Problems · NHTSA complaints

2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid problems

Owners filed 11 complaints about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid with NHTSA between Jan 2020 and Jun 2025. The most-cited component is power train (4).

Complaints
11
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train4
  2. Electrical system4
  3. Engine3
  4. Vehicle speed control2
  5. Fuel/propulsion system2
  6. Air bags1
  7. Seat belts1
  8. Fuel system, gasoline1
  9. Exterior lighting1
  10. Other / unknown3

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20202
20211
20221
20233
20242
20252

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

4 reports
“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: •Make/Model/Year: 2018 Chevy Malibu hybrid •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 related to the same issues previously associated with the recalls. This suggests the issues were never addressed, yet they no longer appear in the recall system. I am concerned that: •These recalls may have been falsely marked as “completed” •There may be an internal data error causing safety risks to be hidden •I am being denied free repairs due to incorrect closure of these recalls Please investigate this matter as I believe it affects not only my vehicle but possibly others. I…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 29, 2025Power train, Air bags, Seat beltsODI 11670074

Electrical system

4 reports
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 22, 2024Power train, Electrical systemODI 11626907

Engine

3 reports
“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. The next day I went to get the oil changed and they tested the 12V battery and told me it failed. I went to buy a battery and drove home. The next day I drove around 10 miles and then it dies again as I was slowing down to a stoplight. I pushed it to a parking lot and installed the new battery. I took the old battery back to the store to get my core deposit back and asked them to test it. They said it tested fine but I went ahead and gave it to them as I already had the new…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 6, 2022Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11450678

Vehicle speed control

2 reports1 crash
“One of my first problems with this car is the “shift to park” 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 it’s coming from the fuel injectors and I was stuck on the road at night because my car decided to stop and the “shift to park” 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 car completely stopped. I tried to turn it off and back on but this did not work as I tried to mash on the gas with my car in drive . As I did some research I see recalls on my car that I was not aware of which is very accurate to the issue I’m experiencing. Only having this car for one year now and the first issue started way before a year in. Dealership has not fixed my car and the problem has left my car undrivable”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 9, 2025Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion systemCrash reportedODI 11647214

Fuel/propulsion system

2 reports1 crash
“THE CAR LOST POWER WHILE I WAS OPERATING IT. I HAD TO PUT IT IN PARK AND RESTART IT. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF PARKING IT ON A CITY STREET.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 16, 2020Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11299931

Air bags

1 report
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.