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.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle lost power steering and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact stated that something snapped and the steering became uncontrollable. The contact crashed into the side of a building. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. Consumer writes in regards to sway bar, power steering and ignition switch problems. The consumer stated the day after the vehicle was purchased, the sway bar links failed. Updated 07/30/14
My 2008 Cobalt ignition locked up while parked. Car was towed to Chevrolet and they switched it out. Had no ability to turn key, wheel or anything. Everything locked up completely. I finally got my Chevrolet Cobalt back (2 months) from the dealership with a brand new key for the ignition. Went to get into the car and they didn't switch the door locks. Now they cut corners and refuse to pay for or change my door locks so I have to carry around 2 separate keys. I have called Chevrolet customer service and they say it is my fault. I have heard of several other owners of Cobalts or owners of Chevrolet that had the same thing happen.
On two seperate accounts, as I made a right turn at a stop light, the steering locked mid turn causing me to proceed into on coming traffic. This Cobalt has already had a recall on the power steering assist in 2010. I have had the Chevrolet dealer ship run a diagnostics on the car and they have confirmed 3 things. The issue is with the power steering assist, the problem is getting worse as the car is driven more and is unsafe to drive, and also that this is not wear and tear and that there is nothing preventative that could have been done to prevent this other than replacing the steering gear box entirely. GM has refused to acknowledge this issue we are having and claims that we are responsible for this fix entirely because the factory warranty has expired. I have asked them to consider the safety of my family and help me fix this issue and they have not changed their position. This car has had 4-5 recalls in the last 5 years and there is already documented problems with the power steering of this car.
- Mesa, AZ, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2008 Chevy Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. The contact indicated that during the crash, the airbags failed to deploy. The driver suffered a concussion, a neck injury and lacerations to the hands and face. A police report was filed. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The failure mileage was 64,400.
Driving down a residential road at less than 30 miles per hour. All of a sudden without any warning, everything went haywire: I got a low fuel warning even though the tank was half-full, myriad warning lights flashed, the tachometer needle moved erratically, I lost power steering, and the automatic transmission started shifting very roughly. I pulled over and stopped the car, removed and reinserted the key, and restarted the car. The problem persisted. All without the car key attached to a key chain - GM's proposed solution until new parts can be installed for the recall. I drove the car a half-mile back to my home and shut it off. I restarted the car several minutes later and the problem was gone - the only lingering symptom was a check engine light. I drove it to the dealership that day. As yet (2 days later), they have been unable to recreate the problem. They say they're still unsure whether it's related to the recall. I registered my car for the recall over 3 weeks ago but the dealership hasn't received the replacement part yet. My latest information is they are looking for a spare replacement part because they think it will take another three weeks before the part for my car arrives (that's a 6-week wait-list for a replacement part known to cause fatal accidents).
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel was hard to turn which caused the driver to crash into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The other driver sustained neck injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 91,778. Updated 08-20-14...updated 09-09-14. Updated 09/15/2014
I have a 2008 Chevy Cobalt, I have many problems with it. It shut off itself 3 times at 60 miller per hour, the lights start blink and the power lock it's locking and unlocking by itself many times. I call the Chevy recall center and they told me that I have to pay for the diagnostic, but I am doing payments on this car still and I can't pay for the diagnostic. The recall # is.. 14V047 and 14V171.
I am very disappointed in GM's handling of the February 10 and April 10, 2014 recalls of 2008 Chevrolet Cobalts. I am a 2008 Cobalt owner, and I still have not received a letter nor has my uncle who is the registered owner. I bought the vehicle used but do not feel that is an adequate excuse for not being notified of this recall. I was not able to order the designated parts for repair until 3 days ago, as the dealership I contacted in regards to the problem did not get back to me. I do not feel that this recall is a situation to make light of. People are dying from this deficiency in the vehicle, and I was never even informed of the possibility of my air bags not deploying. I do not feel safe driving my car and I do not feel secure knowing that without my taking the initiative to investigate this problem, I would never have known that my car had been recalled. I also am not satisfied with the listing on the official GM letter on the NHTSA website that all ignition switches will be replaced, when the posted recall on cars.com from GM states a problem with the ignition cylinder as well. I also feel that my air bags, steering and entire electrical system should be tested and replaced if there is even the slightest chance that they have be ineffective. I lose power steering if my ignition switch fails, in addition to my air bags failing, further compromising my safety. I am very concerned about these defects on my vehicle, as I have no other form of transportation back and forth to work etc., and the length of time it is taking for it to be repaired. The dealership that ordered the parts for me told me it would be 6 weeks before the parts arrived, at which point I could make my appointment which may mean additional waiting. I, as a consumer, feel slighted and certainly disregarded. I will not recommend any GM sedan of this nature to anyone.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated after the vehicle was repaired per NHTSA recall campaign number: 14V171000, electrical system the air bag light illuminated sporadically and the power steering failed to function normally. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for the failures. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 79,873.
