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.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that both the traction control and power steering warning indicators illuminated until the engine was turned off. There was also a complete loss of power steering and the transmission began to down shift independently. The contact was able to continue to drive with excessive force being applied to the steering wheel. The failures would recur sporadically. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 10V073000 (steering). The failure recurred one year after the recall remedy was performed. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Why isn't there a recall for the 2005 Cobalt? this happened shortly after I purchased the vehicle! why do you have the recall only for 2009, it should be for 2005 and all models affected, regardless of the year! just picking one year is not accurate for this type of issue. This need to be fixed asap! please and thank you! "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and FMVSS 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". on some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
If there has been the same recall on 2009 chevelot Cobalt, it should be for 2005! I can tell you of 3 other people with the same issue. This is not safe for cars to be on the road with this issue. Transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and FMVSS 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". on some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated the vehicle would shift abnormally hard and would often jump when driving at various speeds. In addition, the vehicle would sporadically attempt to stall. The contact stated that various warning lights would illuminate on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer twice and each time the dealer stated that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact also stated that the automatic key fob could not be used to lock the doors because the anti-theft alarm could not be disarmed. As a result, the contact had to manually lock and unlock the doors at all times. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 71,000.
After approach from stop sign, went to accelerate, vehicle stalled, dashboard computer lights flashing, I.e power steering, brake, mph, and pinging. Started vehicle after multiple attempts. Difficult steering, accelerating no more than 30 mph, and transmission jerking. This vehicle has been to shop 2 times. The trans module was replaced August 1, 2012. A day after pick up, it had the same issues I.e. difficulty steering, unexpected stalling, rough limited acceleration, flashing computer lights on the dashboard. The auto shop employee assured me" it is safe to drive and do not be afraid.." the shop had this vehicle for three weeks. It was written on invoice, " car driven for 26 miles trouble free has possible inop issue, but is operating as designed." Nine days after pickup this vehicle still remains unsafe on the road, with unexpected stalling stopping I.e stop/ go traffic, intersections, and computer lights flashing on dashboard. The tcm /ECM issue is still not resolved causing a safety issue with unexpected stalling and difficulty steering and loss of acceleration.
- Riverside, CA, USA
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On several prior occasions, the key would become stuck in the ignition. To solve this problem, I would simply shift from park to drive, cycling through the gears. This would allow the key to be removed from the ignition. I figured it was a small problem with the automatic gear shifter, it may not be fully engaging in park. This situation carried on for approximately two (2) years, whenever needed I would repeat the cycling of gears to disengage the key. However, a few days ago the key became stuck in the ignition and the previous solution would no longer dislodge the key. I found the switch under the steering wheel to remove the key, but the car is inoperable due to the key becoming stuck in the ignition cylinder on a constant basis. Upon doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that is a common problem with automatic transmission equipped Cobalts. The shifter is not fully engaging a micro shifter when engaging in park, causing the key to remain in the ignition. It has come to the point where I can not remove the key, even while using the switch under the steering wheel.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While stopped, the contact placed the gear shifter in park and noticed that the indicator was still illuminated in drive. The contact was able to shut the engine off but was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
The power steering light came on. I had no mileage or speedometer reading. I took it to Mr. Tire which was about 3 miles away. They put the car on a machine and found mil code U0101. They told me to take it to the dealer because there was a recall for this. I called the dealer the next morning and took it right over to them. They had the car for two days and finally called me and told me that they had to replace the tcm and reprogram it, clear the codes and retest. This was going to cost $500. I had taken this car to bob bell last June when I received the recall notice. It was repaired. After a few months I noticed that three or four times the signal came on about brakes but then disappeared and everything seemed fine. Then this Monday this happened.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while accelerating from approximately 5 mph the vehicle began to jerk. During the failure, the contact also began to hear a clicking noise. The vehicle was pulled onto the emergency lane and shut off. Upon restarting the vehicle, the failure continued to occur. The power steering service light and another warning began to illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact also stated there was no steering failure even though the power steering service light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 25,300.
I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. 59000 miles on it. Had the whole power steering problem right after I financed the car, the recall that went out in March was replaced immediately, 3000 miles later (I drive about 2500-3000 a month) power steering started acting up again, took it to a mechanic, it wouldn't act up for him, he said to bring it back when it was actually acting up. It worked fine for a few weeks, happened again, check engine light came on, took it in still wouldn't give him any problems, mechanic advised to have Chevy check the power steering motor recall to see if maybe they replaced it with a bad motor. Called Chevrolet to get the power steering recall looked at again to see if maybe the replacement was a bad one..... Chevy dealership looked at it, checked the car and said he didn't know what was going on with it, and that he could change a few things.... power steering column, new battery...etc. $1000 dollars + worth of work and not knowing the whole time if it was even the problem. Worked ok again for a couple more weeks and now it doesn't want to shift in and out of gears and gain speed on the highway, check engine light came on, took it to a mechanic as soon as it happened, he took it out to test drive and the darn thing wouldn't act up on him. This car is a lemon, even the idiotic Chevrolet people at the dealership don't know what it is going on with the car and don't know how to fix it. I just want the thing off my hands, don't want to have to pay anymore into it, it's unreliable and unsafe.
