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system3123,074 mi
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum379,000 mi
Back over prevention2130,000 mi
Chest clip, buckle, harness2
Electrical system: instrument panel: speedometer/odometer298,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling2141,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/supercharger2140,741 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump250,206 mi
Fuel system, gasoline: fuel injection system: mass air flow (MAF) sensor276,000 mi
Lane departure: assist2
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/TECM)2123,334 mi
Power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (PRNDL)291,832 mi
Power train: shift linkage/cable/rod289,992 mi
Seats214,000 mi
Tires2
Tires: pressure monitoring and regulating systems2123,074 mi
Wheels230,617 mi
Electrical system: instrument panel: fuel gauge1
Engine and engine cooling: engine: crank/camshaft position sensor183,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)145,000 mi
Lane departure: warning1
Structure154,000 mi
Structure: frame and members: underbody shields148,000 mi
Suspension: rear: shock absorber167,000 mi
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal172,721 mi
Visibility187,000 mi
Visibility: windshield1

The 2017 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 2019 model has 4 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.