2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (148) · Seats (37) · Exterior Lighting (35)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Chevrolet Malibu Maxx model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
265 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Electronic Stability Control (Esc) 2014-05-14 · campaign 14V252000 · 2,440,524 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012, 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, 2005-2010 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured May 26, 2004, through January 4, 2010, and 2007-2010 Saturn Aura vehicles manufactured April 24, 2006, through May 26, 2009. In the affected vehicles, increased resistance in the Body Control Module (BCM) connection may result in
Risk: Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will attach the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position, free of charge. The manufacturer distributed an Interim letter to customers on July 14, 2014. The recall began on August 18, 2014. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-762-2737 (Pontiac), 1-800-553-6000 (Satu
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift 2014-04-30 · campaign 14V224000 · 1,131,113 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) notified the agency on April 29, 2014, that they are recalling 56,214 model year 2007 and 2008 Saturn Aura vehicles. On May 22, 2014, GM increased the recall to include an additional 1,074,899 model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured from May 16, 2003, through October 5, 2007, model year 2004-2007 Malibu Maxx vehicles manufactured from June 25, 2003, through April 5, 2007, and model year 2005-2008 Pontiac G6 vehicles manufactured from May 26, 2004, thr
Risk: If the transmission shift cable fractures while the vehicle is being driven, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, despite selecting the PARK position, the transmission may not be in PARK. If the vehicle
Fix: GM will notify owners, and GM dealers will replace the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket, free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors at 1-800-553-6000. GM's number for this recall is 14152.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2014-03-31 · campaign 14V153000 · 1,373,177 vehicles
Defect: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, 2004-2006 Malibu Maxx, 2009-2010 HHR (non-turbo), 2010 Cobalt, 2008-2009 Saturn Aura and 2004-2007 Ion, and 2005-2009 Pontiac G6. In the affected vehicles, there may be a sudden loss of electric power steering (EPS) assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GM will notify owners, and dealers will perform one of four bulletins. Parts are not currently available. GM expects to send an interim notification around May 28, 2014. When parts are available, owners will be mailed a second letter to come in to have the applicable bulletin applied. Bulletin 14115 covers model year 2004-2007 Saturn Ion, 2009-2010 Chevrolet HHR and 2010 Chevrolet Cobalts. Dealers will replace the EPS motor. Bulletin 14116 covers model year 2004-2006 Chevrolet Malibu and M
Service bulletins (176)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2025-07-18 · PIP5601C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this pi communicates the requirement to provide a pico file to receive diagnostic assistance from tac.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2025-05-30 · PIT5074R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about the use of j-35616-64b and mini 50 terminal test probe, replacement terminals, and terminated leads.
Unknown Or Other 2024-09-09 · 02-00-89-002X · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on when and how to submit a field product report (fpr) (u.s. and canada dealers only).
Unknown Or Other 2024-09-06 · PIT3271P · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this preliminary information communication provides information to the technician about changing the tire and wheel size on vehicles. general motors will only support a tire calibration for tires that have been sized, tested and designed for the vehicle in question and its applications. technician s
Showing the 6 most recent of 176 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-04-05 · Steering · 235,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated while driving on several occasions, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. there were no warning lights illuminated; however, the power steering failure message was displayed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who provided…”
2022-09-15 · Steering“the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist fault message was displayed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. additionally, there was a ticking sound coming from the steering column while turning the steering wheel. the ca…”
2022-03-03 · Steering:electric Power Assist System · 150,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. there was no warning light illuminated. the contact was able to pull to the side of the road and stop the vehicle. the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic, wher…”
2021-12-06 · Steering:steering Control Module · 98,000 mi“the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. there were no warning lights illuminated. the contact stated that her husband manually steered the vehicle and veered to the side of the road. the contact stated that her husband turned off and …”
2021-04-16 · Steering · 45,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while operating the vehicle, a clunking sound was coming from the steering column while turning the steering wheel in either direction. the cause of the failure was not determined. the contact indicated that the steering column was previously replaced however, the failure pe…”
2021-04-15 · Engine · 47,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. the vehicle was towed to john elway chevrolet located at 5200 s. broadway, englewood, co 80113, to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the timing chain had failed and the e…”
2019-09-20 · Electrical System:ignition:anti-Theft:control Module · 165,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and the anti-theft warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. the failure mileage was 165,000. …”
2019-05-16 · Exterior Lighting · 160,000 mi · 🔥 fire“tl* the contact owns a 2005 malibu maxx. while operating the vehicle, the passenger and driver side turn signals malfunctioned and would not illuminate. the vehicle was taken to lewis chevrolet of garden city (1903 us 50 bus e., garden city , ks) where it was diagnosed that the headlight bulb sockets had melted and damaged the bulbs. the dealer sta…”
2019-03-21 · Steering · 170,000 mi“gm recalled several vehicles for problems with the power steering and electric steering assist in 2014. according to the gm newsbrief, "if power steering assist is lost, a message displays on the driver information center and a chime sound to inform the driver. steering control can be maintained because the vehicle will revert to manual steering, b…”
2019-01-07 · Steering“my power steering is constantly going out on my car while driving on the highway as well as city streets and i have to pull over and park for a few minutes before it will work again. it is very dangerous and i've barrowly avoided an accident several times most recently it has failed 3 times in 2 hours hole driving normally. this has been going on f…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.