Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Steering185
- Exterior lighting51
- Electrical system40
- Seats39
- Service brakes, hydraulic10
- Suspension10
- Electronic stability control (esc)9
- Air bags9
- Fuel/propulsion system8
- Service brakes8
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 9 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 10.2 L/100 km (about 23 mpg US), CO₂ 235 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malibu Maxx · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 11.9 | 8.0 | 10.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx.
| 2014173 16 May 2014 | Electrical On certain vehicles, intermittent electrical connection faults may cause the brake lamps to illuminate without the brake pedal being depressed, or not illuminat… |
| 2014160 1 May 2014 | Powertrain On certain vehicles equipped with 4 speed automatic transmissions, the shift cable could fracture without warning. If this occurs, the driver may not be able to… |
| 2014104 1 Apr 2014 | Steering Certain vehicles equipped with electric power steering may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving. If the… |
| 2012331 1 Oct 2012 | Steering Certain vehicles equipped with electric power steering may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving. If the… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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 voltage fluctuations in the Brake Apply Sensor (BAS) circuit. These fluctuations can cause one or more of these conditions: the brake lights to illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed; the brake lights to not illuminate when the pedal is pushed; difficulty disengaging the cruise control; moving the gear shifter out of the 'PARK' position without pushing the brake; and disablement of crash avoidance features such as traction control, electronic stability control, and panic braking assist features.
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, through September 28, 2007, and equipped with 4-speed transmissions. The total number vehicles being recalled is now 1,131,113.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Chevrolet told its dealers about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11008956 | 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). |
| 11007208 | 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 should not use the information that is provided by the antilock braking system tire size selection. |
| 11007091 | This service bulletin provides guidelines and diagnostic/repair information to technicians regarding vehicle engine oil consumption. |
| 11006621 | Vehicle Wide Programming (VWP) is a new process to update software on GM Vehicles. It provides the ability via a single selection within Techline Connect to first identify which modules need updating and then proceed to updating affected modules (with some exceptions). The updating of modules is completed in parallel instead of the technician needing to update one module at a time. This allows a more streamlined approach for dealers and customers. |
| 11006421 | GM is receiving damaged (cracked or broken) transmission cores returned to the reman facilities. The damage is being caused either in the removal process by the technician, or inadequate packaging or shipping. This bulletin advises the dealers to be more careful not to damage the transmissions during removal and to package the core properly for return. |
| 11004761 | This service bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up. |
| 11004557 | This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim. |
| 11002312 | This service bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Service Programming System (SPS) Error Codes E4398, E4399, E4401, E4403, M4404, M4413, M6954, M6955, E4414, E4423, E4491, E4492, or E6961 and resolution information. |
| 11001321 | This bulletin provides information on the harmful effects of water or ethylene glycol in transmission fluid. |
| 11000576 | This Warranty Administration bulletin provides retail and wholesale service personnel with the policies/procedures and the warranty transaction submission procedures that support the Personal Property Damage process. |
| 11000162 | The intent of this service bulletin is to identify aftermarket ALDL or DLC interface devices as potential sources for causing multiple customer concerns that do not have other diagnostic methods to identify them. |
| 10252735 | This bulletin provides information for electrical ground repairs using new General Motors replacement fasteners with conductive finish. |
| 10252163 | XM Audio Traffic And Travel Link Availability And Operation. |
| 10251890 | This technical bulletin advises of a new fuel injection cleaner kit used for decarbonizing the intake valves to correct conditions of rough idle, Crank no start, extended crank or misfire, MIL with DTCs, and explains how Top Tier fuels should be used to reduce carbon build-up. |
| 10250775 | This service bulletin provides service information to technicians on guidelines to replace Oil Cooler, Oil Cooler Lines and Oil Tank if the engine was replaced where large amounts of debris has flowed throughout the oiling system. |
| 10250347 | This Warranty Admin service bulletin provides guidelines for Dealers Not Required and for Dealers Required to Contact the PQC for engine or transmission assembly replacement and explains the PQC process, GWM Transaction submission, vehicle service record retention and proper handling of assembly returns for Canadian Dealers only. |
| 10249590 | This bulletin provides information for use on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) claim. |
| 10249579 | This PI bulletin advises the technician on the proper way to install the pistons in an engine. |
| 10249011 | This informational bulletin provides information for dealers/technicians on Headlamp, Tail Lamp, License Lamp or Fog/Driving Lamp Damage. |
| 10248444 | Vehicle Recalls |
| 10247716 | J-35616-64B Terminal Test Probe / Replacement Terminal / Terminated Lead. |
| 10247681 | Information On Requests To Add OnStar Bluetooth Option. |
| 10247552 | This service bulletin provides information on Concerns or Questions Regarding Installation of Dealer Installed Accessories. |
| 10247338 | Transmission Shift Cable Fracture |
| 10247262 | Transmission Shift Cable Fracture |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Turn Signal Lamps
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation