NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls and 708 owner complaints for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu (including the hybrid).
6Safety recalls
708Owner complaints
24Complaints citing a crash
4Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: seat belts, powertrain, electrical system, brakes, and 2 more. Most-reported area: engine (283 complaints, 40%; median mileage when it happened: 50,000). Includes the Malibu Hybrid and the 2016 Malibu Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new car.
6 safety recalls for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
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 service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.
General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles.
The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
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.
The fix and full notice
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 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.
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.
NHTSA listing: MALIBU. Chevrolet campaign N202313440.
5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Risk: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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 this recall is N192221960.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.
The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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 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.
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.
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.
Risk: In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
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 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles.
The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Risk: A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
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 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.
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.
NHTSA listing: MALIBU. Chevrolet campaign 18188 18268.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 708 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Malibu. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Engine283 · 40%
Median 50,000 miles at failure (134 reports)
Electrical system195 · 28%
Median 46,500 miles at failure (60 reports)
Powertrain174 · 25%
Most named: automatic transmission, lever and linkage, floor shift (7) · Median 43,200 miles at failure (80 reports)
Speed control114 · 16%
Median 51,700 miles at failure (60 reports)
Fuel and propulsion system86 · 12%
Median 26,400 miles at failure (40 reports)
Brakes68 · 10%
Most named: power assist, vacuum (3) · Median 62,500 miles at failure (22 reports)
Steering41 · 6%
Median 15,500 miles at failure (22 reports)
Unknown or other154 · 22%
Median 37,400 miles at failure (39 reports)
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Chevrolet Malibu recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Malibu drew the most (220).
Owner complaints
2018: 708 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Chevrolet Malibu
Model year
Complaints
2016
861
2017
724
2018
708
2019
192
2020
198
2021
89
2022
97
2023
69
2024
39
2025
11
Safety recalls
2018: 6 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Chevrolet Malibu
Model year
Recalls
2016
10
2017
4
2018
6
2019
1
2020
1
2021
2
2022
1
2023
2
2024
2
2025
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 10.2%
Chevrolet Malibu HEV 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 10.2%
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Malibu problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: engine (283), electrical system (195), powertrain (174). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Malibu has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Chevrolet dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: MALIBU, MALIBU HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.