Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
SUSPENSION
368710016948Clunk noise from front of vehicle during turning maneuver. *sc10/18/2005
SUSPENSION - REAR
3641A10018563Rear suspension squawk/squeak over bumps. *tt01/06/2006

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SUSPENSION
06/01/200989000
 The vehicle front passenger side makes a clunking noise through the bottom metal frame of the car when turning to an uneven road or driveway.
10/29/2007
 Took my car to dealer because of bad clunking in front end. they replaced the bushings (while under warranty). now (58000 mi) i am having the same problem and the clunking is much worse?! seems to be an ongoing problem with these cobalts. seems there should be some kind of recall with all these complaints before there is a horrific accident!!!! also (i have the 2 door) there is a constant problem with the doors not working! all the sudden you try to get in and the handle moves but does not open! i would have to enter/exit on passenger side! i have had parts to this replaced several times now. this too could also be very dangerous if in an accident! i am still happy with my car but not with the same ongoing issues that could lead to potential disaster!
02/01/200732000
 Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that a loud knocking noise was heard from the bottom front of the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered some assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the front lower control arm was defective. the dealer replaced two control arms but one the failure recurred on one control arm. the failure mileage was 32,000 and the current mileage was 77,000.
02/01/200732000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that a loud knocking noise was heard from the bottom front of the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered some assistance with repairs to the vehicle. the dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the front lower control arm was defective. the dealer replaced two control arms but one the failure recurred on one control arm. the failure mileage was 32,000 and the current mileage was 77,000. kmj
02/01/200732000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that there would be a loud knocking noise coming from the bottom front of the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified and offered some assistance with repair to the failure. the dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the front lower control arm was defective. the dealer replaced two control arms, but one control arm failure recurred. the failure mileage was 32,000 and the current mileage was 77,000. nw
06/01/200545000
 Three issues with my 2005 chevy cobalt. one the door latch broke and i can no longer get out the drivers side. if an accident were to occur i would have to crawl out the passenger side to get out of the car. secondly, my struts keep going bad on my car. i have had them replaced three times now. my third issue is the brakes. i was told that the cobalt had anitlock brakes when i bought it. however, when i have had to slam on the brakes they lock and a little light comes on with a anti brake symbol on it.
02/18/2010990001
 Power steering column and motor replaced for over 1,000 dollars also bushing. engines stalls when pressing gas and brake pedal. key wouldn't come out ignition and my car wouldn't stay in park. had to pay a locksmith to remove the key. headlights keep having to be adjusted. wheel bearing and struts need to be replace but i don't have the money for all of these repairs for a 2005 vehicle. its to many problems for such a newer vehicle. what is chevy going to do about this, how many more people have to die or get injured. *tr
01/01/20061
 Vehicle begins to vibrate violently at slower speeds after deceleration from highway speeds. control of vehicle is lost during most violent vibrations, and stopping the vehicle completely does not help the situation. this vibrating (on the front wheels only) will continue for miles/hours. the only things noted on any 2005 chevy cobalt were safety for interior and headlights but there have been over 1100 reports of faulty power steering. slower speeds cause this violent vibration on the front end of the vehicle. it has started approximately a year after purchase and has continued and has gotten worse since then current date 12 february 2010. condition keeps worsening, has almost caused an accident. *tr
01/21/2009500001
 I purchased a 2005 cobalt in april 2008, started having violent shaking in front of car while trying to find the problem my mechanic discovered a defective strut which chevy replaced even though warranty had just run out. this did not correct violent shaking occurring on a regular basis. had front end, tires, wheels, rotors, axle checked with no outcome of finding the problem. when the shaking occurs unable to steer and have to reduce speed and pull to shoulder of road, after complete stop normally can resume driving. since my daughter does not do any long distance travel i hoped that it would not occur as often as it does while i was driving it to work, however in january of 2009 while my daughter was driving car around a curve t/c light came on shaking and inability to control the car left her straightening the curve out spinning around and after weeks in a body shop and 5000 dollars in repairs, several trips back and more money, high insurance rates we still have a car that has a serious defect with no answers to what causes it and what can be done to correct it. now that she is venturing further from home i am in fear for her life but i have no funds to replace this car or it would have already been gone although i am sure that nobody else would want it due to the publicity that these cars have been getting. luckily my daughter was not killed in this accident but does someone have to die before chevrolet steps up to the plate and fixes these cars. i have been constantly been researching trying to find the problem even though i can find other people with the problem nobody seems to have the solution. the cars or in warranty or just out of warranty and we couldn't get answers and as the autos get older they don't feel it is there problem. our car gets regular maintenance with the same mechanic each time so therefore he has firsthand knowledge of every step it has had,and now that it has hit the news i am seeing some direction to take to get help. *tr
04/20/200650001
