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.
Power Steering Loss And Transmission Problem - What I found out, after doing much research, was that the power steering loss was also linked to the transmission not shifting. People owning a Cobalt also had experienced the dashboard "trouble" lights coming on when this happened. Some young kid put up the solution on a Face Book post. The FIX was so simple, It's astounding that GM didn't realize what was happening. It was apparent that the transmission control module, located in the engine compartment and in front of the car's computer, was installed in a plastic "box" or holder and NOT mounted on the Fire wall or any metal body part of the car. The ONLY means of grounding the module was a thin wire that is attached to the multi pin plug that jacks into the module. When the ground connection to the transmission module is lost, the power steering fails. As does the cars transmission ability to properly shift out of gear. The dashboard lights come on all at once. The computer does not recognize the signal from the transmission module. To fix this problem PERMANENTLY, remove the transmission module from the plastic box. DO NOT disconnect the multi pin plug. There are two bolt holes diagonally opposite each other on the module which is in a metal case. Get a 1/4 x 20 x 3/4 inch bolt with a locking nut or washer. Put the bolt in the hole and attach about 4 feet of number 12 solid copper wire to the bolt and tighten. Replace the module in the sleeve. Take the other end of the number 12 copper wire and attach it to one of the 3 bolts that support the front strut on the right side. Loosen one of the nuts, place the wire under the nut and re-tighten. Your problem with the steering and loss of transmission shifting should now be permanently solved. As the module is now permanently grounded to the body of the car.
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2005 Chevrolet Cobalt Owner Comments (Page 7 of 7)
I was driving over the mountains of West Virginia/Marlyand when the problem first occurred, around LaVale, Md. If anyone knows this area, it's a pain in the ass to drive through when your car is in good working condition, but when you add steering problems to the mix and in the rain, it's horrible.
At first, the Power Steering rang up on the info screen where your mileage and temp are located, and not knowing what it meant, I pulled over and pulled out the manual. Seeing that it was an issue that needed dealer attention, and being miles away from home, I continued to drive as the manual stated that the car would be drivable. After re-starting the engine, the power steering had come back on. Breathed a little easier until it went out about twenty miles down the road.
The car actually handled rather well with no power steering, but being on straight stretches or only wide turns made it okay, whereas if I stopped and had to make tight right or left turns, it took both hands and a lot of force to turn the vehicle.
At this point, every time the vehicle was turned off, the power steering would turn back on and was driveble for awhile...but only 10 miles or so before it would turn off.
On my return trip home, the steering locked totally around Parkersburg and I was able to stop on the shoulder, turn off the vehicle and it came back on. Steered it, with a lot of force as the power steering would NOT WORK AT ALL during this point, to their local Chevy dealer who laughed and told me that they were closing in five minutes, come back tomorrow. As this wasn't an option, I sucked it up and continued driving it home 300 more miles, going over the same mountians with no more steering lock ups.
Got to my home dealership where the power steering worked fine, they ran it through whatever tests they needed to and couldn't find a problem. Knowing I didn't dream up the locked steering and having the sore muscles to prove that it was a problem to handle without the power steering, I pushed the issue. The dealership called and told me that there were multiple repair bulletins that had been posted under the 2005 Cobalt on the repair section where multiple problems had been reported and that the steering column needed to be replaced. At a cool grand.
Needless to say, on a two year old car, and I know that the mileage is high on it coming in at a little over 60,000, I shouldn't have to have the steering column replaced. What is wrong with the steering on these vechiles?
Scene 1 - My daughter gets in the car to leave from work (11:00pm) starts the car and the "powersteering" warning appears in the instrument panel area and the car has no powersteering and the wheel is very stiff. After a few moments of tension and worry the powersteering warning disappears and she proceeds to leave the parking lot and the car starts jumping and almost stalls as she is pulling out into traffic. As she drives down the road the car continues to jump when changing gears (THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). The next day I drive the car and nothing happens everything appears to be okay.
Scene 2 - Same as Scene 1, so I take time from work to drive the car to dealer and they have to keep it overnite but I have no car to drive so they provide a rental that I have to pay half the cost. Guess what kind of car they give me ... YEP a Cobalt LS
Scene 3 - My daughter and I had dinner out at a local establishment and guess what happened? See Scene 1! After the powersteering warning went off, the car acted like it had manual transmission but I have no clutch (DID I MENTION THE TRANSMISSION IS AUTOMATIC?) and the car stalled twice and the car jerked everytime it changed gears.
After Scene 2 occurred I took the car to the dealership and they could not make the car do any of the things I described above. They told me to bring it in next time it does this and I took it there tonight but of course they were closed before I got there which was 7:01 and they close at 7:00.
I am taking the car to the dealership tomorrow morning and I'm getting another car. I am not risking my daughter or anyone else's life by driving that car.
I have only had this car two years this December and always had it serviced. Now the dealership is saying I have a short in the steering and it will cost me $1,100 dollars to get it fix. Something isn't right with these 2005 Chevrolet Cobalts. The steering will just go out while you are driving. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME !!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE !!!!!!!!!!!
