RecallRadar

HomeChevroletMalibu → 2015

2015 Chevrolet Malibu Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

396 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.53 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious16V502000

Electrical System:Ignition

If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, raises the risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

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, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Serious15V666000

Air Bags:Side/Window

In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of one or both of the side impact air bags, the air bag's inflator may rupture and the air bag may not properly inflate.

Remedy & full details

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side impact air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on October 19, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 01320.

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.

Serious15V164000

Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly

The Slide or Tilt roof panel switch may inadvertently be pressed and the roof panel may auto-close unexpectedly, raises the risk of a pinch injury.

Remedy & full details

GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the Body Control Module (BCM) software to remove auto-close feature for certain switch positions, free of charge. The recall began April 21, 2015. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 15176.

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, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."

Complaint volume

396 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

31Crashes
17Fires
19Injuries
2Deaths

Across 396 complaints. Severity Index 0.53.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine69 · 17%Electrical System64 · 16%Air Bags47 · 12%Unknown Or Other34 · 9%Power Train29 · 7%Vehicle Speed Control28 · 7%Fuel/Propulsion System18 · 5%Electronic Stability Cont…16 · 4%
  1. Engine — 69 reports
  2. Electrical System — 64 reports
  3. Air Bags — 47 reports
  4. Unknown Or Other — 34 reports
  5. Power Train — 29 reports
  6. Vehicle Speed Control — 28 reports
  7. Fuel/Propulsion System — 18 reports
  8. Electronic Stability Control (Esc) — 16 reports
  9. Service Brakes — 15 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 12 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1997 (6) · 1998 (5) · 1999 (3) · 2000 (5) · 2001 (4) · 2002 (4) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (9) · 2005 (6) · 2006 (9) · 2007 (6) · 2008 (5) · 2009 (6) · 2010 (4) · 2011 (4) · 2012 (3) · 2013 (10) · 2014 (6) · 2015 · 2016 (9) · 2017 (4) · 2018 (6) · 2019 (1) · 2020 (1) · 2021 (2) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.