Model year record
2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid recalls & problems
The 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid has no safety recalls on file with NHTSA, and 11 owner complaints. The most-reported problem area is power train (4 complaints).
Safety recalls
No safety recalls have been filed for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid.
Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.
Fuel economy
Malibu Hybrid Hybrid
| City / highway | 49 / 43 mpg |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
1.8 L · 4 cyl · Automatic (variable gear ratios) · Front-Wheel Drive · about $1,450/year to fuel
EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.
What owners report
| Problem area | Complaints | Typical mileage* |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 4 | — |
| Electrical system | 4 | — |
| Engine | 3 | — |
| Unknown or other | 3 | — |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 2 | — |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | — |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | — |
| Fuel system, gasolineFuel injection system › Injectors | 1 | — |
| Air bags | 1 | — |
| Seat belts | 1 | — |
*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.
Recent owner complaints
- Air bags
To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to report a serious issue concerning the recall history of my vehicle and to request an investigation into what appears to be unresolved and inaccurately closed recalls. Vehicle Information: â¢Make/Model/Year: 2018 Chevy Malibu hybrid â¢Date of Purchase: 2018 (I have been the sole owner since) Several safety recalls were previously listed for my vehicle on your website and through the manufacturer, but I recently checked again and now it states there are zero open recalls. I have never had these recalls repaired, and no dealership has performed or contacted me regarding these repairs. Furthermore, my vehicle is currently displaying check engine lights…
- Fuel/propulsion systemCrash
One of my first problems with this car is the âshift to parkâ error message. This message on the dashboard indicating that my gear is not in P (park) when in fact it is . This error will not allow me to turn off my car even though I am parked. My second issue is just recently I have been experiencing from idle noise and small leakage looks as though itâs coming from the fuel injectors and I was stuck on the road at night because my car decided to stop and the âshift to parkâ message came back up and my car started to loose acceleration in the middle of the road on a busy street with no stop signs visible. (Car accident waiting to happen). My steering wheel locked up on me and my…
- Power train
The car has a reoccuring problem where is stalls in the middle of driving the vehicle. A warning comes up to shift to park. The car then restarts, runs extremely rough and stalls out. It then signals to shift to park again. The car is extremely unsafe. I took the vehicle to GM dealer and they said the car is "confused" between running on the battery and combustible engine. I have seen several similar issues with the Cheverolt Malibu Hybrid. I think GM knows they have an issue and one of the reasons they discontinued the model.
- Fuel system, gasoline › Fuel injection system › Injectors
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart. The contact stated while restarting the vehicle, the contact heard a rattling sound. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then towed to the dealer but was unofficially diagnosed with failed fuel injectors. The contact was informed that the battery and the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 53,349.
- Power train
The contact owns a 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The shift-to-park warning light was illuminated. The contact could pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the battery was replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
- Exterior lighting
Noticed the rear center mounted stop lamp was cracked on the left side and found there was a substantial leak of water into the trunk from said lamp. This particular vehicle is the hybrid which makes this dangerous as the water is dripping over the high voltage battery. Vehicle has not yet been inspected.
- Unknown or other
Shift to park message comes up when driving and car turns off. Also check engine light comes on for code hybrid/EV powertain control module. The car was towed to a dealership and has been in service for 3 weeks and they can't figure out problem. I did pick car up once due to not being able to diagnosis problem and check engine light with same code and shift to park message came on hours later and took it back next day.
- Electrical system
As I was driving with cruise control on a freeway at 70 mph the car suddenly displayed a warning to reduce speed. I continued to try to get to the next exit but almost instantly it started reducing my power and slowed me down to a crawl. I pulled over on the freeway and it would not restart. The tow truck to it to a chevy dealer and the next morning they called asking for details as the car started right up and they drove it around for 10 minutes without issue. They kept the vehicle all day but were unable to recreate the problem so they told me there was nothing they could do. They pulled 17 codes and said that's too many to diagnose so nothing to do. I drove 15 miles home with no issues.…
Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert soundsClosedLed to recall 22V063000
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review…