Hello, we live in Canada, 20 miles north of Montr�al. My wife Lorraine owns a 2005 Cobalt garbage can. The car has a steering problem that consists in the steering locking up while driving. She refuses to drive the car out of fear. The car is two years old and only has 1100 miles (1800 Kilometers)on the counter. The dealer says the car is OK.
We tried to have GM take it back or make an arrangement to replace it with another vehicle and all we got back was a good laugh from the person at the other end. I sent them a registered letter explaining the problem and the request to replace the car.
I would love to take GM's president for a ride in that car and have the steering lock up.
My daughter's 2005 Cobalt has been having the same problem as Maureen's grandson! We are also trying to get it lemon lawed! She has had the car to the dealership multiple times, 7 in the last year,3 times just this past month. The car is there anywhere from 2 to 5 days at a time, and they say that they can't find anything wrong with the car! She will be driving and the steering wheel stiffens and then locks up. In addition, dashboard lights- engine, traction control, and brakes all go on for no apparent reason. This will happen at different times, when the engine is cold when first starting the car or while driving for a while, and sometimes there is a beeping sound. This is a very dangerous situation and a definite safety issue. My daughter works late in a hospital and drives home around midnight, my husband insists she calls us when she leaves and when she gets home each night. Her boyfriend has to pick her up from work because when she tried to start the car , the lights came on and the wheel locked up. The car had to sit overnight and she had AAA tow it in the morning. The car has been towed from our house, my daughter's house and her workplace! Oh, one other thing, last week in a downpour on the interstate, the windshield wipers stopped working! After shutting them off and starting again, they worked, but I don't want to even think of what could have happened. If anyone has had a similar situation with their Cobalt or if they were able to have the problems addressed, please report it on this site... it may help the rest of us when dealing with GM. I feel this car should be recalled... I think it's possessed!!
- Laraine S.,
Tampa, FL, US
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I own a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt and have had several problems with it. Some aren't life threatening (like the power windows not working and the brake light flashing), but I've had a MAF Sensor short which caused the car to stop running while I was doing 60-65 MPH and the steering locked up. Fortunately, the car started back up. I've recently dealt with another steering issue. I was driving down an uneven/bumpy road and a "power steering" message came up on the information panel and the speedometer went out. The steering became very mushy and it was difficult to control the car. I've also dealt with the car not starting and the cab filling with gas fumes. There has been hesitation/loss of power when the A/C is on, which makes it unsafe to pull out in traffic or blind curves. If you're considering purchasing a Cobalt, don't.
The front end in my Cobalt sounds as if it is ready to fall apart. It's like a jar of marbles under the hood. The steering is knocking, locking up, and making a grinding noise. I had a steering shaft replaced but as made no difference. GM as not yet come up with anything to fix the problem. There are 4 cars of this type in the town that i live in and they have got the same problems. I think the front end and steering in those cars are faulty and that GM should make a major recall to take back the cars.
I bought a 2005 Cobalt for my Grandson for his Graduation. He has had numerous complaints with this car and it has had to be towed excessively back to the Dealership. He had been complaining about the steering wheel locking up on him. Then it happened while he was driving. In making a right hand turn he found that it locked up and he slid onto a concrete median. It ripped off his left front tire and broke the axle. He and his girlfriend were nearly killed. They slid within inches of oncoming traffic. We are trying now to get it lemon lawed. Beware of this car!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I was driving over the mountains of West Virginia/Marlyand when the problem first occurred, around LaVale, Md. If anyone knows this area, it's a pain in the ass to drive through when your car is in good working condition, but when you add steering problems to the mix and in the rain, it's horrible.
At first, the Power Steering rang up on the info screen where your mileage and temp are located, and not knowing what it meant, I pulled over and pulled out the manual. Seeing that it was an issue that needed dealer attention, and being miles away from home, I continued to drive as the manual stated that the car would be drivable. After re-starting the engine, the power steering had come back on. Breathed a little easier until it went out about twenty miles down the road.
The car actually handled rather well with no power steering, but being on straight stretches or only wide turns made it okay, whereas if I stopped and had to make tight right or left turns, it took both hands and a lot of force to turn the vehicle.
At this point, every time the vehicle was turned off, the power steering would turn back on and was driveble for awhile...but only 10 miles or so before it would turn off.
On my return trip home, the steering locked totally around Parkersburg and I was able to stop on the shoulder, turn off the vehicle and it came back on. Steered it, with a lot of force as the power steering would NOT WORK AT ALL during this point, to their local Chevy dealer who laughed and told me that they were closing in five minutes, come back tomorrow. As this wasn't an option, I sucked it up and continued driving it home 300 more miles, going over the same mountians with no more steering lock ups.
Got to my home dealership where the power steering worked fine, they ran it through whatever tests they needed to and couldn't find a problem. Knowing I didn't dream up the locked steering and having the sore muscles to prove that it was a problem to handle without the power steering, I pushed the issue. The dealership called and told me that there were multiple repair bulletins that had been posted under the 2005 Cobalt on the repair section where multiple problems had been reported and that the steering column needed to be replaced. At a cool grand.
Needless to say, on a two year old car, and I know that the mileage is high on it coming in at a little over 60,000, I shouldn't have to have the steering column replaced. What is wrong with the steering on these vechiles?
- Natasha S., Martinsburg, WV, US