Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 11 safety complaints
about the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash and no death is recorded. No recall campaign has been matched to this year, make and model.
The most complained-about system is the electrical system,
named in 4 complaints, 36% of the total.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers January 2020 to June 2025 · How this is counted
What is on file
11 complaints on file
11
Complaints
1
Describe a crash
0
Mention fire
0
People injured
0
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not
the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production
ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 4 · 36%
4 36%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 36%
4 36%
ENGINE 3 · 27%
3 27%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 27%
3 27%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 · 18%
2 18%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 18%
2 18%
AIR BAGS 1 · 9%
1 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 9%
1 9%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 9%
1 9%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 9%
1 9%
048
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 11.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2023 at 3.
4 3 2 1
202020212021222022232023242024252025
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2020 to 2025.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA has not crash tested the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. Its New Car Assessment Program
tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach
motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so
an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It
is not a low score.
What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a
different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people
inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke
during ordinary use.
Defect investigations
1 on file
An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A
preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering
analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.
Pedestrian alert sounds
DP22005
Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
the electrical system
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 of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
crash · towed
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 …
NHTSA complaint 11647214, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
POWER TRAIN
towed · 80,000 miles
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.
NHTSA complaint 11553392. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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: •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 …
NHTSA complaint 11670074, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
NHTSA complaint 11626907. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
NHTSA complaint 11590593. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
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.
NHTSA complaint 11539968. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, no campaign on file for this vehicle.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst