Complaint volume
679 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
679 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by component category.
Buyer interpretation
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
679 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
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.
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 is available on 303 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 47,477 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
679 total complaints on record
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY GOING ABOUT 50 MPH AND I STARTED TO ACCELERATE AND AS I HIT 55 MPH I GOT AN ERROR MESSAGE READING, 'ENGINE POWER REDUCED' AND THE ABS LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHT BOTH LIT UP. I ALSO COULD NOT ACCELERATE ANY LONGER. I PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED ABOUT 3 MINUTES AND TURNED THE CAR BACK ON, I DID NOT GET A MESSAGE HOWEVER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL WAS LIT BUT NOT THE ABS LIGHT. I DROVE TO AN AUTOZONE GOT HE CODE READ AND IT WAS P2138. I LOOKED UP ONLINE AND IT SEEMS AS IF THOUSANDS ALSO HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH 2016-2018 MALIBU'S AND CRUZES. I'M ALSO AWARE GM HAS HAD A LAWSUIT AGAINST THEM OVER THIS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 76,000 |
| Jan 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | WHEN I'M SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AWAITING MY TURN TO PROCEED WITH MY FOOT ON THE BREAK THE CAR IS FINE. AFTER SITTING AT THE LIGHT AND IT'S TIME TO DRIVE, I REMOVE MY FOOT FROM THE BREAK AND MY CAR SHUTS COMPLETELY OFF. WHEN I APPLY A LITTLE GAS THE CAR TURNS BACK ON AND IT MALFUNCTIONS EVEN MORE. MY DASH BOARD GOES HAYWIRE WITH DIFFERENT ERROR MESSAGES. IT SAYS THE FUEL IS LOW WHICH IT IS NOT, I COULD HAVE A FULL TANK. THE BACK DOOR IS UNLOCKED, I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT MESSAGE BEFORE UNTIL THE MALFUNCTION. MY BLINKER TONE EVEN CHANGES AND MY CAR IS RELUCTANT TO ACCELERATE. THIS HAS OCCURRED TWICE NOW. | Crash: No Fire: No | 29,000 |
| Jan 2021 | ENGINE | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND WAS UNABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MOUNTAIN VIEW CHEVROLET, INC. (1079 W FOOTHILL BLVD UPLAND, CA 91786, (909) 353-7103) WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 60,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Jan 2021 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TRACKING LIGHT, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP , LOW ENGINE AND CAN'T EXCEED 45 ~ 50 MPH ALL HAPPENS WHEN IN MOTION | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Jan 2021 | STEERING | 2018 CHEVROLET MALIBU LT, WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED ON A FLAT SMOOTH ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL WILL STICK IN THE STRAIGHT POSITION. IT REQUIRES EXTRA EFFORT TO BREAK FREE FROM THIS POSITION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO JERK AND EXTRA CORRECTION IS NEEDED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN CONTROL. IT HAS HAPPENED ALMOST EVERYDAY SINCE BEGINNING OF JANUARY 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | 49,600 |
| Jan 2021 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | WHILE GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON MY 2018 MALIBU, I RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION ON MY DASH THAT SAID MY ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER. AFTER CLEARING THE NOTIFICATION, MY CAR DROPPED IN MPH AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 60MPH. AFTER A MINUTE OR TWO AFTER THAT, MY MPH DROPPED AGAIN AND I COULDN'T GO FASTER THAN 25 MPH WHILE MY RPMS WERE SPIKING AT 4000. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC WHO SAID THE ACCELERATION SENSOR IS BAD AND I HAD TO REPLACE MY ACCELERATOR AND WAS FOREWARNED THAT THIS IS IS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S A FACTORY DEFECT. I KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM GIVEN THERE'S A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALREADY OUT THERE. BUT I WANTED TO ADD TO THE MASSES SO CHEVY IS FORCED TO FIX THIS ISSUE BEFORE PEOPLE GET SERIOUSLY HURT. