The 2006 added it’s own special flare with gas leaks due to cracks in the “return portion of the modular reservoir assembly.” A recall of 2006 Cobalts was issued to fix the problem, but only to vehicles sold in or current registered in Arizona and Nevada, leaving other owners to pay for repairs themselves.
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.
My power steering went out on my 2006 Chevy Cobalt while driving in a parking lot. This resulting in an increased difficulty steering at low speeds. I took it to a local Chevrolet dealership for repair and although they replaced the power steering motor, which was under a recall, they also need to replace the whole steering column assembly since it too was damaged, as replacing the motor did not fix the issue. The dealership could not confirm or deny that the issue of loss of power steering being the result of the motor failing or the steering column failing. They also could not confirm or deny if it was the motor failing that caused the failure in the column to need replaced as well. If it was indeed not the motor that failed and instead the steering column failing due to manufacturer error does that not produce a similar issue of safety as the failing of the motor (which is currently recalled).
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. Upon starting the vehicle, the power steering indicator illuminated and the vehicle became extremely difficult to maneuver. The power steering resumed normal operation once the vehicle was warmed up. The vehicle was previously repaired twice according to NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Updated 12/09/14 updated 9/30/2015
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.
The power steering light comes on causing the vehicle to not want to stop and the back end to push forward. Steering gets tight. I just bought this car 2 months ago it has a power steering motor recall and to me this car should not have been sold to anyone. It's dangerous..I took it back to find out what it was and this is what they told me today 9/16. I bought this car at a dealership. Now what do I do?
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 5 mph, the steering wheel seized as the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V073000 (steering) however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
- Lumberton , NC, USA
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While driving the car the power steering goes out and makes the car hard to drive. The steering pump has been changed 2 times since original recall, but yet the problem still exists.
Power steering failure seems to occur at random times, and becoming more frequent. There is a "power steering" display on dashboard and a warning chime. Then the speedometer and RPM's go bonkers, the car repeatedly jumps forward abruptly, and the power steering goes out. Sometimes I can park, turn the car off and back on, and the issue goes away, and sometimes it does not. This happened last year, but the power steering motor recall (done in July of 2013) seemed to fix it, but only temporarily. It is irritating and scary to have to drive my car like this, and I am concerned for my safety during the upcoming winter months where I will certainly be driving on ice and snow. I hope there will be another recall to permanently solve this issue. Thank you.
I was driving down the road. I just reached 55 mph. My ignition shut off and I lost steering and brakes. I went to the right into the ditch and hit a telephone pole.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 70 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact mentioned that the steering seized causing the vehicle to flip over and crash into trees. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,331.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. The failure occurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering sensor illuminated intermittently. The dealer informed the contact to turn off and restart the vehicle in order to reset the computer system. The failure persisted and the vehicle stalled. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 10/8/14 updated 03/23/2015
My dealer drove the vehicle and I was told that the steering column needed to be replaced to solve the problem. There are metal bearings encased in plastic in this column. Over time the metal will rub against the plastic and cause play in the bearing. The play will cause chatter when going over bumps and other safety issues. By doing research on this matter I found that there were lawsuits placed against the maker or the steering column due to the fact that General Motors had to replace so many of these columns under warranty because of this defect. I contacted GM about this matter and was given a case number and was told that they had no way of telling me if the problem had been fixed or the steering column had been modified to fix the problem. I was told the same by my dealer. General Motors told me over the phone that one option I had to solve the problem was to file this complaint with you. There is a bulletin that was issued on this problem and I was told today by my dealer that the bulletin had been cancelled by General Motors. Why it was cancelled is a mystery. My dealer advised against me changing the column since it is a good possibility that the problem will arise again with the new column.
Light goes on and power steering comes on the screen transmition does not shift right no power steering the car can't be driven safely 43000 miles and it was already fixed once.
After having ignition switch replaced by recall, 2 weeks later we lost the use of power steering assist, the service airbag light is on, steer wheel hard to turn, feels like manual steering, we took vehicle in for power assist motor replacement under recall warranty, but did not fix problem?, dealership says that steer column needs replaced but, we have to pay $924 to replace. Out of pocket. Pickup from dealership and took to local service center for another opinion.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking space, the power steering failed and no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle made a left turn and there was a sudden increase in engine rpms. Shortly after, the vehicle resumed normal function. The failure occurred on two different occasions. The manufacturer was not contacted. There was no diagnosis or repairs completed on the vehicle. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 141,286.
While driving a warning and chime sounded for the power steering. When I slowed down to stop I noticed that the power steering assist had failed and the steering became hard during turning. I had taken the car to the dealership to get diagnosed and they stated that the power steering pump had failed. I know that the power steering pump had been replaced due to a recall from GM 10023 for the pump. Recently there is now a recall number 14115 that is for certain vehicles to replace the same pump. I called General Motors customer service and complained about the part failing and requested that if my model might be on the list for the new recall. They stated that it is not for my model year and that it is only for the 2010 Chevy Cobalt. GM gave me a case number and told me that they could not help me. I paid to have the motor replaced with the same motor that is prone to fail. Just last week my sister who has a 2006 Chevy Cobalt received a recall notice from GM, signed by [xxx], to have the power steering motor replaced under 14115. I went back to the dealership to ask them to investigate why she has received a recall and I had not. My answer was that I would need to make a complaint here. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving various speeds, the power steering indicator illuminated and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The power steering failed. When the contact turned off the vehicle and restarted it, the power steering resumed. The failure occurred intermittently for three months. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Leaving work @ 3:00 pm on Saturday 06/14/2014 and all of a sudden lights on dash came on and "power steering" came up on the (mileage read out) and showed the motor and a lock icons (no steering at all). Called the Chevy dealer in my area and they called a tow truck to tow to them. On Monday 06/16/2014 morning was in the dealership early, technician that helped me on Saturday was there and told me that it must have "reset itself" so they did testing and they determined that is was a "steering control module" had failed. The vehicle was down for 5 days for the module and the associated recalls for the ignition, picked it up on Friday 06/20/2014. Now the same issue is showing up again on 07/12/14(took pictures of the icons) and it has not been 15 working days since I picked it up. This is a very dangerous situation because you can be driving it and the next minute you might have no steering at all. When it locks up and it takes (overnight or some time ) to reset. There is definitely a problem and it is scary because you never know. This is unacceptable(can't afford rental vehicles) every 3 weeks. This vehicle is the only way back and forth to work which is 30 miles one way from home.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel seized. The contact also mentioned that the passenger side air bag light illuminated and there was an abnormal noise coming from under the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where it was informed that the vehicle did not have the original wiring installed. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 14V047000 (air bags, electrical system) but the failure recurred. The failure and current mileage was unknown.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- St Charles, IL, USA