CarComplaints.com Notes: The Cobalt was introduced to replace two of Chevy’s smaller cars, the Cavalier and Prizm. But the compact’s fresh start that Chevy was hoping for was riddled with issues, most notably widespread power steering failure.
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Power steering light comes on, power steering goes out, all display lights begin going off and on, speedometer needles go crazy, clicking noise in dash, car sputters when stopping and jerks real hard when beginning to resume driving after stopping. All of these things happen at the same time, not always just off and on, never know when its going to happen. Had recall on power steering assist motor, had that replaced at 70,558 miles, starting having same problems again. Had steering column, shaft and link replaced at 73,117 miles. Car seemed ok for about a month and then again at 73,900 miles same problems are happening again. Contacted GM, was told the recall was done so anything else that happens now is my responsibility. Have seen 100's of other comments from Cobalt owners having the same problem with vehicle and GM. There is obviously more of a problem with these vehicles than just the power steering assist motor. Something more should be looked into and done with this issue. It is and or can be a very dangerous problem when occurring (steering going out at anytime) like I've seen on many comments from others, does someone have to die before something is done about this problem? GM states that this vehicle has a 5 star safety rating but yet they don't want to fix a problem as serious as this. I like many others can't afford to keep fixing this problem just to keep having it re-occur. I had to pay out $950 a month ago and like I said before am now having the same problems. I had to borrow money to have the first repairs done and have no way to have it done this time (can't afford it) so now again like I've seen many others comment I have no choice but to drive around in a vehicle that's steering could and will go out at anytime. If there is anything I can do to find out or have done to fix this problem, please let me know. A very concerned and scared driver. Thank you!
Chevy today said that their is nothing wrong with my pwr steering yet both myself and my brother test drove it. Now in Aug I had the recall and they fixed it so they claimed in Aug but yet it is doing the same thing only worse this past wk. Amazing how Chevy will try to use the excuse that it is something else other then the pwr steering when the instrument light chiming pwr steering was a [xxx] good indication that it was the steering. Not to mention I could not turn my steering wheel and when I try to accelerate the car would jolt like it was not going into gear. Let me not forget to mention the clicking noise I get underneath the dash near the steering wheel and the clicking in the shifter. Same problem new day and they tell me it's fine. I guess I have to kill someone on the rd for them to do something about the car. You guys need to step in because I am 2 steps away from calling a lawyer and suing everyone that is involved with knowing and not doing anything about it. I surely do not feel like being scraped off the darn hwy or the guilt of killing someone over something that you guys should have taken care of back in 2005 when all this started happening. We need to recall all cars from 05 to 09 and get them off the street and have Chevy reimburse us or give us a safer car. I know it may seem like a lot of money but 1 life being saved makes a difference. I know car dealers have what they call a bean counter and they don't care if 1 or a 12 people die from faulty equipment and you guys can live with that. But to me that is horrible and needs to be stopped immediately....now means now!!!!!!!!! thank you for your time not so happy with how you guys manage safety and the response time. Ignore the parts section or equipment section because I did not know the manufacturer of the pwr motor replaced. I truly do not feel they even replaced it. I think America has been had once again by the car industry. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I own a 2005 Chevy colbalt ls that I purchased two months ago. There was a recall #20110023. I took it to a Chevy dealer and they "fixed" the electric power steering motor. About a month later, I was driving on beverly rd in pittsburgh, 35mph or less, I turned the wheel to the right and tried to turn it back to center but it would not respond, causing me to hit a telephone pole and $6000 worth of damage.
I am not able to get my key out of the ignition of my 2005 Chevy Cobalt ls. This has been a persistent problem since I bought the car in 2006 (was a rental). Up until today (2/27/10) I've always been able to get it out eventually. Now however, my car will not start - it just clicks, and my shifter won't move. The car doesn't recognize that it's in park. After doing some research online, it appears many people have had this problem. The conclusion is that there is a defect in the transmission shift cable. Please see this link: www.youtube.com/watch?V=gfb6Y7_zkx0 this is not the only problem I've had with this car: Power steering failure after about 45,000 bad wheel bearing after about 50,000 cd player replaced because it wouldn't eject cds (this is still a problem even though the dealer replaced it with the same manufacturer's model) faulty glove compartment. I feel this model of car is dangerous and should be recalled after all the problems people are experiencing with it.
I have a 2005 chevorlet Cobalt with approximately 76,000 miles. While driving the message display on the instrument panel flashes " power steering" and the car becomes very difficult to control. The steering is extremely tight. If I cycle power the problem resets but recurs almost immediately. This problem continues to happen every time the car is driven.
Purchased a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt in August 2008 by early spring of 2009 I was driving to work when suddenly I heard a beeping noise and on the screen it said power steering I had no control over the steering I am a very small 100 pound girl and had to use all my strength to pull my car over to the side of the road and call for help. I immediately took the car to a GM dealer who then told me this is a very common problem with the Cobalt and that it would cost me over 800 to fix and that it is not covered under warranty. I could not afford to pay them that amount of money after just purchasing the vehicle and being a student in school. I then found a mechanic that put the part in for a cheaper price but still ended up costing me $450. I was relieved to have the problem fixed when I was driving my car today not even 6 months later on the highway when I heard the same beeping noise and on my screen it came up power steering!!!!!!!!!!!! this time I could not safely pull over to the side of the road I had to keep driving to the nearest exit and myself and my girlfriend used all of our strength just to turn the wheel to get off the highway exit...this is very dangerous and very costly I purchased this vehicle in hopes to be able to drive a fair distance back and forth to school without having to worry about safety problems such as this. Im afraid this is going to continue T happen every 6 months and one of these times im not going to be able to stop safely. If I hadn't had my friend in the car I never would have been able to turn the wheel it is almost impossible for a small girl my size. Now that it is winter im worried about this happening in snow and ice I will have no control over my vehicle im very concerned for myself and the safety of all others..I have been researching this problem online and seen hundreds of similar situations. If I had of known this I would have never purchased this vehicle.
Lower control arm bushings wear out and cause bad steering and control replaced both sides within two months car only has 70000 miles on it live on blacktop road dealer was very rude had 15 on back order they know there is a problem.
I purchased a 2005 Chevy Cobalt in August of 2005. Less then a week after purchasing the vehicle it was in the shop to be fixed. I have had problems with the steering panel (key will not come out of the ignition, button on stick shift sticks, can not turn car off without disconnecting the battery), I have had problems with the power windows and locks, I have had problems with the stereo going into "lock" mode - which in turn makes me turn the car on and then off again to get the radio to work. I looked into the lemon law and they stated since it was all electrical, they could not pin point it to being the same problem all 5 times of it being in. Well, it has done it again now in March of 2009. They are stating that me extended warranty through national warranty does not cover this therefore I have to pay $400 to fix something that seems to be a default on this car. It is not yet 4 years old. I have had nothing but problems with this car. I tried trading it in, but I was laid off last year and make less money and do not have the best credit because of not working for almost a year. I hate this car and after the customer service and the problems I have had with this car, I will never purchase a Chevy again!! this is something that has happened since I purchased the car and they say they will not cover it. I have found on several websites that others have had this same problem, but Chevy says it has not been reported enough to them to say that it is a recall. Wow!
About three months ago, I was driving down the road when my power steering stopped working. I shut the car off, and it went back to working. About a month ago it started doing it again, no I have no power steering. I have read other complaints on the issue. My back driver side window has now stop working and my ac is leaking onto my floor board on the passenger side. The car only has 55,000 miles on it. It had about 48,000 on it when everything started to happen.
The incident date below was the fifth time this has occurred. First noticed traction control and power steering light coming on-the car "bucks" and power steering is lost-several times car will lose power and have to be restart. After restart warning lights will go away and power steering returns. Seems to come back to normal after restart, runs ok until the process starts again. The car was purchased May 08 and first incident was Aug 15 2008-took to dealer and they reset the computer, second and third time the car seemed ok until the 4th incident and returned to dealer again and reset again. I was told that the computer codes were showing U2105 and U2100 U2107 and car returned. This last incident (12-11-08) the car was doing the same thing and drove right to dealer to show service what the car was doing. They claimed the car is equipped with electric steering column and it disengages from the computer and the steering column needed to be replaced and a computer module. Gave them permission to correct this because I can't let my son drive a car knowing at anytime he will lose power steering. He has been lucky he was traveling at low speeds when this occurs. If he was on a highway and in front of a tractor trailer and lost power he might be killed because he would lose ps and stall. This is a safety-related defect in the vehicle equipment (electric power steering column) when at any time with no warning you can lose your steering, stall and/or buck. Upon further research into the 2005 Cobalt, I have found 805 complaints regarding the steering column and the problems of controlling the car when this happens. Upon further research the Malibu is having the same issues with steering. Guess what kind of steering is in the Malibu. Check "www.aboutautomobile.com" for complaints regarding steering column. Several people have described incidents where their safety was compromised. Please help GM rep claims can't recall column without you. Please help
I own a 2005 Chevy Cobalt 4 door. I've had numerous issues with the vehicle - from improperly fitting and noisy hub cabs to broken control arms... however I am writing about the shift control assembly. On 3-17-06 I took the car in to the dealer because the key would not release from the ignition. They replaced the floor shift control assembly. Now, since 10-20-08, I am having the same problem - again. And of course, the car is now out of warranty. I find it hard to fathom that this part should "fail" again in such a short time, if ever again. It would seem that inferior parts are just being replaced with more inferior parts. After reading similar complaints on this site - I see General Motors is content to create chronic and expensive headaches for Chevy owners. Never again GM.