2005 Chevy Cobalt power steering failure. We purchased this car a few months ago and it has begun to have major problems. The car is inside of the timeline for power train warranty, but is over miles. The power steering light comes on followed by complete power steering failure, engine stalling, rough shifting, strange movements of the speedometer needle, check engine light comes on. Power steering loss happens while driving and the engine has stalled while driving. The engine also stall when braking. This nearly caused an accident today and the situation is getting worse. My wife and I drive our 1 year old child in this car and my wife is pregnant. We cannot afford another vehicle and may not be able to repair this problem as numerous reports on the web indicate that this is a extremely common problem that is very expensive to fix. This problem happens several times each day.
I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt and my power steering has been out for about 8 months. I've started seeing articles concerning the power steering and thought I should report my car.
Driving my 2005 Cobalt is a dangerous option, you can drive it for day's and all of a sudden the steering quits and the transmission starts acting up also lights on the dash panel start flashing the car is still running but the steering does not work anymore, also the shifter will not disengage the steering lock you have to remove the plug out of the bottom of the steering wheel and stick your finger up in there push a small button like thing to get the key to unlock and turn all the way off other wise it will not lock the steering wheel. This has been happening for about 1/12 years I called the dealer ship and they told me the warranty for this kind of thing was up and that they did not have a fix for this, however they knew of the problem in other cars, I was told to replace the brain I did it didn't work I was told to put a larger capacity (amps) battery in, I did, it didn't work, this is a very serious problem that needs fixed. I'm going to put the last incident date in the box below.
I started to notice, in my Cobalt that the brake light would flash across the screen every couple of days. I did not mind it because it was not a constant thing. I asked a technician to check it out and the car was fine. A couple of weeks later I notice, when I got in my car to go to work, that my radio was short circuiting. I figured out how to get that fixed, thinking that the brake light and the radio was not related, even though everything in the car is electrical. After this incident occurred, I was driving home from work, on the interstate, and as I exited the interstate to commute to my home, "power steering" flash on my dashboard and my wheel jerked. Now, I was turning the wheel and exiting the interstate merging into oncoming traffic. While exiting and merging, I was going across an overpass over the interstate and came life-flashing close to hitting the bridge. Thank goodness I maintained control of my vehicle. I had to drive five miles to my home with a, basically, stuck steering wheel. After I approached my home and turned the car off, I went going into my home. I don't know anything about cars, let alone power steering. So, I decided to go to meineke to get it checked out. I got back into my car and the steering was fine. I thought I was just panicking and it was just a glitch. I asked the meinke technician about it and he confirmed that maybe it was just a glitch and to bring the car in if it happens again. Hoping it doesn't happen again, I went home relieved, or so I thought. The power steering in the piece of '!@#$% car has gone out at least 5 times since that day. It's getting annoying and Chevy should do something about it before someone is killed and a lawsuit is produced. Thank goodness I didn't have my two year old in the car with me. I will never, and I mean never, purchase another Chevy if they don't know how to protect the people who are willing to give their hard earned money for these death traps/cars. Correction in progress.
Car purchased on 3/14/05 from rk Chevrolet. Starting Sept. 12, 2006 the car electrical system started malfunctioning. Various dash board lights came on, tick noise from the shifter, power steering light and fails, and the gauges began to go crazy! the car also wanted to shut off, and has boosts of energy. The same issue occurred November 2, 2006, June 8, 2007, September 19, 2007(colonial Chevrolet), and October 16, 2007 (colonial Chevrolet). After we got it back from colonial, the same problem occurred approximately 2 days later. Colonial Chevrolet indicated that that could not fix the problem and they were waiting to talk to GM about it! they even suggested initiating a buy back. We have been in contact with gmac in detroit about the issue and no answers have given nor a resolution. Currently we have to drive a very unsafe car that jolts, can't turn, and will not accelerate at times. We have been requesting at least a rental (safe car) until this problem can be addressed and no one has offered this in lue of a resolution. What has been done: PCM replaced: (9/15/07)body, throttle (8/7/07, 11/2/06), replaced: Body control (11/2/06); shifter bind & ndash; replace slide, automatic control lever replace, floor shift replace, wiring /connector steering suspension ride control??< control assembly. Floor shift replace (9/12/06).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Staten Island, NY, USA