FaultScore

Volvo V50 vs Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Volvo V50 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid
Complaints on file 60 150
Model years covered 2005–2011 2008–2019
Worst model year 2016
Best model year 2018
Crashes reported 0 6
Fires reported 2 0
Injuries reported 1 4
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Fuel & Propulsion Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm 5% 6.7%

Volvo V50 by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Fuel & Propulsion 10 16.7%
Engine & Cooling 9 15.0%
Electrical System 7 11.7%
Other & Unspecified 7 11.7%
Suspension 5 8.3%
Transmission & Drivetrain 3 5.0%
Steering 3 5.0%
Brakes 3 5.0%

Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 23 15.3%
Engine & Cooling 17 11.3%
Other & Unspecified 13 8.7%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 10 6.7%
Steering 9 6.0%
Fuel & Propulsion 9 6.0%
Stability & Traction Control 9 6.0%