2005 Chevrolet Malibu Exterior Lighting Problems
- 128
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 128 stored complaint records:
- 2 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 17 indicate fire
What owners report
- Turn Signal · 3 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 32 |
| 30–60k mi | 22 |
| 100–150k mi | 19 |
| 1–30k mi | 10 |
| 150–400k mi | 10 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Exterior Lighting · Steering
Tail lights have filled up with water and condensation every time it rains. Steering pops and makes noises when i make a turn . *tr
ODI 10361585
Exterior Lighting
Front blinkers on 2005 chevy malibu, one of the bulbs blow about once a month. I have to replace bulb every time. *tr
ODI 10360547
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Seats
I had my first problem when i purchased the car. It would jerk & felt it was moving on it's own. Then the lamps would go out and i was replacing the bulbs every month. Then my key starter has failed two times after replacing them. The driver seat has calapsed on the left hand side. The rear seat handle to raise the seats up and down has broken on both passenger side. My lights have burned out on the front driver's…
ODI 10428121
Exterior Lighting
Since the new purchase of my 2005 chevrolet malibu, the turn-signal and brake-light bulbs have failed 30+ times. Most failures have been at the base of bulb where wires contact bulb socket conductors. When the dealer was asked to repair this problem, they said it was not covered under warranty and had no service bulletin pertaining to this problem! I have been stopped by police multiple times and have had near-miss…
Fire reported
ODI 10350680
Equipment · Exterior Lighting
Brake lights are reversed. They come on and stay on then when you brake the light go out. Safety issue for sure. This has happened 4 times about one year apart each time. *tr
ODI 10349776
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Fuel System, Gasoline
Purchased 2005 chevrolet malibu in may, 2009. Ongoing problems with brake and turn signal lights not working. Attempted replacement and repair by mechanic. Lights remained inoperable as did fuel gauge by 80,000 miles. While parked, car ignited from under center console, door locks engaged, and interior burned. Total loss of auto and contents. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10349149
Concealment Devices · Exterior Lighting
The turn signal bulb gets too hot and melts the orange plastic covering the turn signal bulb. I replaced the headlamp assemblies because the orange plastic coverings had holes melted into them, and were unrepairable. I also replaced the turn signal bulb with the bulb specified in tsb #06-08-42-004b which specifies use of the osram 3157 lcp bulb, gm part number 13502322. This did not correct the problem, and i am…
ODI 10413417
Exterior Lighting
Front right drl bulb keeps going out.. When replaced i noticed the socket appears to be bad and the amber casing is melted. The light has been replaced 3 times in the last 3 months. *tr
ODI 10355552
Exterior Lighting
Car blows through fuses every time i turn around. Mechanic states he had malibu that did same thing, i have replaced fuses about 4 times a year, that its abnormal. Rt. Signal then lt,signal, back and forth. *tr
ODI 10334708
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the running lights and blinker lights are blowing out on the vehicle every15 days. The contact is worried about the vehicle catching fire because the bulbs blowing out is starting to burn the cover for the lights. The dealer stated that this is a design flaw on the vehicle. The failure mileage 72500 and current mileage was 75600.
ODI 10340633
Exterior Lighting
Turn signal housing melted, dripping on turn signals making them less effective and eventually caused them to fail. *tr
ODI 10334125
Exterior Lighting · Steering
Lost power steering while going through round about, was empty at the time thankfully. Has happened 3 previous times all at slow speeds. I had to pull over and turn the car off and start it to get power steering back. The signal lights are constantly burning out, have replaced the bulbs 6 times in 3 years. *tr
ODI 10327316
Exterior Lighting
The headlight covers are showing fogging and discoloration due to heat damage as a result of what appears to be the front turn signal covers melting inside the headlight covers. *tr
ODI 10305529
Exterior Lighting · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while applying the emergency brake, the emergency brake cable fractured. The contact also stated that the daytime running lights were becoming extremely hot and melting the headlight lens. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The failure mileage was 88,000. Updated 03/05/12*lj the consumer stated the day…
ODI 10446061
Exterior Lighting
I have had my car since 2009 and in 2010 i started have to change my turn signals out at least once a month for burning out. There are time that the bulb will get so hot that it blows the inside of the bulb up and around the plug where the bulb goes in has dark marks has to if they are burn marks. I called chevrolet and they said that there was nothing they could do because there was no recall on them. The back turn…
ODI 10492949
Exterior Lighting
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu lt contact stated that the headlight socket was burnt. The contact also stated that the turn signal housing was melted. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that they would contact the dealer. The current mileage was approximately 93,000. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10367738
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the headlight covers became foggy causing visibility at night to become difficult. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the head light covers were replaced. The replaced headlight covers became foggy after some time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure mileage was 10,000.
ODI 10631014
Exterior Lighting · Steering
Bought the 2005 malibu used in august 2007. I have replaced the both front directional bulbs at least 10 times since buying the car. The lights work intermittently or not at all. The right bulb was out for about 3 months then the left bulb went out. I went to replace the bulbs again yesterday. I jimmied the socket they go into and now they both appear to be working. However, i noticed the amber plastic covering on…
ODI 10282047
Exterior Lighting
2005 malibu purchased new. Daytime running light/park/turn signal melting the amber bulb surround and discoloring and cracking the outer headlight lenses. This car has not been in any accident to date. I have replaced the left rear turn signal bulb twice over the life of the car. All front lights are original as purchased. I'm concerned that the lights will catch fire and so now i try to remember to disengage the…
ODI 10279200
Exterior Lighting
Headlight lens melted and tail lights went out. *tr
ODI 10281414
Exterior Lighting
My headlights, signal lights and parking lights work as they want. I have replaced the bulbs many times. The light covers get really hot and i am assuming that it is a defective part. There is no reason that my bulbs should have burned out 8 times in the last three months. I have seen four malibus just like mine in the last two weeks with the same lighting problem as i have which leads me to believe that this is a…
ODI 10286555
Exterior Lighting
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the turn signals overheated and burned, causing the plastic around the bulb to melt. The contact called the dealership but was informed that he would be charged to have the vehicle inspected. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000. The current mileage was approximately 65,000.
ODI 10324575
Exterior Lighting
I am writing to complain about the exterior headlights melting. It could cause a fire. It seems that the amber lights have melted the casing. This problem should be a recall and the dealers should replace the housing free of charge. *tr
ODI 10269145
Exterior Lighting
2005 chevrolet malibu headlights get too hot and have melted with a hole in the orange plastic. This causes the bulbs to burn out frequently. The problem didn't happen originally, but has started happening within the past 9-12 months. We have brought the car to the chevrolet dealership today to see about replacing the headlights. I have read on the internet that others have had the same problem, but there is not yet…
ODI 10324486
Exterior Lighting
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu. The contact stated that the day time running lights on the passenger's side malfunctioned. The light over heated and melted the bulb socket. The failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10593259
Catalog parts for this system
Catalog year/make/model rows for 2005 Chevrolet Malibu.
Catalog fitment does not by itself prove OEM-equivalent compatibility.