2005 Chevrolet Malibu Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,925 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 87/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 91,100 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2015, 2019–2022.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all Malibu years
What owners report
“It loses the power steering at times, after is turned on. This is something that happens often.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
“The turn signal bulbs get too hot and melts into the socket which makes the connection go bad. Even if you change the bulb the connection is bad so the socket has to be changed. This has happened on both of the front bulbs”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
“Front driver seat weld broken. Seat leans to side. Uncomfortable driving and unsafe.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
“The car is hard to shift out of park, the break lights stay on while driving and go off when pressed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
“I have had to replace the breaks on my car six times in two years. I replaced everything i can think of and the brakes are wearing out only on the driver side front.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
“Fuel pump leak. Noticed strong gas smell that only increased as time passed, driving and parked. Fuel pump needs to be replaced. Have noticed this is a common problem in this vehicle. Seriously needs to be investigated.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Malibu
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,404 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 90,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 55,000 and 136,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain replacement intermediate steering shafts sold under the Dorman, OE Solutions, and Solutions brand names, part numbers 425-167, 2425167, and 7-3074, for installation on 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu, 2005-2010…
Fix: Dorman will notify owners, and dealers will refund the purchase price or replace the steering shafts, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Dorman customer service…
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…
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…
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…
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 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,…
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,…
TI AUTOMOTIVE IS RECALLING CERTAIN FUEL PUMPS, PART NUMBERS TU456 AND TU303, SOLD UNDER VARIOUS BRAND NAMES AS AFTERMARKET AND REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR THE MOTOR VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP MAY SEIZE, STOPPING THE FUEL FLOW TO THE ENGINE…
Fix: TI AUTOMOTIVE WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND WILL REPLACE ANY DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP WITH A NEW OR REWORKED FUEL PUMP FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
643 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2005 Malibu TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu reliable?
The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu drew 1,925 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 87/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2005 Chevrolet Malibu problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu are steering (721 complaints), electrical (484), and seats & interior (102).
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Malibu problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Chevrolet Malibu problems around 90,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 55,000 and 136,000 miles.
Does the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.