I own a 2005 Chevy Cobalt, the car is 3 years old and the power steering is out. Unfortunately the warranty is out and by the looks of it there is hundreds of people out there with the same problem. I took it to the dealership and they said that a cost of over $1000 will need to be paid totally replace the steering problem. They are aware of the manufacturers defect and hoping this will be recalled. I think if they company is aware of this problem we should not have to pay for their mistake. I do not have this money to fix this mistake by the manufacturer. Please help!
On the date listed, my wife was driving at app. 40mph. At which point she ran into the rear of another vehicle that was stopped. Upon impact the seat belt failed to keep her in the driver seat. There was also no airbag deployment. Upon impact she flew upwards and forward, hitting her face on the visor. She went to the hospital where they did scans and found no bleeding on the brain, however she was injured in the face to which she still has a bump on the bridge of her nose and still gets headaches. Also, shortly after the accident she had two black eyes and a concussion. The vehicle was repaired, but there was no indication that anything was done with the airbag system or the seat belt, by the auto body shop. We contacted GM a day or two after the accident. They sent an engineer out to gather readings from the car a few weeks later. It wasn't until this week that we heard something back from GM. They said there was nothing for them to do and they left it at that. We are still driving the same car and are very weary of what could happen if we are involved in another accident. I think there needs to be a recall done and the manufacture held liable for the equipment failure.
The car has stopped with no warning no lights came on and nothing happened to cause this. I was driving on the expressway going 55 mph and it came to a sudden and complete stop as I said no warning lights came on. I took the car to the dealership and they investigated and said that they could not find the nature of the problem. This is bull! it has happened on two other occasions and it is dangerous.
I had just over 25,000 miles and my first my power steering light came on then the car just started stalling and power steering locked up, also was making a clicking noise. Then the car competely stalled and could not be moved at all. The dealer replaced the shifter. My car again was fine while driving on the highway approximately a month to two months then my warnign chimes were coming on but indicating nothing. After a total of a trip on the highway after slowing down to a mim. Speed on non-highway my power steering light again came on and my car started stalling and jumping, steering locked up and car was making a grinding noise. I shut the car off and restarted, it was fine for the time and as soon as possible I sent to dealer for repair. Dealer states it is the body control modular. I am afraid that my life my be in danger if this would happen at highway speed not to mention the lives of others on the highway as well other Chevy Cobalt owners.
My 2005 Chevy Cobalt lost power steering today. I came here to research if there were any recalls or safety bulletins. I keep finding accidents from this problem and am now wondering how many people have to be killed before you do something about this. I do not see where someone lost life so I guess you don't care. You have all kinds of complaints about the same system but no service bulletins or recalls. W H Y "????"
Notice of recall, repairs made by dealership. Crash into tree, approx. Speed 60 mph. Three passengers, not wearing seat belts, extreme front end damage. Air bags did not deploy. Driver seriously injured. Front passenger killed. Rear passenger killed. Investigation pending..... updated 03/14/14
I own a 2005 Chevy Cobalt ls and have had numerous problems with it. 1st I had to take it in because the passenger side rear suspension was making clunking noises. 2nd I had to take it in because there was moisture building up inside the drivers side headlight. 3rd I had to take it in because the passenger side rear window was howling and you could hear the outside air blowing through it when driving. 4th problem I just recently am having is the heating system. The blower just does what it wants. I can have the air to the off position and it still blows air at a high speed. Also, when driving the blower turns itself off and on whenever it wants to. All this and I only have 7,500 miles on my car. I won't be buying another GM vehicle!
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- Katy, TX, USA