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.
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.
My daughter owns a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. We starting having problems with the power steering around the end of last year when she reached the 40,000 miles all of a sudden the wheel started getting hard while we were driving it and the power steering light would come on. I took it back to the dealer ship when the problem started but they said there was no problem with the vehicle and no recalls at the time. Every time we would drive it long distance it would get hard all of a sudden and we could not steer it at all very hard to make a turn. We then took it to a mechanic to look at it when it continued to do so and was loosing the power steering fluid daily. The rack and pinion motor was changed out and also the rack and pinion. We do not have the old part anymore. I really think there should of been some warning or recall to let us know before someone's life is taken due to this problem. My grandchildren ride in that car daily.
The steering on my 2006 Chevy Cobalt quits working suddenly. It has done this several times. I took it back to dealership while still under warranty. They replaced the steering column, but the problem still exist. Seems to happen mostly in the middle of a turn.
There is no certain event that I can recall that lead up to the power steering going out, only that I was driving done the road and it felt as though the steering wheel had locked up and I immediately had to pull to the side of the road. The messenger on the dash read power steering and I just turned the car off. After sitting there for a moment I started the car once more and the power steering worked - for a moment. Probably a half-mile down the road the same thing happened and has stayed off since then. While there seems to be only 1200 or so complaints through NHTSA, I have read problems online that go back to 2007.
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. Faulty power steering updated 03/05/10 the consumer stated the power steering would become inoperative while driving. Updated 03/12/10
- Unknown, DC, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I own a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. The power steering goes out all the time. It resets itself when the car is turned off then back on. It happens when you're turning, when you're driving in a straight line, it doesn't seem to matter. It wasn't happening very often, but within the last 2 months it is very frequent. Sometimes up to 10-15 times a day. I have had the entire steering column replaced for $610. That was not the problem. Updated 03/10/10 updated 08/30/10
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt - 31558 miles on car. While driving car yesterday I heard a warning beep..and power steering lamp light was on dash, I lost power assist and had hard time steering. I had to pull car over. Turn off ignition, restarted car and light went off. Got home and looked on line and saw this is an issue that many Cobalt owners have had. I have filed a complaint with Chevrolet [xxx]. am bringing it to dealer for eval today. Have read over 1100 Cobalt owners have experienced same issue.
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I own a 2006 Chevy Cobalt ss manual model the power steering continuously shuts down and fails leading to the column locking up when I am driving. It has lead to a couple of very close mishaps when I am driving. It will work and then with out notice lock up and shut down. I took it to the dealer and they told me the sensor in the column can go bad which leads to it not relaying data to the motor that controls the power steering. I believe its a problem with Chevy. If the sensor constantly is going bad they should be responsible. Not to mention its a $1,500 job to fix which is out rages. This problem is very dangerous because I cannot turn the vehicle and make evasive maneuvers which could lead to me hurting not only myself but other drivers. Please help!!!!!!!!!!!! [xxx]
While my son was driving on a limited access highway at approximately 70 mph, the power steering suddenly gave out. He slowed down and was able to safely pull the car over to the side of the highway. He later drove the car carefully about 5 miles to the automobile dealership where the steering column assembly was replaced.
During the course of normal driving, the power steering indicator on the dash lights and the car's power steering system fails immediately. This causes great difficulty in being able to control the vehicle. I have been experiencing this problem every day for approximately 3 months. The car has not yet been repaired because it is no longer under warranty.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The power steering failed three times. The contact was backing into a driveway 5 mph when the steering failed. The contact also lost control of the steering wheel. The failure mileage was 32,000 miles. The current mileage was 36,000.
Power steering stops working intermittently while driving. The vehicle is difficult to steer and maneuver. This is a ongoing problem since may of 2009.
My vehicle is a Chevy Cobalt, 2006. The power steering has been going out randomly since I first bought the car. This is very dangerous, especially if I am in the middle of a turn and it goes out, takes me by surprise and have to use more strength to go into the turns. This happens every time I drive it. Daily. I was told it would cost me over $2000 to have the power steering replaced, and I don't have the funds to pay for that and pay for my car, so nothing has been fixed on it. This seems to me to be a very serious problem that needs to be taken care of in a recall. I have seen thousands of posts by other owners on the internet relating to this same issue I am having. I also am having problems with the locks, they lock and unlock at will. I can be in or out of the car, and it can be running or not. No rhyme or reason.
N/a. the failure is every time I turn my vehicle on my power steering seems to go out. The consequences are my power steering gets hard so I have to struggle to turn the wheel. I am also afraid to go on highways I just don't want no one to get hurt. I have to take it to the dealership so I can get a quote. I also know other people with Cobalts that have the same problem.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions; proceeding to make a turn. The power steering warning light indicator illuminated in the instrument panel. There was a sudden loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The engine was turned off. The vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. However, the failures re-occurred during the travel. The failure occurrences were intermittent whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle is in the process of being taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The failure mileage and VIN were unavailable.
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt and I am having problem with the steering. I haven't had a accident but the steering tightens up and becomes very hard to control.
I've owned a 2006 Chevy Cobalt for about 3yrs now and the power steering has been going out whenever it pleases for the last 2yrs! the only way to fix it temporarily is to turn the car off then back pn and hope the power steering doesn't go out again. Driving this car is a life and death hazard for all of its owners and the public.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA