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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2021 Chevrolet Malibu — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 90 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

90
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
0
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
1
Involved Fire
owner-reported
1
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Chevrolet Malibu — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

363 complaints

270 complaints

863 complaints

725 complaints

700 complaints

192 complaints

198 complaints

90 complaints

99 complaints

71 complaints

43 complaints

11 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Unknown Or Other 31 reports
Electrical System 30 reports
Power Train 28 reports
Engine 15 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 8 reports
Air Bags 6 reports
Suspension 3 reports
Back Over Prevention 3 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11704551 12/11/2025

Vehicle has a repeated issue recognizing that it is in park when trying to turn vehicle off. This causes concern that the vehicle may not actually be in park, will not fully power down therefore draining the battery and leaving driver stranded, or lead to other body control module/shifting problems. This is a known issue with GM spanning multiple years and multiple models. T…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11629390 12/07/2024

Hello , in January 18,2024 I’ve purchased a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu from Toyota of Dallas on Forest Lane. Within the first 24 hours I got a flat due to a bad tire , but was informed they did a full inspection before giving me the car . I contacted my sales representative she informed me to to bring the vehicle up there once they were open to see if they could resolved the issue …

Power Train ODI 11702394 12/02/2025

The component is D automatic transmission shift to park switch. The vehicle is and will be available for immediate inspection upon request. Safety was put at risk when the car lost power while they’re celebrating install in the floor of traffic, causing other cars to swerve around and blow horns. The underlying issue with the car was confirmed by independent service center. Th…

Power Train ODI 11702470 12/02/2025

Transmission failed to engage gear properly after backing up. Grinding sounds heard when vehicle was in drive. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by Chevrolet dealership. Vehicle is available for inspection. Occupants safety was at risk because gears could have locked up during commute causing vehicle to be undriveable, leaving driver and passengers stranded. Blind spo…

Power Train ODI 11556987 11/27/2023

The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted into park(P), the vehicle started to roll. The contact stated that the shift to park message was then illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The ma…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
Owners have filed 90 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, most often about unknown or other. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Chevrolet Malibu years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.