Buyer Research

2014 Chevrolet Malibu — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $5,500–$10,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

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Kestrel Take

Second year of the 2013 redesign, and the one where GM added auto stop/start to the 2.5L — which is where a lot of the 363 complaints come from. Engine is 36% of the record and electrical another 24%, and reading them side by side they describe the same car: it stalls at a red light and will not restart, the check-engine light comes on for the camshaft oil-control solenoids, and eventually a dealer says the engine needs replacing. Six recalls, and two of them matter on the road: a software fault that can kill the brake booster on stop/start cars, and a shift cable that can pop off the transmission. This is a cheap, roomy, quiet sedan with a sound six-speed when the engine is looked after, and a money pit when the oil has been run low. Buy one with a full recall history and a dipstick that reads full and clean; walk from one that hiccups at idle.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 363 owner complaints for the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu, and 6 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 36% of them are about one thing — the engine. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

6 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

2.5L stalls at idle, loses power, or is condemned outright — VVT oil-control solenoids, low oil, and the stop/start systemHigh — wallet impact

The biggest cluster: 130 engine complaints, 6 fires. The pattern owners describe starts with a check-engine light and codes P0010, P0011 or an oil-pressure code — the camshaft actuator solenoids and the rocker-arm oil control valve on the 2.5L. Then the car hesitates from a stop, shudders at idle, or shuts off at a red light and has to be restarted in park. Several owners were told by a dealer the engine needed replacing, and one could not get a GM oil-control part at all. The 2.5L is not a bad engine, but it is unforgiving of low oil, and the stop/start cycling hides idle faults. Check the oil on a cold dipstick, start it cold and listen for a tick or rattle, then sit at idle for five minutes with the air conditioning on and see whether it stumbles.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$700 for solenoids and the oil control valve; $3,500–$6,000 for a replacement engine — around 77% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (130), the transmission and drivetrain (53).

Auto stop/start fails, drains the auxiliary battery, and kills the car at intersectionsMedium

88 electrical complaints and the recurring word is 'stop': the auto stop/start on the 2.5L shuts the engine off at a light and does not bring it back, or throws a check-engine light with code P305F for the auxiliary battery. The 2014 carries a second small battery in the trunk for stop/start, and when it weakens the system misbehaves in ways that look like an engine fault. Five of these complaints report a fire. Others in this cluster are the key sticking in the ignition cylinder — a documented fault on this generation, and the subject of recall 16V502 for the key coming out when not in park. Ask when the auxiliary battery was replaced; it is a $150 part and it ages at the same rate as the main one.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$450 for the auxiliary battery; $100–$400 for the ignition lock cylinder

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (88); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Brake booster can lose vacuum assist on stop/start cars (recall 14V247); wrong front rotors let a pad slip off (recall 14V240)High — wallet impact

Two brake recalls on the same car. 14V247 covers 2.5L stop/start Malibus built June 2013 to May 2014: a software fault in the brake control module can let the vacuum booster empty, so the pedal goes hard and the car takes much longer to stop. 14V240 covers a narrow February–March 2014 build with 17-inch front rotors, where the wrong rotor was fitted and a pad can come away from the caliper. Both are free fixes. 50 brake complaints and 5 crashes sit behind them — owners describe a rock-hard pedal at a stop or the car rolling further than it should. Run both campaigns on the VIN, then on the drive make a firm stop from 40 mph with the engine having just auto-restarted.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (50); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Shift cable adjuster can pop off the transmission lever — car will not go into park (recall 14V092)Medium

Recall 14V092 covers 2014 Malibus with the automatic: the plastic adjuster on the shift cable can disengage from the transmission lever, so the shifter says P but the transmission is not in park, and the car can roll. Dealers inspect and replace the adjuster free. Separately, the 6T40 six-speed draws its own complaints — a hard jerk between gears when cold, a downshift that hangs at 5,000 rpm, and 'engine power reduced' messages that slow the car to 30 mph on the highway. Those are usually the throttle body or a pressure-control solenoid, not the gearbox itself, but a transmission that slams when cold is a reason to walk.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $300–$900 for a throttle body or shift solenoid

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (53); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Service ESC and StabiliTrak warnings with a stiff wheel — steering and stability faults, some at speedMedium

36 stability-control and 26 steering complaints, 6 crashes between them. Unlike the 2012, this generation has a rack-mounted electric power steering, and the complaints are fewer — but the moment owners describe is the same: Service StabiliTrak and traction-control lights, then heavier steering or a pull. On this car the usual cause is a wheel speed sensor, a body-control module ground, or the steering rack's motor losing communication. Drive it at parking speed with the wheel at full lock both ways, then straight at 60 mph, and watch for any warning light; a rack is a four-figure repair.

Repair cost (estimate): $100–$400 for a wheel speed sensor; $1,200–$2,200 for a steering rack — about 28% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under stability control (36), steering (26).

Defroster can refuse to switch on (recall 13V567); sunroof switch can auto-close on a hand (recall 15V164)Low

Two software recalls that cost nothing to fix. 13V567 covers 2014s built June to November 2013: the climate control head can go dead when the car is started, so the windshield defroster cannot be turned on. 15V164 covers 2013–2015 Malibus with a sunroof, where the tilt/slide switch sits proud enough to be pressed by accident and the roof auto-closes. The 23 visibility complaints are mostly the first — a climate panel that does not respond until the car is restarted. Press the defrost button before you leave the driveway and confirm the panel lights.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under glass, wipers and mirrors (23); 6 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Engine stumbles or shuts off while idling at a light, and does not restart on its own
✗Check-engine light with a P0010, P0011 or P305F code on a cheap scanner
✗Brake pedal goes hard right after an auto-restart
✗Hard clunk between first and second when the transmission is cold
✗Any of the six recalls open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Oil below the add line on a cold dipstick, or a cold-start rattle

Good Signs

✓Recalls 14V247, 14V240 and 14V092 all closed on the VIN lookup
✓Auxiliary stop/start battery replaced within the last two years, with a receipt
✓Camshaft actuator solenoids or oil control valve replaced, with the invoice
✓Oil changes every 5,000 miles with a stack of records
✓Ten minutes of idle with stop/start cycling cleanly and no lights