2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid · symptom sheet

Battery dies or the car will not start

26owner reports
43,000median miles
0involved a crash

Newest report Apr 13, 2026 · checked Sep 9, 2026

173 of the 1,029 complaints on this car are about the electrical system. 26 of those describe dead battery.

Tick what matches of 26 reports

dead after sitting a day or two

needed a jump start

battery replaced more than once

warning lights or messages

the dealer found a drain

the dealer found nothing

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the battery (20 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the electrical system covers the 2019 model year as of Sep 9, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the electrical system on the Malibu Hybrid

DP22-005opened Jan 27, 2023

Electrical · model years 2016 to 2019

Pedestrian alert sounds. Closed aug 7, 2023, led to recall 22V-063.

NHTSA summary

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 12,600 and 84,000 miles, from the 16 reports that gave a mileage.

520

321

222

423

424

625

226

What owners wrote

“Transmission/ignition. Can not lock vehicle and battery will die. When turning the ignition to off, dash message 'shift to park' appears. Must turn ignition on and off repeatedly to get it to go out. Dealership tried tightening a plug but it did not work.”
Filed Jan 26, 2026

“I was driving in Highway 85 going south 65 mph I had my grandkids in the backseat and my truck automatically baked by itself and that electrical system control light came on break tire minor needs service and my engine started knocking. I almost had an accident in the highway I had to disconnect my battery for my brakes to release.”
Filed Jun 26, 2024

“Driving and the steering will jerk and comes up svc esc and service back up camera.Back up camera flashing on display but will not stay on .dealership said it was a battery issue so they changed battery and with in 7 miles from dealership almost hit oncoming car due to steering going out. Happen out of no where so it really hard to drive”
Filed Mar 8, 2023

“Vehicle would stall unexpectedly while driving. Had to pull over (coast to stop) and disconnect battery in order to get pickup running again. Dealership eventually found broken/corroded wires in main power harness to ECM. Appears to be related to GM service bulletin 21-NA-149.”
Filed Feb 21, 2023

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 26 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.