2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco: what breaks, and at what mileage
What breaks on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco
On the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, the failure owners report most often is control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure, with 3 reports on file. Across every failure mode on this year, half the dated reports were filed before 60,000 miles. Overall it scores 63 out of 100, high risk for a 2014.
High risk for a 2014 — 253rd riskiest of the 270 2014 vehicles we can rate. 19 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model.
What owners report breaking
Owners have reported 10 named failure modes on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco, and the three most-reported carry 42% of everything filed.
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure leads with 3 reports and about 0.4 per 1,000 vehicles.
Other driver assistance problem follows with 3 reports, median 65,000 miles.
Wheel bearing or hub failure follows with 2 reports, median 30,000 miles.
By system, the reports fall mostly into electrical (5), adas (3) and drivetrain (2).
At what mileage it happens
19 of the reports on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 60,000 miles.
Cumulatively, 42% by 50,000 miles and 95% by 100,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.
The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 21% of the dated reports.
37% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
How reports accumulate
Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.
- Line share of reports filed by that mileage
- Dashed the median reported mileage
Severity, and what it costs
Nothing in the reports on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco mentions a crash, a fire or an injury. That is the ordinary case and it is worth stating: most defect complaints are about a car that stopped working, not one that hurt somebody.
The average severity weight across every report on this year is 3.26, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.
What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure at $700–$3,000, other driver assistance problem at $250–$1,800, wheel bearing or hub failure at $350–$1,200 and other engine problem at $300–$4,000. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.
26% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.
Every reported failure mode
| Failure mode | System | Reports | With reading | 25th | Median | 75th | Per 1,000 | Typical repair | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | electrical | 3 | 3 | — | 98k | — | 0.4 | $700–$3,000 | High |
| Other driver assistance problem | adas | 3 | 3 | — | 63k | — | 0.4 | $250–$1,800 | High |
| Wheel bearing or hub failure | drivetrain | 2 | 2 | — | 32k | — | 0.3 | $350–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Other engine problem | engine | 2 | 2 | — | 60k | — | 0.3 | $300–$4,000 | High |
| Other electrical problem | electrical | 2 | 2 | — | 74k | — | 0.3 | $250–$2,000 | Moderate |
| Other brake problem | brakes | 2 | 2 | — | 5k | — | 0.3 | $300–$1,800 | High |
| Fuel pump failure | fuel | 1 | 1 | — | 56k | — | 0.1 | $600–$2,600 | High |
| Blower motor or climate control failure | hvac | 1 | 1 | — | 58k | — | 0.1 | $250–$1,200 | Moderate |
| Catalytic converter failure | emissions | 1 | 1 | — | 97k | — | 0.1 | $900–$3,500 | Moderate |
| Other powertrain problem | transmission | 1 | 1 | — | 5k | — | 0.1 | $400–$4,500 | High |
| Unclassified problem | other | 1 | 1 | — | 45k | — | 0.1 | — | Moderate |
This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.
How often, against how many were built
Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco draws about 2.7 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 80th percentile of complaint rates among 2014 vehicles we can rate.
That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. This year had no usable recall paperwork, so the fleet-size estimate is the median of other years of the same model.
The working figure is 7,150 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2014 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.
Other driver assistance problem
Stopped at stop light. Upon taking off car would barely move. It jerks front to back. Check engine, ABS, traction light, service stabiltrak lights came on. Was able to pull into gas station close by. Turned car off. Waited a bit. Car turned on and drove off fine. Haven't been able to mock since. Had hooked to dialysis machine. Stated something about a vacuum, but then disappeared on machine.
I have a 2014 malibu that has around 86000 and as I was driving the car all of a sudden started jerking and my power locks were going up and down continuously along with a message that says "service power steering, drive with care." after I came to a stop, pulled over to tun off the ignition, my radio was still on even after I open the door with the keys out of the ingnition. I am extremely frustrated with this problem and I attached an image of the message. I really hope that gm has a resolution for this.
How it ranks in the 2014 field
The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.
Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.
- Left fewer and less serious reports
- Right more, or worse
- Marker this vehicle
Where 2014 sits in the model line
High risk for a 2014 — 253rd riskiest of the 270 2014 vehicles we can rate. The comparison is always within the same model year, so an older car is never penalised for having had longer to break.
Within the 2013–2014 generation specifically, 2014 is the strongest year at 63 and 2013 the weakest at 70.
Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.
Within the 2013-2014 generation, 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco scores best at 63 and 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco worst at 70.
Where these figures stop being useful
19 owner reports; fleet size borrowed from other years of the same model. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.
Of those 19 reports, 19 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 100% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".
The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.
And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.
Questions this page answers
What are the most common problems with the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco?
The most-reported failures are control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure (3 reports, median 100,000 miles), other driver assistance problem (3 reports, median 65,000 miles) and wheel bearing or hub failure (2 reports, median 30,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.
Is the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu Eco reliable?
It scores 63 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 253rd riskiest of the 270 2014 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2014 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.
Which year of the Chevrolet Malibu Eco is best?
Within the 2013–2014 generation, 2014 scores best at 63 out of 100 and 2013 worst at 70. Same body, same engines, different luck.
Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.
What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed