This paper analyzes the motion stability of a 16-pole rotor-active magnetic bearings (rotor-AMB) system and investigates the complex vibrations under a proportional-derivative (PD) controller. First, electromagnetic theory and Newton’s second law are applied to derive the two-degree-of-freedom differential governing equations for the 16-pole rotor-AMB system, incorporating the PD control terms. The resulting differential equations include parametrically excited, quadratic nonlinear, and cubic nonlinear terms. Subsequently, the multiple time scales perturbation analysis method is performed on the obtained governing equations, yielding four-dimensional averaged equations in both Cartesian and polar coordinates. Finally, numerical simulations including the amplitude–frequency response characteristics, motion trajectories, energy–amplitude relationships, as well as bifurcation and chaotic motion of the system are studied. The results indicate that the PD controller affects the softening and hardening spring characteristics of the system and has significant control effects on the system’s amplitude, energy, and stability. Additionally, increasing the differential gain coefficient [Formula: see text] can change the system’s motion from chaotic to periodic.