2020 Chevrolet Malibu · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 49owner reports
- 75,000median miles
- $10,000median quote
- 4involved a crash
Newest report Sep 8, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
49 of the 198 complaints on this car describe brake wear, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2020 Malibu.
Narrower sheets: Brake pedal goes hard or the booster or vacuum pump fails (25 reports)
Tick what matches of 49 reports
Brake wear on other Malibu years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2015.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the ABS module (7 reports) and the booster (6 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2020 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the brakes on the Malibu
Brake backing plate. Closed nov 28, 1988.
None of these investigations covers the 2020 model year.
What owners paid
7 of the 49 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $3,000 to $12,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 40,016 and 106,000 miles, from the 15 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2020 Chevrolet Malibu that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This service bulletin provides information for tire pressure monitoring (TPM) system concerns.
What owners wrote
“Very hard to brake, like stepping on a brick. Have to start breaking way in advance. Also keep getting a "shift to park" alert and car won't shut down and can't get out of it sometimes.”
Filed Mar 27, 2025
“Brake vacuum pump locked up causing camshaft to twist and reluctant wheel to turn which damaged the engine. I'm being quoted $10,000 to fix which was actually $1,000 more to fix but they accidentally under quoted me and have to honor the original estimate. I don't have that kind of money and still owe almost $14,000 on the car.”
Filed Jan 30, 2024
“I was driving down the hwy and all of a sudden, my engine lost power and my brakes harden. I could not brake and nearly lost my life and my sons.”
Filed Oct 6, 2023
“UNKNOWN Coming off a ramp to slow down and brakes were hard. Have to press down to brake.”
Filed Aug 25, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 4 of 49 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 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. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- "Shift to Park" or "Service Shifter" warning comes on 42 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 38 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 30 reports