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CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Cobalt continued to carry the torch first lit by the 2005 model year. To be clear, that torch is burning bright with widespread power steering issues, electrical curiosities and a dangerous ignition switch defect which led to a massive recall by GM. This isn’t a great torch to carry.

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.

Between this car stalling while driving, giving owners fits with power steering failure and having it be a potential tinderbox because of gas leaks, we felt we had no other option than to award it our “Avoid Like the Plague” badge.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
70 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
129 / 3
Average Mileage:
64,228 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2006 Chevrolet Cobalt steering problems

steering problem

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2006 Chevrolet Cobalt Owner Comments (Page 26 of 62)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #730

Feb 032010

Cobalt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

6 months ago the power steering on my 2006 Chevy Cobalt stop working. Car was over warranty & took it to ray price Chevy dealership, mt pocono pa. Charged me $907 to repair the power steering column and box (electric). Car did not appear to be handling as prior to failure & replacement. Took car back several times and svc mgr would not look at it. Said there was nothing he could do. I continued to use the car with slightly irregular power steering. On 2/3/2010 I was going to work on lightly snow covered rd which I have been driving for 26 yrs. I had the car in low gear and had snow tires on the car. I drove around downhill winding road and could not bring the car's steering back under control. I hit a few trees just missing an enbackment. I suffered minor injuries at the time & did not go to the hospital. I called the police. The car was not driveable and towed to D'amcio autobody shop, scotrun, pa. The body work took 28 days to complete. When I picked up the car on 3/2/2010, Mr. D'amico told me the power steering was not working correctly & the car was not safe to drive. Greg smith ins appriaser agreed with Mr. D'amico and said there was absolutely no internal damage to the car causing the power steering now to be broken. I heard seveal times on news that ge was recalling 2005 -2010 Chevy Cobalts due to power steering failure. I called ge corporate customer svc dept and they gave me a incident #. they called me and I called them several times and they did not know exactly when car would be checked. They said they had past my info on. When I asked to speak to someone it the dept that now had my incidient they would not give the name of person. I have no car to drive to work & ge will no offer a solution. Ge should take responsibility for all monies past & present related to power steering incidents and accident. Ge should loan me a used car from a dealership until they fix car & buy back car. I will never feel safe again in the car.

- Henryville, PA, USA

problem #729

Feb 132010

Cobalt

  • 60,000 miles
I was in a motor vehicle collision on 2/13/10 due to loss of power steering. I have contacted Chevy and they are not accepting responsibility.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #728

Mar 042010

Cobalt

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the contact was driving 35mph she noticed that the power steering light had appeared on the dashboard, moments later the vehicle no longer had power steering. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 70000.

- New Cumberland, PA, USA

problem #727

Sep 012009

Cobalt

  • 0 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Chevy Cobalt 2006. Power steering goes completely out and have no control of the wheel. This happens every time the car is moving.

- Saginaw, TX, USA

problem #726

Feb 142010

Cobalt

  • 85,000 miles
14-Feb-10 approx 69mi. Trip power steering failed and power steering light and chime showed on dash. 25- Feb-10 approx 74mi. Trip power steering failed an power steering light and chime showed on dash. 5-March-10 approx 200mi. 5hr trip power steering failed 6 times. Each time car was pulled over turned off then restarted and within 20 to 30 min power steering would fail.

- Tyrone, PA, USA

problem #725

Feb 272010

Cobalt

  • miles
2006 Cobalt steering wheel locked up only going at 25 mph. Causing it to hit an embankment and damaging the front end of the car.

- Mount Vernon, KY, USA

problem #724

Feb 212010

Cobalt

  • 63,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 25 mph on normal road conditions there was a sudden loss of power steering. The driver was able to continued driving with caution. There was extreme difficulty turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The VIN was unavailable. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 63,000.

- Greensburg, KY, USA

problem #723

Oct 012009

Cobalt

  • 30,000 miles
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. A few months after my 3 year warranty expired, I noticed that something within the front end of the car would start to shake at certain speeds. I took my car to an independent garage & was told my power steering motor case was cracked. I called GM to find out if covered by an extended warranty & was told no. I asked the rep if there had been other complaints about Chevy Cobalt power steering, at first she said no, then she said none that she was aware of. The mechanic at the garage told me the part alone to repair this problem would be over $800. He thought it should be covered by a warranty as it is a safety issue. Since the mechanic said the price of the part should go down with time, I continue to drive my shaky Cobalt hoping the power steering will not go out on me.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #722

Feb 062010

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 43,268 miles
I have a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt with approx 43,000 miles on it. Recently, I have been having power steering problems with my car. It randomly goes out when I am driving, and after shutting the car off and turning it back on, it seems fine until it does it again later. This is unsafe.

- Quantico, VA, USA

problem #721

Sep 052009

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 50,638 miles
Chevy Cobalt 2006- power steering failure-light comes on indicating failure-turning off ignition and powering on restores power for a wile but fails intermittently...no power steering available during failure- mileage around 50,00-52,000 miles-dealer replaced 436 cpc &power steering module&power steering column & electrical steering column.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #720

Feb 202010

Cobalt

  • 59,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

1. car was driven from parking space and was almost unable to turn the steering. 2. failure occurred one time and the vehicle was towed to the local dealership. 3. dealership gave me the option of replacing either the electric steering motor or the steering motor and the steering column due to electrical components in the column. Only the steering motor was replaced and the car seems to drive normally.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #719

Mar 032010

Cobalt

  • 12,000 miles
Power steering failure in 2006 Chevy Cobalt.

- Midland, TX, USA

problem #718

Feb 262010

Cobalt

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have the steering system repaired and was told that the VIN was a part of the steering recall dated March 1, 2010. The contact was advised that she had to pay $1500 to have the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer stated that she might not be reimbursed and the dealer has refused to repair the vehicle until they receive payment. The current and failure mileages were 40,000.

- Washington Township, NJ, USA

problem #717

Jan 152010

Cobalt

  • 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. When she started the vehicle, there was no power steering. She had to turn the vehicle off and then on to reset the power steering. The failure has occurred previously. The dealer stated that the power steering malfunctioned and they are waiting for a remedy from General Motors. The failure has not been diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 54000 and the current mileage was 56665.

- Monroeville, PA, USA

problem #716

Mar 022010

Cobalt

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 45 mph and making a left turn, the power steering malfunctioned. The contact pulled to the side of the road and shut the vehicle off. She restarted the vehicle to reset the power steering. Two minutes after restarting the vehicle the power steering failed again. The contact called the dealer and scheduled an appointment to have a diagnostic test performed. The contact stated that the lack of power steering could have caused a crash. The failure mileage was 100,000,

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #715

Feb 022009

Cobalt

  • 74,450 miles
My 2006 Cobalt engine check light kept coming on. It felt like the transmission was not shifting properly. The ipc gauges go nuts at times. The steering light indicator is displayed. Steering is hard. My mileage was 74450 bellamy strickland Chevrolet replaced my steering column total charges $1,190.17.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #714

Feb 282010

Cobalt

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 65 mph with the power steering light illuminated, the power steering failed. She had to put apply a lot of effort in order to turn the steering wheel and drive onto the emergency lane. The engine was shut off and back on and after driving a few miles, the failure recurred. The failure has not been diagnosed but she will be call Chevrolet regarding it. The failure mileage was 85,000. The current mileage was 86,000

- East Bernard, TX, USA

problem #713

Oct 302009

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • miles
Power steering is off and you have to put all your might to make turns and U-turns.

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

problem #712

May 012009

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Power steering malfunctioning in my 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Spoke to GM with no help gained from it. Waited 8 months then paid to have it fixed myself recently. Power steering made it hard to turn at low speeds, ran over street curbs due to it and there was a constant rattle noise associated with the steering.

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

problem #711

Jul 152009

Cobalt

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The driver stated that every time she started her vehicle the power steering light came on and it became difficult to turn the steering wheel. The driver stated that the wheel would also lock. She had to apply pressure to the accelerator pedal in order to make a turn. She was unable to slow down and make a turn because her wheel locked. The failure mileage was 72,000. The current mileage was 77,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

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