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. While the contact was driving 25 mph he noticed that the power steering light appeared on the dashboard, moments later the vehicle no longer had power steering. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 49000.
I have a 2005 chevorlet Cobalt with approximately 76,000 miles. While driving the message display on the instrument panel flashes " power steering" and the car becomes very difficult to control. The steering is extremely tight. If I cycle power the problem resets but recurs almost immediately. This problem continues to happen every time the car is driven.
In March of 2006 I was driving about 40 mph & the check engine light came on. As soon as the check engine light came on the power steering locked up. There was a clicking noise that came from the shifter (where you put it in park, reverse, drive). The car started to jerk forward at random & the brakes did not work. I pulled over as soon as I could & turned off the car. After letting it sit for about 30 minutes I turned the car back on & it had reset itself. I called the dealership and brought the car to them immediately. They kept the car for 3 weeks & were unable to get the car to act up while on the diagnostic test. They said that there was nothing that they could do. I had numerous episodes over the next 6 months including multiple times when I was driving between 60-70 miles on the freeway. They could never get it to act up doing the diagnostic testing. I took it to another dealership. They contacted gmac; the dealership agreed to fix the computer system. They told me that they were going to replace one of the computers that they thought was causing the problem and & just write it off since by this point the mileage was at 31,000 but the problem started when the mileage was at around 10,000. When I got the car back it was October 2006. I did not have anymore problems until November 2009. I turned on my vehicle & it did the whole thing again. I turned my vehicle off & called a dealership. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership & they kept it for a month and a half. While they had it I was calling gmac to try & get while they had it I was calling gmac since the mileage was at 94,000. While talking to the service manager at frank parra dealership & gmac the computer was never replaced; only reloaded. To this day the problem has not been fixed & it still happens at random. It has also started to have problems with the locks. They lock at random & trap me in the car or will not let me in. There is a definite electronic issue!!!!
As my 18 year old daughter was driving home from school, her power steering light went on as the warning bells in her dash rang. At that point, she lost all power steering in her car. She said that it took all of her strength to make the remaining turns to get home.
- Glendale, AZ, USA
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Around 50K miles my 2005 Chevy Cobalt lost power steering intermittently on average around twice a day. It was only while in drive, never in reverse or park. Then around 60K-70K it would go out immediately after I put it in drive but never in park or reverse. Then around 80K it started happening intermittently while in reverse. I am at 100K and I am concerned it will go out more frequently while in reverse. I have had some "near misses" when it goes out while in a turn or backing up. I think this is a potentially fatal issue and also interferes with resale opportunities.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the power steering failed. The failure has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired when the complaint was filed. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 48,000. The current mileage was 50,597.
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, 28,880 miles. Purchased new off showroom floor in July 2006. I am the only owner. Power steering went out on the vehicle. Dealership said it might be the power steering box and replacing it cost me $375 and half a day off work. If this doesn't work, I was told I would need to replace the steering column. This car has only 28,880 miles!
My 2005 Chevy Cobalt's power steering goes out at random times and cannot be tested unless the power steering indicator is on, however in order to drive to a service station the car must be restarted which resets the computer and it cannot be tested. I have nearly lost control of my vehicle numerous times especially while driving in inclement weather. I have had occasions where I have had to restart the car as many at 15 times in one trip while at other times it may not happen for as many as 4 days.
Power steering issue was observed at low speeds but also presented extreme lurching of the vehicle. The power steering and traction control warnings were present at the time the car began lurching. Very dangerous in traffic.
I was driving home from work one evening and the power steering light came on, nothing happened. Then later that evening my husband and son drove to the grocery store and on the way home the power steering went on and off like 4 times. The total drive from the store is approximately 2 miles from our home. And the speed he was driving is a 45 mph highway. Due to lack of funds we have been only driving when we absolutely had to. We have noticed that as the weather has been colder the power steering doesn't go out as often. But it still continues to go on and off. But we now have our car in a shop to get fixed this week. Hopefully this will resolve all issues.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated as he was driving 55mph the power steering failed. The power steering warning light came on as he was making a right turn and the vehicle was very uncontrollable while trying to pull into the driveway. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer at the time of the complaint.the GM manufacturer was called. Previously, the vehicle had only been taken to the dealer for routine maintenance before this failure occurred. The failure mileage was 99,437.
2005 Chevy Cobalt - power steering fails daily after driving for approximately 10 miles. Random, loose ability to steer and control the vehicle and I have to shut it off and reset it. This is my teenage child's car and this is a danger to his safety. He cannot even drive the car because it is such a safety concern, I now drive it to work 40 miles one way and deal with it so he can be safe.
2005 Chevy Cobalt power steering gave out my daughter ran off the road because she could not steer her vehicle. This has been an ongoing issue. On separate occasions the power steering mechanism "froze" the car would not steer left or right, this occurred while driving multiple times.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated whenever he is driving his vehicle the power steering goes in and out. The vehicle had to be turned on and off to be reset. As he was turning the wheels it was very uncontrollable. The dealer had not been contacted or the vehicle taken the dealer for a diagnosis. The failure aileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated as he was driving 55mph the power steering failed. The power steering warning light came on as he was making a right turn and the vehicle was uncontrollable while trying to pull into the driveway. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer at the time of the complaint.the GM manufacturer had not been called. The vehicle had only been taken to the dealer for routine maintenance before this failure occurred. The failure mileage is 99,437.
2 things: 1-the steering column problems in 2009 Chevy dealer replaced unwillingly. 2- electrical issue. Panel lights go on and off and the car cant shift unless we start the car over and over again.
Power steering on a Chevrolet Cobalt 2005 fails at 75000 miles. The electronic device failed making it difficult to turn or change lanes. It is impossible to practically drive the car and I feel very unsafe with this vehicle.
2005 Chevy Cobalt...power steering light came on and I lost all steering control...I have a 14 month old son who was in the back seat at the time...this has happened to me 4 times in the past two days. Very concerned for mine and my family's safety with this problem.
Two months ago, when I put my car in park, I wasn't able to get my key out of the ignition. I'm worried that my car is going to roll down a hill and hit something or someone. Also two days ago, my power steering went out when I was driving on the interstate. Thankfully I was going straight when this happened. As soon as I turn off my car and turn it back on, the power steering is fine, but if I go a mile or two, all of a sudden it goes out. Very very unsafe especially since I have a 2 year old with me. This is very unsafe for everyone!!! both issues could resolve in a huge crash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nothing has been fixed because I have been reading on recalls and I hope I can get this fixed before someone gets injured!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Carnation, WA, USA