Complaint volume
689 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
689 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by component category.
689 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
689 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the "Shift to Park" message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact attempted multiple maneuvers to turn off the vehicle and was eventually successful. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for service. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 25,000 |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving 35 mph when the message "reduced engine power" and it noticably slowed down. The check engine light is still on. I researched recalls/problems with the 2018 Chevy Malibu and this is one major one I found. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | 8 months ago brakes failed, you could stop but they were hard and stretched stopping distance, vacuum pump failure was the cause, when it failed it broke apart and sent parts into the engine, (valve cover ). Replaced vacuum pump removed valve cover and fished out the broken pieces, was lucky on this occasion, fast forward 8 months later , the mother of my kids was on freeway and car completely died,, got it to dealer and was informed, vacuum pump failed again sending metal fragments into the valve cover but this time pieces destroyed the cam and caused the reluctor to slip thus causing ecm to shut down engine. I’m concerned with there not being some sort of housing inside the valve cover cupping the side of cam that meets vacuum pump to shield engine components from metal pieces incase vac pump broke into pieces since vacuum pump isn’t part of the engine itself and the torque of cam shaft up against the gear on vac pump is very high, the expectation of parts braking off is highly likely, and there nothing protecting your engine from those fragments.. I’m not the smartest but I would not think a $100 external part could destroy and engine and take your braking function without any warning. I guess if I happen once I wouldn’t think to much into it but for the third time and being extreamly lucky on the first two occasions and taking responsibility for repairs are totally uncalled for , so now I have to replace and engine, WOW... I hope this can be addressed before someone actually gets hurt, I’m so lucky that my kids mother was able to coast off the highway b/c it could have been bad.. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When I come to a complete stop and take back off, my car flashes a warning " steering assist reduced. Drive with care" this just started 4 days ago. Within those 4 days, every time it starts back up all lights flash on then back off. My check engine light has not gone back off since 1 day ago. I have done research and I have realized that this is a common problem for this make and model car. Most complaints regard power steering control. I'm wondering what can be done, because there has not yet been a recall for this issue and it is a complete safety hazard, especially with children in the car. I would hate for any lawsuits to come from something that could have been avoided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | I was leaving the gas station and when I got ready to pull off into traffic the car stalled. Flashed a message saying the automatic steering was disabled or something drive with care. I go out this morning and it won't start at all. It cranks but won't turn. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the brake pedal depressed and it traveled to the floorboard as the vehicle failed to stop without warning. After the failure occurred, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart upon parking the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where they discovered that both the vacuum pump and camshaft sensor were defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 79,000 |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated the vehicle's reduce engine warning light would illuminate at various speeds. The contact would pull over unlock then lock the vehicle in order for the vehicle's warning light to no longer illuminate and to regain proper function. While driving 75 mph when the engine warning light stating reduced speed illuminated. The mph dropped to about 25 mph. The vehicle's OnStar displayed a message stating that the antilock brake system was detected and the vehicle powered off shortly after. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the crankshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that their vehicle was not included in any recall. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | When going to shut off the vehicle the display comes on "shift to park" and will not allow the engine to shut down. Must turn car back on, place into a gear, place into park and turn off power again. This has occurred multiple times over the past few days. It will also take 3 or 4 cycles to finally get the car to shut down completely. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Something draining my battery done put a new battery in it no lights or anything on when I get out been going on for bout 3 months now | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | When I get to a destination and put car in park it says " shift to park" like it's not in park. I have to wiggle my gear shift around for it to go away. Or when I park, I have to give it a forceful push to park. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Most the time I park now, the vehicle does NOT recognize when I shift the vehicle into PARK. The transmission control (the "stick") is positioned correctly, but the vehicle chimes and warns vehicle cannot be turned off until vehicle is in PARK regardless. I am not sure if the vehicle is literally not in PARK, or if the vehicle's system sensors simply are NOT functioning correctly. Usually some jiggling of the stick causes the car to eventually recognize the PARK is engaged, but it is never certain. So far this issue has mostly resulted in inconvenience and annoyance, so no police reports or mechanic investigations yet. But whatever the nature of this malfunctioning PARK, under the right circumstances, this issue could conceivably lead to accidents and deaths if not addressed and repaired soon. I am reminded of Anton Yelchin's SUV crushing him to death after he thought his vehicle was in PARK but the system wasn't working correctly. My vehicle is 4 years old now and this problem only began manifesting recently, perhaps 3-6 months ago. I have searched online and I have found at least two other owners of this same make and model and year have experienced the exact same problem. I suspect this issue could lead to catastrophic problems in the future if not fixed early. Please investigate before things get out of hand. