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.
Power steering failed suddenly while driving the vehicle. The first warning sign was approximately 2 beeps from the dash followed by the words "power steering" on the driver information display. Power steering failure resulted in a significant increase in force to steer the vehicle especially at low speeds. The failure occurred at a slow rate of speed while traveling straight. This particular failure resulted in no loss of control, however, it easily could have should I have been trying to maneuver the vehicle in traffic. After shutting the vehicle off and immediately starting it again, the power steering worked as expected. This was repeated several times after power steering failure and every time the vehicle was shut off and restarted, the power steering would work as expected. The vehicle is currently at the dealer being repaired. I was told the failure was in the power steering motor and the power steering control module. I have asked for the old parts back.
My 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt with 47,000 miles. While driving, I was steering into a sharp turn and the power steering quit working. I fought it to the side of the road nearly hitting a tree. Once stopped I shut the car off. Looked under the hood and found no leaks or visible damage. I started the car and I had power steering again. This incident happened a week later driving down the road. Again pulled off the road and nothing visible seem to be wrong. Started the vehicle again and again I have power steering. Just a few days passed and my wife was driving the car taking our son to pre-school. Started to turn right off our road and the power steering went out and was nearly hit by an oncoming car because she could not continue to turn the steering wheel. Now the power steering is always out / not working. The dealership is saying that GM wants them to replace the steering column. $940 plus tax. This does not always fix the problem he says. He also told me that GM does not no exactly what the problem is and that they were supposedly researching. I have done some internet research myself and found that thousands are having this problem from model years 2005 through 2009 to include the HHR and ion. Please help.
The contact has a 2005 chevrelot Cobalt. The contact states that the vehicle is having a failure with the power steering. The contact stated that when this failure happens the service engine and traction control light illuminate. The RPM gauge will start to flip up and down. The failure started to occur 6 months ago. Everytime the failure occurs the contact has to pull off the road and restart the vehicle in order for the power steering to operate. The vehicle failure mileage was 48000 and the current mileage 65000. The VIN number was unavailable.
Out of the blue the car began missing, quitting and unable to steer or turn the car has a serious loss of power. The car has been checked and rechecked with no answers and with the previous complaints and recalls that are listed I am requesting information on the specifics to get the car fixed without the cost to me.
2005 Chevy Cobalt, power steering suddenly went out. Very difficult to steer, almost caused accident with my two small children in the car. Have found many others on line who have suffered same problem.
- Prescott, AZ, USA
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I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt and assumed when my power steering went out while driving between home and school it was simply because I had bought it used... it cost over 1,000 to have it repaired... luckily it totally went inoperative not far from school and I made it safely.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving and trying to switch lanes, he noticed that the power steering failed. It was extremely hard to maneuver to another lane so he tried to pull over. When he pulled over, he turned off the ignition and re-started the vehicle; the failure seemed to correct itself after the vehicle was re-started. The contact noticed the failure on a daily basis. In June 2009, while driving up a hill, the power steering failed and he hit a parked vehicle. He took the vehicle to the dealership and the dealer told him that it was a possible short in the power steering motor. The dealer advised him to replace the power steering motor. He purchased a motor at a junkyard and had a repair shop replace it. However, after a month, the issue resurfaced. The vehicle had not been repaired to-date. He had not called the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 91,000. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
The power steering in my Chevrolet Cobalt repeatedly goes out. It works when I first turn on the car, but then goes out within 30 or so seconds. I took it to a mechanic to have it checked out and they said they'd have to replace the whole steering mechanism, which would cost over a $1000 with labor. Because of the price, I could not afford to replace it; therefore, I am still driving without the power steering working.
While turning through an intersection, a warning bell/dash indicator alerted me that my power steering had failed. This was verified while trying to turn through the intersection. Thankfully, nobody was in the lanes next to me, and I was able to glide through the turn and into a nearby parking lot without incident or harm. The Chevy/GM dealer nearby said the electronic motor in the steering column had shorted out, and they replaced the entire steering column. The replacement was still covered by my extended warranty, thankfully, by a few thousand miles.
My 2005 Chevy Cobalt has had problems with the steering starting when the car was less than a year old. Had taken the car in to fix the emergency brake that had snapped and spoke to advisor about the steering problem but at that time it had occurred intermittently, they checked and found no problem at that time. Following another broken emergency brake (that still does not hold) I again explained the steering problem that was happening more frequently and at that time I was told that the repair would cost about $1200 and that there were no recalls or warranty left (car had 36,000). There is no explanation of why it happens, it can occur at any time and may remain out for days. There is no way to prevent it that I have found. While driving it will go out and it is almost impossible to turn the wheel, I have had to completely stop the car to avoid missing or not making a turn or avoid another car then while you're struggling to turn the wheel the steering has come back on and the car moves erratically. The cars gauges will stop working (almost like a surge) while the steering is out and I will have no speedometer. The car is driven, we have no choice at times but we try not to drive it because we cannot rely on the steering. We have not fixed the car because we cannot afford the repair.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving, she lost power steering capabilities making it extremely difficult to turn on two different occasions. The power steering light illuminated on the dashboard and then the power steering would fail. She turned the vehicle off and re-started it; the problem seemed to correct itself after she re-started it. She took the vehicle to a repair shop and was told that they could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. She called the dealership and was informed that there was no recall for the problem. She had not called the manufacturer to-date. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage is 94,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 93,000. Updated 03/04/10 re-mailed 04/20/2010 added VIN. Updated 04/29/10/ updated 5/6/10
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. Whenever the contact turns the vehicle in any direction she noticed that the steering wheel will began to jurk forward, the contact also noticed at the same time the ignition will not allow the key to be removed and that the power locks will lock and unlock on their own. The vehicle has not been diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 50665.
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt power steering goes out after a few minutes of driving. Turn the ignition off and then back on and power steering comes back on then off again after driving for a few minutes.
Electrical power steering failure in my 2005 Chevy Cobalt. I have made numerous complaints to the manufacturer with no response. My power steering goes out and then resets itself, sometimes while you are going down the road. The only repair for this is to replace my entire steering column which costs over $1,000! this happened when I had only 62,000 miles on the car. Cannot afford to fix this car and pay for it too. I have children though and this is a dangerous situation. We live in ky and the roads are full of hills and curves, now that the power steering is starting to reset itself again while going down the road, it is even more hazardous.
The contact owns a 2005 a Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph on normal road conditions. The "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. Immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to side of the road which required higher effort to turn the steering wheel. The engine was turned off. The vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure was intermittent but has become consistent. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunctions. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 03/30/10 updated 07/13/10
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. Whenever the contact drives the vehicle at any speed she notices a beeping sound coming from the dashboard followed by the loss of power steering in the vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 51000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Easley, SC, USA