Skip to main content
VinCanary

Reliability report · 2018 Chevrolet Malibu · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,100/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

Last of the loud years — the recalls do more of the work here, so verify all six.

2018 is the final loud ninth-gen year, and its risk profile leans on recalls rather than quiet programs. Two matter most: recall 19V-642, a 1.5-liter-turbo engine-control-module software fault that can disable the fuel injectors and stall or no-start the car; and recall 20V-668, a start/stop accumulator with missing bolts that can leak transmission oil and progress to loss of propulsion or fire. The 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage still applies here for the reduced-power condition.

The 1.5T's underlying pre-ignition and vacuum-pump stories carry over, though the loudest piston-pre-ignition CSP was written for 2016–2017. On the hybrid, the complaint file is small but pointed: shift-to-park stalls where the car gets 'confused' between battery and engine, and fuel-injector failures. Verify all six recalls and the pedal program by VIN and this is a serviceable car; skip the one where the stall recall was 'done' but the car still stalls.

Evidence: 698 NHTSA complaints · 6 recall campaigns · 7 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: The 2018 still carries the ninth-gen 1.5-liter-turbo patterns — reduced power, hard-pedal brakes — but this is the year GM converted several into actual recalls: a 1.5T engine-control recall that can disable the fuel injectors, and a start/stop accumulator recall that can leak transmission oil. 698 federal complaints across the gas car and the low-volume hybrid.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

698

Federal complaints

6

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2018 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 12012)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

1.5T engine-control software can disable injectors — recall 19V-642

major
  • 1.5L turbo I4

Recall 19V-642 covers 2018 Malibus with the 1.5-liter turbo: an error in the engine-control-module (ECM) software can disable the fuel injectors, which prevents starting and can cause a stall — a crash risk in traffic. The remedy is a free ECM reprogram. Note the wrinkle in the complaint file: several owners report the recall was performed and the car still stalls, so on a car with a documented stall history, verify not just that 19V-642 was closed but that the stalling actually stopped.

This is a 1.5L turbo I4 problem. The 2.0L turbo I4 and Hybrid (eCVT) don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Under recall 19V-642

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Malibu and Malibu Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recalls 19V-642, 20V-668, 18V-576; 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage; 1.5T charge-air-cooler bulletins; recall documents)

Start/stop accumulator missing bolts — recall 20V-668major

Recall 20V-668 covers the 2018 Malibu among many GM models: the stop/start transmission accumulator endcap may be missing bolts, which can leak transmission oil and progress to a loss of propulsion, and — with an ignition source — a fire. Dealers inspect the accumulator and replace it if bolts are missing, free. Because the symptom is a slow transmission-fluid leak, it's easy to miss on a used car; confirm this recall is closed and look for fluid seepage.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Malibu and Malibu Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recalls 19V-642, 20V-668, 18V-576; 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage; 1.5T charge-air-cooler bulletins; recall documents)

$0

Under recall 20V-668

'Engine Power Reduced' — accelerator-pedal sensor (Special Coverage)major

  • 1.5L turbo I4

Still the loudest organic cluster: an interrupted accelerator-pedal-position-sensor connection drops the car into reduced-power limp mode (cut acceleration, Check Engine Light, 'Engine Power is Reduced' message, code P2138). GM's Special Coverage — a free extended repair program — reaches the 2016–2018 Malibu. On the 1.5T there is also a separate reduced-power cause, the charge-air-cooler outlet duct disconnecting from the throttle body (GM service bulletins cite codes P0101/P0172/P0299/P0506/P1101). Confirm the pedal Special Coverage was done and treat any reduced-power message as unresolved.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Malibu and Malibu Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recalls 19V-642, 20V-668, 18V-576; 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage; 1.5T charge-air-cooler bulletins; recall documents)

$0 (verify terms in the bulletin)

Under the accelerator-pedal Special Coverage

Brake vacuum pump / booster — hard pedal; recall 18V-576moderate

Two brake items. The vacuum-pump hard-pedal pattern (code P1101, GM 'increased brake pedal effort' bulletin) carries into 2018 as on the earlier cars. Separately, recall 18V-576 covers a rear brake caliper piston with insufficient coating that can form gas pockets and reduce rear braking; the free remedy is a brake-system bleed. Test the pedal firmly with the engine off then running, and confirm 18V-576 is closed.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Malibu and Malibu Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recalls 19V-642, 20V-668, 18V-576; 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage; 1.5T charge-air-cooler bulletins; recall documents)

$0

Under recall 18V-576 (caliper bleed)

$800–$1,500 (mechanic-quoted)

Vacuum pump / booster replacement

Shift-to-Park and hybrid 'confused' stallsmoderate

The GM 'Shift to Park' false message appears here too — the car reports it isn't in park when it is, sometimes blocking shutdown and draining the battery. On the low-volume 2018 hybrid, the complaint file adds stalls where a dealer told the owner the car was 'confused' between running on the battery and the combustion engine, plus fuel-injector failures. Neither the shift-to-park issue nor the hybrid stall has a clean recall fix; a repeated pattern is a known headache, not a fluke.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2018 Malibu and Malibu Hybrid

My 2018 Malibu is stalling, it is covered under recall, and the dealer is refusing to properly scan or fix the issue.
7 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Chevrolet dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 19V-6421.5L turbo ECM software may disable the fuel injectors — no-start or stall risk. Free ECM reprogram, 2018 Malibu with 1.5L turbo (GM N192221960).open
  2. 20V-668Start/stop transmission accumulator endcap may have missing bolts — transmission oil leak, possible loss of propulsion or fire. Free inspect/replace, 2018 Malibu among many (GM N202313440).open
  3. 18V-576Rear brake caliper pistons may have insufficient coating, forming gas pockets that reduce rear braking. Free brake-system bleed, 2018 Malibu (GM 18279).open
  4. 18V-358High-pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange and damage the fuel line — fire risk. Free pump and pipe replacement, 2016–2018 (GM 18188).open
  5. 18V-400A service-installed passenger-presence system may be miscalibrated, so the front passenger air bag may not deploy correctly. Free seat service kit, 2016–2018 (GM 18208).open
  6. 21V-649Rear seat-belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners. Free inspect/tighten, 2016–2021 (GM N212333380).open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2018 Malibu

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

30 MPG combined (27 city / 36 highway) for the FWD, 1.5L turbo on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 38849 (Malibu).
Other builds EPA lists: FWD, 2.0L turbo (premium fuel) 26 MPG · Hybrid FWD, 1.8L 46 MPG.

$2,100/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen at about the average rate.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Chevrolet Malibu.

95 vs 100

5% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Under recall 19V-642$0
Under recall 20V-668$0
Under the accelerator-pedal Special Coverage$0 (verify terms in the bulletin)
Under recall 18V-576 (caliper bleed)$0
Vacuum pump / booster replacement$800–$1,500 (mechanic-quoted)
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

Form not loading? Open it directly →

Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

Form not loading? Open it directly →

Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01On a 1.5T, verify recall 19V-642 (injector-disabling ECM software) is closed — and if the car has a stall history, confirm the stalling actually stopped.
  2. 02Confirm recall 20V-668 (start/stop accumulator) is closed and look for transmission-fluid seepage.
  3. 03Check that the 2016–2018 accelerator-pedal Special Coverage was done; treat any 'Engine Power Reduced' message as unresolved.
  4. 04Test the brakes firmly (vacuum-pump hard-pedal) and verify recall 18V-576 (rear caliper bleed).
  5. 05Run the VIN for 18V-358 (fuel pump) and 18V-400 (passenger air bag) as well.
  6. 06On a hybrid, probe for shift-to-park stalls and 'battery/engine confused' behavior on the test drive.
  7. 07Watch for the general shift-to-park message and a dead 12-volt battery.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

Watch my VIN — free

vincanary.com/chevrolet/malibu/2018