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.
I was driving on the highway in North Carolina on vacation at 65-70 mph when the ignition kicked off luckily I acted quickly and restarted the car there have been a few other instances when the ignition has just shut off with out warning. I drive a 5 speed so I thought it was because I took my foot away from the gas, but I just learned that GM has a recall out on this model for similar problems.
On 12/18/13 I began to notice a "humming" noise coming from the car. The humming noise got increasingly worse over the next few days. At the same time I noticed the "service airbag" sign came on and the radio began flash and attempted to eject a cd without me manually pushing the button or cd being inside it. The "humming" noise progressively got worse and the steering wheel began to stiffen up. After 2 weeks of the problem becoming increasingly worse, I decided to have my mechanic do a complete diagnostic test. He believed that the diagnosis is the electrical power steering and stated that after much research the cost would be $900+ because the repairs would have to be by a certified GM and parts would have to be specially ordered due to the nature of the way the car was manufactured. He also stated that apparently this problem is an ongoing issue with this particular make/model car and regretfully was unable to repair it. I am a single mom and value me and my child's safety but at this time the no repairs have been made due to the obscene amount of money in question to repair it and ongoing financial hardships. I am filing this complaint because I feel this problem can lead to a more serious issue and may be a part of a bigger issue.
On December 31, 2009, my 25 year old daughter was driving along an interstate in her Chevy Cobalt. She crashed into a tree along the side of the interstate. Her airbags did not deploy, and her seatbelt did not lock. She died on impact, according to the police on reviewing the scene of the accident, my son observed that the tracks left by the car before it crashed were in a straight line, suggesting that the brakes either had not been applied or had not worked. On doing research, he found information online suggesting that there had been other, similar crashes in Cobalts and that the ignition switch was thought to be defective. We have already addressed this with GM and completed our action, and, at the time, I filed a consumer complaint to document the issue. I just read that this Agency will be investigating the issue, and I wanted to make sure you were aware of my daughter's death in a Cobalt in which the air bags did not deploy, the seatbelt did not lock, and that we strongly suspect, though GM never confirmed this, had a defective ignition switch.
Vehicle was exiting interstate 81, traveling approximately 55 mph. Though braking, the car was not slowing properly and the steering was very hard, power seemingly lost. The car could not be steered around the left hand curve and hit a bridge abutment and spun around before coming to rest with the motor not running. This apparent mechanical failure was noted in the police report of the accident.
- Maybrook, NY, USA
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TL- the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering failed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number 10V073000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
TL-the contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering failed numerous times while driving at various and caused the steering wheel to be hard to turn and vehicle jerked. The power steering warning bell beeped while the failure occurred. The contact wanted to also state that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several years ago to have NHTSA campaign number 10V073000 performed however the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering system malfunctioned upon starting the vehicle. The contact was able to steer the vehicle but without any power assistance. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer for repairs. The failure mileage was 142,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 mph, the power steering sensor light illuminated as the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no solution was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 10V073000 (steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle experienced the same failure as listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 232,900.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there a sudden loss of power steering assist with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was driven to the side of the road with force being applied to the steering wheel. The engine was turned off and upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The vehicle was previously repaired under a recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 10V073000 (steering). The remedy failed to correct the problem and the failure recurred three times within a period of six weeks. The vehicle was not further repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000...updated 02-28-14 updated 03/14/2014
After two hub failures, stabilizer link failures, ignition coil failure, rear defroster failure, power locks failure, and now the steering rack is making a grinding noise and causing premature wear to the front right tire. I believe there is a tsb on the steering rack. This should be a recall I won't ever by a GM again.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the power steering system malfunctioned causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer or contact the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 100,281. Updated 1/4/13
I purchased a 2006 Cobalt from a private owner this week. I test drove it 3 times with no problems. After bringing it home, I attempted to turn off the car and remove the key. It would not turn off all the way and the key would not come out. I was very upset and scared. The car would restart so I was able to put it in the driveway and park it next to the garage. Since I could not remove the key I put a car club on it and locked the door. Then I parked another car behind it. I did not think about it but since the key was in the accessory position the battery went dead. The next day I was not able to remove the key and I was not able to start it. I called a local Chevrolet dealer. He checked the VIN for recalls and said there was not one on the 2006 Cobalt related to the starting solenoid binding up. He did tell me it is common and most cars that have the problem have a recall issued. This problem has caused me major distress and could be very unsafe if the car had experienced this problem somewhere away from home. I found out how to fix it by reading articles on the internet. Many people have reported this problem and Chevrolet has not listened to the consumers by issuing a recall and repairing the problem. There is a button in the steering column that needs to be pressed by a rod to tell the car that the car is in park and it is ok to turn it off and remove the key. The cars with problems have a rod that does not depress the button. People have to remove a cover on the steering column and reattach the rod when they can not remove their key. However, over time the rod slips to far that this is no longer a solution and the parts need to be replaced. Why should the consumer have to suffer this stress and worry about getting their car stolen because their key is stuck in it? Chevrolet needs to immediately take care of this ongoing, long standing issue.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the steering wheel pulled to the left. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the vehicle needed an alignment. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 166,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that after having the vehicle repaired under NHTSA campaign I.D. 10V073000 (steering), the power steering system malfunctioned while driving 25 mph with the illumination of the power steering warning light. The contact did not take the vehicle to a dealer. The failure mileage was 55,100..... updated 10-17-13 the power steering light illuminated four days after the check engine light illuminated.
While driving at highway speeds the electric power steering went out displaying a "power steering failure" message in the dash and a beeping alarm occurred. The car crashed into a guardrail since the steering was unresponsive. This happened after the initial recall, so the supposed "good" electric motor was already installed, and it still failed. This car is dangerous, even after the recall and I am lucky to be alive. The car is now wrecked and I have bodily injuries. I hope GM will help assist with the several thousand dollar repair bill due to their knowingly faulty design.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 10V073000 (steering) and repaired. The following day the failure recurred. The vehicle had not been taken back to the dealer. The failure and current mileage was 116,425.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, the power steering warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle began to slightly jerk. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was repaired under a recall related to the NHTSA campaign id number 10V073000 (10V073000). After the remedy repair was performed the failure recurred. The dealer informed that the second repair would be at the owner's expense. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 116,368.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while decelerating from 55 mph, the power steering warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the ignition switch, electrical component, axle, and shift was repaired. The failure recurred and the power steering warning lamp re-illuminated. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 148,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Nashville, NC, USA