Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
20–29 mpgcombined; city 17–26, highway 26–34; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$11,200–$16,240U.S. average; Ohio $10,010–$14,510 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2010 Malibu. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 1,365 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Malibu. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Steering
455
11
1
6
Electrical system
295
4
5
7
Electronic stability control (ESC)
227
2
0
3
Exterior lighting
194
2
1
3
Service brakes
184
5
0
6
Air bags
145
26
0
31
Power train
133
3
0
4
Vehicle speed control
116
4
1
3
Engine
115
0
1
0
Unknown or other
64
0
0
1
Structure
44
2
0
5
Wheels
33
1
0
1
17 more parts
Fuel/propulsion system
31
0
0
0
Seats
25
2
5
5
Traction control system
23
1
0
1
Visibility/wiper
19
0
2
0
Latches/locks/linkages
17
0
0
0
Seat belts
16
3
0
7
Service brakes, hydraulic
15
2
0
3
Suspension
13
1
0
2
Engine and engine cooling
11
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
8
0
0
0
Tires
7
1
0
2
Visibility
5
0
0
0
Equipment
3
1
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
3
0
0
0
Interior lighting
1
0
0
0
Lane departure
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, air
1
1
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2010 Malibu over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2011 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, the air bag inflator may explode due to being overpressurized.
Risk: If the inflator explodes, sharp metal fragments may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy: GM has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front driver air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 25, 2019. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-522-9559. GM's number for this recall is N182206630.
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
General Motors (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Saturn Aura and model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Malibu and Pontiac G6 vehicles, equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission. On these vehicles, the tabs on the transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate.
Risk: If the tabs were to fracture and separate, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. The driver would be able to move the shifter to 'PARK' and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in 'PARK.' The vehicle may not be able to be restarted and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a retainer over the cable end or replace the shift cable as necessary. This service will be performed free of charge. Notification to owners began on on November 9, 2012. Owners were instructed to not bring their vehicles for repair until January 2013. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-521-7300.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 1,259 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2010 Malibu, the latest on Sep 4, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (544), electrical system (233), engine and engine cooling (159), power train (115), engine (111).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2010 Malibu.
See used 2010 Chevrolet Malibus for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
22 / 33 / 26
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline or E85
22 / 33 / 26
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
22 / 30 / 25
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
22 / 30 / 25
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
19 / 29 / 23
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 29 / 22
Malibu Front-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
17 / 26 / 20
Malibu Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic 4-spd
Regular Gasoline
26 / 34 / 29
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data