Power-steering function has begun to produce a constant electrical "whine" while active during turns. On occasion, it seems to barely function, requiring greater effort during a turn.
My 2008 Chevy Cobalt lt started having problems steering. I do not know where the power steering unit is but it acts like it is low on power steering fluid, it is a struggle to turn sometimes.
I was driving on the everett turnpike in nh. There was a soccer net in the middle of the highway. The cars in front of me had stopped and I tried to stop, but because my power steering was out along with my anti-lock brakes. I couldn't stop. I hit the car in front of me and my airbags didn't deploy. Luckily the only damage done was psychological. If I were an inexperienced driver than I would have died.. I have already had my power steering fixed once and now it has been recalled again. The car as a whole should be recalled. I don't feel safe driving it after they fix a problem that has already happened twice.
Taking a right hand turn, power steering stopped working, making it hard to continue making the turn. This is now happening every day and makes it difficult to drive the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel would make a loud popping noise. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the steering shaft was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred three times after the initial repairs. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer each time, where they replaced the sway bar, control arm bushings on both sides, and the electric power steering motor. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 11,000 and the current mileage was 48,500. Updated 06/10/14 updated 8/22/2017
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering assist suddenly malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the steering power assist was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 161,634. Updated 6/10/14
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. Consumer writes in regards to steering wheel column recall. The consumer stated in 2010 he steering motor was recalled, and corrected. Recently, the consumer had to replace the steering wheel column, which was part of the key ignition that has been in the media. The consumer spent $1200 for repairs and notified Chevrolet about the situation and reimbursement.
In November 2013 my vehicle steering wheel got stuck at work. It took a couple of times on turning the key to turn on the vehicle. It happened 4 more times and I decided to make an appointment at the vara Chevrolet dealership service center. I told the lady that was helping me what happened to to the vehicle in December 2013 and she told me to leave it overnight in order for them to check the vehicle. When I picked it up they said they didn't see anything in the computer system. I told her that it happened a couple of times and I knew it was a problem. She told me then I guess when the cars steering wheel gets stuck again you'll have to bring it in how it is. I asked her if there was any recalls and she said no. I thought then maybe then there isn't nothing wrong. In February 2014 my husband took the vehicle to have it serviced and then when he parked it at the service center they were going to move it inside the shop and it got stuck like it had done to us before. The service members then were unable to turn it on or move it. They put rolls under the wheels and said they were going to check it there. When we picked it up after three days they said they fixed it. My husband and me never asked what was wrong with it as long as they fixed. I started then hearing on the news about the recalls on General Motors with ignition problems on Cobalts up to the year 2007 and the complaints. It was exactly what was happening to us but the only difference was it was a 2008. I am concerned that there might be other problems with the same vehicles with other years. If the service center knew there was an issue with this vehicles and recalls why didn't they voice concerns to their management or to us. I am very upset about the treatment we received and my biggest concern is that it is happening with earlier models not just up to 2007 Cobalts. This needs to be addressed.
The key locked causing car to roll forward. I attempted to remove key but electrical system was disabled. I was not able to restart auto until jump starting it. Then the check engine light appeared and the traction control off warning appeared. Additionally, the power steering light indicated it was off. No injuries occurred as I was coming to a stop when incident happened. When driving my auto to the dealer, I noticed the RPM reached 4500 at about 50 mph. Steering took some effort without power steering.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hazard, KY, USA