NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 198 owner complaints for the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu.
1Safety recalls
198Owner complaints
10Complaints citing a crash
0Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: seat belts. Most-reported area: engine (59 complaints, 30%). Includes the Malibu Hybrid and the 2016 Malibu Limited, the previous generation sold alongside the new car.
1 safety recall for the 2020 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.
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 198 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Malibu. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Engine59 · 30%
Powertrain58 · 29%
Median 72,500 miles at failure (16 reports)
Electrical system57 · 29%
Brakes48 · 24%
Speed control18 · 9%
Steering16 · 8%
Fuel and propulsion system14 · 7%
Unknown or other44 · 22%
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 2020 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) and the 2020 drew 45.
Owner complaints
2020: 198 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
2020: 1 recallTap 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 10.3%
Questions
What are the most common 2020 Malibu problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: engine (59), powertrain (58), electrical system (57). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu earns 4 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.
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.