failure vs malfunction

failure and malfunction both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
failure	Yes	No	No	No
malfunction	Yes	No	Yes	No

As nouns, malfunction is a hyponym of failure; that is, malfunction is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than failure:

failure (noun)	malfunction (noun)
an act that fails	a failure to function normally
an unexpected omission
an event that does not accomplish its intended purpose
a person with a record of failing; someone who loses consistently
lack of success
loss of ability to function normally
inability to discharge all your debts as they come due

failure (verb)	malfunction (verb)
	fail to function or function improperly