"How reliable is the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"Based on 1157 NHTSA complaints, the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu has a median complaint mileage of 51000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2017 Chevrolet Malibu is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 1157 total complaints filed."

2017 Chevrolet Malibu: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1157 complaints

1157

Total Complaints

51,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,000 25th Percentile

51,000 Median Mileage

70,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

249

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

157

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

144

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

132

POWER TRAIN

126

SERVICE BRAKES

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

STEERING

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ON 27 APRIL, 2017, I WAS RIDING AS A PASSENGER IN A 2017 MALIBU. WE WERE TRAVELLING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN WE NEEDED TO STOP RAPIDLY, TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT DID NOT FUNCTION AT ALL. BECAUSE I HAVE ZERO TRUST IN GM, I WAS PROTECTING MYSELF (THE BEST ONE CAN) FOR JUST S..."

"AFTER MUCH RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT THE TRANSMISSION THAT IS IN THE 2017 MALIBU, WHICH IS THE 6T40, IS NOT RATED TO BE IN THIS VEHICLE. THE 6T40 IS RATED AT 177LB-FT TORQUE, THE MALIBU HAS 184LB-FT. GMAUTHORITY.COM/BLOG/GM/GM-TRANSMISSIONS/MH8/ THIS LINK IS THE PAGE FOR THE 6T40. HOW..."

"I PURCHASED A 2017 CHEVY MALIBU LAST WEEK. I WAS LOOKING OVER THE DATA ON THE CHEVY WEBSITE. CHEVY IS LISTING TWO DIFFERENT HP RATINGS FOR THIS CAR. ONE AREA STATES 163HP & 184 LB-FT TORQUE. THE OTHER SAYS 160HP & 184 LB-FT TORQUE. THE MAIN ISSUE I HAVE IS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. GM SAYS THE CA..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28