The 2018 Chevrolet Malibu has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 583,378 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,199 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS21V6490002021-08-20402 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
POWER TRAIN20V6680002020-10-29194,105 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.
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…
ENGINE19V6420002019-09-06177,282 affected
Defect
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.
Consequence
Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC18V5760002018-08-30210,628 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
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…
AIR BAGS18V4000002018-06-1466 affected
Defect
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…
Consequence
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
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.
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…
Consequence
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
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…
Complaints by component
ENGINE
273
3crashes1fires2injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
187
2crashes2fires
POWER TRAIN
158
3crashes1injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
148
1crashes1fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
109
3crashes2injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
83
1crashes1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
58
6crashes3injuries
STEERING
39
1injuries
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
21
1crashes
AIR BAGS
14
9crashes11injuries
Total complaints1,199
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“I went to put my car in park and it was saying "shift to park" on my dashboard even though I was already in park. I know that there was a lawsuit that was won for this very defect but my car is not recalled for this and I feel every malibu should be especially if almost every malibu is…”
“I went to put my car in park and it was saying "shift to park" on my dashboard even though I was already in park. I know that there was a lawsuit that was won for this very defect but my car is not recalled for this and I feel every malibu should be especially if almost every malibu is…”
“The contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate and attempting to exit the ramp at 40-45 mph, the brakes failed. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number:…”
“The contact owns a 2018 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate and attempting to exit the ramp at 40-45 mph, the brakes failed. After restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number:…”
“Reduced engine light came on ticking noise stopped 2 times on the highway repair lot ran a diagnostic unable to find the issue car is not working found many codes stillunable to fix the issue”
“Reduced engine light came on ticking noise stopped 2 times on the highway repair lot ran a diagnostic unable to find the issue car is not working found many codes stillunable to fix the issue”
“Reduced engine light came on ticking noise stopped 2 times on the highway repair lot ran a diagnostic unable to find the issue car is not working found many codes stillunable to fix the issue”
“The check engine light keeps coming on and off with a warning that the engine power is being reduced. The dealership's service center can't locate the issue. The car's traction warning went off and the car's speed was reduced while driving. This happened twice in the same day. When you shut the…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.