Complaint volume
688 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Chevrolet Malibu Complaints
688 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by component category.
688 Total complaints
23 Crash reports
4 Fire reports
14 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, power train. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 23 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 14 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 305 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 47,979 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, power train?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Chevrolet Malibu?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu complaints?
23 Crash
4 Fire
14 Injury
0 Fatality
33 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Chevrolet Malibu complaint categories?
ENGINE 74
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 70
POWER TRAIN 57
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 32
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 31
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 18
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 17
STEERING 17
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 17
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 16
688 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel with an audible alarm sounding. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 16,940. | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,940 |
| May 2023 | SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | I have a 2018 Malibu with a very long list of major issues. The Engine loses power constantly along with a “Engine Reduced Power” warning and check engine light. I get a constant “shift to park” message even after placed in park. All the steering wheel buttons/controls do not work. With the exception of the cruise control. Car almost red lines after the power message displays when you try to increase the speed of the vehicle. The back axle/suspension/hubs make a very loud popping sound when I back up or drive forward. Both back wheel assemblies make a very loud wobble noise when driving. Almost like the assemble is going bad. The Auto Stop/Start causes a lot of issues. It causes the car to jerk horribly and that’s when you hear the popping in the back axles the most. Idk if there is an option to turn this off in this model. But, if there is I can’t access the message center because the steering wheel controls/buttons don’t work. Also upon restart the car runs extremely rough and tries to die. The car has really bad powertrain issues. The car not only loses almost all power….. but, also acts like the transmission is slipping when taking off from a dead stop. Causing it to jerk really bad when the transmission actually catches. The brake system also seems like it has a lot of issues. Here recently the brakes seem like they don’t want to stop the car and that leads to pressing the brake pedal down harder resulting in the brake finally stopping the car in almost a dead stop. This could cause a rear end collision or a collision after your designated stopping point. Every time it rains my trunk gets soaked with water leading to a horrible mildew smell and damaged property in the trunk. Also, the steering wheel will start wobbling uncontrollably when driving down the road and then just stops. It causes a violent shake in the front end until it stops. I’m sure I missed a few things just because of how long the list is. I’m hoping for a solution to these problems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Purchase car in December 2018, had 3 engine replacement. I am currently in the 3 engine replacement. And still experiencing the same issue - check engine light permanently on for 2 months now. Issues A whistling sound from an opening vent in the hood since last engine replaced. Call stalls, reduces speed and jerk when trying to accelerate . Have reached out to Reed lallier Chevrolet they making it seems that normal and ok. I am scared to drive and cause an accident because the car stalls before picking up. When you put the car in park, the car still not registering at park it is still moving you have to sit and clear the dash board (shift to park, even thou it is in park). Chevrolet only gave 1 engine replacement and $100 gift card. Every other expense is on me, when I still have to pay for the lemon. Unable to locate most recent engine replacement sheet. But can retrieve from dealership if needed. This car is full service and maintained in the allocated time frame reed lallier has the file of needs be. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact's niece owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed unknown repairs on the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Apr 2023 | STRUCTURE | Front damaged | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VISIBILITY | The contact’s daughter owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the front driver’s side window intermittently failed to operate as designed. The contact stated that the front driver's side window became stuck while attempting to roll up or down. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 87,000 |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When putting gear shift into park the driver display on dashboard said not in park. The car would not fully shut off causing a safety problem. Could not lock vehicle. Was draining the battery. My extended warranty covered $382.59. I paid $177.32. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The rear liner had water indications, with an odor of mildew in the car. I couldn't drive around with mildew in my car. I notuved shortly after i purchased yhe vehicle that the brake light was cracked. I didmt think much of it, thought it was just a cosmetic thing. It was taken to my dealership and they confirmed the water was getting in through the cracked brake light. I did a little research and it seems to be a common issue with Malibu's. No warning other than the smell, that made me check the back seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | Cam-driven Brake Booster Vacuum failure without warning. My engine died, my brake pedal and steering wheel stiffened, while in moderate traffic. I had use excessive brake force to slow my vehicle to a stop. Currently have 78,012 miles as it is sitting in the repairs shop. This is the first time it has happened, but I worry it may happen again because upon further research, it is a very common part failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH and overtaking another vehicle, the vehicle decelerated to 45 MPH unintendedly, with the "Engine Power Reduced" message displayed. The contact exited the highway and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and also occurred while driving 25 MPH. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 58,000 |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to recognize the gear shifter being shifted to park(P). The “Shift to Park” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the failure was a known issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,400. | Crash: No Fire: No | 64,400 |
