2018 Chevrolet Malibu · symptom sheet

Battery dies or the car will not start

30owner reports
46,407median miles
0involved a crash

Newest report Aug 2, 2025 · checked Sep 9, 2026

191 of the 695 complaints on this car are about the electrical system. 30 of those describe dead battery.

Tick what matches of 30 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 (27 reports) and the module (4 reports).

Recalls and investigations

One recall on the electrical system covers the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.

19V-642Sep 6, 2019

Electrical System:Software

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2018 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles equipped with 1.5L turbo engines. An error in the Engine Control Module (ECM) software may result in the fuel injectors being disabled.

Risk and remedy

Risk: Disabled fuel injectors would prevent the engine from starting and may cause a stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the ECM software, free of charge. The recall began October 16, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-630-2438. GM's number for this recall is N192221960.

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 28,000 and 53,000 miles, from the 11 reports that gave a mileage.

118

119

720

521

622

223

624

225

What owners wrote

“The mechanic discovered that the Battery Control Module harness had been damaged by water intrusion inside the vehicle. This damage prevented the vehicle from powering on, rendering it completely non-responsive.”
Filed Aug 2, 2025

“Car keeps giving a âShift To Parkâ message when vehicle is already in park. Leaving the vehicle running and draining the battery, let me stranded a few times because it was dead. Tried almost everything to get it to go away but it keeps giving the same message everytime I go to park it and vehicle wonât shut off. Very inconvenient and unsafe, Doesnât seem to be a recall or fix for this issue.”
Filed Nov 20, 2024

“When I turn my vehicle off, it displays âshift to parkâ I am trapped in my car because it does not turn off all the way and the door will not lock. I have to wiggle and re-crank several times to attempt to get my vehicle to shut off. My battery has gone dead several times because I simply couldnât turn the car off with the shift to park displaying.”
Filed Aug 12, 2024

“My car keeps saying please put in park, even after the car is parked. If I donât turn on and off the car multiple times shifting from park to reverse to get it to not say put in park, my lights in my car stay on and the battery will eventually die. Seems electrical, and afraid of it says please put in park, is it really in park if it says that?”
Filed May 6, 2024

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 0 of 30 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.