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.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph the power steering failed and a power steering light began to illuminate on the instrument panel. The vehicle was pulled over and shut off. Upon restart the vehicle operated as normal. After driving for approximately 5 miles the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.
My Chevrolet Cobalt 2006 has a steering column problem. It makes noises, like a rattle and I bought the car on 03/16/2011, used and since the first week after precarious I've taken the car to get fix every day except for saturdays and still can not get it fix. It also shakes violently at times and its very, very scary.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 50 mph, when the traction control, ABS and emissions warning lights illuminated. Suddenly, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the speedometer began fluctuating between 50 and 70 mp. In addition, the fuel level gauge began to fluctuate between one quarter tank to three quarters. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that the failure was caused by the body control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.
I was driving home and lost power to the steering wheel and I was unable to turn the steering wheel left or right. Very stiff and pulled off to the side of the road. I called roadside assistance to come get me, after waiting 20 minutes, I turned it back on and the wheel was free to move again. This occured a second time last week when I started my car in the morning. I turned it off and on several times and finally it worked. The car is very unsafe and I was afraid to drive it as it may happen again going a faster speed. Currently the car is now at the shop looking at the power steering mechanism that is bad. It is a recall and already replaced and is bad again. This is a serious problem where the car can stop working at anytime which gives you no control over the vehicle.
I am requesting that dot NHTSA investigate the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt intermediate steering shaft (part# 10394225) safety problem. This problem occurs when I am accelerating, decelerating, coasting (neutral), and braking. When I turn the steering wheel back and forth it makes a "clunking" noise giving me the notion that there is indeed something in the steering function that is broken. There have been numerous occasions upon accelerating where the steering wheel has overpowered my grip on the steering wheel causing my car to steer very hard to the left almost causing collision with other cars. The loss of control on steering is even worse upon low speed braking; the wheels have in the past turned at a 45 degree angle. Again, this has almost caused a number of collisions at stop lights where there are 2 or more lanes, or there is a turning lane. It is only a matter of time before irreparable damage is done. Cobalts have been known to replace this part 2-3 times over the course of 5 years in operation. So far no action to replace the part has been done on my part. Currently there is a technical service bulletin for the problem but there is no recall. There are significant amounts of testimonies and evidence that there is a serious safety problem here and I wish you to formally investigate. There is no incident report yet, disregard incident date.
- Statesboro, GA, USA
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Our 2006 Chevy Cobalt has issues with the powersteering. It malfunctions often but with no apparent trigger. The warning system is not reliable because it doesn't always give warning of the failure, and sometimes it dings and no failure occurs. When malfunctioning the steering is extremely difficult to use. A great amount of force is required to turn the steering wheel. The problem may occur at any time and at any speed. Then when the steering is locked it often frees up spontaneously! this is very dangerous!!! this is my second complaint. We purchased our 2006 Chevy Cobalt new and at about 23K miles we began to have problems with the power steering. The power steering assist motor has been replaced several times and the column was also replaced. We just had the psa motor replaced through the recall for the second time. Our particular car was not even listed in the recall but the dealership did the repairs because of our longterm issue. I believe there must be some other part causing the problem (sporadic and unreliable steering) because the psa motor has been replaced several times but the problem continues to reoccur. Now our car has high mileage and GM is unwilling to "do" anything to make this right. We have been paying for this defective and dangerous car for 4 years now and the problem has still not been resolved! I'm afraid this issue will cause serious injury or death, it must be fixed! this defective product is a hazard to all people on the road. The 'new' psa motor does not work any better then the original part.
When turning sharp right in my 2006 Chevy Cobalt ls 4dr, there is a loud, metal rubbing sound coming from the passenger side wheel well, as if steering is hitting something underneath. Only happens when turn is sharp, such as a U-turn or coming out from an alley, driveway, etc.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving 60 mph when the steering wheel exhibited a beeping sound and became extremely stiff and hard to turn. She then turned the vehicle on and off repeatedly as the steering wheel reset temporarily before recurring within a few minutes. The power steering warning light was then illuminated and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted who advised the contact that they would research the failure and contact her with a decision. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 93,245.
Steering: Electric power assist system - I have a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. Four months ago, I took the vehicle to the dealership to have NHTSA recall campaign number: PE10005 10V073000 completed. For the last four months the vehicle performed as it had prior to experience the power steering issue that prompted me to have the recall performed. For the last week, I have experienced intermittent power steering loss. Each time, while driving the power steering loss warning message appears and I have a overall loss of power steering, the braking system is compromised as it is slow to respond and the vehicle (an automatic transmission) shakes violently as if it was trying to shift gears. This loss typically subsides at higher speeds. I believe that the replacement part is also defective. The power steering returns if the vehicle is stopped and the engine is turned off then back on, however after less than 1/2 a mile the power steering loss warning message appears again and the issues return.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 10V073000 (steering: Electric power assist system) and took the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. After having the repairs performed, the vehicle began to shake violently when driving at various speeds. In addition, the engine would exhibit and unusually loud grinding noise. The check engine light was illuminated after the vehicle began the failure. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer yet he was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Problems with the power steering..had the[xxx] moto replaced and now they telling me I need 2000 worth of work to fix the issue.. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
In April I received a recall for the Chevy Cobalt 2006, it was for the power steering assist motor, I waited nearly 7 months even though I placed order in April. I finally got it done after the power steering light went off in Dec. And called the dealership with my frustration because I never received a call that the part was in. A week later the power steering light went off again, come to find out I need a new power steering column (this is a 4 year old car!!!), so the recall should not just be the motor but the steering column as well, this is very dangerous, the steering completely goes and you can barely turn the steering wheel. This needs to be looked into asap before someone gets hurt or killed.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 30 mph, the power steering failed and the wheel was difficult to maneuver. The contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it to reset the power steering. The manufacturer had not been notified. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 60 mph, the contact stated that the power steering failed and the contact had minimal control over the vehicle steering. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was informed of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt that is having power steering issues. I thought that the recall repair would fix the issue as I had it repaired a week ago. After the repair the power steering light came on and the car became hard to steer. The car was taken back to an authorized dealer and they charged me $43 to diagnose the problem and came up with several codes in the computer but could not duplicate the issue. They reset the computer and it happened again today. No power steering and the car started shuttering the power steering light came on and the traction control light comes on. When I turned the car off and restarted it I then had power steering but the check engine light was still on. This is a very dangerous situation and I do not believe GM is fixing the right problem.
Vehicle power steering failed again two weeks after dealer performed mandated recall work to fix power steering failures with this model of vehicle. With most recent steering failure, dealer claims they can't duplicate the problem and that they do not have to perform any more warranty work to fix the power steering since they say they already did the required recall work. What leaves us with a vehicle that potentially still suffers from intermittent lose of power assist to the steering.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the contact was driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle began to shake and a loss of power steering occurred with the illumination of the power steering warning indicator. The speed odometer also became inoperable. In addition, the engine and traction control warning indicators illuminated on the previous day. The contact continued to drive with excessive force applied to the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they recommended that the vehicle be taken to a dealer. The contact was in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 89,887.
My daughter owns a 2006 Chevy Cobalt, (which I provided much of the $$ for) it has approx 32K miles. It recently developed an issue with a knocking sound from under the dashboard that continues for 10-15 seconds almost every time the car is started. She took the car to a local trusted repair shop, and it was determined to be a power steering problem that the mechanic felt should /could be a recall item and suggested that she take it to the dealership; charged $48. Dealership checked out car free of charge (that is suspicious) for 2 hours, and determined that it was a problem with the intermediate steering shaft part # 15800140. They referred to bulletin # 04-03-08-006D.the approx cost to repair it would be $1100, but it was deemed safe to drive although the knocking sound would be a nuisance. Soon after I researched the internet and easily found numerous complaints, injuries, and accidents from Cobalt steering problems for 2005-2009 vehicles, yet it was not a recall item. I know that my daughter's current issue will only get much worse and the value of the car is very diminished. The odds of selling it are slim. Please! make Chevrolet recall Cobalt for their steering defects a.S.a.P. we work hard and can't afford to repair this vehicle. But, I will pay to have it repaired to save my daughter's life, what choice do we have?
I have a 06 Chevy Cobalt. Since October 2007, the power steering has been going out and the transmission has been acting up. At the beginning, the problem would occur only once in a while. Now it is happening everyday. I'm currently a nursing student and rely on my car. There have been many times when my car would start acting up and during dangerous conditions such as thunderstorms or just in an unsafe part of town. I was happy when a power steering recall was issued, but after having the recalled fixed, the problem is still occurring! I'm a Michigan native and know first hand the impact on the economy on the american auto industry. I wanted to support the local economy by choosing this car. Now I don't think I would ever buy a GM car again. Something more needs to be done! this car is not safe!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Racine, WI, USA