Reliable Auto DB

2019 Chevrolet Malibu reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2019 Chevrolet Malibu has 190 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 13 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Malibu years here — under the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Critical fasteners.

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

190

Per year

13

Recalls

1

Years on the road

8

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (66 of 190), then Engine (63) and Electrical system (61). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2018 and 2020

The 2018 Malibu has 697 complaints, 73 per year, and the 2020 has 198 complaints, 15 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

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 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

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.

Complaints by component (190 total)

Powertrain
66
Engine
63
Electrical system
61
Service brakes
21
Fuel and propulsion system
17
Speed control
12
Air bags
6
Exterior lighting
4
Hydraulic brakes
4
Forward collision avoidance
3
Steering
2
Structure
2
Back-over prevention
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Equipment
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Lane departure
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Parking brake
1
Seat belts
1
Traction control
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

1201862019172020162021382022422023192024402025112026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Due to the vacuum pump failing during driving, metal shards broke inside of the car and went into the engine destroying it completely. Now i need a whole new engine"
    Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-09-16
  • "I understand that the vehicle is outside of its original warranty period. However, I do not believe that the expiration of the warranty should automatically make me responsible for a component failure that occurred at…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-09-01
  • "Acceleration issues. Started once put in drive didnt want to accelerate, acceleration issues now at higher speeds while driving"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-07-06
  • "Since 2024/2025 car has been malfunctioning, I’ve had it checked out but it just got worse and nothing was fixed l, it is I driveable and very unsafe. When driving it abruptly stops like it’s crashing Messages that pop…"
    Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine · filed 2026-06-04
  • "The first problem with my car was the tire pressure monitor. The location of each tire was wrong on the informant section. Soon after purchasing the car when ever I would park the car would not shut off and the DIC…"
    Powertrain, Speed control, Engine · filed 2026-05-16

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2019 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars 4 stars
2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid 4 DR FWD 4 stars 5 stars 4 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 (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 29 36 32 MPG $2050
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 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Next year 2020 Chevrolet Malibu See every Chevrolet Malibu model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?

The 2019 Chevrolet Malibu has 190 complaints with NHTSA after 8 years, or 13 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Malibu years here — under the median of the other years, which is 16. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Critical fasteners.

What are common problems with a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (66 of 190), then Engine (63) and Electrical system (61). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2018 Malibu has 697 complaints, 73 per year, and the 2020 has 198 complaints, 15 per year. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018. The 2019 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020.

Has the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu been recalled?

The 2019 Chevrolet Malibu has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu?

Owners have filed 190 complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu is 34.7 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…