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.
Electronic power steering failure. Started 2 years ago. Chevrolet Cobalt 2005 ls. The power steering usually goes out within 5 minutes of driving every time. It is a very irritating problem. I would fix, but it costs a couple thousand dollars. I've been waiting for a recall, and thank god there is finally an investigation. I know of several people with this same issue who own Cobalts. Chevrolet needs to clean up their mess.
2005 Cobalt with 65,000 miles. Came to a stop and could not turn the steering wheel. Drove straight and car pulled to the left. Came to a stop and no problem turning the steering wheel. Took it to a shop where they were familiar with fixing the problem by replacing the electronic system that controls the power steering. This included the entire steering shaft with electric motor and switches attached at a cost of $900. Turned the complaint into Chevrolet dealer and the complaint was taken to GM where after two weeks sent a letter stating they would not cover the cost due to being 2nd hand car with too many miles on the car. Should someone be making a turn when the power steering decides to stop working an accident will surely happen and could kill or injury someone. My grandchild rides with her mother and I would be devastated if I lost them due to GM not wanting to recognize that there is a problem. At least Toyota did the right thing by stopping production until their problems have been resolved. Note that just replacing the part with a new one does not mean the new part will not go out at any time because GM will not investigate the problem.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While she was driving 10 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated and she lost all power which made it difficult to control the steering wheel. The warning light remained illuminated. When the contact turned the vehicle off and restarted it the vehicle began to drive normally; yet, within a few minutes the failure recurred. A local mechanic notified the dealer who stated that the entire power steering column needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $800. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000. The current mileage was 78,000.
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, for the last month or so the power steering has stopped working lots of times, sometimes it goes out a couple times a day. Other times it don't go out for a week. I am an older lady an I thought with gas mileage the Cobalt would be a great car for me. Now I am scared every time I drive, as I am afraid the steering will go out and cause me to wreck. I can't afford to have this worked on. Want to know if there will be a recall as on the tv they said there were lots of Cobalts doing this.
Vehicle begins to vibrate violently at slower speeds after deceleration from highway speeds. Control of vehicle is lost during most violent vibrations, and stopping the vehicle completely does not help the situation. This vibrating (on the front wheels only) will continue for miles/hours. The only things noted on any 2005 Chevy Cobalt were safety for interior and headlights but there have been over 1100 reports of faulty power steering. Slower speeds cause this violent vibration on the front end of the vehicle. It has started approximately a year after purchase and has continued and has gotten worse since then current date 12 February 2010. Condition keeps worsening, has almost caused an accident.
Power steering failed in my Chevy Cobalt. It cuts out within a few minutes of driving and remains out. This makes it difficult to steer at low speeds and park. I have come close to being in accidents several times. I have stop driving my car because it is to difficult to maneuver and it is to much of a strain for me while pregnant.
05 Chevy Cobalt - power steering goes out. Bought the car two weeks ago and the steering comes and goes. Reading the web it sounds like this is a known problem but GM has not done anything yet.
While operating her 05 Chevy Cobalt, my wife lost power steering while exiting the interstate, causing her to run off the road and blow a tire. This has occurred on 4 other instances with this vehicle while I was operating it, causing me to replace the defective steering column at my own expense. This vehicle has 80,000 miles on it at the time of the part failure.
On Jan.9th while I was driving, power steering light came on briefly. All of a sudden lost power steering. Could not control car. Luckily, I was able to get car off the side of the road. I turned call off. Restarted it and while driving it again it was hard to steer. Took car to dealer. They fixed it. They replaced ps electric assist motor.
Power steering fails in 2005 Chevy Cobalt. Speedometer quits working so odometer no longer registers. Daughter was driving vehicle when steering quit. This almost created a major accident. Took car to mechanic and he says the computer won't give out any input.
I received a call from GM telling me that my 2005 Chevy Cobalt isn't and may never be on the recall list. My car has been having serious issues with the power steering going out frequently and I can't drive it safely anymore. The steering is too difficult to maneuver and I'm afraid to drive it even to take my grandchildren to see their doctors. I pleaded with a representative of GM and he kept telling me that there was nothing he could do about it. I already have a case number but I fear that nothing will ever get done to resolve the issue! I would appreciate anything you can do to makes this right!
2005 Chevy Cobalt this car has powersteering failure. The powersteering will fail on what seems to be only 10 yards down the road. It will reset if the car is turned off and then back on. But only to fail 10 yards down the road again. Before it wasn't as often as it is now. Driving it is a risk because of the effort it takes to control the steering.
I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt- the power steering is extremely difficult at times- the light comes on and off- showing a problem is present- I am unable to turn the car normally- making me use two hands-also, there is a rattle in the back- left- very noticeable- to all in vehicle.
Purchased a 2005 Chevy Cobalt..currently only has 56,000 miles. The power steering has completely gone out. I know that this is a huge problem for this type of vehicle and the dealership is trying to charge people anywhere from 400-900 to fix. There needs to be a recall on this. I know there is currently an investigation but how many complaints does it take? this is ridiculous! I am not paying that amount of money for a car that is barely 4 years old and is a consistent problem for all those that have purchased this same car. It is a serious safety hazard and is a nuisance to try to operate a car that is barely drivable. Something needs to be done.
The power steering on my 2005 Chevy Cobalt keeps giving out. It becomes difficult for me to steer. I have to stop the car and wait about 30 minutes so that it can reset itself and after a few minutes of driving it gets hard again. I have small children in the vehicle and I am afraid that I may lose control and get into an accident.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Roanoke, VA, USA