- Safety
- 4
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 1
- on record
- MPG
- 32
- combined
Fatalities reported
Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.
Vehicle Summary
2020 Chevrolet Malibu
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 1
- Owner complaints
- 191
- Complaints citing a crash
- 10
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 We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
1 Recall 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
1 NHTSA campaign affecting this model year.
- 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 2020 Chevrolet Malibu.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 3 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 10.3%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu 4 out of 5 stars overall, below the 5-star median for the 16 comparable 2020 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 10.3% 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 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
29
City
36
Hwy
32
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $1,900
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 298 g/mi
How this compares
At 32 MPG combined, the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu ranks 4th of 21 midsize cars EPA rated for 2020 — 5 MPG better than the 27 MPG median for that group.
That places it in the upper third of its class. Fuel cost is unlikely to be the deciding factor against its direct rivals.
EPA puts annual fuel spend at about $1,900, $400 less than the $2,300 typical for the class. Over five years at 15,000 miles a year that is roughly $9,500, a $2,000 difference against a class-median vehicle.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 298 grams per mile — about 4.5 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
191 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 191
- Total
- 10
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 7
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE92
- BRAKES46
- ELECTRICAL23
- OTHER19
- AIR BAGS4
Serious Concerns
191 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 7 reports involve injuries. 10 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu, newest first.
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation EA25005
DTN Air Bag Inflator Rupture
- Recall
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
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
29
City
36
Hwy
32
Comb
- Annual cost
- $1,900
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Compare with
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation EA25005
DTN Air Bag Inflator Rupture
- Recall
An improperly secured seat belt retractor may not function properly in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.