2018 Chevrolet Malibu power train problems
168 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu — 24% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Reduced engine light came on ticking noise stopped 2 times on the highway repair lot ran a diagnostic unable to find the issue car is not working found many codes stillunable to fix the issue”
filed Jun 9, 2026
“The shift to park is a problem it killed my battery because the car stays on and when I was driving the car turned off in the middle of turning causing someone to almost hit me this is the 3rd time that happened to me but the shift to park has been a problem since I got this car and Chevy does…”
filed Jun 8, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing boltsCampaign 20V668000 · Oct 29, 2020
Power Train problems in other Malibu years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Malibu | 5 | 15% |
| 2023 Malibu | 7 | 12% |
| 2022 Malibu | 23 | 25% |
| 2021 Malibu | 26 | 32% |
| 2020 Malibu | 57 | 29% |
| 2019 Malibu | 65 | 35% |
| 2017 Malibu | 138 | 20% |
| 2016 Malibu | 166 | 20% |
| 2015 Malibu | 31 | 12% |
| 2014 Malibu | 52 | 15% |
| 2013 Malibu | 53 | 6% |
| 2012 Malibu | 49 | 5% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.