<p>This paper investigates the stability and bifurcations of a nonlinear maglev vehicle system with the time delay in the velocity feedback signal. A qualitative analysis is conducted to determine the local stability of the origin point and the conditions for the occurrence of Hopf bifurcation. It is found that the maglev vehicle system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation when the time delay exceeds a critical value, leading to the instability of the system at the origin point. This causes the displacement of the electromagnet vibration to continue increasing, eventually evolving into a stable limit cycle. Even if the bifurcated limit cycle is stable, the displacement of the electromagnet vibration exceeds the safety range. Additionally, the existence of the zero-Hopf bifurcation in the time-delayed maglev vehicle system is proved. Analytical results demonstrate that the zero-Hopf bifurcation induces vibrations in the maglev vehicle system. Increased time delay values lead to more intense electromagnetic vibrations, which poses a threat to maglev vehicle operational safety. Moreover, the third-order truncated normal form of the zero-Hopf bifurcation is derived by using the center manifold theorem and normal form theory. Applying a cylindrical coordinate transformation, the normal form is reduced to a planar system with two parameters, and the dynamical behavior of the maglev vehicle system near the zero-Hopf bifurcation in different parameter regions is analyzed. The results indicate that small perturbations in the critical parameters of the zero-Hopf bifurcation influence the stability and bifurcation of the maglev vehicle system. From an engineering perspective, slight variations in the displacement control gain and the time delay affect the dynamics and stability of the maglev vehicle system. It is essential to implement well-designed parameters and effective control strategies to suppress instability in maglev vehicles.</p>