2019 Chevrolet Malibu problems, complaints & recalls
FewerFalling
NHTSA has received 194 owner complaints about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu, or 24.9 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.62, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 78 model-year 2019 vehicles we track, it ranks #35 of 78 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Chevrolet models its rate is 46% lower; against other Midsize sedans it is 34% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2018-10-26 and 2026-10-07. Median delay from incident to filing: 11 days.
194Complaints
24.9Complaints per year on the road
0.62Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
4.6%Share involving a crash or fire
19Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2018) drew 80.9 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2020) drew 29.2 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2019 model collected 25 complaints, 68% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Engine (34.0% of complaints), followed by Transmission / powertrain (27.3%) and Electrical (20.6%). Engine complaints are 1.5 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 9 reports (4.6%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 7 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 50 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (43% of incidents). In the last 12 months 19 new complaints were filed, versus 36 in the 12 months before — down 47%.
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation covers this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.62
vs. other Chevrolet models0.54
vs. other 2019 models0.55
vs. other Midsize sedans0.66
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (25)0.32
I am reporting a safety concern involving a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The vehicle was previously involved in accidents prior to my purchase and had known mechanical issues, including a gear shifting problem that was not properly repaired.
Electrical · 2026-03-30 · ODI 11727960 · Crash
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after parking and attempting to turn off the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to park(P) however, the vehicle failed to recognize that the vehicle was in park(P), and the vehicle failed to…
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-10-07 · ODI 11769573
The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle, the following morning while waiting at the school drop-off line with her foot on the brake pedal, there was an abnormal boom, and several warning lights…
Engine · 2026-09-24 · ODI 11766611
Due to the vacuum pump failing during driving, metal shards broke inside of the car and went into the engine destroying it completely. Now i need a whole new engine
Engine · 2026-09-16 · ODI 11764778
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: 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.
Risk: An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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.
DP22005 · defect petition · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2018, 2019
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…
