2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 87,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “turn signal” (35% of reports).
- 51exterior lighting complaints
- 87,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 30%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Turn signal: mentioned in 18 of 51 complaints (35%)
- Bulb socket: mentioned in 5 of 51 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 35 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 51 complaints, 8 a fire.
Chevrolet Malibu Maxx exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Malibu Maxx | 5 | 11% | 86,624 |
| 2006 Malibu Maxx | 8 | 3% | 158,000 |
| 2005 Malibu Maxx | 51 | 16% | 87,000 |
| 2004 Malibu Maxx | 37 | 9% | 73,121 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Electronic stability control (esc); vehicle speed control:cruise control; exterior lighting:brake lights:switch; electrical system:wiring
Problem: 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.
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 (Saturn). GM's number for this recall is 13036.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Ignition staying stuck alowing starter to continue to turn, day time no break lights , night time break lights stay lit up or flash on and off , fuel gauge drops to empty even when full bounces back and forth empty full , service air bag and check engine lights keep coming on even after they have…
The front and rear turn signal bulbs continually burn out. They get so hot that both front orange bulb covers have holes burnt in them and the socket has discolored because of the heat. This began shortly after i purchased the car in 2005 but did not notice the holes until recently.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxxs have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx (16% of the 326 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx exterior lighting?
Yes: 1 safety recall list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems start?
The median reported mileage is 87,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signal”, in 18 of 51 complaints, followed by “bulb socket” (5).
Other 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems
- Steering problems (185)
See all 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems or exterior lighting problems across all Malibu Maxx years.