2014 Chevrolet Malibu
Counts come from unverified consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and cannot be compared between models — how to read them.
Common problems reported on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu
| Component group | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 119 | 36.7% |
| Electrical System | 77 | 23.8% |
| Power Train | 50 | 15.4% |
| Unknown or Other | 47 | 14.5% |
| Service Brakes | 40 | 12.3% |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 31 | 9.6% |
| Steering | 23 | 7.1% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 20 | 6.2% |
| Wheels | 18 | 5.6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 15 | 4.6% |
| Air Bags | 14 | 4.3% |
| Structure | 11 | 3.4% |
324 complaints filed between January 17, 2014 and December 23, 2024.
At what mileage the Chevrolet Malibu failed
| Component group | Median | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 75,000 | 74 |
| Electrical System | 62,050 | 40 |
| Power Train | 49,780 | 35 |
| Service Brakes | 51,000 | 30 |
| Electronic Stability Control (ESC) | 68,500 | 26 |
| Steering | 35,366 | 18 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 82,500 | 12 |
| Wheels | 53,891 | 17 |
Across all components, half the reported failures happened before 58,000 miles, with the middle half falling between 25,000 and 86,500. Based on the 223 complaints (69%) that record a mileage.
A low figure does not mean the car stops working at that mileage. It means the reported failures clustered early, which most often points to a fault built into a production batch — usually the kind of thing a warranty repair or a recall campaign addresses.
How this mix compares with other model years
| Component group | Here | Typical |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 36.7% | 16.6% |
| Electrical System | 23.8% | 13.4% |
| Power Train | 15.4% | 10.2% |
| Unknown or Other | 14.5% | 10.2% |
| Service Brakes | 12.3% | 6.4% |
| Steering | 7.1% | 6.2% |
| Air Bags | 4.3% | 5.8% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 6.2% | 4.5% |
This compares the subjects of the complaints, not how many there are. A share needs no denominator, so unlike a count it can honestly be held against a norm — but a group sitting above the typical share means people complained about that part more often relative to everything else on this car, not that the car is worse than another.
How serious the complaints were
- 5.6% Crash reported 18 of 324
- 2.5% Fire reported 8 of 324
- 3.1% Injury reported 10 of 324
- 0.3% Death reported 1 of 324
Reported across all complaints on file: 16 injuries and 1 death. These shares sit within this model’s own complaints — they say nothing about how it compares to another model.
Recall campaigns
6 campaigns. A recall repair is free at a dealer regardless of how many owners the car has had. Check the car’s own VIN — a campaign listed here may already have been carried out on it.
16V502000 Electrical System: Ignition · Power Train: Automatic Transmission: Control Module (TCM/PCM/TECM) July 5, 2016
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.
Campaign covered 8,367 vehicles across model years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
15V164000 Visibility: Sun/Moon Roof Assembly March 23, 2015
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles October 24, 2011, to March 5, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the Slide or Tilt switch for the roof panel may not be adequately recessed to prevent the switch from inadvertently being pressed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
Consequence: The Slide or Tilt roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed and the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly, increasing the risk of a pinch injury.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software to remove auto-close feature for certain switch positions, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15176.
Campaign covered 87,063 vehicles across model years 2013, 2014, 2015 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
14V247000 Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Power Assist: Vacuum May 14, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through May 2, 2014, and equipped with a 2.5L engine with the auto stop/start option. The affected vehicles may experience a complete loss of brake vacuum assist, disabling the hydraulic boost assist. As such, these vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Consequence: If the hydraulic boost assist is disabled, slowing or stopping the vehicle will require additional brake pedal effort and a lengthened stopping distance. Both of these effects increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic brake control module software, free of charge. The recall began on July 3, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020. General Motors number for this recall is 14201.
Campaign covered 140,067 vehicles across model year 2014 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
14V240000 Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Foundation Components: Disc May 8, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Lacrosse vehicles manufactured January 29, 2014, through March 31, 2014 and 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured February 7, 2014, through March 31, 2014, and equipped with 17 inch front brake rotors. The affected vehicles may have had brake rotors intended for the rear of the car accidentally installed on the front. The rear rotors, while the same diameter, are thinner and may result in a front brake pad detaching from the caliper.
Consequence: If a brake pad detaches from caliper, there may be a sudden reduction in braking, lengthening the distance required to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front brake rotors, and install the correct rotors with new brake pads, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on June 20, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick) or 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). GM's number for this recall is 14128.
Campaign covered 8,208 vehicles across model year 2014 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
14V092000 Power Train: Automatic Transmission February 21, 2014
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Buick Regal, LaCrosse, Verano, and Enclave, and Chevrolet Impala, Malibu, Cruze, and Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjuster may disengage from the transmission shift lever. As such, these vehicles do not conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 102, "Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect." They also fail to conform to FMVSS number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Consequence: If a vehicle's shift cable disengages from the transmission shift lever, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the driver may be able to shift the lever to the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace any affected transmission shift cable adjusters, free of charge. The recall began on April 10, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Buick owners at 1-800-521-7300, and GMC owners at 1-800-462-8782. General Motors' number associated with this recall is 14048.