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2021 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | SO MANY ISSUES, CAR CURRENTLY NOT STARTING. CODES WERE FOR BRAKE BOOSTER AND MAF SENSORS, REPLACED BOTH. STILL WON'T START. OPEN RECALL EMC, CALLED DEALERSHIP, THEY STATED RECALL IS FREE BUT SINCE IT WON'T START I HAVE TO PAY 125 SO THEY CAN HOOK IT TO COMPUTER. SHIFT TO GEAR HAPPENS WEEKLY, CAR WILL BE IN PARK. STABILTRACK CAME ON A FEW TIMES, BUT GOES AWAY. IT TELLS ME ICY CONDITIONS ON EVAN WARM DAYS, DISPLAY WILL GO BLACK BU USUALLY RANDOMLY COMES ON. THE WORST IS THE REDUCED ENGINE MODE. THERE IS NO RHYME OR REASON. I HAVE BEEN ON THE STREET DOING ABOUT 35 MPH AND IT DOES IT ALSO ON HIGHWAY AT HIGH SPEEDS WITH 4 KIDS IN THE CAR, TERRIFYING AND DANGEROUS. I AM SURE I'M FORGETTING THINGS I HAVE JUST COME TO NOT FEEL SAFE OR COMFORTABLE DRIVING THIS CAR, LOCAL DEALERSHIP IS NO HELP. TOOK A PICTURE OF ONE OF THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED BUT THAT WAS 20000 MILES AGO, HAPRNS RANDOMLY AND ALMOST IN CLUSTERS. I CAN GO A MONTH OR 2 WITH NOTHING AND THEN IT'S 2-4 TIMES A DAY FOR A FEW DAYS OR WEEKS, AND THEN STOPS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 55,000 |
| Jan 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | TWO TIMES MY VEHICLE HAS DISPLAYED ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WELL AND MY VEHICLE SPEED WAS AUTOMATICALLY REDUCE TO ABOUT 20 MPH ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH WITH THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME. THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON THE ENTIRE DAY EVEN AFTER POWERING DOWN MY VEHICLE. ALSO THERE IS A LOUD WATER NOISE WHEN COMING TO A STOP LIKE WATER IS RUNNING THROUGH THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. THIS WATER NOISE OCCURRED WITH MY 2013 MALIBU AS WELL AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.MY VEHICLE IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD NOT BE EXPERIENCING THESE TYPES OF ISSUES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 49,000 |
| Jan 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | WHEN DRIVING, MESSAGE WILL APPEAR ON DASH STATING THAT ENGINE POWER IS REDUCED. MY CAR WILL GO IN TO LIMP MODE, AND WILL NOT INCREASE HIGHER THAN ABOUT 340 RPM, AND CANNOT ACCELERATE FASTER THAN 25 MPH. SOMETIMES I HAVE BEEN I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE AND RESTART MY ENGINE, AND THIS ERROR WILL GO AWAY. THERE WERE A COUPLE TIMES WHERE THIS ERROR DID NOT IMMEDIATELY GO AWAY AFTER RESTARTING MY ENGINE AND I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE HOME AT 25 MPH. LUCKILY I HAVE NO BEEN REAR ENDED YET, BUT THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND IS FREQUENT WITH 2018 MALIBU'S ACCORDING TO SEVERAL ONLINE ARTICLES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Jan 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | REDUCED ENGINE POWER LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND LOSS OF POWER OCCURED. THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING, BUT IT SLOWED DOWN TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY. BATTERY AND ELECTRIC SYSTEM WAS STILL ON, BUT THE DASH AND EVERYTHING ELSE DIMMED OUT AS WELL. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND VEHICLE WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH. | Crash: No Fire: No | 52,508 |
| Jan 2021 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | REDUCE POWER MESSAGE APPEARED WHILE IN TRAFFIC REDUCING SPEED DRAMATICALLY. WAS NOT ABLE TO GO MORE THAN 13 MPH IN A 50MPH ZONE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Dec 2020 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | TAKING MY FIANC TO THE AIRPORT SO THAT HE CAN REPORT FOR DUTY AND THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY COMES TO A SPEED OF 20MPH ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSE A VEHICLE BEHIND ME TO COME TO A CLOSE CONTACT WITH MY CAR. REPLACED SENSOR AND PEDAL AS INSTRUCTED BECAUSE I AM FRESH OUT OF MY WARRANTY AND A MONTH LATER. THE ISSUE RETURNED. I CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY 200 TO 500 EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS OR MO THE TO FIX THIS ISSUE. CHEVY IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND HAS ELECTED TO DO NOTHING. IT HAS BEEN REOCCURRING IN2016 TO 2018 VEHICLES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,000 |
| Dec 2020 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | MY CAR RANDOMLY DISPLAYED A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD THAT SAID "ENGINE POWER REDUCED" TRACTION LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED AND IT BROUGHT MY SPEED LIMIT TO AROUND 20 WHILE I WAS ON A BUSY STREET. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND GOT THE POWER BACK BUT HAS DONE IT 3 MORE TIME IN 2 DAYS. VERY SCARY WITH 2 BABIES IN THE CAR. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,200 |
| Dec 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | IN MAY OF 2020 I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP IN WOODBRIDGE,VA FOR A ECM RECALL ON MY VEHICLE. AFTER WAITING FOR THEM TO DO THE RECALL THEY STATED NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. FROM OCTOBER TO CURRENT MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING EVERYTHING THAT WAS STATED IN THE RECALL WHICH LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEY NEVER CHANGED THE PART. MY VEHICLE HAS SHUT OFF ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ALMOST CAUSING ME A ACCIDENT AND MOST DAYS NOW IT WON'T EVEN START. I GOT MY BATTERY CHECKED OUT AND MY BATTERY TESTED 100% SO I KNOW THAT WASN'T THE PROBLEM. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID I WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO GET THAT PART REPLACED. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY WHEN IT'S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SINCE THE RECALL, SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. -THANK YOU! | Crash: No Fire: No | 57,900 |
| Dec 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | WHEN PUT IN PARK A MESSAGE SHOWS SHIFT TO PARK. I HAVE TO SHOVE IT INTO PARK BEFORE CAR WOULD TURN OFF. WHEN STOPPING AND MAKING TURNS THERE IS A SLOUSHING SOUND (WATER) COMING FROM THE DASH. I GOT BOTH ITEMS FIXED OUT OF MY OWN POCKET BECAUSE MY EXTENDED WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE AIR POCKET BUT IT DID COVER SHIFT TO PARK WITH A $50 DEDUCTIBLE. I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW SO NOT SURE WHY ALL THESE PROBLEMS ARE HAPPENING. I KNOW SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. THESE ITEMS NEED TO BE RECALLED AND I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED SEEING THE CAR IS ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. | Crash: No Fire: No | 37,403 |
| Dec 2020 | POWER TRAIN | ANY TIME I'VE USED MY CRUISE CONTROL AFTER MY CAR HAD BEEN SERVICED FOR THE INITIAL RECALL FOR THE ECM OVER A YEAR AGO, I KEEP GETTING THE 'REDUCED ENGINE POWER' NOTIFICATION. THIS ISSUE DIDN'T BEGIN UNTIL AFTER THE PART WAS REPLACED. I'VE TRIED TAKING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY CAN'T FIX ANYTHING WHEN THE LIGHT ISN'T ACTIVE. I'VE JUST STOPPED USING THE CRUISE CONTROL FEATURE BUT I'VE BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE WHILE THE REDUCED ENGINE POWER NOTIFICATION COMES ON AND MY CAR SLOWS. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE REDUCED POWER LIGHT, ENGINE LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON. THE POWER WAS REDUCED AND WE PULLED OVER, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. WE STARTED IT AGAIN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO GAIN SPEED TO GET BACK IN TRAFFIC. THIS HAPPENED ONCE A FEW WEEKS AGO AND TWICE TODAY. IT'S VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS. WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GET OFF THE ROAD. IF TRAFFIC WOULD HAVE BEEN HEAVY IT MAY NOT HAVE TURNED OUT THIS WAY. THIS IS MY SECOND MALIBU WITH THIS PROBLEM. WE HAD IT REPAIRED IN OUR 2016 MALIBU AND THE DEALERSHIP SPLIT THE COST OF THE REPAIRS. THIS TELLS US THEY KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM. | Crash: No Fire: No | 53,800 |
| Dec 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WHEN PUT IN PARK, VEHICLE DOES NOT RECOGNIZE IT IS IN PARK UPON ENGINE SHUT OFF AND WILL NOT CUT THE ELECTRIC SIGNAL TO THE CAR. SOMETIMES RESTARTING THE ENGINE WORKS BUT I HAVE HAD TO DRIVE AT LEAST A BLOCK RECENTLY TO GET THE ELECTRIC SIGNAL TO CUT OFF. IT HAS OCCURED SEVERAL TIMES IN MY VEHICLE STARTING ON DECEMBER 24TH 2020 | Crash: No Fire: No | 79,446 |
| Dec 2020 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | WHEN DRIVING THE CAR IT WILL LOSE PROPULSION AND POWER. AT ONE POINT IT ALMOST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. I TOOK THE CAR FOR INSPECTION TO CHEVROLET DEALER BUT I WAS TOLD THEY WILL TAKE WEEKS TO FIND THE EXACT ISSUE. IT ALSO HAS A SAFETY RECALL WHICH WASN'T PERFORMED DURING MY APPOINTMENT. I WAS TOLD TO COME BACK IF I SEE ENGINE LIGHT WITHOUT IT THEY CAN'T DO MUCH. I USE MY CAR EVERY DAY TO GET TO WORK AND NOW I FEEL UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING IT. MY CHEVROLET MALIBU IS OF THE YEAR 2018 WITH ONLY 30K MILES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Dec 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | THE CAR SAYS IT'S NOT IN PARK WHEN YOU SHUT IT OFF. THE FOB SEEMS TO NOT RESPOND SOMETIMES. SOMETIMES IT WON'T START AND TELLS YOU TO PUT IT INTO THE CENTER CONSOLE POCKET BUT IT STILL WON'T RESPOND. IT WILL SAY THERE IS NO FOB IN THE CAR. I REPLACED THE BATTERY TO MAKE SURE THAT WASN'T THE ISSUE. EVEN WITH THE FOB IN THE CAR, IT SET OFF THE ALARM WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. IT TOOK ALMOST 5 MINUTES FOR IT TO RESPOND TO SHUT THE ALARM OFF BUT IT WOULD LET ME LOCK THE DOORS WHILE SITTING INSIDE IT. SO IT REGISTERS THE UNLOCK AND LOCKING MECHANISM BUT NOTHING ELSE SOMETIMES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |
| Dec 2020 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | THIS IS THE 3RD TIME FOR HE SAME ISSUE. AFTER A COLD START THE ENGINE WILL START MISSING ON A CYL WHICH RESULTS IN A HUGE DECREASE IN POWER AND RUNNING ROUGH. THIS LAST TIME, ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. JUST LIKE THE OTHER TIMES, IF YOU STOP AND RESTART THE CAR, THE ISSUE GOES WAY. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, NO CODES AND THEY COULDNT REPLICATE THE ISSUE AND NOTHING WAS DONE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2020 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | ON DECEMBER 2, 2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 545PM I WAS LEAVING THE BILOXI CSPIRE STORE AND AS I DROVE ABOUT HALF A MILE, THE CAR COMPLETELY WENT HAYWIRE. ALL THE INSTRUMENTS WENT CRAZY AND THEN I HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL AND THE CAR HAD NO POWER.. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET THE CAR IN A SAFE SPOT AND MYSELF OUT OF DANGER SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY ROAD. I TRIED TO TURN AND GET OFF ROAD AND CAR HAD NO BRAKES AT ALL AND NO POWER. THEN ONCE I WAS ABLE TO GET IN A PARKING LOT THE CAR AND SAFE. I TRIED CRANKING THE CAR 2 OR THREE TIMES AND ALL IT WOULD DO IS TURN OVER ARE MAKING A STARTING NOISE AND WOULDNT STOP. THE BRAKES WERE HARD AS A ROCK AND WOULD NOT DEPRESS AT ALL. | Crash: No Fire: No | 83,000 |
| Dec 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WHILE DRIVING MY CAR AT 70MPH ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF ON ME AND STARTED BACK UP. THIS WAS VERY SCARY, THANKFULLY I WAS IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE AND NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME AT THE TIME. I WAS THINKING IT WAS A BATTERY ISSUE BUT AFTER GETTING MY BATTERY CHECKED THAT SEEMED TO NOT BE THE CASE. THE SAME PROBABLY HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AFTER WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND TAKES A FEW MINUTES TO RESTART CAUSING OTHER PEOPLE IN VEHICLES TO BLOW THEIR HORN OR CURSE ME OUT WHILE GOING AROUND ME! I DID GET A WARNING SIGN ON DASHBOARD THAT STATES STABILITRAC. I DID TAKE IT INTO THE SHOP TODAY BUT FEAR THE OUTCOME WILL NOT BE RESOLVED. I'M JUST TOO SCARED TO DRIVE MY CAR AT THIS POINT IN THE FEAR OF AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN CAUSE THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS AT UNPREDICTABLE TIMES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 39,000 |
| Dec 2020 | POWER TRAIN | WHILE DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH ALERT "REDUCED ENGINE POWER". THE IDLE IS HIGH. PLACED CAR IN PARK AND THE ENGINE KEEPS REVVING ON ITS OWN. | Crash: No Fire: No | 40,254 |
| Dec 2020 | ENGINE | THE ENGINE LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND SAYS ENGINE POWER REDUCE. I HAD A RECALL TO NHTSA DONE, BUT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND VEHICLE STALLS LIKE ITS SHUTTING OFF OR WON'T PICK UP SPEED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 60,000 |