The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists 6 official safety recall campaigns for the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu in AutoUtility's current federal dataset. The primary affected vehicle systems include Air Bags & Restraints, Brakes & Traction Control, Electrical System.

Key Recall Findings
  • Official Recall Campaigns: 6 campaigns on file with NHTSA
  • Primary Affected Subsystems: Air Bags & Restraints, Brakes & Traction Control, Electrical System
  • Official Remedy: Detailed per campaign in official NHTSA records below
  • Most Recent NHTSA Report: August 20, 2021
VIN-Specific Notice: Safety recall campaigns apply to specific production date ranges and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). A campaign listing on this model-year page does not establish that every vehicle or trim is affected. Check your 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov or with an authorized dealer to verify whether a safety repair is needed.
Official Recall Campaigns
6
Listed in current NHTSA data
Affected System Areas
5
Broad component categories
Latest NHTSA Filing
August 20, 2021
Most recent campaign report
VIN Verification
Required
Exact applicability depends on VIN

Vehicle Systems Involved in Recalls for 2018 Chevrolet Malibu

Distribution of official safety recall campaigns across automotive subsystem domains

Vehicle Subsystem 2 campaigns

Air Bags & Restraints

NHTSA records also contain 16 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Brakes & Traction Control

NHTSA records also contain 86 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Electrical System

NHTSA records also contain 191 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Fuel & Propulsion System

NHTSA records also contain 101 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign

Powertrain & Transmission

NHTSA records also contain 168 consumer complaint filings involving this same system. View Complaints →
Domain Mapping Methodology: A single NHTSA recall campaign may involve more than one vehicle subsystem (such as electrical wiring affecting fuel delivery), so domain totals can exceed the total number of unique recall campaigns. Complaint and recall counts are grouped by broad vehicle system; component co-occurrence does not establish that an individual owner complaint is related to a specific recall campaign.

Official NHTSA Recall Campaigns (6)

Complete safety campaign filings including defect descriptions, safety hazards, and free dealer remedies

NHTSA Campaign #21V649000 Air Bags & Restraints
Affected Component: SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
NHTSA Report Date: August 20, 2021
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

Dealers will inspect and tighten the rear seat belt retractors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on September 17, 2021. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 and Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212333380.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #20V668000 Powertrain & Transmission
Affected Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
NHTSA Report Date: October 29, 2020
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Cruze and Buick LaCrosse, 2018-2020 Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Terrain, 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, 2019-2020 Buick Encore, Buick Enclave, Cadillac XT4, Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Acadia, and 2020 Cadillac XT6 vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing bolts.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

Missing bolts on the start-stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission oil leak and may progress to a loss of propulsion, increasing the risk of a crash. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the start-stop transmission accumulator and replace it if any bolts are missing, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2020. Owners may contact GMC customer service at 1-888-988-7267, Buick Customer service at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N202313440.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #19V642000 Electrical System
Affected Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
NHTSA Report Date: September 6, 2019
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #18V576000 Brakes & Traction Control
Affected Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
NHTSA Report Date: August 30, 2018
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Chevrolet Equinox, Impala, Cruze, Volt and Bolt EV vehicles, GMC Terrain vehicles, Buick Lacrosse and Regal vehicles, Cadillac XTS and XTS Professional vehicles and 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began October 11, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18279.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #18V400000 Air Bags & Restraints
Affected Component: AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
NHTSA Report Date: June 14, 2018
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #18V358000 Fuel & Propulsion System
Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
NHTSA Report Date: May 31, 2018
Safety Defect Summary:

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.

Safety Risk / Consequence:

A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

Authorized Remedy Instructions:

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.

Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
Source Data Notice: Campaign summaries, safety consequences, and remedy descriptions are direct text extracts published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation.

Recall History for Chevrolet Malibu

Official safety recall campaign volume across sibling model years (2015–2025)

Model Year NHTSA Recalls NHTSA Complaints Detailed Report
2015 Chevrolet Malibu 3 270 View 2015 Recalls →
2016 Chevrolet Malibu 9 859 View 2016 Recalls →
2017 Chevrolet Malibu 4 722 View 2017 Recalls →
2018 Chevrolet Malibu Current Page 6 694 Current
2019 Chevrolet Malibu 1 188 View 2019 Recalls →
2020 Chevrolet Malibu 1 195 View 2020 Recalls →
2021 Chevrolet Malibu 2 87 View 2021 Recalls →
2022 Chevrolet Malibu 1 91 View 2022 Recalls →
2023 Chevrolet Malibu 2 65 View 2023 Recalls →
2024 Chevrolet Malibu 2 37 View 2024 Recalls →
2025 Chevrolet Malibu 1 10 View 2025 Recalls →
Historical Reporting Note: Recall campaign counts are shown by model year and should not be interpreted as a vehicle reliability score. Campaigns may cover multiple model years, and newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time for new safety campaigns to be issued.

VIN-Specific Recall Verification

How to confirm whether an individual vehicle requires an authorized safety repair

Safety recall campaigns on this page are associated with this make, model, and model year in NHTSA federal records. A campaign may apply only to certain vehicles based on production date, equipment, manufacturing details, or other campaign-specific criteria.

AutoUtility cannot determine whether a particular VIN is affected or whether a recall remedy has already been completed.

For vehicle-specific recall status, check the 17-digit VIN using NHTSA's official recall lookup or contact an authorized dealer. Campaign-specific remedy information shown above is reproduced from official NHTSA recall records.

Official NHTSA Safety Resources: NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 711)
Official US Government Data Provenance

Recall records published on this page are retrieved directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Recalls Database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.