2020 Chevrolet Malibu problems
Owners have filed 337 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. After that come electrical system (17%) and drivetrain & axles (16%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 337 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 10 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 69,000 miles 62 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 7 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 8 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 19 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 62 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 69,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 74,000 miles (16 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 10 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2020 ranks 21st most-complained-about out of 28 model years of the Chevrolet Malibu with enough data (307 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Officer [XXX] filed on behalf of the deceased. The deceased owned a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the deceased had a rear end crash with another vehicle which was stopped at a traffic signal. The contact stated the estimated speed of the crash was 30 MPH. The air bag deployed and had shredded, the contact stated that a steering wheel support had been sheared from the steering wheel.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH and approaching a stop light the braking system malfunctioned when pressing the brake pedal causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of a second vehicle. The contact indicated that the vehicle did not reduce speed when pressing the brake pedal and the collision avoidance feature did not activate. A police report was taken at the scene. The police officer also confirmed no skid marks at the crash site.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to exceed 15 MPH. The Power Steering Reduced and Service ESC messages were displayed, and the check engine and low fuel warning lights were illuminated. The engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was cold. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was carbon build up.
The contact owns a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and shifting from drive(D) to park(P) the message "Shift to Park" was displayed. The contact had shifted to park (P). The contact repeatedly shifted from neutral(N) to park(P) before the warning light turned off. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure.