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.
I am an unfortunate owner of one of the worst cars ever made, a Chevrolet Cobalt. I bought this car in 2008 with hopes that it would stand up to my older cavalier and sunfire. I was sadly wrong about my choice. After only two months of owning my vehicle (I bought it at a used car centre with 54000 kms. Jim gilberts in fredericton, nb) and 500 kms over my 60000K warranty my sway bar links had to be replaced. One month after I replaced them I had to replace both control arm bushings. After replacing all of that I started to hear rattling coming from my steering wheel. I came to find out that my steering column will need to be replaced. Before I bought my car I had a vehicle history report done and it came back clean. It was used as a city courier car. I had thought that maybe because of city driving these parts had been worn out prematurely. After doing some research I found hundreds and thousands of people who are experiencing the same problems. Almost all of them claim that these problems were with cars bought directly off the lot. I know 5 people personally who also had the same problems. One of my friends had his steering column replaced 4 times. I replaced my sway bar links twice and they need to be replaced again and I am on my second set of control arm bushings. I have yet replaced my steering column because I can not afford the bill. I have learned of the recent recall for the power steering motor. That is one of the problems that I don't have, yet. Could someone please explain to me how recalls are decided on" does someone have to get into an accident for these companies to take some kind of action" I am waiting for the day when I am driving on the highway and the front end of my car falls off.
I drove my 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt into a hardware store parking lot and was making a left turn to find a parking space when the power steering failed. I was unable to complete the turn and as a result hit the cement pole that was protecting the cable that was attached to the telephone pole. I was able to drive the car home, but later that night I had to go to the emergency room as I was in a lot of pain. After reading my X-rays, the doctor said I had rib contusions and whiplash. A week later I am still suffering pain and unable to function normally from the accident. I have not had the damage to the car addressed yet and I don't intent to drive it again.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the contact was driving 65mph he attempted to change lanes and noticed that the power steering light had appeared on the dashboard, moments later the vehicle no longer had power steering causing the contact to crash into a nearby guard rail.no one was injured and a police report was not filed for the incident. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 107166.
The contact owns 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. Her daughter was driving at 57mph she didn't see a warning light for power steering. The steering got hard and pulled to the right, she pulled the steering back to the left and lost control of the vehicle and collided into a guard rail. The vehicle was totalled. She did not receive any injuries. A police report was filed. The failure and the current mileage was 59,381.
Power steering keeps going out on my sons car. I am concerned if power steering goes out while making turns could be dangerous. The power steering goes out from time to time have to stop restart sometimes that will take care of it for a little while.
- Fort Pierce, FL, USA
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Rattling bumping noise under car, drivers side by tire, steering wheel shakes when driving speed limit and increases with slowing down. Dealer identified problem as intermediate steering shaft and is not covered under warranty on GM vehicles.
The contact owns 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. He stated the steering looses power and it cannot be turned left or right. He doesn't recall if the power steering light illuminated before the failure. He took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer replaced the power steering motor and cleared the codes.total cost for repair was $346.26. He contacted the manufacturer. The manufacuter sent him a letter informing him that he was denied reimbursement, because the part that was replaced on his vehicle was not the part that was included in the failure. The failure mileage was 64,929 and the current mileage 75,000.
I own a 2007 Chevy Cobalt. January 1, 2009 in the first time I lost power steering. At first it was intermittent but know it happens every time, anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes after starting to drive. When I bought the car in August of 2007, I purchased a $3600 extended warranty that said it would cover power steering issues but when I took my car to the Chevy dealership, they told me my warrant wouldn't cover the problem and that it would cost over $1000 to the power steering model replaced. Since then I've just learned how to drive my car safely. I don't have the money to get it fixed on my own and need help!
Power loss while driving, but the car never completely stops it goes but at a slower speed then usual. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong until they release the report. My wheel becomes hard to turn, so I thought I only needed some power steering but I had plenty in the container. It happens atleast 2 times every other month.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 35 mph and attempting to make a turn the power steering light illuminated and the steering wheel was hard to maneuver. The dealer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. The failure and the current mileage was 60,223.
I have been having issues with my 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving, usually on the highway, my car beeps twice and the words "power steering" appears on my dash. When this happens it's extremely difficult to turn the wheel left or right. I need to pull over and turn the car off and back on to regain steering. The first time I experienced this was in October 2009. I called the dealership that sold me the car and they said that it was just something that happened with Cobalts. The problem was fairly inconsistent until the past month, it now happens on a daily basis. I find it happens more frequently when I am traveling at high speeds. The car needs to be turned off and back on to regain steering. Usually the steering goes out about every ten to fifteen minutes.
I was going to park so I put the car in reverse, and tried to turn the wheel, but it did not turn it continued straight. I had to turn the car off and on again to be able to turn the wheel. It only occurred that one time. I did not correct the failure, this should be recalled. If I were on the highway, I would not have been able to steer off if I had to which could have created a serious accident.
Loud rattle from front end, thumps when hitting any bumps, no matter how small. Rattle/vibrate noise from passenger side when traveling 40+ mph. Car wanders. Thumping and hesitating when braking.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While traveling at various speeds of less than 45 mph, she heard a beeping noise in the vehicle and the steering wheel would become stuck. She was unable to move the steering wheel, however she was able to shut off the vehicle in the middle of the road. The contact was concerned with her safety and once the power steering failed, she was not able to move the steering wheel even when using extreme bodily force. The dealer was contacted and advised that they were aware of the failure, however they did not have a repair to correct the failure and there were no recalls. No repairs were made to the vehicle to date. The failure and current mileages were approximately 60,000.
2007 Chevy Cobalt the problem started happening driving down the street, out of no where the power steering went out making it impossible to steer. It happens virtually every time the car is driven... as a result the car must be slowed down as quickly as posssible, pulled over put in park, , restarted. And then start on mission again!!! nothing has been done to correct the problem, as it has started as of the recent.. we called Chevy, they have no recalls, I am sure it is somthing that we can not afford.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 45 mph, there was a clicking noise and the power steering light illuminated then the steering wheel locked. It became very difficult to turn the steering wheel and maneuver the vehicle onto the emergency lane. She turned the vehicle off and on after driving and within a few minutes, the failure occurred again. The dealer confirmed that the failure was caused by the power steering. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 80,713.
I crashed a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. I lost control of the vehicle and hit a utility pole. I feel like this could have been due to the power steering defect.
2007 Chevy Cobalt - when driving the power steering locks up aprox every 10 minutes now was longer periods of time. I have to put the car in neutral if not able to make it to the side of the road and quickly restart the car. This is going to get me killed eventually since I travel in traffic! there is a potential recall but the dealerships are denying any reported problems.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. Approximately six months after he noticed that the steering wheel was loose and before the steering failed and the power steering light illuminated. There was also a noise in the steering wheel. He took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer reset the computer, but the failure was not corrected. When he took the vehicle back to the dealer he stated that there was nothing to be worried about. The failure mileage was 32,000. The current mileage was 40,000. The VIN information was not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fredericton, 00, USA