Reliable Auto DB

2018 Chevrolet Malibu reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu holds 697 complaints after 9 years, a rate of 73 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Malibu years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Automatic transmission, and Electrical system, software.

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

697

Per year

73

Recalls

6

Years on the road

9

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (280 of 697), then Electrical system (191) and Powertrain (170). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 14 that report an injury.

Next to 2017 and 2019

The 2017 Malibu has 724 complaints, 71 per year, and the 2019 has 190 complaints, 13 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

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 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

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 powertrain, automatic transmission 2020-10-29 · NHTSA campaign 20V668000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Recall electrical system, software 2019-09-06 · NHTSA campaign 19V642000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.
Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-08-30 · NHTSA campaign 18V576000
Summary General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Remedy GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 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 18279.
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.

Complaints by component (697 total)

Engine
280
Electrical system
191
Powertrain
170
Speed control
112
Fuel and propulsion system
84
Service brakes
60
Steering
41
Electronic stability control (ESC)
21
Fuel system, gasoline
17
Air bags
14
Suspension
13
Hydraulic brakes
10
Exterior lighting
9
Back-over prevention
7
Structure
7
Engine and engine cooling
6
Forward collision avoidance
5
Visibility and wipers
4
Seat belts
3
Lane departure
2
Other or not sure
2
Seats
2
Tires
2
Visibility
2
Wheels
2
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Show 18 more Show less
Crash-flagged

23

Fire-flagged

4

Injury reports

14

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12017122018852019120202012620211042022842023562024642025452026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Examatory mark appears on the dashboard say that engine speed as reduced"
    Steering, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-09-21
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle while in park(P), the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact shifted in and out of park(P) and wiggled…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-18
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the message "Shift to Park" was displayed on the instrument panel. The gear shifter was shifted back into drive and then…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-09-02
  • "The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the…"
    Fuel system, gasoline, Engine · filed 2026-08-06
  • "I own a 2018 Chevy Malibu. At approximately 57,000 miles, the original engine experienced a vacuum pump failure that resulted in catastrophic engine damage. The engine was replaced by General Motors under the vehicle's…"
    Unknown or other, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-08-03

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2018 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2018 Chevrolet Malibu HEV 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 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 27 36 30 MPG $2150
Malibu 2L, 4-cyl Automatic 9-speed Front-wheel drive 22 32 26 MPG $3050
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 2017 Chevrolet Malibu Next year 2019 Chevrolet Malibu See every Chevrolet Malibu model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu holds 697 complaints after 9 years, a rate of 73 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 13 Malibu years on this site. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Critical fasteners, Automatic transmission, and Electrical system, software.

What are common problems with a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (280 of 697), then Electrical system (191) and Powertrain (170). Those filings include 23 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 14 that report an injury.

Is the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 Malibu has 724 complaints, 71 per year, and the 2019 has 190 complaints, 13 per year. The 2018 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2017. The 2018 has more complaints per year than the 2019.

Has the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu been recalled?

The 2018 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 2018 Chevrolet Malibu?

Owners have filed 697 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2018 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…