 2005 chevorlet cobalt ls sedan- purchased new 15 miles on odometer. @ 5000 mile service after nearly dieing on the i-5 from violent shaking! found (non disclosed)hit before purchased, rail dust corrosion on moldings, weights missing from three of four tires, dash cubby broken and 1 yr to replace, electrical demons! (locks, radio, gauges, etc...) maintenance @ 100.00 a pop under warranty ( but still major problems!) struts replaced three times, electrical harnesses replaced, power window motor on two windows replaced, ignition cylinder replaced, fob keyless entry reset, new radio. a never ending nightmare prospect motors dealership in jackson ca whom i purchased the vehicle from has filed bankruptcy and is no longer in business. frank halverston owner has made no attempt to help me! continuing problems; 70k miles clunking, rattling, shaking, feels like the car is going to fall apart! steering problems, suspension problems, electrical problems- rear shocks shot, replace tire four fourth time! family chevorlet, under extended service plan, did nothing this last time to ammend the situation but rather blamed it on my brakes and a plastic retainer wall on my right front tire unsafe to drive! yet gm has denied my claim for a new vehicle four times! and the gm certified dealership held me out on warranty till it was no longer eligible for lemon law! just want my car fixed and operating properly, not to walk through
08/15/20091100001
 Today is aug 16 2009 and i have been having problems with my 2005 chevrolet cobalt for a while. since the last year my steering wheel has been shaking every time i put on the brakes, and starting the last 3 weeks the power steering illuminates and the steering wheel just locks and i would have to pull the vehicle on to the shoulder and shut off the engine and restart it and then it works again.this normally happens 2 or 3 times a day. i have not taken it to the dealer yet although i did speak to a service advisor about the situation and he thinks it might be the power steering pump and that it would probably run me about $1200 to fix it. i really cannot afford that kind of money due to me being unemployed. the last date that this incident happened was on aug 15 2009. please i need your help and assistance. thanks *tr
10/01/2008218331
 Car has less than 20,000 miles and have failure of the bushing the right side is a total failure bad enough they said not to drive it and the left is about ready to fail also we're having them replaced and the front end realigned but we're on a limited road island and there are 7 other cobalts here that are all having the same problems is this something locally here or happening nationwide. *tr
06/10/2008620001
 Feels like an accident waiting to happen. rattling front end noise for a few months and with my 60k mi check up it's discovered that i need 2 lower control arms (the bushings are gone) and need to replace the front struts and rear shocks as they are leaking. i have always owned a chevrolet and find this appalling. my cobalt is only 3 yrs old and needs to replace major equipment. i had an old chevy and never had to see a replacement like this until i had over 100k mi on the vehicle. i cannot find any recalls on these parts, but see many complaints. even the dealership thought i should get rid of the car??????? given the current times, who could afford that. so now i am looking at an estimate of $1821.40 to fix this. when is gm going to step up to the plate and acknowledge this problem with this vehicle. *tr
01/08/2008106/10/2005
 I bought my 2005 cobalt in june of '05. had numberous problems with it but the one i'd like to know more about is the lower control arm rear bushings. i replaced 'bad' ones in june of 2007 and have to replace them again. i do not feel as though this should be necessary. any information on these? *tr
12/01/2006203/28/2005
 I was driving at about 20 mph after stopping at a red light when my car shut off, my dashboard lights went blank. i was able to restart my car and it has happened since. today while driving at 65 mph on the interstate, my car started to shake badly and i almost lost control. i tried to brake but it made the shaking worse. the car felt like it had lost power. i was able to pull over. i thought at first maybe a flat tire but no. as quickly as it happened it went away. i am very unhappy about this and had problems with gm cars before. you would think i would have learned my lesson and went with a honda or toyota. *nm
02/19/20062000106/30/2005
 I own a 2005 chevy cobalt ls and have had numerous problems with it. 1st i had to take it in because the passenger side rear suspension was making clunking noises. 2nd i had to take it in because there was moisture building up inside the drivers side headlight. 3rd i had to take it in because the passenger side rear window was howling and you could hear the outside air blowing through it when driving. 4th problem i just recently am having is the heating system. the blower just does what it wants. i can have the air to the off position and it still blows air at a high speed. also, when driving the blower turns itself off and on whenever it wants to. all this and i only have 7,500 miles on my car. i won't be buying another gm vehicle! *jb
08/15/20051774507/15/2005
 Dt: the consumer stated that he heard a snapping noise in steering column and could feel it in the steering wheel. this happened all of the time and would occur with no warning. the steering column shaft was replaced. the ignition switch was replaced because of the flashing that held the tumbler and the s had collapsed. the manufacturer told the dealer not to replace the steering column shaft but the dealer made the repairs because they had already ordered the part. *ak (12/01/05) after the column was replaced, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer twice. the wheel cover did not have enough rings to hold the rims tight and would rattle when going over light bumps, the vehicle pulled to the right and the passenger side front pillar was loose. *sc
SUSPENSION - FRONT
07/08/201197000
 Tl- the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet colbalt. the contact stated that a loud squeaking noise was coming from the front passenger side of the vehicle. a local mechanic diagnosed that the front control arm was defective and needed repair. the manufacturer was notified, but did not assist the contact. the failure was repaired. the failure and current mileage was 97,000. nw
01/01/200826000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated on three occasions that the front control arms fractured. after the first failure the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. after the second and third failures the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was repaired. the failure mileage was 26,000 and the current mileage was 84,000.
01/01/200826000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated on three different occasions the front control arms fractured. after the first failure the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. after the second and third failures the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where it was repaired. the failure mileage was 26,000 and the current mileage was 84,000. sm.
06/01/201019000
 Tl-the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 60 mph she began to hear a clunking sound coming from the front end. the failure recurred whenever she operated the vehicle at any speed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where she was informed both front lower control arms were popped out and the front tires were worn. the vehicle was repaired and the failure has not recurred. the failure mileage was 19,000 and the current mileage was 20,000. sm.
12/01/20091
 Headlight full of moisture has got worse and worse for the last two years almost and gm will not do anything about my headlight. today 6/15/2010 i took my car for the recall notice got about the power steering assist. and found out that both front lower control arm bushings need replaced, and my right front rim is bent and possible wheel brg might need replaced and i called gm about this and they will not take care of any of these problem they said (sorry about the experience) why is gm not helping! *tr
04/10/201058000
 Lower a-arm bushings replaced with only 58000 miles also upper strut mounts are also bad and need replaced
05/05/201010225
 I own 1a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. it has 10225 miles on it. it would not pass the new hampshire state inspection because it was unsafe to drive. the front end controler arms needed to be replaced. i feel that there must be others out there with like problems.
03/13/20101090001
 I own a 2005 chevy cobalt since new. car has 109,000 miles on it and has had a few problems some that dealer took care of under warranty. i started noticing a clunking noise coming from the ps front of the car on 12/09. i finally found out that the lower control arm rear bushing was completely worn out causing the control arm to move forward/backward causing the noise. i replaced both ps & ds bushings which fixed the problem. this is not acceptable on a car with this low miles on it. i have owned cars with well over 200,000 miles on them and never had to replace control arm bushings. *tr
04/08/20081
 We have a chevy 2005 cobalt. the front end make a really bad riddling noise and sometimes the steering is hard. i call and took it to a dealer and they said they was no recalls. i said i heard it on tv and also the papers. my daughter is the one that drives this car most of the time. i want to know is she going to be safe. please let me know asap. i don't want anything to happen to her. its asking for a date of incident i'm not sure. guess? the noise is mostly on rough roads. the steering is about one time every ?? thank you please let me know. *tr
12/02/2009625301
 Power steering on my 2005 cobalt goes out intermittently, it had not done it for two months. but recently, while i was taking a turn, it went out, and i was unable to keep the car in my lane and hit the curb on the opposite side of the road, thankfully no other vehicle was present in intersection, or it would have been a front end collision. now it works only for a few minutes when i turn my car on , but goes out every time i drive it. i also have problems with the power locks locking and unlocking themselves constantly while i'm driving, and even after the vehicle is parked. i can not leave it unattended because it unlocks itself. i started to have the problem shortly after purchasing it in 2007, but the warranty expired, its 63,000 miles, and cannot afford to fix it. this should not be an issue in a car less than 5 years old. i live in minnesota, and the roads are often icy, i am fearful it will happen again, and i may not be so lucky again. i have also had problems with the front suspension, i had the shocks/struts? replaced 2 months after buying it, at around 40, 000 miles, and they still have the same problem after the dealer fixed it, i should have complained then, but i was afraid to shell out more money for something else they would claim was wrong with it. *tr
05/19/2009700001
 Lower control arm bushings wear out and cause bad steering and control replaced both sides within two months car only has 70000 miles on it live on blacktop road dealer was very rude had 15 on back order they know there is a problem. *tr
06/15/2009721001
 I own a 2005 chevrolet cobalt, and about a month ago i was driving down a country road when my power steering message was displayed on my dashboard stating it had shutoff. this then lead to my car trying to shut itself off in the middle of the road going 55 miles per hour. the gauges were flashing, radio was flashing, the car would not shift gears and was rocking back and forth, and i couldn't really steer the car. after i was able to get it under control and stopped and shutoff it seemed to reset the system and i had no problems until a few days ago. i was driving on a very busy interstate during rush hour while going about 80 miles per hour, and the situation happened again except i was nearly in a collision with semi truck trailers, it took all i had to get it off the road without hitting anything. this scared me to death. this time the system did not reset , but i was able to limp it to the chevy dealer near my apartment. come to find out it was the :body control module that was bad. it cost me $508 dollars to fix this one issue. two weeks ago i had to take it in for a lower left front control arm bushing that was bad, and also the shifter solenoid was bad, and i had spent nearly $1100 for all of those safety issues as well. *tr
05/01/20081
 Horrible rattling noises in the entire vehicle. i hear rattling from every direction. it is a very bumpy and noisy ride. not worth the money i paid. *tr
06/10/2008620001
 Feels like an accident waiting to happen. rattling front end noise for a few months and with my 60k mi check up it's discovered that i need 2 lower control arms (the bushings are gone) and need to replace the front struts and rear shocks as they are leaking. i have always owned a chevrolet and find this appalling. my cobalt is only 3 yrs old and needs to replace major equipment. i had an old chevy and never had to see a replacement like this until i had over 100k mi on the vehicle. i cannot find any recalls on these parts, but see many complaints. even the dealership thought i should get rid of the car??????? given the current times, who could afford that. so now i am looking at an estimate of $1821.40 to fix this. when is gm going to step up to the plate and acknowledge this problem with this vehicle. *tr
05/27/2008280001
 Lower control arm bushing need to be replaced at 28,000 miles at a cost of $250. vehicle is just 4 months out of warranty. same problem with friend's cobalt as well. *tr
01/01/2007601/21/2006
 Severe steering and braking problems. mechanics can't find problem. a lot of times, on the highway or at speeds greater than 40 mph the steering starts to shudder and make a machine gun noise with each rattle. the rattling slows down as the speed slows down. there have been times where i had to pull over because it felt like a flat tire, only to get out of the car and inspect the car and see that the tires were fine. the problem goes away after shutting the car off and restarting it. when braking while going at speeds 40 mph or higher the brake gets soft and mushy feeling, and doesn't appear to slow the car down enough, and the shudder starts in the steering wheel again with the rat-a-tat sound for every shudder. i brought this car to dealer several times, and the mechanics could not get the car to do the same for them. the last time, one of the staff members mentioned that there may be a problem with the electronic steering/suspension system ,and that gm was trying to figure it out. recently, i took the car in for a brake check at another shop - the mechanic said the brakes were fine, nothing' was wrong with them, but the car still did its shuddering. i' had two front end alignments, and rotation of wheels, still the same problem. i feel that one of these days the shuddering is going to cause a potentially fatal problem, when the brakes, steering or suspension go out. i also noticed on 6 different occasions that the brake light came on just for a second. it's never stayed on, and it didn't come on during the shuddering moments. the car stalled a couple times, but they were so far and few between. the back light on dashwas hard to read when headlights were automatically on during the day. *ak
02/28/2005481302/21/2005
 Car purchased 2/21/05. windshield fluid not in the car. driving on highway mud was splash on window tried to wash it off, no fluid, mud smeared on window had to pull over on the highway to manually wipe off-2/05. horn not working or was never put in, had to wait 3 days for replacement-3/05. brake light coming on whether car is in motion or not. first reported 3/05 then again in 4/05. told that the fuse may be going out. still does this as of 9/05. radio/cd player locks if you start the car an immediately adjust the volume have to restart car to unlock- 5/05. back lighting for console does not come on all the time while in automatic mode. unable to see speed if driving through a tunnel not well lit. driver side tire making squeaky noises and grinding sound when parking in reverse. first reported 5/05 told may be brake dust still doing this as of 9/05. appt pending. headlight blew out 9/05. back window passenger side not sealed properly you can hear and feel the wind coming in while on the highway its a pain. all of these thing were reported to dealer and general motors on survey.*jb
07/11/2005206/15/2005
 Dt: 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the consumer stated when changing from park to drive heard noise in the transmission. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, they fixed a part on the passenger's side wheel. the vehicle is still having the same noise. when turning the steering wheel different noises were coming from the suspension. *ak
SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM
06/20/200965000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the lower control arm was failing. she heard a loud noise coming from the vehicle, which affected the tires. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for inspection. the contact has taken her vehicle to other mechanics and was informed that the lower control arm needed to be replaced. she believes that the mechanics are trying to get over on her. the vehicle will eventually be repaired. the failure mileage was 65,000.
01/08/2008106/10/2005
 I bought my 2005 cobalt in june of '05. had numberous problems with it but the one i'd like to know more about is the lower control arm rear bushings. i replaced 'bad' ones in june of 2007 and have to replace them again. i do not feel as though this should be necessary. any information on these? *tr
01/05/200835200105/27/2007
 (2( bolts that hold the lower control arm broke or came loose and fell out causing loss of steering. *tr
SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING
02/13/200841000108/01/2007
 Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 15 mph, the contact began hearing a noise coming from the front driver side of the vehicle. the noise intensified as the speed increased. she took the vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that the two front wheel bearings were faulty and the rims on the passenger side of the vehicle were bent. the factory paid for one of the wheel bearings and the second one was replaced. the failure mileage was 41,000 and current mileage was 42,000.
SUSPENSION - REAR
02/01/20001163691
 I have a 2005 chevy cobalt- the power steering is extremely difficult at times- the light comes on and off- showing a problem is present- i am unable to turn the car normally- making me use two hands-also, there is a rattle in the back- left- very noticeable- to all in vehicle. *tr
06/10/2008620001
 Feels like an accident waiting to happen. rattling front end noise for a few months and with my 60k mi check up it's discovered that i need 2 lower control arms (the bushings are gone) and need to replace the front struts and rear shocks as they are leaking. i have always owned a chevrolet and find this appalling. my cobalt is only 3 yrs old and needs to replace major equipment. i had an old chevy and never had to see a replacement like this until i had over 100k mi on the vehicle. i cannot find any recalls on these parts, but see many complaints. even the dealership thought i should get rid of the car??????? given the current times, who could afford that. so now i am looking at an estimate of $1821.40 to fix this. when is gm going to step up to the plate and acknowledge this problem with this vehicle. *tr
08/18/200615390308/15/2005
 Dt*: the contact stated the steering shaft was replaced twice due to a rattling noise heard when going over bumps in the road. the steering shaft was last replaced was 8-11-06 but the rattling noise continued. when the steering wheel was turned to either side, a grinding noise was also heard. the rear bushings were replaced once due to the vehicle bouncing all over the road. soon after, there was a grinding noise heard when the vehicle was put into reverse. the dealership was alerted.
12/26/200510226103/21/2005
 12/26/05 at 3:30 p.m. on interstate i-495/wilmington, de bypass. road straight with no debris and dry. heading southbound in the far left lane of a three lane divided road. gaurdrails on both sides. doing 65 mph/speed limit. center lane was a walmart semi tractor trailer doing 62 mph. in front of my lane near the front of the truck were two cars about 5 car lengths ahead. my car jerked radically to the right and then back to the left twice in rapid succession. the car then jerked violently to the right and the left front of the car impacted the back bumper of the truck. the truck driver felt a bump and started to brake. my car rotated clockwise until i was going down the road backwards about 50-55 mph in the first lane alongside the stopping truck. the car pulled again to the right and the rear of my car impacted the guardrail. the rear window exploded and i felt cold air. the car rotated again, this time counter-clockwise until i was going down the road backwards again. speed was about 30-35 mph at this time. the car again pulled to the right and there was no guardrail. my car came to a stop in the green strip in the center of the interstate at about a 45 degree angle facing southbound. the driver's side door was damaged and i had to force it open to exit the vehicle. it was then that i discovered the left rear tire had come off the vehicle and was about 50 feet away on the inside shoulder of the road. all four lug nuts were still on the tire and it was still inflated. the delaware state police responded and filed a report. the insurance adjuster took pictures of the car at the towing facility yard and the damage was noted. there was damage to the front side of the car and the rear. the right side of the car was basically intact. left side of car was completely destroyed. the left rear wheel assembly was completely destroyed including the brake drum, shock, spring, axle, housing and all rods and connections. the car was a total loss. *nm