- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 9
- on record
- MPG
- 26
- combined
Fatalities reported
Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.
Vehicle Summary
2016 Chevrolet Malibu
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 9
- Owner complaints
- 859
- Complaints citing a crash
- 23
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
9 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
9 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 18V400000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. During servicing, a Passenger Presence System (PPS) may have been installed that was not correctly calibrated to the vehicle's seat type. As a result, the PPS may not properly identify an adult passenger from a child passenger in the front passenger seat, potentially causing the air bag to not deploy when it should, or causing the air bag to deploy when it shouldn't.
Consequence
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger PPS seat service kit, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 18208.
- 18V358000high
Fuel pump may fail
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2015-2018 GMC Canyon, 2016-2017 Buick Envision, 2016-2018 Chevrolet Colorado and Malibu, 2017-2018 GMC Acadia, 2018 Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac ATS, Chevrolet Equinox, and GMC Terrain vehicles. The high pressure fuel pump may detach from its mounting flange, possibly resulting in the pump damaging the high pressure fuel line.
Consequence
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the high pressure fuel pump, and high pressure fuel pipe, free of charge. The recall began July 2, 2018. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 18188.
- 16V272000high
Electronic stability control (esc)
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured March 7, 2016, through March 12, 2016. The memory chip in the electronic brake control module (EBCM) may fail and cause the loss of electronically controlled brake systems including anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). As such, these vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence
If the EBCM fails the primary braking system will still function, however, the loss of ABS and ESC increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a replacement EBCM, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020). GM's number for this recall is 39440.
- 16V781000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured November 18, 2015, to June 7, 2016. The fabric of the side-impact air bag cushion may tear during deployment.
Consequence
If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 27, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 16079.
- 16V502000high
Electrical issue
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, 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."
Consequence
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 16V084000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE
Genera Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, Malibu, Silverado and GMC Sierra vehicles. The radio may intermittently fail to provide an audio warning when the key has been left in the ignition and the door is opened or when the driver does not fasten their seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection", and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence
An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. The recall began on March 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15808.
- 16V151000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016 Malibu vehicles manufactured February 16, 2016, to March 5, 2016. The two weld studs that mount the front and rear side impact air bags may fracture and separate from the air bag during deployment. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Consequence
Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is 31820.
- 16V125000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Chevrolet Colorado vehicles manufactured January 19, 2016, to February 2, 2016, Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured January 9, 2016, to January 26, 2016, and 2016 GMC Canyon vehicles manufactured January 21, 2016, to February 4, 2016. The driver frontal air bag may improperly inflate during second-stage deployment in the event of a high speed crash.
Consequence
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on April 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 28030.
- 21V649000high
Safety restraint issue
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.
Consequence
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 4 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 10.2%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu 5 out of 5 stars overall, level with the 5-star median for the 17 comparable 2016 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 10.2% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
22
City
32
Hwy
26
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $2,350
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 342 g/mi
How this compares
At 26 MPG combined, the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu ranks 9th of 20 midsize cars EPA rated for 2016 — exactly the 26 MPG median for that group.
That places it squarely mid-pack for its class. Fuel cost is close enough to its rivals that other running costs will probably matter more.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $2,350, $200 less than the $2,550 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $11,750, a $1,000 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 342 grams per mile — about 5.1 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
859 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 859
- Total
- 23
- Crashes
- 2
- Fires
- 17
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE402
- OTHER136
- BRAKES106
- ELECTRICAL78
- STRUCTURE29
Serious Concerns
859 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 17 reports involve injuries. 23 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu, newest first.
- Recall
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
- Recall
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Recall
If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Recall
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
If the EBCM fails the primary braking system will still function, however, the loss of ABS and ESC increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Fractured weld studs may allow the side air bag to move out of position during deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
An improperly inflated air bag increases the risk of injury.
- Recall
An unbelted driver is at a greater risk of injury in a crash.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Sedan
- Drive type
- FWD
- Engine
- 2.5L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Regular Gasoline
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Seats
- 5
Fuel economy
22
City
32
Hwy
26
Comb
- Annual cost
- $2,350
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Compare with
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
In the event of a crash, improper air bag deployment can increase the risk of injury.
- Recall
A damaged fuel line can create a fuel leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Recall
If the air bag tears during deployment, the air bag may not perform as designed, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Recall
If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury.

