Problems · NHTSA complaints

2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo problems

Owners filed 120 complaints about the 2005 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with NHTSA between Feb 2006 and Jan 2024. The most-cited component is electrical system (87).

Complaints
120
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
3
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system87
  2. Exterior lighting17
  3. Fuel system, gasoline5
  4. Vehicle speed control5
  5. Fuel/propulsion system4
  6. Engine4
  7. Service brakes, hydraulic4
  8. Power train3
  9. Air bags3
  10. Electronic stability control (esc)3
  11. Engine and engine cooling3
  12. Equipment3
  13. Suspension3
  14. Service brakes2

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20064
20071
200816
200924
201022
20119
20126
20131
201415
20159
20166
20173
20181
20192
20200
20210
20220
20230
20241

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

87 reports3 fires1 related recall
“WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THIS CAR THE BOOST GAGE WAS NOT WORKING. A FEW DAYS LATER THE GAS OIL PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES STARTED GOING CRAZY. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE NEEDS TO WORK TO SHOW OVERHEATING OF ENGINE TO AVOID DAMAGE. INTERNET FORUMS SAY THIS ISSUE A VERY COMMON ISSUE. PICTURE SHOWS GAUGES ON LEFT AFTER CAR RUNNING 10 MIN WITH APPROX HALF TANK OF GAS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 5, 2018Electrical systemODI 11092066

Exterior lighting

17 reports
“THE MULTI FUNCTION SWITCH IS FAULTY. MY BLINKERS NEVER WORK RIGHT. SOMETIMES I HAVE RIGHT AND NO LEFT TURN SIGNAL AND MANY TIMES THE HAZARD LIGHTS TURN ON WHEN I USE TURN SIGNAL. THE TURN SIGNAL SOUND OF CLICKING NEVER STOPS, CONSTANT CLICKING THAT OFTEN STARTS BUZZING. QUITE OFTEN MY TURN SIGNALS DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY AND I HAVE NO WAY TO ALERT OTHER DRIVERS THAT I AM SWITCHING LANES. IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH CHEVROLET AND GMC AND EXPENSIVE TO CORRECT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 9, 2017Exterior lightingODI 11053609

Fuel system, gasoline

5 reports
“INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STOPPED WORKING (SPEEDOMETER, ETC) JANUARY 2014 FUEL REGULARTOR SWITCH WAS LEAKING FUEL (ONTO EXHAUST?) WAS TOLD NEITHER WAS CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE BUT FUEL ON A EXHAUST COULD CAUSE A FIRE. *JS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2014Fuel system, gasolineODI 10616914

Vehicle speed control

5 reports1 fire
“A YR. AFT. I BOUGHT MY 2005 MONTE CARLO, THINGS BEGAN GOING WRONG WITH IT. FIRST 2 THINGS TO GO:THE CRUISE CONTROL & RE-WINDOW DEFROSTER. THE NEXT YR, WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE INTERSTATE, I SWITCHED MY LIGHTS TO BRIGHTS & WITHIN SECONDS I HAD NO LIGHTS AT ALL! THIS COULD OF CAUSED A VERY BAD ACCIDENT, I WAS ABLE TO QUICKLY SWITCH THE LIGHTS BACK TO DIM & LUCKILY THEY CAME BACK ON. SINCE THEN, I NO LONGER USE THE BRIGHT LIGHTS, FOR FEAR OF MY LIGHTS NOT COMING BACK ON. THEN IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYTHING WENT HAYWIRE AFTER THAT, ODOMETER SHOWED THAT I WAS GOING 110, GAS GAUGE QUIT & TEMP GAUGE REGISTERED PAST 260. NOT A FUN NIGHT TO BE DRIVING, NOT KNOWING MY CORRECT SPEED, HOW MUCH GAS I HAD, IF MY CAR WAS GOING TO OVERHEAT OR HAVE NO LIGHTS! SINCE 6/15/2012 THE TACH NOW REGISTERS BETWEEN 6000-7000 RPMS & NONE OF THE GAUGES ARE WORKING PROPERLY. MY CAR ALSO SMELLS LIKE IT HAS AN EXHAUST OR FUEL LEAK WHICH COMES THRU THE VENTS, IT MAKES ME SICK & GIVES ME HEADACHES. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER A YR. AGO, PAID $98.00 FOR THEM TO TELL ME THEY COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM. TO THIS DAY, MY CAR STILL SMELLS LIKE GASOLINE, I PRAY IT DOESN'T CATCH ON FIRE. TONIGHT I'VE BEEN…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 21, 2012Fuel system, gasoline, Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Vehicle speed controlODI 10462492

Fuel/propulsion system

4 reports
“MY CAR HAS A STRONG GAS ODOR PARTICULARLY IN COLDER WEATHER. I NOTICED IT LAST WINTER AND IT WENT AWAY DURING THE SUMMER. NOW THAT THE TEMPS ARE GETTING COOLER, IT HAS STARTED AGAIN. I TURN ON THE HEAT AND HAVE TO DRIVE WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN FOR VENTILATION. I'VE HAD THREE DIFFERENT MECHANIC SHOPS CHECK IT OUT. NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE. IT IS EMBARRASSING IN THE SCHOOL CAR RIDER LINE OR IN A DRIVE THROUGH. SOMEONE ALWAYS COMMENTS ON IT. I AM WORRIED IT MAY CATCH FIRE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 16, 2016Unknown or other, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 10926462

Engine

4 reports
“MY ENGINE (V6 3.8L 3800 SERIES) IS LEAKING OIL ON THE ENGINE. MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS YESTERDAY (11/2/16) WHEN HE REPLACED THE PLASTIC ELBOWS AS I HAD ANTIFREEZE LEAKING FROM THEM. HE SAID THE 3.8 L ENGINE HAS A RECALL FOR THIS, OIL LEAKING FROM THE VALVE COVER GASKETS AND SAID CHEVROLET HAS A RECALL TO REPLACE THEM. I DO REMEMBER SEEING THIS RECALL ONLINE SOMEWHERE, BUT HAVE NOT SEEN IT WHILE SEARCHING THE LAST TWO DAYS. MY MECHANIC OLD ME IT WILL CAUSE A FIRE. I HAVE 87771 MILES ON MY CAR. I HAVE TO ADD A QUART OF OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. I HAVE HAD TO DO THIS SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR 6/2008. THE CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING OIL FOR AWHILE NOW.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 3, 2016EngineODI 10923978
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.