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.
My 2005 Chevy Cobalt powersteering comes across my dash. Steering rough and whole car jerks like the transmission is jumping out of the car. Dangerous for consumer who put their faith in the american brand GM, rather than buying foreign. And GM want stand up and admit bad design and fix the problem for their consumers. As soon as we buy foreign they yell we are sending american jobs cross seas.as tax payers we bailed your company out bail us out with your defective design without costing us $2000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that she replaced the power steering column since it was faulty. While driving 20 to 40 mph the power steering failed and made it difficult to turn the steering wheel. There were no warning lights before or after the failure occurred. The dealer informed the contact that the steering wheel had to be replaced at her expense. The dealer also confirmed that there was no warranty or recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 74,800.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that intermittently while driving the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. Steering also became difficult and this failure could result in a loss of steering control, the restricted ability to turn the vehicle in one direction and increased the risk of a crash. The vehicle will be inspected to determine the cause of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were 33,000.
- Wakevillage, TX, USA
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The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 40 mph, the warning light illuminated, within seconds there was no power steering and the steering wheel was difficult to control. The contact turned the engine off which allowed the vehicle to reset itself; however, it failed again. The dealer is currently diagnosing the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving the warning lights illuminated on the dashboard and it became difficult to control the steering wheel. The failure occurred frequently. The dealer replaced the steering column at the owners expense for $894. The following day after the vehicle was repaired, the failure recurred. The dealer stated that a motor needed to be replaced for an additional $100. The manufacturer confirmed that there were no related recalls and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 79,000.
There was not any warning. The power steering message came on in the car and I loss power steering. Thankfully I was at a red light, but could have been traveling at 65mph on the highway going to/from work. Several complaints are out there online about the same issue. Paying almost $500 to replace power steering motor; but was also told that this may or may not be the true issue, that the steering column may be the culprit..cost of $940 to replace!!! who has that kind of money"?"
Power steering on 2005 Chevy Cobalt goes out leaving the car very hard to steer. Turning left or right requires two hands and a lot of muscle. If the car is turned off and restarted problem goes away and comes back. The problem occurred about the 39,000 mile make.
My 2005 Chevy Cobalt had a power steering failure at 67000 miles. This happened while I was going 60 mph on interstate 95. My car made a noise and beeped at me and power steering came lighting up on the dash. My car then revved up to 6000 rpms and caused me to sway in the middle of traffic and I had to pull the car over, fearing I was going to crash into other cars. I will have to replace the steering column which includes the sensor that helps with power steering. It occurs often. I will be fine for a ride but then I get back in it and start driving and get up to 30 of 40 mph and power-steering will come up on my dash and all of my instruments go whack. My speedometer goes to 0 and the engine revs but doesn't increase speed. It will cost anywhere from 1250 dollars and 1800 dollars to fix this problem at my local dealership.
2005 Chevrolet blue 4 D sdn complete steering failure caused control failure while operating vehicle. The following actions occurred simultaneously; audible alarm, power steering message displayed on dashboard led screen indicating inoperable, steering failure. Replacement of steering column asm, intermediate steering shaft performed by keddie Chevrolet, Inc. Route 56 West, 200 Lincoln ave. Vandergrift, Pennsylvania 15690; 724.567.5683; total cost of replacement = $866.36.
On Friday August 25th 2009 I was driving my car when all of a sudden the power steering indicator came on in my car and immediately the power steering went out while I was driving. On Tuesday August 29th 2009 I had my mechanic look at the problem and discovered that my 2005 Chevy Cobalt has an electric power steering system and it can only be fixed by replacing the entire steering column. I immediately contacted GM Chevrolet to inform them and they stated that there has been no recall scheduled for the 2005 or 2006 Chevy Cobalt. I did an internet search on the Chevy Cobalt and discovered that power steering going out is a common problem among Chevy Cobalt owners and Chevy is failing to do anything about it. This is a safety matter because the power steering will go out at random and Chevy says that it will cost $800 just for the part not including labor cost. This is a manufacturing error that Chevy needs to correct.
The power steering on my 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt keeps failing at random intervals. Usually when it fails, I have to stop and restart the engine to restore it, and it continues to happen while on the road.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt which was purchased in 2006. While driving, the power steering warning light illuminated indicating that the power steering was off. She was unable to turn the steering wheel left or right. She also stated that whenever utilizing the air conditioning unit in the vehicle, the power steering would fail shortly afterwards. No repairs had been made to date. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were under 75,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 55 mph he lost power steering which made it difficult to maneuver the steering wheel. He was able to safely drive to the emergency lane, shut the vehicle off and restart it. The power steering disengaged and resumed normal driving function. A local mechanic determined that the electrical power steering unit was failing and the repair cost would be approximately 2,000. The manufacturer stated that the failure is a common occurrence; however, since the warranty expired no compensation would be offered. The failure mileage was 89,000 and the current mileage was 91,000.
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt with electronic/power steering defect that has caused the steering in my vehicle to fail and/or work improperly. This failure first occurred around 21000 miles it was repaired under the warranty that I had purchased for the vehicle when I bought it. My car now has 36000 miles on it and the same problem is occurring again the dealers will no longer cover the repair even though the car is still under warranty.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Prague, MN, USA