RoadVitals

2021 Chevrolet Malibu

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
89
+2 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest May 19, 2022
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 89 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, most frequently naming the electrical, powertrain (other) and engine categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 694 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
22V359000

SEATS

May 19, 2022
221 units potentially affected
The defect: General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may have an improper weld in the power tilt-adjustment mechanism.
The risk: An improperly welded seat frame may not adequately restrain the driver in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the driver's seat and replace the cushion frame, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212356050.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N212356050View on NHTSA.gov
21V649000

SEAT BELTS:CRITICAL FASTENERS; SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

Aug 20, 2021
402 units potentially affected
The defect: 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.
The risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: 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.
General Motors, LLCManufacturer number N212333380View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 89
Filed Sep 24, 2026

Shift to park message

NHTSA ID
11766665
Incident
Jan 1, 2025
Filed Sep 2, 2026

The problem with this model is the CVT Trasmission thats in the vehicle when put into drive mode it stalls to change gears and want change gears for about 5 min then it kicks in to go it does that very often i have took it to the dealership and spent tremendous mount of money the transmission are crapy and stalls the car when put into drive mode please help im not the only one experiencing this issue there is a Chevrolet malibu group chat on Facebook and other sites these transmission needs to be replaced by the dealership they sell these cars with this existing problems and jack the car prices up these is not right and upon taking it to them they act like they dont know the problem this is a big safety issues and can cause harmful to someone if on the interstate or traffic at a blind spot please investigate the work i got done problem still exists

NHTSA ID
11761497
Incident
Aug 12, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 21, 2026

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 a dealer on three separate occasions. After the first failure, the dealer stated that the failure was caused by an inoperable sensor, and the fuel pump was reprogrammed. The contact stated that after the second failure, which was associated with the turbo, the powertrain module was reprogrammed. The third failure was associated with the turbo seals. The failure reoccurred after all three repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,035.

NHTSA ID
11758483
Incident
Jul 1, 2025
Mileage
96,035 mi
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 20, 2026

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 park-position sensor/switch. The issue is affecting the vehicle’s ability to shut down properly. It is necessary to turn the vehicle off and back on multiple times before the system will recognize that the vehicle is in Park and allow it to shut off completely. If the vehicle does not recognize the Park position, it may remain partially powered on and potentially drain the battery.

NHTSA ID
11758225
Incident
Jun 1, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 14, 2026

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 constant start/stop attempts and leaves the car in an impossible state. You cannot safely leave the car in this state but you have no choice until you get lucky enough to hope an attempt is recognized as parked and shut off normally. This could jeopardize safety in situations you need to turn your car off Official Bulletin Number: GM TSB 23-NA-119 There is no warning prior to failure, and no way to override it

NHTSA ID
11757048
Incident
Aug 12, 2026
AirbagsElectrical
Filed Aug 11, 2026

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 .

NHTSA ID
11756284
Incident
Jul 24, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 11, 2026

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 Malibus and stated the entire shifter assembly needed replaced. Have not had it replaced yet due to not having the funds to replace the entire assembly, but was informed eventually the problem will progress to a total loss of being able to turn the vehicle off resulting in the vehicle essentially dying and requiring a jump start where the issue will display on the dashboard again until the internal micro switch is replaced. I believe this issue should be brought to GMs attention and a recall should be issued, seeing as they are aware it’s a known issue in malibus. A chevy dealership specifically told me that replacing the entire assembly may likely not even repair the issue itself.

NHTSA ID
11756187
Incident
Apr 21, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 6, 2026

The car has an issue recognizing that the car is in park when trying to turn off the vehicle. A message on the dash will appear “Shift to Park”. The car has not been inspected for this issue, but it does repeatedly happen, not every time I turn off the car, but it happens pretty frequently. If I am unable to get the shifter to fully engage the computer then it won’t let me completely power down the vehicle and drains the battery. I’ve had to get a battery replaced before due to a mechanic moving my car after inspecting it for a different issue and leaving the “Shift to Park” signal on and ignoring it. This left me stranded with no battery and a mechanic denying remediation for the dead battery. Many other similar gmc models have the same issue as me.

NHTSA ID
11755166
Incident
Oct 28, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

PIP4902W

This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

PIC6551C

This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues

PIT5099J

PI to help diagnose A/C concern

PIT5966F

This Preliminary information communicates an issue with an OTA pending message still displayed after an OTA event and how to reset/clear the message.

PIP6032C

PIP6032B provides diagnostic direction for dealers when encountering transmission leaks

PIC6551B

This Preliminary information communicates to dealer to perform a MEC reset for wireless projection issues

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Chevrolet Malibu by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2025111050.3
2024392059.3
2023702062.9
2022971051.2
2021Viewing892054.9
20201981152.3
20191911044.0
20186986054.3
20177024049.5
20168379051.3
20152703054.1
20143516052.4
201383510052.6
20129063049.7
20119784050.5
20101,3614049.2
20091,5096154.5
20089875048.7
20079776051.0
20061,1159051.9
20059756157.7
20041,1479460.1
20035693049.5
20025674152.9
20017214457.9
20009225760.0
19997893558.2
19989765658.5
19974436759.6
1989300—
1986100—
1983130—
1982230—
1981331—
1980561—
1979461—
1978281—
1977020—
1975210—
1974110—
1973010—
1964100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.