Campaign covered 355 vehicles across model year 2014 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
13V567000 Visibility: Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System · Visibility: Defroster/Defogger/HVAC System: Windshield: Electrical Heating Element November 13, 2013
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2014 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured June 12, 2013, through November 5, 2013. The heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control in these vehicles may intermittently become inoperable when the vehicle is started, preventing the windshield defroster from working. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Consequence: The inability to turn on the windshield defroster may decrease the driver's visibility thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic climate control module software, free of charge. The recall began during December 2013. Owners may contact GM at 1-800-521-7300. GM's recall campaign number is 13380.
Campaign covered 42,696 vehicles across model year 2014 — a count for the whole campaign, not for this model year alone.
NCAP crash-test ratings
| Variant | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Chevrolet Malibu 4 DR FWD | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Ratings are out of 5 stars.
Pre-purchase inspection checklist
Written and checked by someone who does this work; it is not derived from the data. The complaint counts decide only the order: the assemblies this model’s owners complain about most come first.
Engine and cooling system
Related complaint groups: Engine (119), Engine and Engine Cooling (2)
Come to a cold car. A warmed-up engine hides a hard start, smoke and knocking. If the car is already warm, that is a yellow flag: ask for 30–40 minutes to let it cool. A refusal to let it cool is a red flag.
With the car parked
- Oil: level, color, consistency. Level above maximum plus a smell of fuel on the dipstick means the oil is being diluted with fuel.
- A whitish film on the oil filler cap alone is usually condensation from short trips in cold weather, not cause for alarm. What matters is the dipstick: a coffee-with-milk emulsion on the dipstick requires serious further inspection. A further indication is coolant hoses that are hard and under excess pressure.
- Coolant: level, color, no oil film. Open the reservoir only on a fully cooled engine.
- Leaks: under the engine, along the sump seam, around the valve cover, along the hoses and the radiator.
On the road and after
- Cold start: how long the starter cranks, smoke in the first seconds, knocking that goes away as it warms up.
- Temperature over the whole drive. Idle with the air conditioning on: the fan should cut in and the needle should not climb.
- After the drive, switch off, wait a couple of minutes and look for fresh drips under the car.
Red flags
- A freshly washed engine bay on a high-mileage car
- Thick white smoke after warm-up
- Temperature climbing in traffic
Electrical system
Related complaint groups: Electrical System (77), Exterior Lighting (5)
With the car parked
- With the ignition on, before starting, every warning light should come on and then go out once the engine runs. None coming on at all is worse than one staying lit: the bulb may have been removed or disabled in software.
- Click through everything: windows from every switch, mirrors, heated elements, climate control on all settings, the radio, the camera, the parking sensors, cruise control.
- Every exterior light, including running lights, brake lights, side repeaters and the license plate lamp.
- Battery terminals for corrosion, and the date on the battery.
- Cabin and trunk for signs of water: damp carpet under the mats, condensation in the headlights, rust on the seat mounts. Water in the electrics causes faults that are extremely hard to trace.
On the road
- Whether anything dims when several high-draw consumers are switched on at once.
- A second hot start after the drive.
Red flags
- A dashboard with no warning lights at all when the ignition is on
- Signs of water ingress
- Homemade wiring, twisted joints, tape under the dash
- Several small non-working functions at once — usually one common root cause
Automatic transmission
Related complaint groups: Power Train (50)
Checking the fluid level during an inspection is usually not possible — many cars need a lift, some have no dipstick at all, and Honda’s procedure differs from the rest. So this assessment is built on behavior, not on fluid.
With the car parked
- Move the selector P → R → D and back with the brake held. Each engagement should be a soft nudge, without a thump and without delay. Repeat two or three times in each direction.
On the road
- Shifts without noticeable delay or thump, both under acceleration and when slowing down.
- Pay particular attention to the 1-2-3 and 3-2-1 transitions — they carry the most load.
- Hard acceleration at full throttle: the revs should not flare without the car gaining speed.
- On a CVT the revs should rise smoothly, without steps, droning or jerking.
Questions for the seller
- Has the fluid been changed, and is there proof. Regular changes are a substantial plus for the car; their absence at high mileage is reason for caution.
Red flags
- A stored transmission fault code (a scan tool is worth having)
- Slipping under load in any form
- Recently cleared codes with no explanation
- The seller offering to "just change the fluid" when it is black and burnt — that is cosmetic cover over wear that has already happened
Cost if it needs work: Expensive. The most expensive of the likely assemblies; a repair is often comparable to the value of the car.
Axles and CV joints
Related complaint groups: Power Train (50)
With the car parked
- Turn the steering to full lock and inspect the outer CV boots on both sides for cracks, splits and thrown grease on the inner face of the wheel and in the wheel arch. A split boot on a joint that is still sound is a cheap repair today and an expensive one in six months.
On the road
- Empty parking lot, steering at full lock, slow circles in both directions. A rhythmic clicking points to an outer CV joint; the side is identified by the direction of the turn.
- Vibration under acceleration in a straight line that disappears when you lift off may indicate an inner CV joint.
Cost if it needs work: Relatively low. A good indicator of how the car has been treated overall.
Brakes
Related complaint groups: Service Brakes (40)
With the car parked
- Brake fluid level and color. Clear yellow is fresh; dark brown has not been changed in a long time.
- Fluid at the lower mark with no leaks usually means worn pads: the pistons have extended and the fluid has moved into the calipers.
- Pad thickness through the spokes of the wheel. Check the disc for a lip at the outer edge and for deep scoring.
- Inside face of the wheels: an even dark dust film is normal; one wheel noticeably dirtier than the others may indicate a sticking caliper.
- Hoses for cracks and bulges, lines for corrosion.
On the road
- First stop at low speed: the pedal should be firm, with no sinking.
- Accelerate to 40–45 mph and brake moderately. Pulsing through the pedal or the steering wheel usually means warped discs.
- Braking on flat dry pavement: pulling to one side requires further inspection.
- The ABS light should come on with the ignition and go out after the engine starts.
- A feeling that the car is driving "as if towing a trailer" may indicate binding brakes.
- The car squatting at the rear when pulling away may indicate parking-brake cables or stuck rear shoes.
After the drive
- Hold your palm near each wheel without touching the disc or the caliper — after braking they will burn you. Compare only left against right on the same axle: the front is always hotter than the rear, and that is normal. A noticeable difference between the two wheels of one axle requires further inspection.
Red flags
- The pedal slowly sinks to the floor when held down
- An illuminated ABS or brake system warning light
- Fresh fluid together with completely worn pads
Cost if it needs work: Moderate. Confirm actual cost against local prices at the time of purchase.
Suspension, control arms, steering
Related complaint groups: Steering (23), Suspension (8)
With the car parked
- Rock the steering wheel briskly left and right. Knocking and free play point to ball joints, tie rod ends or the rack. This is the most productive check of this assembly without a lift.
- Rock each wheel at 12 and 6 o’clock (ball joint, wheel bearing) and at 3 and 9 o’clock (steering linkage).
- Inspect the bushings for cracks and separation, and the ball joint boots for damage.
On the road
- Dull knocking from the front over small bumps. The cause cannot be determined without a lift: sway bar links are inexpensive, control arms cost several times more, and by ear the two are indistinguishable. A knock is grounds to require an inspection on a lift before purchase — not grounds to walk away from the car.
- Whether it pulls to one side on a level road, and whether the wheel returns to center after a turn.
Red flags
- Uneven tread wear — almost always alignment
- A recent alignment in the paperwork with no explanation of why
- One control arm noticeably newer than the rest
Cost if it needs work: Low to moderate. Depends on what turns out to be the source. Plus an alignment after the replacement.
Airbags and the VIN recall check
Related complaint groups: Air Bags (14), Seat Belts (7)
The most reliable procedure in this library — it does not depend on hearing, experience or inspection conditions.
Required procedure
- Take the VIN from the car itself — the windshield on the driver’s side, the door pillar, the paperwork — not from the listing.
- Check that VIN in NHTSA’s official recall lookup.
- A recall repair at a dealer is free regardless of how many owners the car has had. An open recall is a reason to visit a dealer, not a reason to haggle.
- An open airbag recall is grounds not to buy the car until it has been fixed.
Inspection
- The SRS light should come on with the ignition and then go out. Not coming on at all probably means it has been disabled deliberately.
- Airbag covers on the wheel and dash: uneven gaps, mismatched texture, marks from removal.
- Seat belts: pull each one out to full length and check for chafing, tears and water marks. The inertia reel should lock when pulled sharply.
The Chevrolet Malibu year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Median mileage | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,337 | 82,000 | 3 |
| 2011 | 951 | 80,000 | 3 |
| 2012 | 882 | 85,600 | 2 |
| 2013 | 794 | 69,000 | 10 |
| 2014 (this page) | 324 | 58,000 | 6 |
| 2016 | 773 | 50,000 | 9 |
Read the mileage column down this table with care. A newer year has simply been driven less, so its median sits lower for that reason alone — the figure is censored from above by how long the cars have been on the road, not only by how they were built. The same applies to the complaint counts: an older year has had more years in which to collect them.
Where the mileage figure does compare cleanly is between different models of the same year, which have had the same time to accumulate miles.