2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems
Owners have filed 416 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 46% of complaints. Next are lighting (12%) and electrical system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 416 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 46% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 88,000 miles 331 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 17 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 51 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 37 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 36 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 58 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 26 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 33 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 27 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 27 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 9 |
| 200k+ miles | 10 |
What the data shows
Of the 331 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 88,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 84,000 miles (159 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx with enough data (209 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving 68 MPH and had applied the brakes, the steering wheel was hard to control; veered to the right and vehicle rolled over into a ditch. Rental vehicle from enterprise contract #113732
I was involved in a head on collision on september 14, 2006. I was traveling west bound on laketon rd. There was a car coming eastbound in my lane. I thought he was going to turn onto the street I was turning, but by the time I figured out he was coming at me, it was too late to get in another lane or get away from being hit. My air bags did not deploy. Since the crash, I've been having back pain.
2005 malibu maxx was sent to the dealership for some warrenty service work on problems with front end noises. The car was returned 30 minutes after being dropped off. The dealer said the car had a bad steering rack and shaft. The parts were ordered and the car returned for driving until the parts were recieved. Less than 100 miles later the car lost steering control and slammed into a semi truck on a major freeway. The car is a total loss.
This has happened about 5 times so far. The power steering on my malibu maxx goes out without warning. The warning bell sounds and on my display it says 'power steering'. The steering gets extremely difficult when this occurs. It usually happens in the middle of a turn. I have to stop, turn the car off and restart it. I know GM did a recall this morning on other cars but the maxx was not included and it should be.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact stated that immediately after starting, the vehicle stalled. The contact also stated that the key became stuck causing him to be unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 124,728.