2019 Chevrolet Malibu

Name: 2019 Chevrolet Malibu owner-filed safety complaints per 1,000 sold
Creator: YearsTell

For every car sold, owners filed somewhat fewer complaints about the 2019 Malibu than about the typical Malibu year. Among the 14 Malibu years with enough complaints to compare, owners filed the fewest about the 2015 (0.25 per 1,000 sold) and the most about the 2018 (1.33).

Safety complaints filed by owners in the first three years, per 1,000 sold.

0.30 per 1,000

0.6 times this nameplate’s own median

Counted from 41 complaints filed in the first three years, of 195 ever. 95% lower bound 0.21.

Every Malibu model yearComplaints per 1,000 sold, first three years

This yearOther yearsToo few complaints to rankTypical year, 0.48

Against its own model years

The model year carries far more information than the badge, so this is the comparison that matters. The bar is how many complaints each rate rests on.

Model year	Per 1,000	Complaints
2008	0.67	119
2009	0.48	81
2010	0.51	92
2011	0.27	55
2012	0.51	106
2013	0.83	171
2014	0.39	75
2015	0.25	48
2016	0.71	151
2017	1.02	212
2018	1.33	220
2019	0.30	41
2020	0.38	45
2021	0.18	13
2022	0.25	29
2023	0.17	21

Issues owners of the 2019 Malibu report

Phrases over-represented in these complaints compared with the same component on every other vehicle. Counts are complaints containing the phrase.

Power Train 68 complaints

shift park	31	46%
gear shifter	11	16%

Engine 66 complaints

engine power	14	21%
reduced	14	21%
vacuum	10	15%

Electrical System 63 complaints

park	34	54%
shift	27	43%
shift park	23	37%
message	18	29%
shifter	11	17%

When it breaks

41% of reported failures happened before 30,000 miles (median 41,750 miles, from 59 complaints that recorded one).

No clear early or late pattern.

What NHTSA did

1 investigation covering this model year, 1 of which list a recall campaign.

Pedestrian alert sounds

Questions buyers ask about the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu

Is 2019 a good year or a bad year for the Malibu?

What problems does the 2019 Malibu have?

The parts owners named most often in complaints filed to date: Power Train (68), Engine (66), Electrical System (63). The phrases they used are listed above.

Is the 2019 Malibu reliable?

Complaint records cannot settle that on their own. They count safety problems owners chose to report to the federal government, not every repair. What they do show is how this year compares with the other Malibu years: for every car sold, owners filed somewhat fewer complaints about the 2019 Malibu than about the typical Malibu year.

Which Malibu year has the fewest complaints?

Among years with enough complaints to compare, the 2015, at 0.25 per 1,000 sold. Every Malibu year, ranked.

What the used-car guides say

No guide we read covers the Malibu.

Check this yourself

Example records behind this page, each on NHTSA’s own site:

Limits of this figure. It counts safety complaints filed with the federal government, which is a floor on failures and not a census: problems that only cost money are under-reported. Complaint rates also reflect how likely a brand’s owners are to file, which cannot be separated from how often the car fails. Sales are calendar-year and the denominator for this nameplate is checked by hand against its source table, not against an outside figure.