Reliable Auto DB

2014 Chevrolet Malibu reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 363 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu over 13 years — 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Malibu years here — over the median of the other years, which is 14. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Ignition, Sunroof, and Vacuum.

2012 Chevrolet Malibu
Photo by Kevauto, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

363

Per year

25

Recalls

6

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (127 of 363), then Electrical system (88) and Powertrain (53). Those filings include 19 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, 11 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Malibu has 922 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2015 has 270 complaints, 16 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall electrical system, ignition 2016-07-05 · NHTSA campaign 16V502000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Recall visibility, sunroof 2015-03-23 · NHTSA campaign 15V164000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles October 24, 2011, to March 5, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Slide or Tilt switch for the roof panel may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from inadvertently being pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software to remove auto-close feature for certain switch positions, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15176.
Recall hydraulic brakes, power assist, vacuum 2014-05-14 · NHTSA campaign 14V247000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through May 2, 2014, and equipped with a 2.5L engine with the auto stop/start option. The affected vehicles may experience a complete loss of brake vacuum assist, disabling the hydraulic boost assist. As such, these vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic brake control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 3, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020. General Motors number for this recall is 14201.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc 2014-05-08 · NHTSA campaign 14V240000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Lacrosse vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 31, 2014 and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured February 7, 2014, through March 31, 2014, and equipped with 17 inch front brake rotors. The affected vehicles may have had brake rotors intended for the rear of the car accidentally installed on the front. The rear rotors, while the same diameter, are thinner and may result in a front brake pad detaching from the caliper.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake rotors, and install the correct rotors with new brake pads, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 20, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14128.
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2014-02-21 · NHTSA campaign 14V092000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Remedy General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Recall visibility, defroster and HVAC 2013-11-13 · NHTSA campaign 13V567000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.

Complaints by component (363 total)

Engine
127
Electrical system
88
Powertrain
53
Service brakes
46
Electronic stability control (ESC)
36
Steering
26
Fuel and propulsion system
24
Wheels
19
Speed control
17
Air bags
16
Visibility and wipers
12
Structure
11
Visibility
11
Suspension
9
Seat belts
7
Seats
6
Exterior lighting
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Engine and engine cooling
3
Tires
3
Fuel system, gasoline
2
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Show 14 more Show less
Crash-flagged

19

Fire-flagged

8

Injury reports

11

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

33201422201520201620201734201860201967202022202123202214202321202421202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Defrost on car suddenly stopped working. Defrost is on, motor is running yet windows are not defrosting causing minimal visibility"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-10
  • "The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-50 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. There was no warning…"
    Steering, Suspension · filed 2026-08-17
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu. It was later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle mileage was 177,918. The contact had owned the vehicle since 2022. After scanning the…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-03-09
  • "I haven’t been in an accident or even tapped anything with my vehicle but a system warning stating the airbags may be malfunctioning continuously flashed on the driver dashboard and now my “check engine” warning light…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-02-15
  • "2014 Chevrolet Malibu LS ECO , has a start/stop system that will shut off the engine at a traffic light or stop sign upon reaching a full stop and when the brake pedal is firmly pressed. Upon releasing the brake pedal…"
    Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-02-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2014 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco eAssist 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Malibu 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700
Malibu 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 36 29 MPG $2250
Malibu eAssist 2.4L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 35 28 MPG $2300

Specs and fitment

8th generation, 2012–2015
Body styles Sedan
Oil 5W-30 (most engines); 5W-20 (2.4L where specified) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 215/60R16 to 235/50R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 15V-164 covers certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles: the slide or tilt switch for the roof panel may not be recessed enough, so the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly and increase pinch-injury risk; dealers update Body Control Module software to remove auto-close for certain switch positions. Recall 13V-024 covers certain 2013 Malibu vehicles: one or more rear suspension bolts may not have been tightened to specification, which can cause sudden handling changes; dealers inspect and retighten the bolts.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Next year 2015 Chevrolet Malibu See every Chevrolet Malibu model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?

Owners have filed 363 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu over 13 years — 25 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Malibu years here — over the median of the other years, which is 14. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Ignition, Sunroof, and Vacuum.

What are common problems with a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (127 of 363), then Electrical system (88) and Powertrain (53). Those filings include 19 that report a crash, 8 that report a fire, 11 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Malibu has 922 complaints, 57 per year, and the 2015 has 270 complaints, 16 per year. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013. The 2014 has more complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu been recalled?

The 2014 Chevrolet Malibu has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu?

Owners have filed 363 complaints about the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Chevrolet Malibu get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu is 27 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When did the current Chevrolet Malibu body style debut?

The 9th-generation Malibu launched for the 2016 model year (2016-2025).

What engine oil does a Chevrolet Malibu use?

5W-30 (most engines); 5W-20 (2.4L where specified)

What does NHTSA recall 15V-164 cover on the Chevrolet Malibu?

Recall 15V-164 covers certain 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles: the slide or tilt switch for the roof panel may not be recessed enough, so the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly and increase pinch-injury risk; dealers update Body Control Module software to remove…