2005 Chevrolet Malibu Classic: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 123 complaints
123
Total Complaints
91,000mi
Median Mileage
Electrical System
Top Issue
8
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

62,013 25th Percentile
91,000 Median Mileage
146,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System
34
Steering
20
Engine
8
Exterior Lighting
6
Fuel/Propulsion System
6
Control Module
5
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)
5
Air Bags
5
Switch
3
Fuel System, Gasoline
3

Severity Assessment

8
Crashes
1
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT: THE CONTACT STATES NEXT TO THE ACCELERATOR THERE IS NO PROTECTION BETWEEN FOOT AND A CABLE. HE IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE CONTACT'S FOOT IS ON THE PEDAL OR ON THE CABLE. THIS COULD CAUSE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. HE FEELS THERE SHOULD BE A SHIELD TO KEEP FOOT FROM HANGING. THE DEALERS..."
"DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THERE WAS A LOSS OF ALL POWER AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AROUND A SHARP CURVE WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A CRASH, THERE WERE NO I..."
"DT*: THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING. WHEN THIS OCCURRED THERE WAS A LOSS OF ALL POWER AND NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AROUND A SHARP CURVE WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED AND LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A CRASH, THERE WERE NO I..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 34 complaints
25th: 74,500 mi Median: 94,500 mi 75th: 147,000 mi
Steering 20 complaints
25th: 66,500 mi Median: 92,000 mi 75th: 150,000 mi
Engine 8 complaints
25th: 116,661 mi Median: 133,180 mi 75th: 149,642 mi
Exterior Lighting 6 complaints
25th: 84,308 mi Median: 101,396 mi 75th: 124,844 mi
Fuel/Propulsion System 6 complaints
25th: 65,000 mi Median: 146,000 mi 75th: 150,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 14 OH: 11 WA: 10 TN: 6 MI: 5 NC: 5 IL: 5 MO: 5 WI: 5 IN: 5

Who Files Complaints?

1.6%
Original Owners
98.4%
Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Malibu Classic — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2002210
200414412
2008364

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28