2021 Chevrolet Malibu Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 30about this part
- Share
- 33%of 90 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 53,100miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 30 complaints about the electrical system of the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 33% of the 90 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 53,100 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving my car my electrical system is throwing all kinds of code.my sftey restrain is coming on to check my seat belt .the car goes blank .it stop in the middle of the road.this car has a lot of issues.can some one help me with this I work at the cardiologist office .”
NHTSA complaint #11756284, filed 2026-08“I own a 2021 Chevy Malibu and I have been having issues with my transmission since November 5,2024. I was driving along at about 30 miles per hour When all of a sudden the car would not accelerate so I put the car in park and put the car back in drive and accelerated but only revved up but still would not move. I called a mechanic to look at my vehicle and he checked that I had transmission fluid and it was full. …”
NHTSA complaint #11645214, filed 2025-02“My car has about 82000 miles and while driving it stated that I was shifted to neutral and needed to be restarted. After a few seconds the steering wheel locks up and I can’t press the gas anymore, even though the car is still in drive. This happened about 6 times on the half mile drive home. I haven’t been able to diagnose it yet since the dealership is backed up for a month. I think it’s the neutral safety switch”
NHTSA complaint #11687339, filed 2025-09“The vehicle says shift to park. Even though the vehicle is in park. It then causes the vehicle power to remain on and kill the battery. I’ve seen multiple instances of this same problem on the same vehicle as mine and many other GM models. My warranty ran out in January (of course) and now the issue is occurring. I’ve been stranded with a dead battery 3 times already due to this. It’s literally a microswitch not functioning correctly to tell the computer that the vehicle is in park.”
NHTSA complaint #11589906, filed 2024-05“I recently purchased this vehicle. Within the first week I was trapped in the vehicle sporadically. When I try to put my car into park, the car keep repeating shift to park . I have tried to put the car through all gears, backing up and parking repeatedly to attempt to put the car back into park. I have been trapped in my car for hours trying to put it in gear. When I reached out to the dealership they stated that even though there is a recall for most Malibu's; however, my VIN number does not qualify for the recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11642067, filed 2025-02Related service bulletins
- 11024331Sep 3, 2025This service bulletin provides service procedure information to correct a customer concern of Shift to Park Displayed on DIC When Vehicle is in- Park, No Start - DTC B000A Set.
- 11017876Apr 10, 2025This service bulletin provides a service procedure to correct conditions of Poor Engine Performance in Extremely cold weather conditions, CAC Icing, MIL Illuminated with DTCs set.
- 11017595Apr 3, 2025This service bulletin provides information on the proper Reflective High Temperature Heat and/or Insulating Tape to use for certain repairs, such as Wiring Harness Repairs.
- 11017443Apr 2, 2025This service bulletin provides a repair procedure to correct a customer concern of a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) Illuminated - DTC P3055 Set.
- 11017244Mar 31, 2025The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other…
- 11017207Mar 21, 2025This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414…
- 11016948Mar 14, 2025This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Vehicle Will Lock and Unlock (Active Functions Work) but Will Not Crank or Start (Loss of…
- 11017035Mar 13, 2025This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Vehicle Will Not Lock and Unlock (Loss of Active Functions) Crank or Start (Loss of Passive…
- 11016946Mar 13, 2025This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of No Crank, No Start, Quick Start/Stall, No FOB Detected, Key FOBs Inoperative, B3924 00, B3925…
- 11017031Mar 12, 2025This service bulletin provides information to diagnose batteries that have set for a long period of time and/or cold weather climates and testing those batteries.
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 33% |
| 2024 | 18 | 41% |
| 2023 | 12 | 17% |
| 2022 | 33 | 33% |
| 2021 | 30 | 33% |
| 2020 | 57 | 29% |
| 2019 | 62 | 32% |
| 2018 | 192 | 27% |
| 2017 | 161 | 23% |
| 2016 | 222 | 26% |
| 2015 | 68 | 25% |
| 2014 | 86 | 25% |
| 2013 | 376 | 45% |
| 2012 | 291 | 32% |
| 2011 | 235 | 24% |
| 2010 | 295 | 22% |
| 2009 | 368 | 24% |
| 2008 | 233 | 24% |
| 2007 | 113 | 12% |
| 2006 | 142 | 13% |
| 2005 | 180 | 18% |
| 2004 | 151 | 13% |
| 2003 | 289 | 51% |
| 2002 | 259 | 46% |
| 2001 | 285 | 40% |
| 2000 | 199 | 22% |
| 1999 | 144 | 18% |
| 1998 | 130 | 13% |
| 1997 | 87 | 20% |
| 1980 | 1 | 20% |
Other parts of the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu
31 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
28 complaintsEngine
15 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
3 complaintsSuspension
3 complaintsBrakes
2 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsBody and structure
2 complaintsForward collision avoidance
1 complaintsLane departure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2021 Chevrolet Malibu
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology