2015 Chevrolet Malibu: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2015 Chevrolet Malibu recalls

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2015 Chevrolet Malibu. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• Electrical

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

  Details 16V502000

  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."

  Fix: 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.

• Visibility & wipers

  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.

  Details 15V164000

  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."

  Fix: 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.

• Airbags

  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.

  Details 15V666000

  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.

  Fix: 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.

2015 Chevrolet Malibu safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Warranty extension: On certain passenger cars and light duty trucks, equipped with Gen 10 OnStar®, the embedded phone flash memory chip may become corrupted, causing the OnStar® system to become inoperative.
• Warranty extension: This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have a Diagnostic Trouble Code B101D stored in Telematics Communication Interface Control Module.

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2015 Chevrolet Malibu safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

270 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, which is a lot.

What a 2015 Chevrolet Malibu is worth

Rough trade-in values — roughly what a dealer would pay — by mileage, from published trade-in guides. Private sales and dealer prices run higher. For the exact car, add its VIN.

Other Chevrolet Malibu years

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024