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2022 Chevrolet Malibu Problems & Owner Complaints

91 NHTSA owner complaints
4 crash 1 injury

Age-normalised, this year draws ~18.2 complaints per year on the road — ranking 5 of 8 Chevrolet Malibu years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Electrical System is the most-reported problem area on the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu, cited in 31 of 91 filed complaints (34%).

Engine is next (28 complaints, 31%), followed by Power Train (23), Engine And Engine Cooling (9), Fuel/Propulsion System (6).

Across all complaints, 4 report a crash, 1 report injuries.

The most safety-critical cluster is Unknown Or Other: 1 crash, 1 injury report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 91.

Electrical System 31 1 crash

“Hit an animal on the roadway and the airbag didn’t deploy and my car is destroyed engine light is on I could have been hurt”
NHTSA complaint #11585684, 2024 · crash

“I was told the bcm on my vehicle is bad. It cause my car to go all out of wack. Multiple warning lights come on (ESC, ABS, power steering, check engine), the gauge controls flutter, my gear shift clicks on and off, the car has even shut down on me in the middle of traffic, wouldn’t start, wouldn’t shift, basically wouldn’t move at all even when it did start. How would a bcm shut down my whole vehicle?”
NHTSA complaint #11750482, 2026

“I have a problem with parking, the warning comes on,”Shift Into Park” knowing that I’m in park, so it’s not registering. Have to move the shifter a couple of times before it comes off. My check engine light stays on and then comes off a week or two later and then comes back on and no code comes up, so I’ll clear it or let it clear itself.”
NHTSA complaint #11746599, 2026

Engine 28

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 62 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the message "Reduced Engine Power" displayed, and the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a diagnostic scan retrieved DTC: P0299, indicating a failure with the turbo charger. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer, who confirmed that the vehicle was not eligible for the GM Special Coverage: N252508360. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ap…”
NHTSA complaint #11752008, 2026

“Component: Air Conditioning – A/C Hose Assembly / Refrigerant Discharge Line The air conditioning refrigerant discharge line (A/C hose assembly) appears to have been improperly designed and/or installed during manufacturing. The rubber A/C hose was routed in a manner that caused it to rest against or press against the side of the engine. Over time, the engine heat and constant contact burned a hole through the hose, causing a rapid loss of refrigerant (Freon). As a result of the refrigerant leak, the air conditioning system stopped blowing cold air, and the HVAC system no longer functioned p…”
NHTSA complaint #11750741, 2026

“My 2022 Chevrolet Malibu LT repeatedly and unpredictably enters a "Reduced Engine Power" state, causing sudden, dangerous drops in speed while driving in traffic. This intermittent loss of power happens constantly on and off, creating an ongoing and severe safety hazard. A diagnostic scan reveals codes P0299 (Turbocharger Underboost), P1101, and P2227. General Motors has an active Special Coverage Program (N252508360) covering this exact turbocharger failure for 2022 Malibus with the 1.5L engine. However, GM and the local dealership refuse to cover the repair, claiming my specific VIN is exclu…”
NHTSA complaint #11750044, 2026

Unknown Or Other 28 1 crash 1 injury

“While the vehicle was in motion, it unexpectedly shut down, resulting in a sudden loss of power. No warning lights, alerts, or malfunction indicators were displayed prior to or during the shutdown. Additionally, no crash detection or safety alert was activated. This sudden failure caused the vehicle to be rear-ended.”
NHTSA complaint #11705743, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Component: Air Conditioning – A/C Hose Assembly / Refrigerant Discharge Line The air conditioning refrigerant discharge line (A/C hose assembly) appears to have been improperly designed and/or installed during manufacturing. The rubber A/C hose was routed in a manner that caused it to rest against or press against the side of the engine. Over time, the engine heat and constant contact burned a hole through the hose, causing a rapid loss of refrigerant (Freon). As a result of the refrigerant leak, the air conditioning system stopped blowing cold air, and the HVAC system no longer functioned p…”
NHTSA complaint #11750741, 2026

“Component/System Failure: The turbocharger system failed, specifically the wastegate arm, resulting in loss of boost and reduced engine performance. The failed component should be available for inspection upon request through the servicing dealership. Safety Risk: The failure caused a sudden loss of engine power while driving, placing me and others at risk, especially in traffic situations where acceleration is required (such as merging, crossing intersections, or maintaining speed). This created a hazardous driving condition. Confirmation of Issue: The problem was diagnosed and confirmed by…”
NHTSA complaint #11727076, 2026

Power Train 23 2 crash

“Hit an animal on the roadway and the airbag didn’t deploy and my car is destroyed engine light is on I could have been hurt”
NHTSA complaint #11585684, 2024 · crash

“While my daughter was attempting to exit a parking lot, she put the car in drive pressed accelerator pedal and there was no response from car. Pressed accelerator again and car took off and hit a 13 inch curb causing major front end damage to vehicle. An initial diagnostic scan revealed a transmission fault code of P0826 Shift up and down failure. Vehicle is now body shop waiting for Chevrolet dealer to take car in for further diagnostics before repairs can be done.”
NHTSA complaint #11509972, 2023 · crash

“CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND VEHICLE WAS SLOW TO ACCELERATE INTERMITTENTLY. OFTEN SLOW TO TAKE OFF AT A STOP LIGHT. SAFETY CONCERNS OF BEING REAR END DUE TO SLOW TAKE OFF. TOOK VEHICLE TO CHEVY DEALER FOR REVIEW AND THEY INDICATED AND SHOW A PICTURE OF THE TURBO BOOSTER BEING BROKEN. PER DEALER THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE POWER AND NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. DEALER STATED I WAS 5k MILES OVER WARRANTY AND EXISTING SERVICE SPECIAL COVERAGE NOTICE N252508360 FOR 2022 MALIBU DID NOT COVER MY VIN.”
NHTSA complaint #11747026, 2026

Engine And Engine Cooling 9

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed. The failure was a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximate…”
NHTSA complaint #11753711, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 62 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the message "Reduced Engine Power" displayed, and the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where a diagnostic scan retrieved DTC: P0299, indicating a failure with the turbo charger. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer, who confirmed that the vehicle was not eligible for the GM Special Coverage: N252508360. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ap…”
NHTSA complaint #11752008, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and went into LIMP Mode. The contact continued driving until being able to safely stop. Once the vehicle was stopped, it was turned off and restarted after a while. The failure occurred while the contact was attempting to accelerate and had become more persistent. The check engine warning light was illuminated with the message “Reduce Engine Power” displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that there was a failure with the turbocharger. The veh…”
NHTSA complaint #11731296, 2026

Fuel/Propulsion System 6

“My 2022 Chevrolet Malibu LT repeatedly and unpredictably enters a "Reduced Engine Power" state, causing sudden, dangerous drops in speed while driving in traffic. This intermittent loss of power happens constantly on and off, creating an ongoing and severe safety hazard. A diagnostic scan reveals codes P0299 (Turbocharger Underboost), P1101, and P2227. General Motors has an active Special Coverage Program (N252508360) covering this exact turbocharger failure for 2022 Malibus with the 1.5L engine. However, GM and the local dealership refuse to cover the repair, claiming my specific VIN is exclu…”
NHTSA complaint #11750044, 2026

“Purchased the car February 14 2025 with 102,664 miles on it. About 2 weeks ago I was merging on a highway and it went into limp mode and I almost get rear-ended. It felt like it lost all power. The check engine light came on and I drove it to Auto Zone to have it scanned and code P0299 was the code, turbo underboost. I then went to O'Reilly's for a second opinion and their scanner also said turbo underboost. I have replaced all sensors that interact with the turbo thinking maybe it was a sensor but negative. Turbo failure”
NHTSA complaint #11706422, 2025

“So I found a recall on a twenty twenty two malibu l t one point five liter turbo, which is exactly what I have, and the recall describes my exact issue to the t. It spits out a code for a bad fuel pump. G d I fuel pump, and a couple other codes that are secondary like the camshaft sensor fuel bank 1, solenoids, which both I had replaced this week? The car barely has a 100000 miles, and despite the reduced engine power message coming on, like I said every symptom, my car showing is lining up with the recall yet, GM says my vin isn't one that's covered out of the 22 malibu 1.5 onliters and th…”
NHTSA complaint #11644016, 2025

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Air Bags 4 2 crash

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while her son was driving on an off-ramp at 20 MPH, he rear-ended the vehicle in front where it was brought to a stop. No air bags were deployed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local collision repair center and informed that the air bags should have deployed due to the frame being braced however, an unknown component was not welded. The vehicle was repaired. No police report was filed. The contact stated that her son was the only individual in the vehicle during the crash and was not injured. The dr…”
NHTSA complaint #11638899, 2024 · crash

“Hit an animal on the roadway and the airbag didn’t deploy and my car is destroyed engine light is on I could have been hurt”
NHTSA complaint #11585684, 2024 · crash

“My safety restraint system keeps failing out and says it’s a seatbelt tensioner problem. Gm has repaired many times and still fails out.”
NHTSA complaint #11576730, 2022

Service Brakes 4

“Shift to parking message came up on dashboard”
NHTSA complaint #11681037, 2025

“The service ESC and service power steering light stays on, the MPH hands flicker back and forth, brakes are applied without me pressing the brakes, shift to park when the car is already in park. I have taken it to dealership for service and they say nothing is wrong with car when clearly something is. Clearly there's and electrical issue going on with this car. Had testing ran on car and it listed 2 pages of different codes that popped up and it shows engine failure”
NHTSA complaint #11665440, 2025

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while his mother was driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact's mother was able to pull to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to roll to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the failure was related to the vehicle tracker. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The c…”
NHTSA complaint #11614999, 2024

Vehicle Speed Control 3

“My cars check engine light keeps coming on and the first time it came on with an engine under boost failure and I took it to a 3rd party shop to get fixed and they had to replace the turbo charger. I paid $2500.00 for that. 2 weeks later the same light came on and they had to replace it again. Well now the light came on again after a month for the same thing and I am taking it back into the shop again. That will be 3 times.”
NHTSA complaint #11737070, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the message “Engine Power Reduced” was displayed, and the vehicle decelerated unexpectedly. The driver pulled over and was informed to turn off the vehicle and restart the vehicle with the assistance of a Police Officer. The vehicle was restarted but failed to exceed 10 MPH while driving. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with turbocharger failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no coverage for the repair and referred t…”
NHTSA complaint #11714125, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the reduced power warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed accelerator position sensor. The contact was informed that the accelerator position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred several times, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer five…”
NHTSA complaint #11659062, 2024

Exterior Lighting 2

“Chevy, and many GM vehicles love to illuminate the white “reverse” lights when parked. This is a fundamental departure from what it means when these *white* lights are illuminated, i.e., the car is in reverse and pedestrians and other vehicles should prepare for the vehicle to back up. However, with the above auto manufacturers, that rule is broken and now there are tens of thousands, or millions of vehicles on the road, and myriad parking lots/garages where these fundamental tenets for the expectation of a potential vehicle behavior has been broken. The notion that this is a “safety” feat…”
NHTSA complaint #11588114, 2024

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to use the Infotainment System, the headlights became inoperable. The contact stated that the cell phone was extremely hot while connected to Bluetooth. The contact stated that while using the radio the failure would not occur. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the headlight was repaired however, the Infotainment System was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was contacted however, no additional assistance was provided…”
NHTSA complaint #11464531, 2022

Fuel System 2

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 - 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road, where they turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. A mobile mechanic was called and inspected the vehicle. The mechanic retrieved DTC: P023F (Fuel Pump - Secondary Circuit Failure). The vehicle was towed by a family member to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aw…”
NHTSA complaint #11722889, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and entered reduced power mode. The Check Engine and the reduced power mode warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the engine seized later. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart, but the vehicle made an abnormal sound, and the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a busy highway, which was frightening. The vehicle was taken…”
NHTSA complaint #11742702, 2025

Seat Belts 2

“My safety restraint system keeps failing out and says it’s a seatbelt tensioner problem. Gm has repaired many times and still fails out.”
NHTSA complaint #11576730, 2022

“Unknown safety restraint system failure that Chevrolet can not fix”
NHTSA complaint #11516638, 2022

Steering 2

“When coming from a stop the steering wheel jerks and a warning message appear on the dashboard display, "Power Steering Assist Is Reduced. Drive with care."”
NHTSA complaint #11709803, 2026

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 20 MPH while driving. Additionally, the contact stated while his mother was driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact's mother was able to pull to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to roll to a stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the failure was related to the vehicle tracker. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred several times while driving. The c…”
NHTSA complaint #11614999, 2024

Wheels 2

“Turned ignition off car computer read car not in park. All lights were on yellow ignition light on and door chime kept ringing. Started car moved car forward then backed up. Shut car off car still not working properly in park same problem. Moved shifter to park and bumped it a few times. Message went off. Tires make a grinder noise.”
NHTSA complaint #11737049, 2026

“Was going about 30 car felt like it was sliding and not getting traction”
NHTSA complaint #11624537, 2024

Back Over Prevention 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving and attempting to use the Infotainment System, the headlights became inoperable. The contact stated that the cell phone was extremely hot while connected to Bluetooth. The contact stated that while using the radio the failure would not occur. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the headlight was repaired however, the Infotainment System was not repaired or replaced. The manufacturer was contacted however, no additional assistance was provided…”
NHTSA complaint #11464531, 2022

Structure 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that during inclement weather, the rear glass was leaking, causing stains on the ceiling of the vehicle. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.”
NHTSA complaint #11746219, 2026

Tires 1

“The contact owns a 2022 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the front driver's side tire was replaced several times due to air loss. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced an unknown filter. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the unknown filter needed to be replaced a second time. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who confirmed that the unknown filter and other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not…”
NHTSA complaint #11741485, 2025

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu draws about 18.2 complaints per year on the road, ranking 5 of 8 among the Chevrolet Malibu model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.

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