Total Complaints
388 filings
CHEVROLET MALIBU · model year
388 NHTSA complaints, 30 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
New Car Assessment Program
The 2015CHEVROLETMALIBU carries 388 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 30 crashes, 17 fires, 18 injuries, and 2 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2015 MALIBU is engine with 69 filings, followed by electrical system (64) and air bags (46). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 57 investigation files overlapping the 2015 MALIBU, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
388 filings
Crashes Reported
30 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| ENGINE | 69 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 64 |
| AIR BAGS | 46 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 34 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 28 |
| POWER TRAIN | 27 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 17 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 16 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 15 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY | 12 |
| SEATS | 10 |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 9 |
| SEAT BELTS | 8 |
| STEERING | 8 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 |
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
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, thes
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The affected vehicles have front seat-mounted side impact air bags whose inflator may rupture upon its deployment.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
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, 201
The car continues to die when I come to a stop. The error code for the engine light is P305F. I have changed both batteries along with several different sensors and spent thousands of dollars in repairs at a couple different shops and still canât find the problem with this error code. I have fixed everything that this error code points to. The car will not pass inspection with the check engine code on. This should have been recalled as this is a very common problem.
The car continues to die when I come to a stop. The error code for the engine light is P305F. I have changed both batteries along with several different sensors and spent thousands of dollars in repairs at a couple different shops and still canât find the problem with this error code. I have fixed everything that this error code points to. The car will not pass inspection with the check engine code on. This should have been recalled as this is a very common problem.
The transmission and engine fails repeatedly. The vehicle repeatedly stalls while accelerating at all speeds, simultaneously, the gear shift lights,dash lights, radio, etc restarts. Issue also happens when shifting gears. Issue happens at every stop light and stop sign, when the vehicle is engaged in âauto stopâ. The vehicle has been in and out of the repair shop since 2022 for TCM/ECM failure. The vehicle has been inspected by Chevrolet twice and other repair shops. Problem persists and the vehicle is not safe to drive. The vehicle has to be jumped daily in order for it to work even after purchasing several batteries and alternators. Warranty company, SilverRock, denied claim. When shifting gears, the warning message states âpower steeringâ and all of the car lights disappear and the vehicle stalls. These issues appeared 31 days after purchase in May of 2022.
The transmission and engine fails repeatedly. The vehicle repeatedly stalls while accelerating at all speeds, simultaneously, the gear shift lights,dash lights, radio, etc restarts. Issue also happens when shifting gears. Issue happens at every stop light and stop sign, when the vehicle is engaged in âauto stopâ. The vehicle has been in and out of the repair shop since 2022 for TCM/ECM failure. The vehicle has been inspected by Chevrolet twice and other repair shops. Problem persists and the vehicle is not safe to drive. The vehicle has to be jumped daily in order for it to work even after purchasing several batteries and alternators. Warranty company, SilverRock, denied claim. When shifting gears, the warning message states âpower steeringâ and all of the car lights disappear and the vehicle stalls. These issues appeared 31 days after purchase in May of 2022.
The transmission and engine fails repeatedly. The vehicle repeatedly stalls while accelerating at all speeds, simultaneously, the gear shift lights,dash lights, radio, etc restarts. Issue also happens when shifting gears. Issue happens at every stop light and stop sign, when the vehicle is engaged in âauto stopâ. The vehicle has been in and out of the repair shop since 2022 for TCM/ECM failure. The vehicle has been inspected by Chevrolet twice and other repair shops. Problem persists and the vehicle is not safe to drive. The vehicle has to be jumped daily in order for it to work even after purchasing several batteries and alternators. Warranty company, SilverRock, denied claim. When shifting gears, the warning message states âpower steeringâ and all of the car lights disappear and the vehicle stalls. These issues appeared 31 days after purchase in May of 2022.
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle came to a complete stop independently. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the vehicle failed to respond. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,884.
Mileage: 151,884
The contact owns a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was later taken to the local mechanic, who diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. During the incident, the front passenger made contact with the dashboard and sustained bruises to the left knee and finger. No medical treatment was needed. The failure mileage was 151,000.
Mileage: 151,000
The slot in the B-Pillar where the seatbelt enters and exits the trim when it's extended or retracted has an unrounded and sharp edge. Under normal use, this plastic edge cuts nylon fibers on the sides of the belt, leading to a overall loss in integrity of the safety restraint. Vehicles should have rounded plastic edges or metal oblong loops to eliminate the belt rubbing against sharp surfaces. The belt is frayed on the side facing the forward part of the vehicle, which rubs the most as it's extended that direction when the driver pulls on the belt to fasten it. An independent mechanic says it seems to be a design flaw and my seatbelt is at a high risk of ripping in the event a substantial force is applied to it by an occupant during a crash.
Rocker arm malfunction. This car has repeatedly shut off while driving without warning and the rocker arm has been the only code. I saw this has been a problem for the 2014-2015 Malibu and Impala models and this should be recalled due to faulty equipment and not to be repaired at the cost of the owners.
I was coming home from school pickup, and the light said the engine power was reducing. Then the screen said that I couldn't go past 25 miles per hour. The skid sign came on also. The car started slowing down on its own. The car then stopped. I had to put on emergency lights quickly. I had my daughter and grandaughter in the car. Thank God we didn't get rear ended. I turned off the car and waited. I turned it back on and went home a half a mile away thankfully. I looked up for a recall and Google said that there was a potential for the same thing. The check engine light came on too. This has never happened the whole time that I've had it.
Service airbag light goes on and off. Also passenger air bag keeps turning on and off.
I was driving on the interstate and the engine power reduced light came on twice. It was driveable but I got off the interstate to state roads so I could drive slower. It acts like it wants to stop. I have been afraid to drive it again.
The engine power reduced light came on twice. I have been feeling a slight hesitation when driving for a couple of months but this is the first time that light came on. It happened on i65n about 140 miles from Montgomery. I got off the interstate at Montgomery so I could drive slower and made it home to Centre, AL. But now I'm afraid to drive it far.
My car has the auto shut off and when im driving it sometimes just dies while im driving with no warning and no power steering to pull over. Also when im at a red light and the auto shut off comes on when it starts back up all my head lights turning signals radio everything goes off and comes back on when the car restarts then when u go to take off it will die and everytime I push on the gas it hesitates to go if it dont die. I took my car to an independent car repair shop and they said they have tested everything and I have also replaced the front and back batteries and I was told it is the computer and he has had several of the same car come in with the exact problem.
My car has the auto shut off and when im driving it sometimes just dies while im driving with no warning and no power steering to pull over. Also when im at a red light and the auto shut off comes on when it starts back up all my head lights turning signals radio everything goes off and comes back on when the car restarts then when u go to take off it will die and everytime I push on the gas it hesitates to go if it dont die. I took my car to an independent car repair shop and they said they have tested everything and I have also replaced the front and back batteries and I was told it is the computer and he has had several of the same car come in with the exact problem.
My car has the auto shut off and when im driving it sometimes just dies while im driving with no warning and no power steering to pull over. Also when im at a red light and the auto shut off comes on when it starts back up all my head lights turning signals radio everything goes off and comes back on when the car restarts then when u go to take off it will die and everytime I push on the gas it hesitates to go if it dont die. I took my car to an independent car repair shop and they said they have tested everything and I have also replaced the front and back batteries and I was told it is the computer and he has had several of the same car come in with the exact problem.
Transmission failed while driving in traffic.
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Loss of Motive Power due to the Battery Energy Control Module
Electric Vehicle Battery Fires
Outboard Front Seat Belt Anchor Cable Failure
Fuel Line Leak
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.