Chevrolet Malibu

5,277 complaints across 12 scored model years and 36 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Chevrolet Malibu Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2016 vs model median 1.7×

Model median3× median

Engine 151

Electrical 114

Speed Control 87

Avoid

2016 · 2018

Best

2019 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Chevrolet Malibu
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	1.09×	529	C
2011	0.99×	470	C
2012	1.01×	408	C
2013	1.27×	532	D
2014	0.40×	181	B
2015	0.43×	174	B
2016	1.70×	805	D
2017	1.53×	711	D
2018	1.54×	713	D
2019	0.42×	178	A
2020	0.41×	181	B
2021	0.16×	81	A
2022 P	0.30×	149	A
2023 P	0.20×	95	A
2024 P	0.11×	55	A
2025 P	0.03×	15	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	31
City / Highway	28 / 36
Engine	1.5L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,000

Recalls

36 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
14V252000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING	2010–2012	2,440,524
15V269000	SEAT BELTS	2011, 2012	437,045
12V460000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)	2010	426,240
26V212000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2023–2025	276,879
20V764000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2013	220,006
18V576000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER	2018	210,628
20V668000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2018	194,105
19V642000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE	2018	177,282

+ 28 further campaigns

Others in Midsize Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura TL	2012	C
Acura TLX	20152020	C
Acura TSX	2010	C
Alfa Romeo Giulia	2017	C
Audi A4	none flagged	B
Audi A4 Allroad	2013	C
Audi A5	none flagged	C
Audi S4	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 Malibu

Complaints in window: 805
Severity-weighted: 1,164
Model median (weighted): 685
vs model median: 1.70×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 9
Open investigations: 0

Score 42.5 D