Chevrolet Malibu Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2013 and 2016 to 2018 At least twice the 65 complaints of a typical Malibu year. Most described: stalling (2013), loss of power (2016 to 2018).
Best years: 2021, 2022, and 2023 Under three quarters of the 43 complaints of a typical Malibu year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2025 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 46 mpg combined, arrived in 2016. Includes the Malibu Hybrid (a mild hybrid for 2010, a full hybrid for 2016 to 2019), the 2013 and 2014 Malibu Eco mild hybrid, and the 2016 Malibu Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new car.

Malibu problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Malibu year drew 65 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (43). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (43), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2018 Malibu Avoid Most described: loss of power or limp mode	220	712	6
2017 Malibu Avoid Most described: loss of power or limp mode	212	727	4
2013 Malibu Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	171	924	11
2016 Malibu Avoid Most described: loss of power or limp mode	151	865	10
2012 Malibu Most described: headlight or exterior light problems	109	907	2
2010 Malibu Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	92	1,365	3
2014 Malibu Most described: auto start-stop problems	75	363	6
2011 Malibu Most described: loss of power or limp mode	55	978	3
2015 Malibu Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	48	270	3
2020 Malibu Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	45	203	1
2019 Malibu Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	41	195	1
2022 Malibu Best Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	29	100	1
2023 Malibu Best Most described: backup camera problems	21	73	2
2021 Malibu Best Most described: shifter errors or getting stuck in gear	13	90	2

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Malibu for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	1	12
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	2	46
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	2	73
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	1	100
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	2	90
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	1	203
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	46 mpg Hybrid	1	195
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	46 mpg Hybrid	6	712
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	46 mpg Hybrid	4	727
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	46 mpg Hybrid	10	865
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	270
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	6	363
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	11	924
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	2	907
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	978
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	1,365	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2018: 712 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Malibu
Model year	Complaints
2010	1,365
2011	978
2012	907
2013	924
2014	363
2015	270
2016	865
2017	727
2018	712
2019	195
2020	203
2021	90
2022	100
2023	73
2024	46
2025	12

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 26 to 32 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2025); highest in 2019. Hybrid: 46 mpg (2016 to 2019).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2025: gas 31 mpg · hybrid not offered

Show as a table

Chevrolet Malibu best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	29	–
2011	26	–
2012	26	–
2013	29	–
2014	29	–
2015	29	–
2016	30	46
2017	30	46
2018	30	46
2019	32	46
2020	32	–
2021	32	–
2022	32	–
2023	30	–
2024	31	–
2025	31	–

Every Malibu year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Chevrolet Malibu years should you avoid?

The 2013 and 2016 to 2018 Malibu are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 65 owner complaints of a typical Malibu year in its first three years. Owners of the 2018 most often describe loss of power. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Chevrolet Malibu years?

The 2021, 2022, and 2023 Malibu are the best years: they drew 13, 29, and 21 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 43 complaints of a typical Malibu year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024 and 2025 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Chevrolet Malibu years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2018 (220) and 2017 (212) drew the most.

Which Chevrolet Malibu years have the most recalls?

The 2013 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (11), then the 2016 (10). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2025 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Chevrolet Malibu problems?

In the 7,830 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2025 models, owners most often describe loss of power or limp mode (1,138 complaints); stalling or shutting off (746 complaints); and power steering problems or locked steering (735 complaints, most of them for the 2010, 2011, and 2013). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Chevrolet Malibu year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 46 mpg combined, first reached by the 2016 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.