| Feb 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2018 Chevy Malibu over 5 times this happens since we bought it brand new it has "Reduced Engine Power" error come on and the car can't accelerate over 30 miles per hour. This is a continued problem all the time and very dangerous when we are on the tollway that has a 70-mph speed limit, and you can't get the car to go over 30 mph. This same problem happens on our 2017 Chevy Malibu that we bought brand new since we owned it too and I have already put in a complaint filed today! This is extremely dangerous and takes you a long time to get home when you can only go 30 mph or less because of the "Reduced Engine Power" Limit. GM needs to recall these Malibu's and fix the dangerous "Reduced Engine Power" error because it's dangerous to the driver in rush hour traffic and on the tollway traffic with no ability to go over 30 mph. All these Malibu's need to be fixed properly and its GM's responsibility to ensure safety for their customers lives. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | The car continuously is throwing a code P2138 and a warning comes up on dash saying reduced engine power. This happened 6 times to me yesterday wherein I was traveling on 1 lane winding roads in my neighborhood so the speed drops from wherever it is down to 10mph instantly. On 1 lane roads in the area where I reside there’s no safe place to pull over. This is extremely dangerous and a massive safety hazard and risk to my life! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While picking my kids up from school my car suddenly lost braking ability and I heard a weird noise under the hood. Like it needed an oil change. Tension from the brakes and couldn’t stop when tried. Definitely gained anxiety from this event. I did get the part replaced however I’m concerned for the engine and any possible damage that may have been caused. I still have the original part to the vehicle as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and flashing. While in the park position, the shift to park message was displayed. The vehicle was slow to move. While adding fuel to the tank, the fuel would bubble at the top and stop. While driving approximately 35 mph, a 2018 GMC Terrain crashed into the front end of the vehicle. The driver sustained injuries to her hip, soft tissue, lower back, whiplash, and neck and medical attention was provided. There was a police report filed. There was no reported fire or air bag deployment. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Medical attention | 20,000 |
| Dec 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | I got P2138 code, i replaced the accelerator pedal on my cost because the dealer told me my car VIN is not include in the recall, the code keep coming back even after replacing the pedal. The problem it happen two time were I was driving on thruway "65 mph" the speed suddenly reduced to less than 30 mph which put me and the other drivers safety in dangerous situation | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | STRUCTURE | The contact called on behalf of his daughter who owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that his daughter informed him that she had noticed moisture on the inside of the windows and the front and rear windshields. Additionally, the contact stated that the third brake light was not properly secured in place. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the third brake light needed to be replaced. The contact also stated that there was water leaking into the trunk. The contact stated that upon investigating the cause of the failure, he determined that the water leak might have originated from the third brake light. The contact stated that the failure had caused mold to develop inside the vehicle. The contact related the failure to GM Technical Service Bulletin Numbers: 20-NA-126 (Water Leak in Rear Compartment) and PIC5822E (Water on Front Floor and/or Carpet). The dealer informed the contact that the owner was responsible for the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 54,000 |
| Dec 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Suddenly loss of power at cruising speeds. Trouble with acceleration and loss of power. Unresponsiveness from the engine. The Check Engine Light illuminate, OBD2 call for code P2138. The speed stuck at 30 m/h on the 65 m/h thruway which cause unsafe situation for me and other drivers on the road. When googling this issue on the internet, reviews show it is common problem in this model. GM refuses to fix this issue at their cost because "according to the VIN number of my car, it is not included in the recall list" which it does not make sense. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | On Nov. 18th 2022 while driving on county Rd at 55mph I slowed to make a left turn. As I went to accelerate at about 30mph the vehicle lost power, I pulled over shut off the vehicle. I started the vehicle and the engine symbol appeared, I continued to drive, I had power so I entered the interstate. About 2 min. of driving The vehicle went from 70mph to 40mph. I pulled into a dealership to see if I could get the vehicle looked at. They said they were booked up that it would be about ten days. I continued to my destination there were no other issues beside the engine light staying on. At a half tank of gas I filled up, when I went to leave the The engine light was off. No other issues since. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Was driving to work when suddenly my check engine light comes on and I get a warning reading “reduce power to engine” could feel the power literally reduce. Car won’t go pass 30MPH could hear the engine trying to accelerate but struggling too. This is the second time it happens, have noticed other complain about this on going issue with 2016-2018 models | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | I keep getting a reoccurring message saying Engine Speed reduced, I can be driving going 60+MPH and randomly My car speed is reduced. This is becoming a safety issue as i have noticed this is a ongoing issue wit the 2016-2018 Chevy Malibu's. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while the vehicle was in a park, he noticed that a warning light indicating that the vehicle was not in park was illuminated. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a knocking noise at the rear-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000. The VIN was not included. | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,000 |
| Dec 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Please see General Motors Technical Service Bulletin 19NA206.745.57. There is a problem that occurs with the transmission shifter. Even though the driver has shifted into Park, the switch inside the shifter assembly triggers a message "Shift to Park." At times, the ignition cannot be turned off and the driver has to keep trying. My Malibu was affected by this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I paid a significant amount to have my car fixed after bringing it initially the first time in May. Since then I have had to return my car multiple times every other month because the engine light continues to come on and they don’t know why. I have worked directly with JR and have gotten no result. The engine light continues to come on and they continue to not be able to know why, they keep my car for multiple days and can’t explain why the light is on or what they did to remove it and then it comes on a few days or months later with the same issue that they cannot explain. I bought my car in over five times already I have contacted corporate to no avail. When I brought it back the second time they claimed a bunch of things were wrong with it that weren’t wrong the first time, every time there is a new issue but they can’t describe what is the cause of the issue or can they give me an explanation on what keeps happening the last time they claim it was an electrical malfunction but could not explain any details and waited until they were closing to contact me. My engine light has since come back on which means I would have to bring it in again. I contacted corporate they were supposed to call me back, never heard from anyone. I’ve been working directly with JR who I constantly contact and he does not follow up at all or call me back like he says he would and the issue continues to happen and he is very aware of it for my initial review. They have to leave my car there for multiple days to not get updates to not get any information, they don’t look at it they don’t even know what’s going on with it, it doesn’t even make any sense at all now I’m driving a car that could potentially be unsafe and I’m bringing it to the only dealership that is closest to me Chevrolet and they can’t even help. My car is a 2018 Chevy Malibu that I take extremely good care of yet no one knows why the engine light keeps coming on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Brake Power Booster, vehicle not starting. Not catching, brakes when completely out couldn’t stop | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |