2005 CHEVROLET MALIBU — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 970 complaints · 6 recalls

Verdict & Safety Summary

Most-reported system: STEERING (443 complaints · 45.7%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 45
  • Fires 34
  • Injuries 55
  • Deaths 3
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STEERING appears in 443 of 970 owner complaints (45.7%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 443 complaints, 45.7% of reports STEERING 443 · 45.7% · 17 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 127 complaints, 13.1% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 127 · 13.1% · 2 crash reports 19 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 81 complaints, 8.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 81 · 8.3% · 2 crash reports 10 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 47 complaints, 4.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 47 · 4.8% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 40 complaints, 4.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 40 · 4.1% · 2 crash reports ENGINE: 35 complaints, 3.6% of reports ENGINE 35 · 3.6% · 3 crash reports 2 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 26 complaints, 2.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 26 · 2.7% · 2 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 18 complaints, 1.9% of reports AIR BAGS 18 · 1.9% · 10 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 14 complaints, 1.4% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 · 1.4% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 255 complaints, 26.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 255 · 26.3% · 16 crash reports 8 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STEERING 443 45.7% 17 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 127 13.1% 2 crashes · 19 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 81 8.3% 2 crashes · 10 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 47 4.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 40 4.1% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 35 3.6% 3 crashes · 2 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 26 2.7% 2 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 18 1.9% 10 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 1.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 255 26.3% 16 crashes · 8 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2009. 2004-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2007-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2007-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2007-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 2007-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2008-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2008-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2008-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2008-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2009-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2009-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2009-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 2010-Q1: 37 owner reports 37 2010-Q2: 37 owner reports 37 2010-Q3: 30 owner reports 30 2010-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2011-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2011-Q2: 20 owner reports 20 2011-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2011-Q4: 25 owner reports 25 2012-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2012-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2012-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2013-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2013-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2014-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2014-Q2: 51 owner reports 51 2014-Q3: 59 owner reports 59 2014-Q4: 40 owner reports 40 2015-Q1: 34 owner reports 34 2015-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q3: 18 owner reports 18 2015-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2016-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2016-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q1: 18 owner reports 18 2017-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2017-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2018-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2018-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2019-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2004 Jan 2026 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 11E009000 ◆ Recall campaign 11E009000 Recall campaign 14V153000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V153000 Recall campaign 14V224000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V224000 Recall campaign 14V252000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V252000 Recall campaign 14E044000 ◆ Recall campaign 14E044000 Investigation EA09004 ● Investigation EA09004
  • Campaign 11E009000 was reported 2,274 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V153000 was reported 3,457 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V224000 was reported 2,965 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 14V252000 was reported 3,248 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q4 Owner reports 3
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 7
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 7
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 6
2007-Q1 Owner reports 8
2007-Q2 Owner reports 10
2007-Q3 Owner reports 18
2007-Q4 Owner reports 12
2008-Q1 Owner reports 9
2008-Q2 Owner reports 11
2008-Q3 Owner reports 17
2008-Q4 Owner reports 4
2009-Q1 Owner reports 14
2009-Q2 Owner reports 7
2009-Q3 Owner reports 19
2009-Q4 Owner reports 22
2010-Q1 Owner reports 37
2010-Q2 Owner reports 37
2010-Q3 Owner reports 30
2010-Q4 Owner reports 17
2011-Q1 Owner reports 18
2011-Q2 Owner reports 20
2011-Q3 Owner reports 22
2011-Q4 Owner reports 25
2012-Q1 Owner reports 19
2012-Q2 Owner reports 11
2012-Q3 Owner reports 9
2012-Q4 Owner reports 7
2013-Q1 Owner reports 14
2013-Q2 Owner reports 9
2013-Q3 Owner reports 7
2013-Q4 Owner reports 14
2014-Q1 Owner reports 16
2014-Q2 Owner reports 51
2014-Q3 Owner reports 59
2014-Q4 Owner reports 40
2015-Q1 Owner reports 34
2015-Q2 Owner reports 16
2015-Q3 Owner reports 18
2015-Q4 Owner reports 17
2016-Q1 Owner reports 15
2016-Q2 Owner reports 9
2016-Q3 Owner reports 6
2016-Q4 Owner reports 13
2017-Q1 Owner reports 18
2017-Q2 Owner reports 11
2017-Q3 Owner reports 10
2017-Q4 Owner reports 9
2018-Q1 Owner reports 14
2018-Q2 Owner reports 7
2018-Q3 Owner reports 9
2018-Q4 Owner reports 7
2019-Q1 Owner reports 16
2019-Q2 Owner reports 7
2019-Q3 Owner reports 10
2019-Q4 Owner reports 7
2020-Q1 Owner reports 7
2020-Q2 Owner reports 3
2020-Q3 Owner reports 8
2020-Q4 Owner reports 7
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 3
2021-Q3 Owner reports 3
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q4 Owner reports 4
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 4
2025-Q4 Owner reports 2
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 11E009000
Recall campaign 1 14V153000
Recall campaign 1 14V224000
Recall campaign 1 14V252000
Recall campaign 1 14E044000
Defect investigation 1 EA09004
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (6)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 11E009000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR SHOULD THE ENGINE STALL WHILE IN USE.
    Remedy:
    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 TI AUTOMOTIVE AT 1-866-867-3759 OR LOG ON TO WWW.RECALLRESPONSE.COM.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14E044000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    A joint bearing that fails prematurely may cause separation of the u-joint resulting in a complete loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    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 at 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V153000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    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.
    Remedy:
    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 Malibu Maxx, 2005-2006 Pontiac G6 and 2008-2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from March 1, 2008, through June 27, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly. Bulletin 14117 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from February 1, 2008, through February 28, 2008. Dealers will replace the torque sensor assembly and EPS motor controller unit. Bulletin 14118 covers model year 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6 and Saturn Aura built from October 1, 2007, through January 31, 2008. Dealers will replace the EPS motor controller unit. The recall began on July 17, 2014. Owners may contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, Saturn at 1-800-553-6000, and Pontiac at 1-800-620-7668. GM's number for this recall is N140115. Note: GM bulletin number 14119 will be implemented for model year 2006-2008 and early production of 2009 Chevrolet HHR (non-turbo) and model year 2003 Saturn ION to provide EPS Motor replacement for the life of the vehicle.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V224000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    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 is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
    Remedy:
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V252000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    Any of the above failure conditions increases the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    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 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 970 complaints · page 1 of 39

No complaints match the current filters.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

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Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources