Problem Lookup âș Chevrolet âș Malibu âș 2021
Car problem report
2021 Chevrolet Malibu problems, recalls and owner complaints
What the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu has been recalled for and what owners report, from official government data. Updated October 25, 2026.
- 2safety recalls
- 90owner complaints
- 0crash reports
- 1fire report
- 1injury reported
90 complaints, against an average of 414 for the other 13 Chevrolet Malibu model years.
Every Chevrolet Malibu model year with its number of owner complaints. Pick a year to compare.
What goes wrong with the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu?
The components named most often in the 90 owner complaints. One complaint can name several, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What symptoms do 2021 Chevrolet Malibu owners describe?
Found by reading the text of all 90 owner complaints. Tap a symptom for the answer, a real owner quote and any related recall.
Has the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu been recalled?
2 U.S. safety recalls. Repairs are free at a franchised dealer; some are done over the air.
Seats General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may have an improper weld in the power tilt-adjustment mechanism.
Risk: An improperly welded seat frame may not adequately restrain the driver in a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the driver's seat and replace the cushion frame, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 23, 2022. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020 or Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006. GM's number for this recall is N212356050.
Seat Belts: Critical Fasteners 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.
Fix: 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.
What do 2021 Chevrolet Malibu owners report?
12 of the 90 complaints, the most recent for the most-reported components, as the owners wrote them. NHTSA removes names and VINs; long reports are trimmed. CarHooq has not verified individual claims.
This car has the same issues even after you get it replaced . this car is not a good car I have spent so much money replacing the oz sensor .the radio, and the turbo keeps going out . this car has a lot of recall that should be handle to make sure that this car is running good . they should replace this turbo charge . the car always stall and cut off at a light or when you drive this is not safe to drive .
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed; however, the RPM was extremely elevated. The vehicle then lost motive power and went into LIMP Mode, and the vehicle failed to exceed 15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on three separate occasions. After the first failure, the dealer stated that the failure was caused by an inoperable sensor, and the fuel pump was reprogrammed. The contact stated that after the second failure, which was associated with the turbo, the powertrain module was reprogrammed. TheâŠ
The Chevy Malibu is displaying a âShift to Parkâ message even when the gear selector is physically in the Park position. This indicates that the vehicleâs computer may not be recognizing that the vehicle has been placed in Park, which is commonly associated with a faulty or failing internal park-position sensor/switch. The issue is affecting the vehicleâs ability to shut down properly. It is necessary to turn the vehicle off and back on multiple times before the system will recognize that the vehicle is in Park and allow it to shut off completely. If the vehicle does not recognize the ParkâŠ
Failure - B000A-00 Body Control Module Error code - Shift Lever Position not plausible . Safety - This causes the car to upon attempting to turn off the car say "Shift into Park" on the dashboard and the car refuses to turn fully off. This can cause the battery to drain excessively from repeated constant start/stop attempts and leaves the car in an impossible state. You cannot safely leave the car in this state but you have no choice until you get lucky enough to hope an attempt is recognized as parked and shut off normally. This could jeopardize safety in situations you need to turn your carâŠ
I was driving my car my electrical system is throwing all kinds of code.my sftey restrain is coming on to check my seat belt .the car goes blank .it stop in the middle of the road.this car has a lot of issues.can some one help me with this I work at the cardiologist office .
I purchased this vehicle in April of 2026, 4 days after bringing it home it began displaying a âShift To Parkâ message in the dash, essentially making it so the vehicle will not shut off even when the vehicle is in park. Took it to a shop and they diagnosed it as a common issue across the 2021 Malibus and stated the entire shifter assembly needed replaced. Have not had it replaced yet due to not having the funds to replace the entire assembly, but was informed eventually the problem will progress to a total loss of being able to turn the vehicle off resulting in the vehicle essentially dyingâŠ
The contact owns a 2021 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, all the lights on the instrument panel illuminated, and the engine started to choke. The Service Vehicle light remained illuminated after the other lights turned off. The engine started choking again and failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with an inoperable fuel pump power control module. The mechanic informed the contact about a recall associated with the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. TheâŠ
A screen popped up saying âreduced engine powerâ I was already Omw to the shop to get one thing fixed. When they tried to pull my car in they say they he car wouldnât drive and it was hard to accelerate and they had to put it in Neutral to get it in the shop. They said they fixed the problem but when I left to go into the main road, my car wouldnât accelerate to the speed I needed and cars were coming. They were beeping and thank God they were able to slow down because theyâve wouldâve hit me. The car does not accelerate and the manias canât figure out why. Upon doing my research there areâŠ
Took my car for an oil change 4/17/2026 dealership stated I had a recall on the 21 chevy malibu for Fuel injection module, They could not do the recall repair because they did not have the part. So the lady called me. 4/21/2026 to make appointment for recall for 4/23/2026. But later that day on 4/21 my engine light came out and my car started having problems. When ran a diagnostic it gave a code for the fuel injection
I was driving and car suddenly reduced speed,engine light came on and message came across dash âengine power reducedâ and a text was sent to tell me I have a transmission issue. Now car wonât drive past 25-30mph dealership indicated this is a faulty gas pedal which cost over $600 to repair. Did my research and this is apparently a âknownâ problem common in 2016-2022. Vehicles but is not an official recall. Also dealership said only âcertainâ vin numbers with this problem are covered. I have a 2021 and I am not one of them. Not fair. Itâs a known problem it should be fixed.
My car stalls, jerks, and shuts off when in drive. More specifically when I turn it on, shift it in reverse, reverse, shift into drive. I press on the gas and nothing. Car doesn't move. I put it back in park sometimes it'll shut off most of the time it'll jerks and jerk while I tap on the gas, then make a big stutter like power is low gas doesn't seem to be working with the pedal then it makes a huge jerk before it goes into drive. This has become an everyday thing. Car has shut off when auto off is on while at a stop. There's a huge creaking coming from the under body. Almost feels likeâŠ
SHIFTER ERROR - SCREEN READS SHIFT TO PARK ONCE CAR IS TURNED OFF ALREADY THE CAR TAKES TIME TO TURN OFF EVEN WHEN ITS OFF. IN AN EMERGENCY YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF YOUR CAR TO LOCK IT NO NO THE CHECK ENGIN LIGHT IS ON BUT IT READS FOR A FILTER
2021 Chevrolet Malibu: questions owners ask
Is the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
NHTSA data alone cannot rate reliability, but it shows what owners reported. Owners filed 90 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu; the most common categories were electrical system (30, 33.3%), power train (28, 31.1%), engine (15, 16.7%). There are 2 safety recalls. 1 mentions a fire, 1 injury was reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu?
Across 90 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the categories mentioned most often are electrical system (33.3% of complaints), power train (31.1% of complaints), engine (16.7% of complaints), fuel/propulsion system (8.9% of complaints), air bags (6.7% of complaints). One complaint can name several components.
Does the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu have any recalls?
Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu; the most recent (campaign 22V359000, 2022-05-19) concerns Seats. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer; check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Why does my 2021 Chevrolet Malibu stall, lose power or shut off while driving?
10 of the 90 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu (11.1%) describe the engine stalling, losing power or shutting off while driving. One owner wrote: "This car has the same issues even after you get it replaced . this car is not a good car I have spent so much money replacing the oz sensor .the radio, and the turbo keeps going out ." (NHTSA complaint 11770501, October 2026). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why is the check engine light on in my 2021 Chevrolet Malibu?
6 of the 90 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu (6.7%) describe the check engine light coming on. One owner wrote: "I was driving and car suddenly reduced speed,engine light came on and message came across dash âengine power reducedâ and a text was sent to tell me I have a transmission issue." (NHTSA complaint 11731460, April 2026). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Why does the battery keep dying on my 2021 Chevrolet Malibu?
4 of the 90 owner complaints NHTSA has on file for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu (4.4%) describe a dead or draining battery. One owner wrote: "The vehicle says shift to park. Even though the vehicle is in park. It then causes the vehicle power to remain on and kill the battery. Iâve seen multiple instances of this same problem on the same vehicle as mine and many other GM models." (NHTSA complaint 11589906, May 2024). If it happens to your car, check your VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls and report the problem to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations.
Check your own Malibu
Counts are a starting point, not a verdict: popular models collect more complaints because more of them are on the road, and NHTSA does not verify individual reports. To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls (U.S.) or your registration at check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk (UK). Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA; complaints are what trigger investigations and recalls.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation recall and complaint databases (public domain), retrieved October 25, 2026. Model year 2021 only.