YearToAvoid

2015 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

47/100

#9 most-complained of 16 Malibu years

The 2015 Chevrolet Malibu has a complaint index of 47, ranking 9th worst out of 16 model years, with a verdict of Good relative to other Malibu years. It has 270 complaints, 3 recalls, and the top problem area is the Engine.

Complaints
270
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
18 / 9
Injuries / deaths
13 / 1
NHTSA overall rating
5 / 5 ★
EPA combined MPG
26.5
23 city / 32.5 hwy

Top 2015 Chevrolet Malibu problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Engine81 (30%)
  2. Electrical System71 (26%)
  3. Airbags49 (18%)
  4. Other37 (14%)
  5. Transmission & Powertrain31 (11%)
  6. Brakes28 (10%)
  7. Structure & Body22 (8%)
  8. Fuel System19 (7%)
  9. Visibility & Wipers12 (4%)
  10. Steering9 (3%)

What owners report

  • Electrical system smoke and fires reported from the dashboard and interior, with soot and melted carpet on the driver's side.
  • Side and driver airbags failed to deploy or did not fully inflate during collisions at speeds around 40-45 mph.
  • Vehicles reportedly rolled backward after being placed in park, with keys still in the ignition.
  • Engine reportedly surged unexpectedly from low to high speed, requiring drivers to brake hard and shift to park to stop it.
  • Vehicles crashed into objects at low speed while parking, with no warning indicators illuminated beforehand.
2015 Chevrolet Malibu complaints: complaints filed per quarter262014 Q42016 Q22017 Q42019 Q22020 Q42022 Q22023 Q42025 Q3
377 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2014 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2020 Q1 (26).

2015 Chevrolet Malibu recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 16V502000Jul 5, 2016Electrical System8,367 vehicles

    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."

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

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 15V666000Oct 16, 2015Airbags395 vehicles

    Air bags:side/window

    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.

    Risk: 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. The rupture could cause metal fragments to strike the vehicle occupants, potentially resulting in serious injury or death. Additionally, if the air bag does not properly inflate, the driver or passenger is at an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 15V164000Mar 23, 2015Visibility & Wipers87,063 vehicles

    Visibility:sun/moon roof assembly

    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."

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

    Remedy: 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.

2015 Chevrolet Malibu fuel economy and fuel cost

City
23 MPG
Highway
32.5 MPG
Combined
26.5 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,475
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2015 compared with other Malibu years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2013Avoid808351026
2014Caution53351628
2015Good47270326.5
2016Caution73837927
2017Caution60702428

All Chevrolet Malibu years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
Relative to other Malibu model years, the 2015 has a complaint index of 47 and ranks 9th worst out of 16 years, earning a Good verdict from NHTSA complaint and recall data.
What are the most common problems with the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu?
NHTSA complaints show the Engine as the top problem area (81 complaints, 30% share), followed by the Electrical System (71 complaints, 26% share) and Airbags (49 complaints, 18% share).
Does the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2015 Malibu, covering the electrical system park lock lever, side impact airbag modules, and a roof panel switch software update, none of which are do-not-drive recalls.
How does the 2015 Malibu compare to other model years?
The 2015 Malibu's complaint index of 47 is lower than the 2010-2013 model years, which range from 80 to 100 and carry Avoid verdicts, but higher than the 2021 and 2024 model years, which score 7 and 13 with Best verdicts.
What mileage do 2015 Malibu problems typically show up at?
The median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 50,000 miles, with Engine complaints reported at a median of 71,000 miles and Electrical System complaints at 54,335 miles.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.