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 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, she attempted to make a right turn and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to stop the vehicle, turn off the vehicle, and after restarting the vehicle, the power steering was functioning as needed. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt TL. While driving approximately 70 mph, the power steering warning indicator sounded and suddenly there was a loss of power steering capabilities. The contact continued driving with difficulty in turning the steering wheel. There was a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 10V073000 (steering:electric power assist system) however, the contact's VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. Updated 11/01/12 the consumer stated when he turned the vehicle off and back on again, the power steering would work for a short period of time, before going out again. Updated 11/02/12
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel seized. The contact stopped the vehicle and shut it off. Upon restart, the steering functioned as normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnosis. The dealer stated that they needed to replace the electric power assist system. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there were no recalls addressing the failure. The failure and current mileages were 56,000. Updated 8/22/12 the electric power steering motor was replaced. Updated 08/23/12.
I was just driving along when suddenly a chime sounded and "power steering" appeared on my dash instruments. I had no power steering. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and turn off the car. When it was restarted, the power steering was reset. This problem occurred once on 6/27/12 and then three times on 6/28/12 (once on the interstate at 70 mph). According to websites, this power steering loss is a problem with Chevy Cobalts and there was a recall in 2010. However, my Cobalt VIN is not included in the recall for some unknown reason. It should be because, apparently, this is a problem in un-recalled Cobalts and could result in a serious accident. When power steering is lost the car becomes very hard to steer and there's not always a place to pull off the road so you turn off the car and restart it. Plus, there's no warning. The power steering is lost totally at random at any speed. Updated 08/22/12 the dealer replaced the electric motor. Updated 08/22/12
I purchased the car on 3/12/2012, and took possession of the car on 3/15/2012, I have not even made my first payment yet. While driving error message on dash displayed "power steering" and warning chime sounded at the same moment the power steering failed, each time the vehicle is started, approx. 100 feet after putting it in drive the warning light displays "power steering" and warning chime sounds and once again the power steering fails. We checked the Chevy site and it states that there is no recall on this vehicle, but through research (after the fact) I see that Chevy Cobalt 2005 - 2010 were recalled for this very problem in 2010. Through emails with a Chevy representative of the local Chevy dealer, they stated that they are not aware of any recalls either. This is a safety hazard, and I am unable to drive the vehicle and still owe $13000 on it.
- Swannanoa, NC, USA
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Driving at approximately 10 -15 mph, the car completely lost power and stopped after making a left turn. A warning chime started and the information display showed "power steering". car was put back in park and restarted. Drove about two miles home and took it to the dealer the next morning. Updated 8/22/12 the electric power steering motor failed and had to be replaced. Updated 08/22/12
Driving at a slow speed 15-20 mph, was unable to turn the wheel, seems like it locked up. I could not pull the car away from veering into a concrete planter used to keep the traffic pattern in the parking lot. Vehicle sustained damage in the wheel, steering, radiator and body of the car. When the car was towed over to the dealer we were told that they were checking the VIN for the recall that was issued for many of these cars. After checking we found that there was a recall on this model up to March of 2010, ours we are told was built in April of 2010. Obviously, there were problems with the 2010 Cobalt since this was the last year they had production on this vehicle, we were not aware they had stopped the production of this model at the time we purchased this vehicle. We believe there was a manufacturing problem with this vehicle which may have lead to the steering issues we had on January 13. 2011. Updated 8/22/12
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gahanna, OH, USA