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Check by VIN to confirm the
exact model and see every recall for it.
Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.
US recalls (6)
Seat belts: rear/other, retractor
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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 train: automatic transmission
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.
Engine
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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, hydraulic: foundation components, disc
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.
Air bags: sensor, occupant classification
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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.
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery, fuel pump
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.
Risk and remedy
Risk: 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 customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
Canadian recalls (5)
Show 5 Canadian recalls
Seats and restraints
2021-08-20 · campaign 2021-522 · 24 vehicles
Issue:
On certain vehicles, a bolt that attaches the rear seat belt retractor(s) may be missing. As a result, the seat belt may not work as designed in a crash.
Note: On Chevrolet Malibu models, the right rear seat belt could be affected. On Cadillac XT4 models, both the left and right rear seat belts could be affected.
Safety Risk:
A seat belt that does not work properly could increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Corrective Actions:
General Motors will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to check that the rear seat belt retractor bolts are properly installed. The dealer will replace or tighten the bolt(s), as required.
Powertrain
2020-10-29 · campaign 2020-520
Issue:
On certain vehicles, the start-stop accumulator in the transmission may be missing bolts. As a result, transmission fluid could leak and eventually cause the transmission to stop working. If this happens, there could be a loss of power to the wheels.
Safety Risk:
A transmission fluid leak onto a hot surface can create the risk of a fire. Additionally, a loss of power to the wheels could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
General Motors will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the transmission start-stop accumulator. It will be replaced if any bolts are found missing.
Engine
2019-09-06 · campaign 2019-449
Issue:
On certain vehicles equipped with a 1.5 L turbo engine, a software error in the engine control module may disable the fuel injectors. This could cause the engine not to start. In rare cases, this could also cause the engine to suddenly stall without warning.
Safety Risk:
A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:
The company will notify owners by mail and instruct them to take their vehicle to a dealer to reprogram the engine control module.
Brakes
2018-08-30 · campaign 2018-461
On certain vehicles, a problem with the rear brake system may cause gas bubbles to form in the brake fluid. This could cause a soft brake pedal feel and a reduction in brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will bleed the rear brakes.
Fuel system
2018-06-01 · campaign 2018-289 · 73 vehicles
On certain vehicles, a joint on the high-pressure fuel pump may have been improperly welded during the manufacturing process. Over time, this could cause the weld to crack and create a potential fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could increase the risk of fire, causing injury and/or damage to property. Correction: Dealers will replace the high-pressure fuel pump and high-pressure fuel pipe.
Owner complaints (700)
Owners filed 700 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu (23 crashes, 4 fires, 17 injuries reported). Among 40 model years of this model, it ranks #17 for the most complaints (median 443).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Engine | 281 | |
| Electrical system | 192 | |
| Power train | 171 | |
| Unknown or other | 151 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 114 | |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 84 | |
| Service brakes | 61 | |
| Steering | 42 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD | 5★ | 5★ | 5★ | 4★ |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2018 Chevrolet Malibu version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Malibu 1.5 L Automatic 6-spd | 27 | 36 | 30 | $2,250 |
| Malibu 2.0 L Automatic 9-spd | 22 | 32 | 26 | $3,150 |
| Malibu Hybrid 1.8 L Automatic (variable gear ratios) | 49 | 43 | 46 | $1,450 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport
Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada).
Recalls updated 2026-10-30.