2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid problems & reliability
1,029 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, alongside 9 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 10, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
11 complaints report injuries (14 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 361 | 35% |
| Power Train → | 308 | 30% |
| Electrical System → | 173 | 17% |
| Service Brakes → | 162 | 16% |
| Unknown / Other | 100 | 10% |
| Steering → | 69 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 48 | 5% |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) → | 44 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 33 | 3% |
| Structure → | 20 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 29 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 359 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 30,900 miles (middle 50% between 8,925 and 71,348 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced various intermittent electrical failures while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the power locks and windows either failed to operate as needed or independently operated while driving. The vehicle was…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Sep 3, 2026
“Transmission entered limp mode when decelerating at highway speed. Shutter shift, rapid rpm increase. First shift in the morning is a hard shift with loss of power.”
Power Train · filed Sep 2, 2026
“My truck lost steering as I was trying to pull into a parking lot. It started as a momentary jerking of the steering wheel then total loss of steering. The ABS error and Trailer Braking failure warning also appeared. After 4 to 5 restarts of the truck the steering came back. If this was to happen at high speed it…”
Steering · filed Sep 2, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Engineering Analysis EA25007 · opened Oct 23, 2025 · open
- Loss of motive power due to engine failure
Preliminary Evaluation PE25001 · opened Jan 16, 2025 · closed Oct 23, 2025 · led to recall 25V274
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
293 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. The 10 most recent:
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIT5099J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2026
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIT3271Q · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP6104 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902V · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 9, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC'ss
PIT6425D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 2, 2026
This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC's
PIT6425C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 16, 2026
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 8, 2026
This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about vehicles that have had multiple repair attempts that are being performed on customer’s vehicles that exhibit vibration conditions…
PIT5214G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 20, 2025
This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC's
PIT6425B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 2025
This Preliminary information communicates to the field on how to diagnosis a GPS issue with the Telematic module with no DTC's
PIT6425A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2019 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 30,900 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.