Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1974 Malibu.
The 1974 Chevrolet Malibu, a model from Chevrolet’s intermediate lineup, is documented with just one total owner complaint and a single recall, with suspension identified as the top complaint area. This places the 1974 model year as an outlier in the Malibu’s reliability history, which spans 1997–2025 and records a high of 1,697 complaints in 2004 and a low of 7 in 2025. With only one complaint on file, the 1974 Malibu stands apart from the more heavily reported later years, suggesting it experienced far fewer owner-reported issues than the model’s subsequent generations.
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Malibu of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Classic Landau Coupe 5.0L V8 | 10.80 sec | 18.40 sec | 145 hp | RWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The provided year-by-year federal record covers 1997 through 2025 and includes no entries for 1974 or adjacent model years, making a generational complaint-and-recall comparison impossible for this vintage. The isolated target-year metrics show a single suspension complaint and one crash complaint, with zero fire complaints, indicating negligible federal activity. Because no surrounding years appear in the dataset, there is no trend arc of recalls, investigations, or TSBs to place this model year into. The data do not specify a root cause for the lone complaint and reveal no systemic defect pattern. With recall counts absent and complaints effectively nil in the record, the federal file presents no warning signals, though the lack of generational context means buyer risk hinges on individual vehicle condition rather than documented factory issues. Engage a qualified classic-car mechanic for a thorough pre-purchase inspection before buying.
All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.
CERTAIN HONEYWELL FRAM RACING BRAND HP4 AND HP8 OIL FILTERS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM MAY 25, 2006, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14, 2007, AND SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR VEHICLES LIST ABOVE. THE AFFECTED FILTERS… Remedy: HONEYWELL WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED OIL FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN DURING NOVEMBER 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT FRAM CUSTOMER SERVICE TOLL-FREE AT 1-800-890-2075.
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.