Common Problems You May Experience With The Chevrolet Malibu (According To Owners)

The Chevrolet Malibu is one sedan that's always lived in a peculiar middle ground. It's never really come off or marketed as showy or sporty, but also not pitched as a failsafe economy car, as is the case with a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. It's affordable and familiar, something many buyers seem to like. But once the miles start to add up, a more specific pattern starts to appear, as described by owners who've had it for some time.

Skim through various complaint databases and owner forums, and you'll see Malibu drivers point to several persistent issues, which you might want to be aware of if you're scanning the classifieds for one. We're not talking about problems involving catastrophic engine damage or sudden breakdowns. Those could happen to pretty much any car. Instead, we're talking about issues to do with electronic and drivetrain behavior that interferes with daily use. Things like the car refusing to register Park, accessories staying on even after shutdown, wheel jerking, systems malfunctioning even when everything looks mechanically okay, among other experiences that different drivers describe in nearly identical terms.

Be it as it may, not every Malibu has these issues. In fact, many Malibu drivers never encounter them. But when they arise, they usually center around the same systems, and different owners and drivers have done the courtesy of thoroughly documenting them. That's what the sections below will look into, using their own words wherever possible. 

If we're to rank the common problems with the Chevy Malibu from owner discussions, the "Shift to Park" message tops the chart. Drivers report that even after placing the shifter firmly in Park, the car insists otherwise. The engine continues to run. The dash warning won't go away. And turning off the car is no longer something you can achieve with muscle memory, but a process. One owner of a 2017 Chevy Malibu summed this up on CarComplaints saying: "When shifting into park, the shifter does not fully engage resulting in the inability to park the car or turn it off. The message on the dash says "shift into park" even though the shifter is actually in park."

Another driver reported a similar scenario with a 2018 Malibu on Reddit: "I keep having an issue where I shift my Malibu to park and shut it off and I get the shift to park notification." Another in the same thread added that when it happens, the car "will have the stereo still drawing on the battery and wont allow key removal."

Those who've somehow managed to get around the issue only offer temporary fixes. Some say jiggling the shifter a few times solves it, others claim that manipulating a wire mechanism beneath the center console works. For those who leave the issue to dealers, the issue often traces back to a faulty sensor or switch behind the shifter assembly.

Beyond the infamous shifter issues, some Chevy Malibu owners point to steering behavior that's difficult to ignore once it starts, especially on models with electric power steering. Multiple owners of the 2017 Malibu on CarComplaints reported receiving a "Steering Assist Reduced – Drive with Care" warning mid-drive, with some claiming that the car stalls after. Some drivers have described the whole ordeal as dangerous, especially when the steering hardens, with one even claiming the issue "almost caused me to crash." More owners of the 2009 models echoed the same on CarComplaints: power steering cuts out, clunks when turning, steering wheel shakes, strange sounds when turning, among other steering issues. So, you may want to take note of all that.

And it doesn't end there. Electrical gremlins are another repeat offender, with different owners mentioning infotainment glitches, which don't really mess with how the car drives, but test your patience. In the r/chevymalibu thread on Reddit, one owner reported the rearview camera getting stuck, and another in the same thread claiming his doesn't shut off even after shifting to drive. Another owner of a 2020 Malibu on r/Chevrolet also reported "intermittent issues with possibly the electrical system and all systems dependent on it." They then proceed to mention the same power steering failure issue that led to sudden stalling, all gauges not working, multiple warning messages. Others, like one driver of a 2013 Malibu LT reported flickering of the "entire dash + radio + Bluetooth system."

This piece is only based on verifiable owner reports on publicly accessible platforms such as CarComplaints, where people who've had the car for years input entries in various model-year pages, as well as Reddit threads like r/chevy, r/Chevrolet, and r/chevymalibu. All quoted comments are picked directly from the mentioned sources and also directly linked for verification purposes. We didn't fabricate or reconstruct any quotes. Also, we only focused on issues where multiple owners described the same behavior independently and in similar terms, particularly across different model years.

We relied heavily on CarComplaints to identify recurring problem categories and confirm consistency in the symptoms reported by different drivers in the platform. On the other hand, we used Reddit threads to capture even more first-hand experiences, some of which featured repair attempts that didn't quite appear in summarized complaint data. Not once did we use any posts or comments behind login walls and second-hand anecdotes. Instead, we aimed to reflect what actual long-term owners repeatedly report in their own words, and not list every possible issue that may befall the Chevrolet Malibu.