Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Uplander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. The contact stated that a vehicle merged into traffic from a side road and crashed into his vehicle's passenger side door. The contact was driving 35 MPH at the time of the crash. The air bags failed to deploy and the middle row seats reclined backwards. The driver and six passengers were injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was previously taken to the dealer several times for the electrical system, the dashboard, and other equipment. The dealer stated that the electrical failure was corrected. Hinesville police report number 07064548 was filed. The powertrain and dealer information were unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 30,079. The consumer provided georgia accident report, court documentation, medical documentation, newspaper article pertaining to the accident, pictures of the accident and injuries. …
Driving the vehicle along the interstate at 65 MPH at night, the ignition switch run position rotated to off and the engine and all headlights, dash, etc, shutdown along with the power steering and power brakes. The incident has just started happening and 340,000 miles on it. Only way to get rolling is to put the auto trans lever to neutral and twist the ignition key to crank position and let key settle to run position. The ignition switch itself has a spring detent and it sets in a pocket at run. So this switch has a spring that over time weakens and allows the whole key cylinder ans switch to drop out of run and shut off the electrical. Solution was to put in a new switch or just use a single key instead of a full set of keys hanging from the key slot.. The full replacement of the switch runs 350$, prts and labor.
My daughter was driving my car with the heated seats on. She felt it get extremely hot. She turned off seat warmers. When she got out of car, the seat had melt/burn marks and her leggings and skin had burn/red marks. I had a mechanic look into this and he said do not use seat warmers-it will cause a fire. New seat is at least $500 without labor. Makes me question entire electrical system. In addition, you have connected so many things together, that replacing one thing means replacing a whole console. I am a true Chevy person- used to own? Be associated with a Chevy beretta, 1964 corvair, citation, malibu... Looking to buy again, but this burning was scary!
While my wife was driving to work, and without any sort of issue to provoke it, the ignition came out of the run or on position, causing the vehicle to abruptly shut off. I did some research and found that this was the same ignition as all the other vehicles that have been recalled, yet this one was not on the list. Luckily she had her wits about her and pulled into the center turn lane. But the issue persisted, generally only when trying to start the vehicle or when shifting the vehicle into different gears (park, reverse, drive, etc.). It cost me $312 to fix this issue between parts and labor
Several times since purchasing my 2005 Chevy Uplander, the ignition has just shut off. Normally this was when idoling so I wasn't too sure. However, it just turned off when I was driving 65 MPH on a major expressway in chicago. This could have been catastrophic. This ignition switch is the same one that is currently in the GM recall, yet it has not been recalled yet. Please recall all vehicles with this ignition switch as most vehicles have already been recalled. Why wait on the recall until more people are in accidents and possibly die? It isn't worth the risk.
My electrical will go out as I am driving. The car has stopped completely and the electrical as I was driving. My car will turn on and then off, and I have to do it about 5 times before I can even get it to stay on and drive. Sometimes the electrical will stop after that but I can still drive. This is not safe. It has been going on for some time.
The ignition slips into the off mode while vehicle is running, thus disabling everything, including power steering and brakes. I have had it happen while moving out of parking spots on a public street, and many times after start up when I'm not moving. I have quit driving it until I can get it repaired due to safety concern.
Passenger side headlamp bulb holder loosened and fell to rest on headlight housing melting the plastic and started a fire,melted wiring harness complete headlight assembly and headlight mounting assembly, fire was put out right away could have burn the whole car flames where shooting out of engine compartment.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering failed and the radio became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 181,000.
Tl* - the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander. The transmission failed at 11,000 miles. The mechanic repaired it instead of replacing, it and it continued to leak. The dealer replaced the transmission, and the new one from the manufacturer was also leaking. The vehicle was in the repair shop for 16 days, and the new transmission had to be resealed. When starting the vehicle the ignition was sticking in the start mode for 2 minutes after releasing the key. The passenger automatic sliding door did not latch shut, no warning indicator light appeared nor did it register with OnStar as the door was being un latched. When attempting to open the door it will not open because the latch did not engage. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact was concerned about the safety risk involved. The contact filed a complaint with the bbb, and spoken to GM about all of the failures. …
NHTSA investigations
Electrical harness damage
The office of defects investigation opened this investigation on November 29, 2005, based on one consumer report to odi and a technical service bulletin issued by general motors.the bulletin, no. 1613174, issued on February 21, 2005, states in part, some customers May report a stall and/or no crank, no start condition after the wipers are used.analysis of the available data indicates that the problem experience…
Electrical complaints in other Uplander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Uplander?
NHTSA has 57 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Chevrolet Uplander, 29% of the model year's 196 complaints. The component named most often is alternator/generator/regulator (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Uplander electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2005 Chevrolet Uplander, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Uplander electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 39% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 10 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.