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 a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that when she drove approximately 6 mph over a bump in the road there was a clanking noise in the steering wheel. While driving the steering also failed and the warning lights illuminated. The contact had to drive onto the emergency lane, turn the vehicle on and off so that it would reset itself. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the diagnostic fee was $105; although, the warranty was valid. The failure mileage was 71,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt which was purchased in 2007. She stated that the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer stated that she was turning the steering wheel in the wrong direction and that is what caused the steering wheel to lock. The dealer also stated that when the steering wheel locks that is a normal function for her year, make and model vehicle. The failure also occurred on a highway while driving approximately 55 mph without making any left or right turns. The failure and current mileages were under 73,259.
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt.on the date indicated below my power steering went out, and I could not steer the car. Fortunately, there was no accident, but no the power steering goes out every time I drive the car. There should be a GM recall for this problem.
The power steering on my 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt went out today as I was driving around on base. With the research I've done online, and from talking to friends who own Cobalts, I have found out that this is not an isolated incident. I have learned that there is a persistent problem with the Cobalt's power steering. I have to fight to turn the wheel when making a turn, and pulling into a parking space was next to impossible. Yet when I shut off the engine, wait, and turn the car back on, it runs fine.
- Portsmouth, VA, USA
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The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact started the ignition and the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. On a separate occasion the vehicle loss complete power steering which resulted in greater effort to turn the steering wheel. The failures occurred intermittently. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The contact had concern of the safety risk involved. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 27,819. The current mileage was 46,594.
2006 Chevy Cobalt. First the odometer, speedometer, radio and other dash instruments stopped working. The next day the power steering stopped working. Took it to the auto parts store to have a diagnostic test which showed nothing was wrong. Bought a new fuse which did nothing. Have not taken it to be fixed for money reasons. This is my son who is away at college only form of transportation.
2006 Cobalt le 4 door power steering randomly stops functioning, very dangerous and caught me completely by surprise the first time it happened, causing a near miss accident.
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt ls. While driving the car an alarm sounds the power steering illuminates and the steering wheel locks up making it extremely difficult to steer. The first time it happened I was able to pull off to the side of the road and shut the car off. Waited a few minutes then restarted the car everything seemed fine and then it did it again about a mile down the road. This is very scary not to mention dangerous. With this happening on a constant basis I have been unable to drive the vehicle therefore causing additional expense for alternate ways to work. The local GM dealership refused to even look at the car anymore saying they were advised by GM. This is because the original dealership we purchased the car from is being sued by GM for a 7 million dollar debt and they don't want to deal with their issues. The car has spent more time in the shop than we have been able to drive it. I have well over 30 repair orders for my steering column alone. We had a mechanic contact the local GM rep to see if he could help but the rep wont even call back. We had started to have problem with the car within 24 hours of leasing it new. GM has done nothing we contacted an attorney but it seems GM would rather pay their high price attorneys to give us the run around than fix the problem and satisfy a customer. The problem occurred at 41,000 miles warranty is expired. Due to this experience I will never buy another GM vehicle again.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt ls. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph on normal road conditions. The "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road which required greater effort to turn the steering wheel. The engine was turned off and restarted; however, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic which recommended that the vehicle be inspected by an authorized dealer. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer which quoted a diagnostic charge of $100 the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt lt. He stated that while entering the highway, the power steering light warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The steering wheel became difficult to move to the left or right. The contact stated that after he was able to drive onto the emergency lane and restart the vehicle, the power steering would then become operable. The failure occurred intermittently. The dealer advised that there were no related recalls and since his the warranty was not valid the contact is liable for the estimated repair cost of over $900. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were under 67,770.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the contact attempted to make a left hand turn he noticed a power steering warning light appeared on the dashboard and within a few minutes, the vehicle no longer had power steering which caused the contact to crash into a ditch. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 58613.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 55 mph, the power steering failed on her vehicle on a frequent basis. The power steering light would illuminate on the dashboard and then she noted that the steering wheel would be extremely difficult to turn. She pulled over and turned the vehicle off and re-started it; however, the vehicle would function correctly for a while and then fail again. She called the dealer and was informed that she would have to pay for a diagnostic test. She had not spoken with the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 58,460. The failure mileage was approximately 58,200.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. He stated that the power steering failed intermittently while he was driving and caused him to lose steering control and have much difficulty controlling the steering wheel. He would turn the vehicle off and re-start it and was able to continue driving until the failure recurred. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was approximately 30,000. The failure mileage was approximately 29,800.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 65 mph in rainy weather conditions when the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and immediately, there was a loss of power steering. The driver pulled over to the side of the road which required greater effort to turn the steering wheel. The engine was turned off and restarted. The vehicle was able to resume normal operations. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction at this time. The failure mileage was 33,000. Upadted 02/18/10
As of last week, I have had steering problems with my 2006 Chevy Cobalt. I will be driving and then all of a sudden my power steering goes out and I am not able to steer safely. If I shut my car off and turn it back on, the steering works fine but only for a short time. The first day I would be able to drive again for a little while before the steering went out again, but now it is almost immediately - one week later. Currently, there is not a recall on the steering problems for this electric steering system, but I have seen and heard a lot of complaints about this. I have only had my car for two years, and already had to replace the fuel system due to a crack and leak. I am not looking forward to replacing my steering system as well!
Intermittent power steering failure on 2006 Chevrolet cobolt. Car has 39000 miles with electric steering. Not under warranty. Called 4 Chevy dealers and all service dept told me they seem several. Also headlight fogs up frequently after heavy rain. Dealer told me to drive around and it will go away. It takes about 2 weeks to almost clear up until another heavy rain.went to the dealer about the fogged up lens and another customer who bought their car 2 weeks earlier had the same problem.the electric power steering should not go bad on a 2006 with 38,000 miles. Electric power steering is new technology. No belts, pumps or fluid. Safety issue.
I was driving my Cobalt Saturday morning and power steering went out. I stopped car and turned engine off. I started car and was able to drive it but the power steering went out again. This is very dangerous. I have three small children. I am going to the dealership tomorrow and expect the runaway. But I am well aware that this vehicle should have been recalled a long time ago from what I have read. Please do some thing before someone is seriously injured or killed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Park Forest, IL, USA