10 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
The backup camera on these cars may show a scrambled, warped picture, or no picture at all, when you shift into reverse. Without that view you cannot see a child, a pet, or a low obstacle sitting directly behind the car, because mirrors do not cover that area. The dealer will inspect the camera and replace it at no cost if it is faulty. Until then, turn around and look behind the car before you back up.
Some 2024 Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu vehicles were delivered with the wrong owner's manual in the glove box. The manual belongs to a different vehicle, so the information in it about how your car works — including safety details such as child seat anchors — may not be correct. Following wrong instructions could lead you to use the vehicle improperly. Because of this, the vehicles do not meet the federal rule for child restraint anchorage systems. A dealer will hand you the correct manual for free.
General Motors is recalling certain 2022-2023 Chevrolet Malibu cars. The front impact bar, a structural piece of the car's frame, may not have been welded properly to the frame rail behind it. The car's front crash sensors depend on that structure, so a bad weld could keep them from reading a collision correctly. GM is not repairing these cars: if a dealer finds the incomplete weld, GM will buy the vehicle back from you instead.
Certain Chevrolet Malibu, Equinox and Blazer models and the Cadillac XT4 may have a bad weld in the driver's seat cushion frame, in the part that tilts the seat up and down. Because the weld is not done properly, the frame may not hold the driver firmly in place during a crash. Dealers will inspect the driver's seat and replace the cushion frame if it needs it, at no charge to you. Notification letters were mailed to owners on June 23, 2022.
GM found that the bolts holding the rear seat belt retractors — the part that lets the belt pull out and wind back in — may be loose or missing. If a retractor is not fastened properly, the rear seat belt may not hold a passenger the way it should in a crash. You cannot tell this is happening just by looking at or using the belt. A dealer will inspect the rear seat belts and tighten the fasteners if needed.
Inside the automatic transmission on these Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles is a part tied to the automatic stop/start system. The end cap on that part may be missing bolts. If bolts are missing, transmission fluid can leak out. A bad leak can leave the vehicle unable to move under its own power, which is dangerous if it happens in traffic. Leaking transmission fluid can also catch fire if it lands on something hot. A dealer will inspect the part and replace it if bolts are missing.
Certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu cars with the 1.5-liter turbo engine have a software error in the engine control module, the computer that manages the engine. The error can shut off the fuel injectors, the parts that feed fuel to the engine. When that happens, the car may refuse to start, or the engine may quit while you are driving. Dealers will reprogram the engine computer with corrected software, free of charge.
The pistons inside the rear brake calipers, the parts that squeeze the brake pads against the wheels, were not coated properly. That can let gas pockets form in the brake system at the rear wheels. Gas squashes when you press the pedal instead of pushing firmly on the pads, so the rear brakes do less of the work and the vehicle can take longer to stop than you expect. The dealer bleeds the brake system to clear the gas out.
During an earlier repair, some Malibus got a passenger seat sensor that was not set up for that car's seat. This sensor is supposed to tell whether an adult or a child is in the front passenger seat so the airbag knows whether to fire. With the wrong setup, the airbag may not go off in a crash when it should, or may go off when it should not. Dealers install the correct sensor kit free.
The high pressure fuel pump on these vehicles can come loose from the bracket that holds it in place. Once loose, the pump can damage the high pressure fuel line next to it. A damaged line can leak gasoline into the engine compartment, where hot parts can set it on fire. A dealer will replace both the fuel pump and the fuel pipe at no charge to you.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Chevrolet Malibu. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 695 | 23 | 4 | 17 |
| 2019 | 189 | 8 | 1 | 7 |
| 2020 | 198 | 10 | 0 | 7 |
| 2021 | 88 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 96 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | 68 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: