Reliable Auto DB

2017 Chevrolet Malibu reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 724 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu over 10 years — 71 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 4 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Occupant classification, and Fuel pump.

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

724

Per year

71

Recalls

4

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (256 of 724), then Electrical system (172) and Powertrain (144). Those filings include 17 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Malibu has 75 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2018 has 697 complaints, 73 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

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 2017 Chevrolet Malibu. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall seat belts, critical fasteners 2021-08-20 · NHTSA campaign 21V649000
Summary General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.
Recall air bags, sensor, occupant classification 2018-06-14 · NHTSA campaign 18V400000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.
Recall Fuel pump 2018-05-31 · NHTSA campaign 18V358000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
Recall air bags, side and window 2016-12-02 · NHTSA campaign 16V870000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2017. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16146.

Complaints by component (724 total)

Engine
256
Electrical system
172
Powertrain
144
Speed control
136
Service brakes
67
Fuel and propulsion system
59
Electronic stability control (ESC)
54
Steering
47
Exterior lighting
22
Structure
21
Air bags
15
Suspension
10
Visibility and wipers
8
Forward collision avoidance
7
Seat belts
7
Wheels
7
Seats
6
Engine and engine cooling
5
Hydraulic brakes
5
Back-over prevention
3
Fuel system, gasoline
3
Lane departure
2
Equipment
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Show 16 more Show less
Crash-flagged

17

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

10

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

13201752201814720191422020952021982022552023462024582025182026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Turbo cooler and turbocharger failure, diagnosis and replacement on February 4 and February 17, 2026 by a certified GM dealership. Replacement of these parts was not included in service bulletin N222372590 (issued…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The vehicle is experiencing an apparent fuel-system malfunction. The vehicle has a very strong raw gasoline odor, significant difficulty starting, and appears to be consuming fuel at an abnormally high rate. After…"
    Electrical system, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-29
  • "I have a 2017 Chevy Malibu that in 2022 had a shift malfunction causing it to become stuck in reverse and roll backwards. It ended up having to be towed and was repaired in May 2022. On August 25 and 26, 2026 the car is…"
    Steering · filed 2026-08-26
  • "While driving my 2017 Chevrolet Malibu LT equipped with the 1.5L turbocharged engine, the brake vacuum pump failed due to the pump’s mechanical drive/tang shearing. The failure resulted in loss of vacuum assistance to…"
    Service brakes · filed 2026-08-15
  • "Transmission has been slipping since the day I bought the car in 2023 approximately at 90,000 miles, I have been keeping up with the manufactured recommendations on the transmission and march of 2026 I went to move the…"
    Seats, Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-10

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 Chevrolet Malibu Eco e-Assist 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 9-speed Front-wheel drive 22 33 26 MPG $3050
Malibu 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150
Malibu hybrid 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 49 43 46 MPG $1400

Specs and fitment

9th generation, 2016–2025
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (1.5L turbo and 2.0L turbo); 5W-30 (hybrid where equipped) , 5.3 qt capacity
Tire size 205/65R16 to 245/45R18 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-668 covers certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles among other GM models: the start/stop transmission accumulator end cap may have missing bolts, which can lead to a transmission fluid leak and possible loss of propulsion. Dealers inspect the accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing. The published unit count for this campaign is shared across multiple GM nameplates, not Malibu alone.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Next year 2018 Chevrolet Malibu See every Chevrolet Malibu model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?

Owners have filed 724 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu over 10 years — 71 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 4 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Occupant classification, and Fuel pump.

What are common problems with a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (256 of 724), then Electrical system (172) and Powertrain (144). Those filings include 17 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Malibu has 75 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2018 has 697 complaints, 73 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2018.

Has the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu been recalled?

The 2017 Chevrolet Malibu has 4 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 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?

Owners have filed 724 complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu is 34 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…