Selling a junk Chevrolet Malibu
Any Malibu sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Chevrolet Malibu
NHTSA has 29,279 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Malibu, model years 1997 to 2022, the 7th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (5,715, 20%), electrical system (4,794, 16%), other (2,772, 9%). 1,211 complaints involved a crash, 229 a fire, and 548 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 77,400 miles. The 2009 model year has the most complaints (2,356). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Chevrolet Malibu by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 693 | Brakes | 34 | 0 | 6 | 82,750 |
| 1998 | 1,480 | Brakes | 53 | 6 | 5 | 70,000 |
| 1999 | 1,227 | Brakes | 61 | 2 | 3 | 62,100 |
| 2000 | 1,379 | Brakes | 71 | 8 | 5 | 65,365 |
| 2001 | 1,005 | Electrical system | 51 | 1 | 4 | 70,000 |
| 2002 | 755 | Electrical system | 28 | 1 | 4 | 69,000 |
| 2003 | 773 | Electrical system | 52 | 5 | 3 | 71,000 |
| 2004 | 1,639 | Steering | 78 | 11 | 9 | 74,000 |
| 2005 | 1,386 | Steering | 67 | 38 | 6 | 92,000 |
| 2006 | 1,476 | Steering | 59 | 6 | 9 | 86,000 |
| 2007 | 1,253 | Steering | 53 | 2 | 6 | 100,000 |
| 2008 | 1,490 | Steering | 54 | 9 | 5 | 84,000 |
| 2009 | 2,356 | Steering | 64 | 13 | 6 | 100,145 |
| 2010 | 2,208 | Steering | 72 | 17 | 4 | 85,000 |
| 2011 | 1,530 | Other | 71 | 25 | 4 | 80,000 |
| 2012 | 1,476 | Electrical system | 93 | 24 | 3 | 90,000 |
| 2013 | 1,386 | Electrical system | 50 | 14 | 10 | 72,000 |
| 2014 | 564 | Engine | 32 | 12 | 6 | 66,300 |
| 2015 | 402 | Engine | 31 | 17 | 3 | 54,670 |
| 2016 | 1,446 | Engine | 40 | 3 | 9 | 51,650 |
| 2017 | 1,180 | Engine | 25 | 7 | 4 | 52,000 |
| 2018 | 1,228 | Engine | 35 | 6 | 6 | 49,000 |
| 2019 | 315 | Transmission and drivetrain | 15 | 1 | 1 | 46,100 |
| 2020 | 336 | Engine | 16 | 0 | 1 | 70,000 |
| 2021 | 135 | Other | 0 | 1 | 2 | 34,200 |
| 2022 | 161 | Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 1 | 65,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Chevrolet Malibu recalls
NHTSA lists 55 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (9), electrical system (7), transmission and drivetrain (6). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2022 model year, body and structure (campaign 22V923000, Dec 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles. The front impact bar, a structural portion of the vehicle frame, may not be properly welded to the front frame rail.
- 2021 model year, seats (campaign 22V359000, May 2022): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2021 Chevrolet Malibu, 2022 Chevrolet Equinox, Blazer and Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The driver's seat cushion frame may have an improper weld in the power tilt-adjustment mechan…
- 2013 model year, suspension (campaign 21V00F000, Dec 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Buick Lacrosse, 2012-2013 Buick Regal, and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indi…
- 2016 model year, seat belts (campaign 21V649000, Aug 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2016-2021 Chevrolet Malibu and 2019-2021 Cadillac XT4 vehicles. The rear seat belt retractors may be improperly secured with loose or missing fasteners.
- 2013 model year, suspension (campaign 21V633000, Aug 2021): General Motors, LLC (GM) is recalling certain 2013 Buick Regal, Chevrolet Malibu, and Buick Lacrosse vehicles sold or ever registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,…
What a Chevrolet Malibu is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Malibu on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Malibu worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Malibu gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Malibu that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Malibu?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Chevrolet Malibu numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.