AutoUtility currently tracks 87 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. Electrical System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 29 complaints (33.3% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 1 cites a fire, 1 reports one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
29 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
28 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
11 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
10 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
4 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed; however, the RPM was extremely elevated. The vehicle then lost motive power and went into LIMP Mode, and the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to..."
"The Chevy Malibu is displaying a “Shift to Park” message even when the gear selector is physically in the Park position. This indicates that the vehicle’s computer may not be recognizing that the vehicle has been placed in Park, which is commonly associated with a faulty or failing internal..."
"Failure - B000A-00 Body Control Module Error code - Shift Lever Position not plausible . Safety - This causes the car to upon attempting to turn off the car say "Shift into Park" on the dashboard and the car refuses to turn fully off. This can cause the battery to drain excessively from repeated..."
"I was driving my car my electrical system is throwing all kinds of code.my sftey restrain is coming on to check my seat belt .the car goes blank .it stop in the middle of the road.this car has a lot of issues.can some one help me with this I work at the cardiologist office ."
"I purchased this vehicle in April of 2026, 4 days after bringing it home it began displaying a “Shift To Park” message in the dash, essentially making it so the vehicle will not shut off even when the vehicle is in park. Took it to a shop and they diagnosed it as a common issue across the 2021..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2025)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Chevrolet Malibu | 270 | 18 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Chevrolet Malibu | 859 | 23 | 9 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Chevrolet Malibu | 722 | 17 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Chevrolet Malibu | 694 | 23 | 6 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Chevrolet Malibu | 188 | 8 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Chevrolet Malibu | 195 | 10 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Chevrolet Malibu Current Page | 87 | 0 | 2 | Current |
| 2022 Chevrolet Malibu | 91 | 4 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Chevrolet Malibu | 65 | 3 | 2 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Chevrolet Malibu | 37 | 3 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Chevrolet Malibu | 10 | 1 | 1 | View 2025 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 34 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu is Electrical System, appearing in 29 records (33.3% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Powertrain & Transmission (28) and Engine & Cooling (11).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 87 consumer defect complaints and 2 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 0 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 1 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.