Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2017 Chevrolet Malibu: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 723 safety complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

723
Complaints
4
Recalls
1
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 17 crashes, 4 fires, 16 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling leads the complaint list, cited in 261 of 723 complaints, followed by Electrical.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 42 of the 723 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. 1 NHTSA defect investigation is associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 723 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
261
Electrical
172
Other / unspecified
151
Power train / transmission
143
Speed control
136
Brakes & stability
121
Fuel & propulsion
62
Steering
47

"the trottle body position sensor just started acting up. took it to mechanic. they stated they can try to fix it but it may only work for a month then go back out. may end up paying over 6k and the car isn't worth it"

Owner complaint filed June 2026 · Suspension,Wheels,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11746422

"The Reduce Power to Engine keeps happening. It shuts my car down and lights up the traction control light, check engine light and its a serious hazard because I travel highway to and from work and its very dangerous when you loose power to your vehicle at high rates of speed. Also my emissions is bad due to a supposed fixed recall for the catalytic converter."

Owner complaint filed February 2026 · Vehicle Speed Control,Unknown Or Other,Engine · NHTSA ODI 11716053

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2017 Chevrolet Malibu
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
13
52
147
142
95
98
55
46
58
17
17181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026).

How the 2017 compares with other model years

Across the Chevrolet Malibu model years we track, the 2010 has the most complaints on file (1,361); the 2017 ranks 6 of 7.

Total complaints by model year — Chevrolet Malibu
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
1,361
977
906
922
860
2017
723
695
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 4 recalls

4 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Dec 201616V-870
Air Bags:Side/Window

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2017 Malibu vehicles manufactured on November 10, 2016. The right-hand rear side air bag inflator manifold may have insufficient welds.

May 201818V-358
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,…

Jun 201818V-400
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 p…

Aug 202121V-649
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.

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 723 complaints about the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu have?

The 2017 Chevrolet Malibu has 4 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.