The brakes are not releasing after normal pressure is applied to them, which is causing smoke and burning fumes to escape from the front of the car and from both the left and right side tires (very dangerous). The brakes become locked or stuck with the pressure not releasing for a few hours or until the next day. Even the driver side seat belt will lock as if the brakes have been slammed, but were not. All of this is happening while driving around town.
2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx brakes problems
19 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 90,000. 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Foundation components: disc: rotor3
- Foundation components: master cylinder1
- Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Chevrolet Malibu Maxx brakes problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
2005 chevy malibu mass master brake cylinder was defective and caused the brakes to wear very quickly. *mw also, the power steering failed. The consumer no longer owns the vehicle, as it was totaled in an accident.
Took car to the chevrolet dealership, for the federal safety agency id: 14v252000/gm safety recall: 13036, to correct the issues in the body control module which impacted the brake apply sensor. Now rear top brake lights no longer illuminate when the brake pedal is being pushed. Front low-beam headlights goes on and off while driving. Replaced both low-beam lights on 12/6/2014. Front low beam headlights still goes off and on intermittently. Also upon visual inspection, the turn signal blinkers have melted the yellow plastic inside the headlight. Brought back to the same chevrolet dealership on 1/2/2015, for vehicle recall the federal safety agency id: 14v224000/gm safety recall 14152 to have the shift cable assembly and mounting bracket installed. I notified the dealership that I was having issues with the electrical system tied to the exterior lighting system. They could not provide me the reason for the fault.
Tl* the contact owned a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. While driving downhill at approximately 35 MPH with the brake pedal depressed, the ABS was activated and the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn. The driver was unable to control the steering and the brakes would not stop the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The vehicle was destroyed. No injuries were reported and no police report was filed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN provided was incorrect. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact received a notification for recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). However, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Brakes failed. I am concerned with 3 recalls on major parts: ignition, power steering and brakes. I had to pay for a brake repair out of pocket because the car was totally unsafe to drive. I should get a refund. I have 3 recall letters and I am told the parts are unavailable. This is not safe. I need my car to drive 30 miles across town to work.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet malibu maxx. The contact mentioned that the brake fluid low warning lamp illuminated and the brake lights remained on although the brakes were not engaged. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v252000 (electrical system, electronic stability control, exterior lighting, and service brakes, hydraulic, vehicle speed control). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 72,000 and the current mileage was 73,900.
I was driving on the interstate on my way home and my back breaks locked up and the tires and hubcaps started to burn. I had no immediate exit so I had to continue to roll slow. Once I exited the interstate my wheel was on fire. I put it out with an extinguisher. I asked the dealer and they said no recalls. I had to get the tow truck and he said it was not the first for my car make and model. I replaced the breaks, rotors and tires and 2 weeks later the same thing happened again. Only this time I was in a parking lot of a grocery store. Since then I have had a total break job and replace tires and hubcaps. My power steering locked up and it was very hard but was able to use manually. The manual said to shut off car and restart to reset the power steering. This was not safe and very scary.
The car is a wreck.
I have had to replace the transmission already on this car, and it still is not right. The power steering will be gone no matter the temperature, but then comes right back. The brakes are always going bad on it, I have replaced them several times within the 25k miles of owning the car. The driver seat leans to the left and did not know this was not normal until after reading reports of it being a problem in this car.
Questions about the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx brakes
Does the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the brakes of the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 90,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx brakes?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Chevrolet Malibu Maxx have bad brakes?
The Chevrolet Malibu Maxx model years with the most brakes complaints are 2006 (23 complaints), 2004 (20 complaints) and 2005 (19 complaints).
Other 2005 Chevrolet Malibu Maxx problems
Steering 185Lights 51Electrical 40Seats 39Fuel system 12Suspension 10Airbags 9Driver assistance 9Engine 9Acceleration 5Body 3Transmission 3Visibility 3Wheels 3Locks 1Seat belts 1Tires 1
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