2005 Chevrolet Malibu Acceleration Problems

Which parts fail

• Cruise control
  4

Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  17%
• 25k–50k
  17%
• 50k–75k
  214%
• 75k–100k
  17%
• 100k–150k
  17%
• 150k+
  857%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Malibu owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

1st when got car from local dealer cruise control worked next day still hasn't, interior lights not working with new bulb, brake light on, leaking oil from pan, front end drifting, than at station no power steering, didn't know wtf, wheels didn't turn, shut off he later was there ignition switch will keep turning. Rins battery dead. I'm scared power steering will go out while driving. It's a scary thought, think I will sell .It's the worse recall I've heard of can they be fixed. Consumer has all 7 recalls.

After a few days of owning this car I noticed there was an issue with the brake lights turning on while driving. When this happens it also shuts off the cruse control too. When you first press the brakes the lights shut off. Press them again and they work for a few minutes. I searched the internet for help, and noticed GM posted a service bulletin on this issue. GM advised to clean, and grease contacts for BCM. I did just that. The cleaning was only a temporary fix because the issue returned days later. Around May of 2014 I received notice that GM issued several recalls. The car had been broke down until February of 20015, and in April it was sent to my local Chevrolet dealer to have the recalls fixed. Shortly after fixing the recall issues the brake light issues returned. I contacted GM/ Chevrolet and they contacted my local dealer who agreed to look at the car again for free. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving approximately 65 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the cruise control deactivated and the brake lights illuminated without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the brake lights turned off. The contact powered the vehicle off and back on and the brake lights resumed normal operation. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake light switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 199,000.

I had to buy a transmission for my Malibu and now I am receiving recalls (multiple) # 14152 & #13036 for the same car. However, on the freeway coming home from temecula, ca, south bound on the 15 highway, my transmission was not engaging. No loud sounds, or excess acceleration, nor too much weight (driver and passenger only cargo.) the engine was on and as I accelerated the engine was going but nothing was propelling us forward. I had to buy a new transmission and pay for labor which came out to a hefty expense. With everything I have read online and forums for these recalls I feel like a reimbursement should be in order if the manufacture even had a slight hesitation of a possible defect.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving with the cruise control engaged at 40 MPH, the check engine indicator illuminated. When the cruise control was disengaged, the tachometer remained at approximately 4500 and the vehicle failed to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to metering motorplex (1949 hart st, vincennes, in 47591, [phone]) who diagnosed the vehicle, but were unable to find any failure codes. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

A dashboard light came on ( t/c ) and disabled my cruse control while driving. The next day, my transmission seem to stop in second gear, even when accelerating. I cannot turn the t/c on with the console button or engage cruise control. My transmission is now shifting hard into second gear... Still no cruise control or t/c this has been occurring approx. 1 1/2 weeks mostly highway driving, clear skies and no water on road. The t/c light comes on when I shift from park to drive and will not turn off.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. While driving at low speeds and depressing the brake pedal, the brake lights would not illuminate and the cruise control seized without warning. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, service brakes, vehicle speed control), but the repair did not remedy the failures. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

Steering is not working, making it too hard to turn the wheel. Vehicle was in motion when it happened, while in a highway; has some electrical issues like check engine light on and speed control is not working properly

I was driving on freeway and my vehicle stalled and shut down. I had no acceleration from gas pedal, so I had to signal over to the right shoulder of road and coast to a complete stop. Tried starting the vehicle a few times, it would start but would not rev up, even when gas pedal was pressed. Utah road incident management helped by putting one gallon of gasoline in tank since the tank was close to empty, but still would not start. Also, tried using carburetor spray to start the vehicle but, still did not work. Had to be towed to a service shop, where they performed tests to figure out what was wrong. After tests diagnosed that it was the fuel pump and filter. I looked up whether or not there was a recall on this model and year of vehicle. There was a recall for aftermarket fuel pumps, but I believe that recall has closed. I hope to have my vehicle fixed under the same recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control); however, the parts needed for the repair were unavailable. The dealer was uncertain when the parts would be available. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle was also included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V153000 (steering) and NHTSA campaign number: 14V224000 (power train). The contact mentioned that the vehicle had exhibited the failure related to the steering multiple times. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

Related recalls

Acceleration complaints in other Malibu years