Used Car Checklists

2024 Chevrolet Malibu: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the automatic emergency braking. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Chevrolet Malibu2024
Owner complaints
8
Recalls
1
Crashes reported
2
1 injury
Reliability
Excellent
80/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/8 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/2

3

Cold start, engine bay, and underside

Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3

4

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on other Malibu years with the same design

These years share the 2024's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.

2023 Malibu

23 owner complaints
  • Electrical 7
  • Airbags 4
  • Transmission 3

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

  • Let auto-stop engage at a red light, then accelerate and confirm the car pulls away without a restart.
  • Lock, unlock, and start the car several times with the fob and watch for a key fob not detected message.
  • With the engine running, check for Service ESC, airbag, or check engine lights, and scan for stored codes such as P023F.
Open the 2023 checklist

2022 Malibu

66 owner complaints
  • Transmission 20
  • Electrical 14
  • Engine 6

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

  • Shift into Park and shut the car off several times. Watch for a Shift to Park message or the car staying powered on.
  • Ask for records showing whether the gear shifter was replaced and whether the work was covered or paid by the owner.
  • Scan for stored codes before buying, especially P0299 turbo underboost and P0826 shift faults.
Open the 2022 checklist

2021 Malibu

61 owner complaints
  • Transmission 22
  • Electrical 15
  • Body and structure 2

Worth adding to your 2024 checks

  • Shift into Park and shut the car off several times. Walk away if "Shift to Park" appears or the car won't power down.
  • After each shutdown, confirm the dash, radio, and lights turn off and the doors lock from outside.
  • Run the VIN for open recalls, including the fuel pump power control module recall, and ask whether the shifter assembly was replaced.
Open the 2021 checklist

Which Malibu is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
1.5L 4-cylFWD31 mpg
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Malibu that averages well under the EPA 31 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Automatic emergency braking2No crashes

    The driver-assist system can stop working without warning. Reports describe a cluster message saying forward collision alert and side blind spot monitoring are inoperable, adaptive cruise control that does not slow down when closing on a car ahead, and no alert or chime when an animal appears in the road. Drivers describe near misses after the system failed to react, so the crash risk is real. Dealers have not been able to duplicate the fault. Unrelated false alerts also appear, including an OnStar warning about a flat tire that was not flat.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints Malibu owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Automatic emergency braking
The car was taken to Day's Chev in Jasper Georgia on Nov 11 for forward collision system and they checked it and could not duplicate the problem and during this time after I have gotten the car back I have noticed the adaptive cruise does not slow down when you are coming up on a car . This is very dangerous.

Filed with NHTSA, November 2024

How the 2024 compares with other Malibu years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2024 ranks seventh for owner complaints among 8 Malibu years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2024 Average of other years
  • Automatic emergency braking20

Where the 2024 fits in the Malibu's history

Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.

The 2024 is the ninth model year of the Malibu's ninth generation (2016 on).

It is also the first year of a mid-cycle update.

What changed for 2024

  • Final year of production in the US.
  • End of sales in the US.
  • No immediate successor announced.

Recalls to confirm (1)

Recall repairs are free at any Chevrolet dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.

  1. 24V575000EquipmentAug 2024

    General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2024 Cadillac XT4 and Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The vehicles may have the wrong owner's manual in the glove box. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems.".

    Risk: The wrong owner's manual may contain inaccurate information about vehicle functions and other safety relevant information, which could lead to improper operation of the vehicle and increase the risk of a crash or injury.

    Fix: Dealers will provide owners with the correct manual, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 26, 2024. Owners may contact Cadillac's customer service at 1-800-458-8006 and Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020. GM's number for this recall is N242454040.

Also looking at these instead of a Malibu?

Cars shoppers compare with the Chevrolet Malibu, with their own 2024 checklists.

2024 owner complaints, side by side