Most common 2005 GMC Envoy problems
Share of the 488 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
GMC Envoy complaints by model year
Best Envoy years: 2001, 1999, 2009. Years to avoid: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2003, 2004. Compare all years →
2005 GMC Envoy recalls (2)
Air bags › Frontal
Certain vehicles originally built with cloth seats that were equipped with an automatic air bag passenger sensing system and later reupholstered with aftermarket leather seat cover kits are involved. Testing has indicated that the aftermarket leather seat covers can cause the passenger sensing system to malfunction.
Remedy: Because a replacement leather seat cover that is compatible with the passenger sensing system is not available, general motors (GM) will repurchase these vehicles in accordance with the terms stated in GM's letter to…
Visibility › Windshield
Certain sport utility vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 212, 'windshield mounting.' the windshield urethane bead May not have adhered to the body in certain areas during the cure process.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the windshield free of charge. The recall began on March 10, 2005. Owners May contact Buick at 1-866-608-8080, Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 2 possible defects involving the 2005 GMC Envoy:
Loss of Headlights
The subject vehicles are model year (MY) 2002-2009 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2004-2007 Buick Rainier, 2003-2008 Isuzu Ascender, 2005-2009 Saab 9-7X, 2002-2004 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003-2006 Chevrolet SSR, 2005-2009 Buick Lacrosse, and 2006-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix. This scope includes the Trailblazer/Envoy variants: 2002-2006 Envoy XL/Trailblazer EXT and 2004-2005 Envoy XUV.
Fuel Level Gauge System Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 668 complaints alleging inaccurate fuel gauge reading while driving in model year 2005-07 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier, and Saab 9-7x vehicles.Of the 668 complaints, 58 incidents were alleged to result in a vehicle stall.Of the 58 stalling incidents, 43 complaints reported stalling because the fuel level reading indicated more fuel availability than…
What 2005 GMC Envoy owners say
Fuel & propulsion system all 226 →
My accident was May 25th 2018, my back passenger went off of a soft shoulder throwing me into 2 trees, I hit first one and seatbelt came apart but still over one shoulder hitting second tree and only thing that saved me was my right foot was under the brake and not on it, I hit my head on windshield causing me to have vision problems, severe whiplash, and rsd in right leg, I have to have cane, walker, or powerchair, my husband wants a divorce bc of my depression, my kids get fustrasted bc I forget I said something and I continue to repeatedly say thing, I never had none of this wrong with me till this accident and monique hill in claims says none of my injuries nor my family problems have nothing to do with general motors and I didn't hit sensors, I never had a seatbelt on but if that was the case that ding sound wouldn't have stopped! …
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 GMC Envoy. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the driver was flagged down by another driver who noticed smoke underneath the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and became engulfed in flames. The police, department of public safety, and fire department arrived at the scene. The fire department extinguished the fire. Both fire and police reports were filed. There were no injuries reported. The department of public safety diagnosed that the fire was started by a fractured fuel line. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was totaled and towed to a tow yard. The failure mileage was 132,000.
Electrical system all 183 →
The contact owned a 2005 GMC Envoy. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH the entire dashboard illuminated and needles on gauges had begun to move independently. The contact heard an abnormal "popping" sound from the front end of the vehicle and gray smoke was emitted from under the hood, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull off of the roadway and placed the vehicle into park (P) with difficulty. The contact exited the vehicle and moved away towards the rear end. The contact stated that she noticed flames under the vehicle located at the front end. The contact stated that within 3 minutes of observing the flames under the vehicle, the entire front end became engulfed by flames. The police and fire department arrived on the scene. …
I purchased my vehicle in oct of 2021 in Nov 2021 is when my car started failing my car started to lose power also started smoking from the lower passenger side no warning lights came on besides the oil warning light since Nov 2021 my car has been losing power it only goes up to about 40 m.p.h I have been smelling fuel coming from some where my tail and license plate light and back driver side inside car light stopped working the engine light turns on and off the steering wheel makes the car lose a little bit of power when I turn the wheel or when I roll up and down the windows or adjust my seat my ac does not work the back ac turns on by it's self to the heater does not work when I have it turned all the way to the 5 I hear clicking knocking noises in the back passenger side of the car my fuel injectors had puddles of oil in them the car gets really hot and blows hot air the engine is …
Lights all 45 →
As I was driving the vehicle, the dashboard lit up and the odometer and all the information systems went to zero. This has happened often over the years. I took it to two GMC car dealerships and the first one said it was the kill switch installed by a buy here pay here dealership. The kill switch was removed and the dashboard continued to flicker. Then the car would not start, I took it to another dealership and was told they couldn't find anything. The car began to tribble, again I took it in and was told that I needed to clean the fuel injection system. I did that and bought a battery but that didn't help. The tow driver said it seems to be something electrical but the car dealership can't find a solution. Have you had this complaint before? Not to confuse the complaint, I have several issues. 1. Dashboard lights up and the information panels shut down (all are at zero) 2. …
I was driving on a curvy 2 lane road in the country and the sun was just setting and I couldn't get any lights on my car. My lights are automatic and I just assumed that I had bumped a button and accidentally turned them off, so I started turning the switch to turn them on and it wasn't working. I almost drove off the road several times trying to get some light on. I then hit a section where tree lined curved section that was pretty dark. There had been no shoulder or anywhere to pull over there or for several miles. I could get bights lights, but no dim. I ended up driving with my fog lights, unknowingly at the time. We had just replace the bulbs 5 months before but we tried new bulbs and fuses to see if this would fix the problem. Unfortunately, it didn't. I have noticed a recall on lights for the Envoy years 06-07 for what seems like the same reason and mine is an 05.
2005 GMC Envoy engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.2L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.3L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 GMC Envoy a good car?
Based on 488 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Envoy rates avoid: 6.0× as many complaints as a typical year of the Envoy at the same age. It is one of the Envoy years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 GMC Envoy?
The fuel & propulsion system — 226 complaints, 46% of all complaints for this model year, most often about storage › fuel gauge system. Next are the electrical system (183) and lights (45).
How many recalls does the 2005 GMC Envoy have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2005 GMC Envoy, the most recent from October 31, 2006 (frontal). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the GMC Envoy?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2001, 1999 and 2009. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2003 and 2004. See the full GMC Envoy years comparison.
At what mileage do 2005 GMC Envoy problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 79,000 miles; 23% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.