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.
The contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. Since October of 2009 she experienced failure with the steering wheel. The failure occurred at various speeds including approximately 20 mph and she had difficulty controlling the steering wheel. The power steering illuminated each time the failure occurred. The dealer attempted to diagnose the failure 10 times and was unsuccessful; however, they replaced the ECM computer system. The contact paid $600 for the repairs; however, the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer will be notified. The failure mileage was 88,000 and the current mileage was 90,000.
Repeated problems with the power steering in my 2006 Chevy Cobalt. I drive only two miles to work and so I am frequently traveling at low speeds. My vehicle has less than 50,000 miles - this problem should not be an issue through normal wear and tear especially considering the amount I drive.
I currently own a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. Within the last 2 months I have experienced a problem with the power steering shutting off while I am driving. It has cut off in the middle of a turn, switching lanes on the expressway, and even turning in parking spaces. I have taken it to a Chevy dealer where they informed me that I had to replace the entire steering column and the motor that goes with it. It is very dangerous to drive. The problem kept occurring several times in a day, I found that the only solution is to turn the car off and on then it would reset and I can drive again. But who knows when it will cut off again. It could be minutes or hours, but it occurs again, until I pull off and restart the car. I have had many close calls. It is a danger to myself and others. Especially riding with kids in the car. I have replaced the 2 parts as suggested by the Chevy dealer which cost me $1371 total. Now just less than 3 weeks, I heard there are more than 11,000 of the same complaints. I went back to the Chevy dealer and was informed to wait on a letter from Chevy because currently they are recalling cars individually by serial number. I informed the gentleman I had the similar complaints like the others and was given a 1 800 number to call Chevy. I have gone thru the automated system and can't seem to get anywhere. I hope help is on its way. I gave Chevy all the money I have plus borrowed money.
My 2006 Chevy Cobalt had the same problem that I saw on the ccn report about the loss of power steering. This occurred in 2008 as I was coming off a highway ramp. No accident, when I reached my house, I shut off the power and restarted car 15 minutes later and car worked fine. Has not happened since.
I own a 2006 Cobalt, bought brand new in 06. I was driving on the highway when my power steering went out. It said power steering in the information center. Power steering came back after car was turned off. Took to the shop and they told me the electronic power steering motor was going out. I paid for the extended warranty and this part was still not covered. The repair cost me just about $500. I was lucky that no one was hurt when the power steering went out since I was on the highway. What is Chevy going to do about this problem?
My daughter was driving on highway 40 East in North Carolina car was hit from behind car went across several lanes of traffic and hit rail steering over compensated and air bag did not deploy car was towed and was declared a total loss.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph the power steering light illuminated when the power steering failed; however, she was able to control the vehicle enough to drive onto the emergency lane. The vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic who was unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The dealers diagnosis found that the power steering motor needed to be replaced and if it recurred, the steering column would also need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; althought, the failure has occurred 5 times. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 53,000. Updated 3/12/10 updated 05/10/10
The contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 50 mph the power steering failed without warning and it became difficult to control the steering wheel; however, he was able to manually drive the vehicle to his residence. The power steering light illuminated after the failure occurred. The dealer stated that the power steering motor needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $ 1,000. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was 60,600. Updated 3/4/2010 updated 05/10/10
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately between 25-30 mph on normal road conditions, proceeding to make a right turn when a chime sensor sounded inside of the vehicle and the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. Immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver continued in operation and exerted higher effort to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 60,000.
My 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt suffered sudden loss of power steering assist while traveling on highway. The effort to steer the vehicle increased to where I could not do more then guide the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. When the auto was restarted the power steering returned to normal. I continued on my trip with caution. Within 10 minutes the problem recurred. I had the auto towed to a Chevrolet dealer where they replaced the power steering assist motor. I have driven much larger autos that have had power steering failures and have never encountered anything where the amount of effort required to guide the auto was so great. If this had been someone who was less experienced or who did not possess the physical strength of a full grown adult male the situation may have been catastrophic.
Random failure of power steering. Fails 3-5 times during 15-20 minute commute which causes vehicle steering to become stiff. Temporary resolution is turning vehicle off and back on, giving you another 5 minutes of power steering. Nothing has been done yet to fix the problem since it's an $800 - $1500 out-of-pocket repair at the dealership. I may try to purchase the power steering motor ($230- dealership only) and install myself but that means pulling out the steering column, disabling airbag, and hoping everything works correctly when you put it back together. This is very dangerous since this is my wife's vehicle which she uses to get to work and carry my 1 year old girl to baby sitter. This has failed during turns, and even when going 55 mph, it is still very difficult to make a 60 degree turn.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Corsicana, TX, USA