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.
This issue seems to be a common problem with the 2005 Cobalt. Please research any car complaint websites about this certain vehicle. Even though all the recalls have been taken care of, while in motion, at any time and any speed, the dash lights starts flashing and you get the message power steering on message center, tc light comes on, light that shows padlock symbol comes on, RPM needle jumps up and down, steering wheel locks up, motor surges and shakes, and you hear all types of clicking sounds below gear shifter. This is a very dangerous thing and Chevrolet/GM just cannot seem to fix this issue or even find anything wrong. The 2005 Cobalt needs to be recalled and any other year of Cobalt having this issue. I will give you below the last date this has happened, but this has went on since we got the car in 2008. My daughter is in school in Kansas City, and this issue has happened quite frequently lately. The only remedy is to pull to side of road, shut off vehicle and restart and hope it does not act up again. I just wonder how may deaths have happened already because of this faulty GM product and no one knew it was because of what the Cobalt did, locked up on its driver.
The power steering on my vehicle cuts off and the speedometer remains rested at 0 when driving. The doors also lock and unlock on their own while driving. The car does not automatically shift while driving making it hard to accelerate and the vehicle will also decelerate on its own while driving it is very dangerous and very scary to drive with these problems. The dealership claims that the problem with steering has already been fixed but I am still having these problems.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the steering wheel was defective. The steering wheel vibrated and became difficult to turn while driving approximately 45 mph. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The power steering light illuminated while the failure occurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 190,000.
My 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt is experiencing power steering failure. The ability to steer occurs frequently and intermittently. Vehicle loses power steering while in motion, when the failure occurs the vehicle jitters, attempts to stall, chimes, and a power steering notification appears in the driver information panel. Also, when the power steering notification appears the security and check engine light appears and the steering locks making the ability to steer difficult.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 30 mph to make a turn into an intersection, there was a sudden loss of power steering, braking, and the power steering warning light flashed. The contact was able to coast the vehicle over to the side of the road. When the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the failure code reset. The vehicle was driven to the contacts residence and, upon parking, there was a sudden loss of power steering and the brakes were slow to respond. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: PE10005 (steering) and NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 135,345.
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. When turning the steering wheel in either direction, a clicking noise was present coming from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while at a traffic light, the power steering assist warning light illuminated and the power steering failed. The contact stated that the vehicle required greater effort to steer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,500.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 25 mph, the power steering seized. The check engine warning indicator illuminated. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 10 mph, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was diagnosed by the contact's husband, a certified mechanic, who could not find a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,444.
The lights all over the car intermittently work and not work, the battery drains and have replace the battery 4 times.this has been going on since I got the car withe the lights. The steering thing just started, when you make a turn the steering binds up as if the power steering is going out. Also acts as if the car is going to stall. This only happens when you are in drive position. In park it doesn't do this. The power steering fluid levels are perfect. Also, when this issue starts, the speedometer needle bounces up to 40 mph even though you are at a stop. The radio will suddenly turn full blast sound for about 2 seconds and turn back down. Scares me half to death. There is a major electrical problem in this car for lights to work one time and then next time not. I go through light bulbs like crazy, every couple of months I am changing a different bulb. And the steering issue is unsafe, the car could stall while trying to turn across traffic. Still after having all recalls completed, the car is still not safe.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while making a turn, the steering wheel seized without warning. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel failed. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact also stated that the tachometer gauges would fluctuate whenever the failure occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,550.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving at approximately 50 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the steering wheel seized without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. Updated 02/18/16 the consumer stated he had an accident on November 20, 2015. No further details were given. Updated 02/23/16.
While running car displays power steering notification. Dash board lights up, car jerks hard while driving, loses power, brakes make click in sounds and don't workwell. Only driven on city street so far.
I was driving the car in the city street when the engine light came on. I continue to drive the car when I start hearing click sound than I hear bell sound come from the car. The car wouldn't go any faster than 40 mile hr & the gauges were jumping all over the place. I continue to drive the car then the words "power steering" came on where my mileage would show. All of the recalls have been repaired and something still wrong with this car. I asked GM to take look at the car without charging(money) to see if it is relative to the recall. The dealership said they couldn't tell if they would charged me money or not.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle veered to the right and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available. Updated 07/27/16
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. After the vehicle was started, the enhance traction system, check engine, and power steering warning light illuminated intermittently. In addition, when the vehicle was switched into the reverse position, there was an abnormal sound coming from the gear shift. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,377. Updated 03/11/16
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- Thayer, KS, USA