The Chevrolet Malibu reached the end of the line last year, but the now-discontinued affordable midsize sedan isn't out of GM's hair just yet. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, General Motors is recalling the Malibu because of a common problem: its rearview camera doesn't work properly. The problem affects 2023-2025 models, impacting some 271,770 examples of the sedan that were built between May 26, 2022, and July 18, 2024. Unlike several similar rearview camera failures across the industry in recent months, this problem can't be fixed with a simple software update, so owners will need to go into a Chevy dealer to get a replacement.
Bad Glue Caused Chevy Malibu Camera Glitches
Chevrolet
According to the NHTSA's recall report, GM supplier Sharp Electronics discovered that the bonding process used to assemble the camera housing is at fault after a six-month review of field complaints received by GM found that some rearview camera systems were displaying a blank or distorted image. Specifically, GM's investigation determined that "the mounting configuration of the Sharp camera on the Chevrolet Malibu could expose it to moisture that may breach an insufficient housing bond." Basically, water could get into the rearview camera housing, and that may lead to the display issues noted in the recall.
GM reviewed field complaints every six months, but the problem has been noted since at least November 2022, so it's existed since the final-generation Malibu first started arriving with customers, with very few exceptions. Essentially, every Malibu could suffer from this problem, though GM estimates that only six percent of the production population has been impacted. The most recent example (MY2025) is the least affected, with just 42,309 vehicles in the recall, while the 2024 names 114,706 vehicles, and the 2023 names 114,755.
New Rearview Cameras for Malibu Owners
Chevrolet
The solution, as we noted in the introduction, is for dealers to replace the rearview camera altogether, and dealers have already been notified of the recall. Unfortunately, it seems that it will take some time to get everything they need to service customers, as this is a phased recall, and customers will only be notified of the remedy on May 18. In the meantime, owners can search their VINs on nhtsa.gov to see if their Malibu falls under this campaign.
This isn't the only recall the Malibu has faced in recent months; in November, the Malibu was recalled for a failing turbocharger that could, unsurprisingly, put the car into limp mode. With the Malibu now gone, affordable sedans in America are rarer than ever, but both Chrysler and Ford have hinted at reentering this area of the market.
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