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | I shift my car into park and try to turn off the car, the car stays on and tells me to shift the car to park even though it is already in park. Car is having continuous transmission and emission issues that cannot be resolved by the Chevrolet dealership, resulting in paying lots of money and the engine light and emails from OnStar still appear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ENGINE | On 3 occasions, my vehicle has displayed the message “Engine Power is Reduced.” It has 83, 990 miles. I took it to the dealership to have them check it out, but I was told they couldn’t check it because the check engine light was no longer on. This is a problem because the warning will come on, then the check engine light turns off after the car has been turn off. The Chevy dealership says there is a three day wait for them to conduct a diagnostic, but what are the chances the check engine light will remain on? After having gone through this process on three separate occasions, the check engine light hasn’t appeared the next day. I have read about how others may be experiencing this problem and they do not have some resolution to this kind of problem. My wife generally drives this car, so I fear for her as she travels to and from work. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | AIR BAGS | This vehicle was involved in a crash on the driver side door and now the problem is with the airbag pop up and the HAVC isn’t wanting to work either. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Engine power reduced notification came on the dashboard and car deaccelerated down to less than 25 miles an hour on the highway on multiple occasions. On the last occasion about 2 months ago the notification came on again, the car stalled and would not start up again. This was in ongoing traffic and I could have been seriously injured if people behind me were unable to stop in time. I sat in the middle of traffic for 45 minutes until fire and rescue came and pushed my car out of the road and onto the shoulder until the tow truck came. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | While im driving the stabilitrack warning will pop on then the engine light & immediately after my car will jerk to a almost stop. Then when I try to press on the gas peddle it will go slow but my peddle power goes to a 4. The dealership said it was my tire speed sensors so I got them replaced all to STILL have the same problem. It will also read power stirring not available & shift to park even tho I’m already in park. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | My car keeps saying “shift to park” when it is already in park. I have to keep turning the car back on and off numerous times and shifting the car into another gear and back into park and wiggle the shifter to get it to read that it’s in park. I don’t know if the car is actually in park or not and will roll if I leave it. Also by turning the car on and off multiple times, sometimes 7 to 8, will ruin the starter or cause some other issues. I have not taken to a dealer yet because online reports of same issue in multiple gm cars have said they are replacing with the same faulty part. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated after parking the vehicle, the message Shift to Park was displayed. The contact was unable to turn off the vehicle. The contact reversed, drove forward and shifted into park(P) again. The vehicle then registered that the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while attempting to park the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 20,400. | Crash: No Fire: No | 20,400 |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Getting an error "shift to park" message when parking and trying to shut the vehicle off. Have to now apply the parking brake, shift into gear, and shift back to park to get the vehicle to register in that it is in park to shut off. This error does not allow vehicles to be shut off or even doors locked which could pose a risk of a small child getting into the vehicle in these hot temperatures. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Son was driving my 2018 Malibu with 90,000 miles. Check engine light came on and car reduced speed from 75mph to 40mph on interstate! Autozone reading says replace Variable Camshaft Timing Solenoid. Very dangerous situation. Chevy should have to fix this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My vehicle showed up on a Carfax report as being in an accident in Tennessee on 10/15/2020 when the vehicle was in Iowa on that date. The Chattanooga police report shows this VIN# on a 2002 Chevy Minivan owned by Enterprise Car Rentals with Colorado license plate 266XFH. My vehicle is a 2018 Chevy Malibu sedan purchased from Enterprise March 26, 2019. I do not understand why two vehicles have the same VIN #. Please investigate. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS | Third brake light cracks on left side, resulting in damage to the brake light and letting water leak in through the roof damaging the car's interior, including the rear curtain airbags. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, there was a warning light illuminated and a message stating: Action Required Place Vehicle in Park; however, the vehicle was already in park. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed that the harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,050. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,050 |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with ECM module failure. The dealer informed the contact that the ECM module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 46,285. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 46,285 |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | I’ve brought the car in for the same thing “engine power reduced “ and they never were able to fix has been going on since February of 2019. codes related to the engine power reduced still occurred and are occurring on my vehicle, reported it to Gm ( have the emails) they offer me $2500 for a new car but won’t put it towards fixing this car, as it’s not a guaranteed fix as the vehicle has been brought in over 4-5 times for the same engine power reduced and never fixed it. I received a letter from GM regarding they will cover anything to do with “engine power reduced “ at no charge and now they won’t fix it. The last email gm said to report it to the dealership giving me the run around. This is one of MANY almost got in an accident today on the highway cause I was going 70 and it dropped to 40 out of no where of course with the engine power reduced message. I need help, please. I been going on since I bought the vehicle in 2019. Gm is doing nothing but taken advantage of for years | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |