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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | No warnings was given.it was scary.my car lost power to 20 mph it drove to where I was able to safely get off the road gave me error messages to shutting down. I sure don't want this happening to others | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | When I put my car in park a notice comes up in my dashboard saying “shift to park” even though when I take my foot off the break it’s in parked. I took it to a Chevy dealer and said it will $500+ to fix. I have asked 5 other people with my same car (2018 or 2019) and they have the same issue. Now my car is having issues when shifting gears. There seems to be a delay in gear shifts when I go from drive to reverse or to park. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The third brake light cracked for unknown reasons in several spots. This has caused water to leak in and damage the ceiling/interior. It is just one of several issues that have happened since purchasing this vehicle brand new in 2018. It has singlehandedly been the worst vehicle that I have ever purchased as it has been unreliable, dangerous (shift to park, reduced engine power, etc) and costly with repairs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | My check engine light will come on, a message will pop up on the screen saying, "steering assist reduced drive with care." When i come to a stop and my car goes into auto stop the car will completely shut down. This can be in the middle of the street or during traffic. It will take my car awhile to start back up. I was told it is a sensor that is going bad consistently, this has happened to me 3 times. This is a known issue with a lot of Chevy Malibu. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Underlying fuel pump went out | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle shut down in traffic lost all power as I'm pushing my Vehicle to a safe location in neutral it starts back up without me starting it there was a recall for this year make and model the recall numbers are N192221960 NHTSA # 19V642 Date Issued: Sep 06, 2019 those problems are infact the same issues I am having | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 75 MPH AND I WENT TO HIT THE BRAKES AND THEY DIDNT WORK I HAD TO TAKE MY FEET OFF THE GAS AND LET IT STOP ON ITS ON AND IT WAS SCARY. I GLAD TO BE ALIVE. AND WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN PARK IT STATED THE I NEEDED TO SHIFT TO PARK AND I COULDNT CUT THE CAR OFF SO AFTER CALLING SOMEONE TO COME GET ME FROM OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE RIDE. I HAD TO KEEP PUTTING THE GEAR IN PARK FOR IT TO GO IN PARK ANF THE MESSAGE WENT AWAY BUT IT KEEPS COMING ON. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | The auto start stop function malfunctioning at a red light, causing vehicle to turn off completely. Vehicle will turn on once the brake is released. The transmission is slipping as well switching from first gear to second gear and causing a delay in departure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed with the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard, the vehicle failed to reduce speed. As a result, he collided with the vehicle in the right lane on the rear driver's side. No air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, but no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the engine vacuum pump, resulting in a lack of vacuum for the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number 18V576000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 75,000 |
| Jul 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3rd brake light cracked on both sides. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | Back up camera display screen on the dashboard repeatedly fails to display a visual view of the vehicle when the vehicle is placed in reverse. The dashboard display screen only shows a solid blue image 90% of the time. (Image attached) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I drive my car everyday as usual but here lately my car shuts off while I’m driving and my dash goes completely black and I have no power and it doesn’t start back up | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | LANE DEPARTURE | On July 7, 2023, my Aunt was in a car accident that caused severe injuries to her body, face, and head. Her car is totaled. She believes the car's Lane Keep or Lane Departure systems are the cause of the accident. She has asked me to assist with reporting the accident and wants an investigation done. She received an "Lane Departure" warning about 3 days prior to the accident and again on the morning of the accident when she started the vehicle. She is unsure what the exact message said. When the accident occurred, she states she was vigilant, alert, and focused on driving. She was not on the phone and did not have any other distractions in the car at the time. She was driving on the Hwy when all of a sudden the car jerked her violently out of the lane and into a bridge. The car bounced off the bridge and ended up a ways down the road on the other side. She has a concussion, fractured sternum, fractured sinuses, cuts, bruises, and other injuries. Q. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? A. Yes, the vehicle is at the junk yard Q. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? A. Severe bodily damage Q. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? A. unknown Q. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? A. We are looking into how to engage the manufacturer and others Q. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? A. Yes, warning approximately 3 days before the accident and the morning of the accident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN | When the car is shifted into "Park", then I attempt to turn the car off, the car turns off partially, but the electrical system stays on and a message saying "! - Shift to Park" appears on the screen. The car cannot be turned off or locked, and it takes multiple attempts of fulling restarting the car (so the shift interlock system unlocks) and shifting gears until the vehicle recognizes that it's in park and will allow itself to be turned off fully. This issue takes at least a few minutes per incident to resolve. If it's not resolved, the car cannot lock and the battery drains. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | My brake vacuum pump seized while driving in the far left lane on the freeway. My car began to lose power and my rpms dropped and rose back up quickly making my car lunge forward and back quickly multiple times. My check engine light came on and a warning saying my engine was losing power flashed across the dash.I exited the freeway and pulled over to a safe location, when attempting to stop my car I noticed that the breakes were stiff and would not move and I had to push the emergency break to stop the car completely. I had my car full of family members and all of us were extremely sacred and worried for our safety and those of others around us as the speed was no longer under my control. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS | The contact owned a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after her husband entered traffic at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was struck on the front driver's side by another vehicle at 45 MPH. The air bags did not deploy as a result of the collision. No warning lights were displayed on the instrument panel. A police report was filed, and three individuals were treated for injuries: the driver of the vehicle was treated for a broken collar bone, the passenger of the vehicle was treated for bruising, and the driver of the other vehicle was treated for undisclosed injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 3 Towed | 70,000 |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | While driving on the highway my dashboard displayed a warning of “reduced power steering “, engine light came off and on, loss of speed , and “stabilitracking” light came on. Brakes also vibrated badly as if they were unable to hold a grip. I was unable to accelerate and was really in danger. The car was taken immediately to the dealership where they replaced the battery and told me it was repaired. On my return from the airport the next morning at 4:30 the same lights and warnings displayed on the dash once again and I had it towed immediately to the dealership. We are now 3 days in and I have gotten no explanation as to what is going on with my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | SHIFT TO PARK BUT VEHICLE US IN PARK ENGINE CONTROL MODULE, CAUSING ENGIBE POWER TO BE DROPPED REDUCED | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN | DIC shows service shift to park. Don't know for sure that car is in park. Dealer confirmed the problem. Dealer has replaced shift lock switch and jumper harness for over $500. DIC stated shift to park after the car was in park. Audio warnings. Has occurred intermittently for about 4 weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle will not shut off when in park. Vehicle displays a "Park to Shift" message although Vehicle is in park. This causes the vehicle to not shut down completely and if it takes to long to shut off the battery will die. It can take anywhere from 2 minutes to all day to get it to shut off. This is a known problem among many GM Chevy owners and needs to be recognized as a recall. This issue happens everytime vehicle is shut off and put in to park which can be frustrating. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | While I was driving, the entire accelerator pedal mechanism fell to the ground. My mechanic told me it is because the accelerator pedal mechanism is a bad design, including too small of a bolt, and I had to have it reattached to the car. The accelerator pedal functioned, but it was incredibly dangerous because it was on the floor and couldn't be practically used. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | when turning off it says shift into park have to restart and shift again to park has been recurring more and more. rear makes a rubbing/popping sound when driving and backing up. took it to the shop they tell me it's a defect that Chevrolet knows about. i believe if they know about it it should be corrected. ive only had the car 10 months and these problems are coming up. ive only put 3000 miles on it in 10 months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car keeps saying shift to park after being in park. Does not allow car to turn off at all. I literally sat in the car for 30 minutes trying to get it to work. I just purchaswd this car in January and this should not be happening. Please assist | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN | vehicle not in park error on display , when the vehicle has been put in park. have to flick the shift lever a couple of times for the error to go away, wont let you shut vehicle off, wont let you start the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | After shifting gear into park, notification on instrument panel reads Shift to Park. The vehicle does not completely turn off. This happens intermittently and is becoming more frequent. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |