Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 4252 | 10/05/2006 | 10021237 | Buck while driving, stall, ses light, flash door locks cycle, cd player skip, clock reset. *kb | 03/23/2007 | |
| 050730015 | 06/01/2005 | 10017537 | Hard to shift or select vehicle gear, shifter sticks/binds/jams. pontiac pursuit (canada) 2005-2006. *tt | 11/09/2005 | |
| 3253 | 3253B | 10017096 | Vehicle will not move in either direction. transmission may show over full. p90 4t40e 4t45e no movement drive or reverse. converter may be empty of fluid. *tt | 10/24/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 070730005 | 04/01/2009 | 070730005C | 10022473 | 4t45 transmission, mil/ses on, dtc p1818, power door locks, cruise control, shift interlock or retractable hardtop inoperative, engine speed revs limited, hybrids-autostop, regen or boost inoperative. (reprogram tcm). *kb updated 1 | 08/15/2007 |
| 050730016 | 11/01/2005 | 050730016A | 10017512 | Transmission control module (tcm) shorted to battery voltage during diagnosis and/or service. *tt updated. *nm | 11/09/2005 |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 070729001 | 04/01/2007 | 070729001A | 10021453 | Mg3, m86 transaxle grinding/whining noise in 3rd or 4th gear, excessive engagement or disengagement effort while shifting into 3rd or 4th gear, will not shift into either 3rd or 4th gear. (replace complete output shaft assembly). *kb | 04/27/2007 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 02/21/2013 | 69372 | ||
| My key is stuck in the ignition. the car is off however, the lights and radio will not turn off. | |||
| 01/24/2013 | 42000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering and speedometer failed. also, the contact stated that the transmission would not shift out of gear and the power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage and current mileage was 42,000. | |||
| 12/01/2010 | 71000 | 1 | |
| Traction control light comes on and jerks when shifting gears. it happens at all speeds. when i cut the car back on, the light goes away. this happens off and on all the time. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2010 | 90000 | 1 | |
| First time we had problem was christmas eve 2010 car stumbled. check engine light appeared tc light appeared. car dinged power steering came up on info center all as we were on a country road on our way to our families christmas . we stopped shut car off my husband got out and checked all fluids and fuses all were ok then we. started car again and everything was back to normal for quite a awhile he said it might have just got confused there. then the problem popped up intermittently here and there .right around october 2011 not sure of exact date but me and 3 children where on our way across the state of indiana to see my husband that was working out of town and about 100miles into trip the cars power steering went out and made the car very hard to maneuver lights came on. as did in late 2010 so i pulled over and turned car off and did as my husband did and everything was good. but when i turned car back on it still had lights on so i called my husband and he told me to try unhook battery for like 10 minutes then hook back up and i did that and luckily it worked and we made it to where he was staying and we never had anymore problems till 9/15/12 when i was driving to see my mother and it happened again but this time in heavy traffic at a stop light and this time had all same symptoms but also a new one the transmission wouldn't shift from low gear. and it won't go off my husband researched on internet and found recalls for cobalts and numerous complaints of same steering problems but when i called gm and gave woman my vin she stated no recalls for my vehicle i don't understand if it is the same make of vehicle same problems they can pick and choose who has a problem and who doesn't. i am gonna try to solve this by taking to gm customer service,but if they not willing to work with me i will be more than happy to sign onto a class action lawsuit. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2010 | 90000 | ||
| First time we had problem was christmas eve 2010 car stumbled. check engine light appeared tc light appeared. car dinged power steering came up on info center all as we were on a country road on our way to our families christmas . we stopped shut car off my husbend got out and checked all fluids and fuses all were ok then we. started car again and everything was back to normal for quite a awhile he said it might have just got confused there. then the problem popped up intermittently here and there .right around october 2011 not sure of exact date but me and 3 children where on our way across the state of indiana to see my husband that was working out of town and about 100miles into trip the cars power steering went out and made the car very hard to manuvure lights came on. as did in late 2010 so i pulled over and turned car off and did as my husband did and everything was good. but when i turned car back on it still had lights on so i called my husband and he told me to try unhook battery for like 10 minutes then hook back up and i did that and luckily it worked and we made it to where he was staying and we never had anymore problems till 9/15/12 when i was driving to see my mother and it happened again but this time in heavy traffic at a stop light and this time had all same symptoms but also a new one the transmission wouldn't shift from low gear. and it won't go off my husband researched on internet and found recalls for cobalts and numerous complaints of same steering problems but when i called gm and gave woman my vin she stated no recalls for my vehicle i don't understand if it is the same make of vehicle same problems they can pick and choose who has a problem and who doesn't. i am gonna try to solve this by taking to gm customer service,but if they not willing to work with me i will be more than happy to sign onto a class action lawsuit. | |||
| 10/11/2011 | 45983 | ||
| While driving down highway the traction control light came on. when i slowed to exit highway my vehicle began to shift funny and hard and became scarry. i then left stop sign and my car was shifting hard and felt like it was jumping eraticly. i was scared to drive at times and it continued for about an hour then i pulled into get something to eat and call my husband. after eating and telling my husband, i got back into car and it was fine. no more lights on the dash saying service engine soon or traction control light. it was fine for the rest of my way home. i went to work next day and all was back again, light for service engine came on and so did traction control. then my car started jerking again and shifting real hard. now my car does this at least 4 times a week. i had it looked at and they could not find anything they said. it happened again and i took it in and they said it was a front right wheel bearing showing up on code but nothing else. had the bearing fixed and it still does it. i should have known that wasn't all it was cause it feels like the trans slipping and grabbing. to this day it still does it with everyone telling me they can't find problem. | |||
| 06/17/2012 | 74000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to lock in the park position. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage 74,764. | |||
| 06/17/2012 | 74000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to lock in the park position. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage 74,764. sm. | |||
| 06/17/2012 | 74000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated the vehicle failed to lock in the park position. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage 74,764. rds | |||
| 03/01/2012 | 8 | ||
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer states several issues with vehicle related to recalls *tgw the consumer stated there was a smell of gasoline inside the vehicle, five sensors were bad, there was a problem with the fuel pump and fuel injection system. the rpm's jumped, when the vehicle was in cruise control mode, the cruise control would shut off for no reason. the consumer had a difficult time starting the vehicle, after she filled the tank, the vehicle would steer to the left, and there were times when the vehicle would jump out of gear. *jb | |||
| 09/24/2010 | |||
| My 2006 chevy cobalt ss has a transmission/traction control issue. the traction control light will come on at random and when it does, my car with slam into the next gear. the problem used to be when i would accelerate with high rmps but now it happens all the time. any time the tc light comes on i can hear something grinding under the hood and that's when i know i will have a serious problem. when i took it to chevy, they said they couldn't find anything wrong with the car but i am still having this problem! gm needs to do some research on this problem! | |||
| 09/01/2011 | 3 | ||
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer states issues with power steering *tgw in april 2010, the consumer received a letter stating there was a safety recall on the power steering motor and when the part arrived, it would be fixed free of charge. the consumer went to the dealer and the recalled part was replaced. however, it also caused the transmission to slip and hard braking whenever the power steering message appeared. the consumer informed the dealer of the problem and the dealer stated it had nothing to do with the recall. the consumer returned to the dealer again. the dealer claimed the problem was the control arm bushing. the dealer replaced an im insulator, link, loose sway bar bushing and the steering gear. the consumer stated she continued to experience the same problems with the transmission, and the vehicle loosing power. the consumer returned to the dealer and the mechanic stated the vehicle had an electrical problem. *jb | |||
| 06/08/2010 | 89887 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact had recall campaign number 10v073000, which deals with the power steering. the dealer stated they change on code, but made no mention of replacing the electronic power assist. since this time the vehicle has not moved out of first gear. when driving the vehicle the transmission sticks in first gear and the vehicle will not accelerate any further. the failure mileage and current mileages was 89887.rl | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 90000 | ||
| 2006 chevy cobalt-power steering stops working and at same time transmission shifts very hard. left front turn signal intermittently works. all problems are related to chevy cobalts electrical wiring and circuitry. dangerous to drive and unreliable. there is no pattern and all problems have occurred in the last year approximately six times. | |||
| 10/25/2009 | 470000 | 1 | |
| Began driving on to highway. between the shift from 3rd to 4th gear, the clutch pedal depletes completely and does not return. after towing the car to a dealership, we find the firewall is broken. when a new firewall was put in it was noticed that the part of the firewall was modified and reinforced. i still have the old part to show proof of the change made. *tr | |||
| 09/10/2009 | 46000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2006 chevy cobalt ls i got it like a year ago and it has a really bad power steering problem when i got it from the dealer it was good for a couple of months. then the power steering started to fail i was going to moreno valley through the curves and it just shut of on me so i had to pull over. so i turned of the car and waited. when i turned it back on it worked for like ten minutes then it shut of again. now i just turn on my car and as soon as i press the gas the power steering turns off. it is really hard to park and to control it. i tried to take it back to the dealer but my warranty was expired. my cobalt is not the only one with the problem i did some research and alot of people have the exact same complaint as me. i think this car should be recalled for the safety of the driver and the pedestrians. *tr | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 21000 | 4 | |
| I purchased a 2006 chevrolet cobalt, at the end of august 09. since then, it has been in the shop for knocking sounds in the front end that altered the brake from functioning properly over 4 times. the dealer could not always replicate it, therefore it was not fixed. eventually the noise stopped, then a few months ago the key got stuck in the ignition several times, and finally the shifter had to be replaced. at this point i haven't even owned the vehicle for 5 months, and now a few days ago the power steering shut off in the middle of driving. i pulled over the best i could shut the vehicle off and restarted it. everything reset and it was fine. yesterday the event occurred on an exit ramp of a high way and nearly killed me. once again its back in the shop. this car is a death trap, i'm lucky i was not killed. this is a serious problem and forums all over have people with the same problem. i bought this car because i believed it was safe, and now i'm terrified to drive it by any means. the dealerships aren't any help, they assure the problems are fixed when they really are not. *tr | |||
| 10/27/2009 | 78000 | 1 | |
| 2006 cobalts should be recalled. i have one with the power steering problem, gm does not want to fix it. please help..! *tr | |||
| 09/11/2009 | 64000 | 1 | |
| Gear shift will not lock in the park position, resulting in key sticking in the ignition. i have not had problems with it coming out of park, but it is only a matter of time because it is happening more and more. *tr | |||
| 07/27/2009 | 47230 | 1 | |
| Couldn't get key out after starting, car would not go off. shift lever would not go into park. went to dealer.they said it was the transmission shift interlock switch. the dealer replaced the floor shifter. dealer kept part. *tr | |||
| 10/13/2007 | 1 | ||
| Starting in october 2007, i have had ongoing power steering problems with my 2006 chevy cobalt. without warning, the power steering will suddenly quit while the transmission will start jumping. the car becomes unable to drive. this will happen while driving. the problem will occur and then go back to normal a short time later. i have brought my car into the dealer four times now concerning this issue. i have been told that they don't know what to do. i am not the only one experiencing this problem. after doing some research, i have found that this happens to be a very common problem with the cobalt. there is currently an online petition to have the chevy cobalt recalled. this is a huge safety issue!!! i am afraid to drive my car. something needs to be done before someone is killed. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2007 | 1 | ||
| Yes, i would like to say that i own a chevrolet cobalt lt coupe(used), i've had this car for about a year and a half. probably about 3 months after owning it the gear shift slipped out of place. meaning that the lever you push to put the car in and out of gear is loose. i can move the stick up and down without any worry. i can easily accidentally hit the stick and it could possibly go into reverse. i have taken it to my mechanic and he stated that he could not fix it, but believes there may be a recall. i'm only saying this because i'm afraid that while i'm going down the road and myself or a passenger accidentally hits the stick a little, that the car will switch into a different gear and ruin my engine or cause a wreck. *tr | |||
| 01/09/2009 | 55000 | 1 | |
| While driving our 2006 chevrolet cobalt a loss of steering control has occurred over 3 times which includes erratic transmission and gearshift noises. if this had occurred on the highway in any of these occurrences a crash would have resulted. after conducting an online investigation there are thousands of owners of cobalts which have the same problem with the electronic steering and other electrical problems within the steering column. nothing has been done to correct the problem due to the dealer wanting to charge $2k. it is clearly a manufacturing defect with most dealers stating it is. *tr | |||
| 08/30/2008 | 28900 | 1 | |
| For the past three weeks, my 2006 cobalt has been shifting hard, giving me a power steering message in the dash, security light on, total power steering failure, and a knocking noise in the gear shifter. i've had it to the dealership on numerous occasions for these problems. they replaced the ignition switch and said it was fixed, and a week later it started doing it again. now they are telling me that they can't find the problem and treating me like i have no idea what i'm talking about. i've only had the car for two years, and my warranty expires next year. it went from happening once a week to happening daily. sometimes i'll drive it, and nothing will happen. other times all i have to do is start the car and it starts doing it. *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 4 | ||
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt with several different issues customer states that car is a lemon and that she drove the 2007 cobalt and it ran beautifully**cc the consumer stated the entire shifter system had to be replaced. the ignition key would not turn in the ignition, the steering column was replaced and the system was reprogrammed, the rotors were machined. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/20/2011 | 80000 | ||
| I own a 2006 chevrolet cobalt ls sedan. this car every year like clock work has to either have a new transmission put into it, or has shifting problems. the car will be fine for about a year and then it struggles to shift gears and it will be subtle. then it slowly starts to feel like the transmission is slipping when u reverse and then put it back into drive it slides back before it begins to move forward again. this car is only 5 years old but has had 3 transmissions in it's life time, and it's starting to feel like it's going for its 4th. | |||
| 01/27/2011 | 90100 | ||
| The shifter lock no longer locks out the shifter. the trandmission can be shifted out of park without depressing the brake or depressing the lock on the shift lever. this condition would allow the transmisson to shift when the car is parked by just being bumped. this condition is constant. the gear shift lock lever began to get rough to depress then it just stopped locking all together. | |||
| 01/24/2011 | 90167 | ||
| When the car is shifted to park and the engine is shut down, the key cannot be removed from the ignition. the ignition is locked in the on or acc. position, if the key is left in place, the battery is drained. there have been instances where the doors will not lock with the key in the ignition and the ignition in the on position. when the car is in this condition, it cannot be left unattended because everyone has access to the car. | |||
| 12/03/2010 | 41153 | ||
| Gm recall notice nhtsa campaign number: 09v073000 for the 2009 chevy cobalt should cover all years. i own a 2006 model year with the same problem and have read about more complaints online when trying to diagnose on why mine would not shift into park and i could not remove the key from the ignition going back to the 2005 model year. i believe this is a serious safety issue and believe it should be corrected asap. | |||
| 11/16/2010 | 69840 | ||
| First we noticed that the shifter on our 2006 cobalt was acting unusual, it took more effort to take out of park and the button did not need to be depressed in order to shift from drive to reverse or the lower gears. then the key got stuck in the accesory position. it could only be removed by depressing the button inside the steering column. the car was repaired by a chevy dealer by replacing the gear shifter control assembly for $208 as this car is out of warranty. the mileage at the time of failure was 69,800. | |||
| 12/01/2007 | 8742 | ||
| Whether the vehicle is being driven (at any speed) or in park, the traction control light comes on and the vehicle makes very hard/jumpy shifts. i bought the vehicle new and this started happening no more than 4 months after the purchase. though i've brought the vehicle in numerous times 2 repairs have been made. i 've kept some of the service orders but i do have all with noted repairs. | |||
| 10/20/2010 | 43000 | ||
| My 2006 cobalt ss sedan has had a recurring issue. the traction control (t/c) light comes on and then the transmission will begin to shift hard, slamming into each gear. i had this problem shortly after buying the vehicle used. i took the car to the chevy dealership and no problem was found. eventually the engine light started to come on with the t/c light. i took the car into the shop and i had a cracked exhaust manifold and a damaged cylinder head. the powertrain was still under warranty and i thought that the problem was fixed. not long after, my power steering started to go out, every time i drove. i had the faulty component replaced per the recall. now the t/c, transmission problem is back, the car doesnt store any codes and the t/c light goes away when i turn the car off (most of the time) this is exactly the same way it started out last time. this issue is dangerous, expensive and it is being ignored. i have read hundreds of reviews, forums with the exact same complaint. this problem needs to be resolved! | |||
| 02/10/2009 | 45000 | ||
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt steel pin falls out of console not allowing ignition key to come out.then the gearshift will not lock in park .children can not be left in car because car will come out of park when shifter is moved.should be a callback on this issue.just days after warranty expired this tok place. | |||
| 06/24/2006 | |||
| I have owned my 2006 chevy cobalt since june 2006 and have had numerous problems out of this car. i have had to pay out of pocket for every repair because they seem to all happen before a recall is issued and the dealerships will not refund money on the repairs. 1) a/c leaks water in passenger side floor board. i have had it in the shop 3 times and it is still leaking. no one can figure out why the water is leaking into the car. 2) gas tank had to be replaced due to fule lines cracking. 3) power steering went out while my husband was driving on the interstate and was about 130 miles from home. 4) the car would die if the rpm's got too low, this was caused by a carbon build up on the idler. 5) there is no way to check the transmission fluid and it is starting to slip and take forever to upshit. 6) the key gets stuck in the ignition and will not come out. 7) the drivers side door gets stuck and will not open. 8) the door latch sometimes messes up and the door does not close. 9) the stereo display and buttons no longer work. i can not use the cd player for fear of losing the cd for ever since the eject button doesn't work. i can not see the clock or what station the radio is on. the car lost its value so fast that even after 4 yrs of having it i still can not trade it in due to the amt. i still owe on it. so i am stuck driving this piece of crap until it is paid for. i have already invested several thousands of dollars into this car for these problems. i believe that the car is a lemon and i should be reimbursed for the car and all of the out of pocket repairs i have had to make. | |||
| 06/25/2010 | 48000 | ||
| 2006 chevy cobalt ls: power steering failure, as well as tach & speedometer flucuations. transmission shifts rough. engine light is on, as well as an icon that looks like a car with a lock on it. all this happened at one time...between the time i parked it after work (no problems), til i went out and started it again to go to the store. | |||
| 06/24/2006 | |||
| I have owned my 2006 chevy cobalt since june 2006 and have had numerous problems out of this car. i have had to pay out of pocket for every repair because they seem to all happen before a recall is issued and the dealerships will not refund money on the repairs. 1) a/c leaks water in passenger side floor board. i have had it in the shop 3 times and it is still leaking. no one can figure out why the water is leaking into the car. 2) gas tank had to be replaced due to fule lines cracking. 3) power steering went out while my husband was driving on the interstate and was about 130 miles from home. 4) the car would die if the rpm's got too low, this was caused by a carbon build up on the idler. 5) there is no way to check the transmission fluid and it is starting to slip and take forever to upshit. 6) the key gets stuck in the ignition and will not come out. 7) the drivers side door gets stuck and will not open. 8) the door latch sometimes messes up and the door does not close. 9) the stereo display and buttons no longer work. i can not use the cd player for fear of losing the cd for ever since the eject button doesn't work. i can not see the clock or what station the radio is on. the car lost its value so fast that even after 4 yrs of having it i still can not trade it in due to the amt. i still owe on it. so i am stuck driving this piece of crap until it is paid for. i have already invested several thousands of dollars into this car for these problems. i believe that the car is a lemon and i should be reimbursed for the car and all of the out of pocket repairs i have had to make. | |||
| 04/06/2010 | 90000 | ||
| 2006 chevy cobalt-power steering stops working and at same time transmission shifts very hard. left front turn signal intermittently works. all problems are related to chevy cobalts electrical wiring and circuitry. dangerous to drive and unreliable. there is no pattern and all problems have occurred in the last year approximately six times. | |||
| 03/26/2010 | 86500 | ||
| I own a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. well to begin, i initially had an issue with my shift column, which i researched and found out it was a common issue with this vehicle. it would cause my key to get stuck in the ignition. i took it to the delearship and they replace the whole column. then a a couple of week later, my vehicle was accelerating really fun, i just blew it off for a moment, until i then tried to put my car in reverse one day, and it would not go anywhere. i took it to the delearship and they told me my transmission is slipping, at 86,000 miles. the dealearship has my car, and is trying to figure out if it's even worth fixing. im also wondering if this problem could have been caught the intial time they fixed the vehicle, and figured it was my shifting column, because even with my transmission slipping, it also affected the shifting column. one other problem i have had with the vehicle is the air bag sensor, i have not got this fixed yet, because the dealearship wants to charge $99 just to see exactly what's causing my airbag sensor to not come on, when i have passengers with me. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 3 | ||
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer states steering and front end problems. *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle has been to the repair shop 3 times for front end problems. the coil pack and module had to be replaced. the shift lever failed and would not release the key when the engine was turned off. | |||
| 12/03/2009 | 75000 | 1 | |
| I have sent a letter to chevy directly and i feel this is an issue that should be addressed to you as well. i purchased a chevy cobalt a few years back. the cobalt is an 06. for about 4 months now my key has been getting stuck in the ignition at the acc point. it will not allow me to turn past that point. i have found the little plunger to remove my keys in the steering wheel column. the second issue that arises with this is that my gearshifter moves when the car is off. this is a hazard as one day the shifter got shifted out of gear and started to roll away. my car is out of warranty, but this seems to be an issue i have seen posted on the net that many have experienced. my mother has an 05 cobalt that had a similar problem she had the key assembly and the gear shifter replaced. i'm a soon to be mom and this issue needs to be resolved. i don't have any other complaints other than this. *tr | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 69000 | 1 | |
| Correction to odi 10315929. mistype about engine overheating - the engine overheated due to a cracked head gasket, not a cracked manifold. *tr | |||
| 02/26/2010 | 69000 | 1 | |
| On february 26, 2010 as i was driving my 2006 chevy cobalt the power steering quit functioning. i could not steer the car. the message power steering appeared on my dashboard. i took the car to a local mechanic. the mechanic stated he received complaints from other cobalt owners about the same problem. on 2/28/10 i called chevrolet customer service and reported the problem. i asked if there was a recall and told the representative what i was told by the mechanic. the chevy representative said there wasn't a recall at the time. i told the representative that i did not want my relatives to have to sue the dealership because i had died due to the power steering failing while i was driving my cobalt. the representative scheduled an appointment with a local chevy dealership to inspect the problem and said i would have to pay a diagnostics fee. on 3/2/10 the power steering malfunctioned again as i was driving. fortunately, i did not have an accident. coincidentally, when i went home and turned on the television i saw on the evening news that chevy cobalts were being recalled for power steering problems. i am leary of chevy dealerships. i purchased my used 2006 cobalt in 2008. it had 36,000 miles on it. soon after i purchased the car i noticed the engine kept overheating to over 240 degrees. i took my car to a chevy dealership three times about the engine constantly overheating. they told me it was due to the plastic radiator overflow bottle leaking when it expanded when warm. they replaced the plastice bottle but the car kept overheating. out of frustration i took my car to another repair shop. the other repair shop discovered that the engine overheated due to a cracked manifold. the chevy dealership failed to identify this after three visits. i have also had to replace the gear shift after 36,000 miles and a bushing at 69,000 miles. i am curious as to what they will say about the power steering failure at my appointment next week. *tr | |||
| 12/20/2009 | 54000 | 1 | |
| Power steering goes out without warning. i can be driving along and it just goes out. i struggle to gain control of my car. it is very dangerous and i am afraid for the safely of the other passengers in my vehicle as well as those driving near to me. i have a friend who had the exact same problem, to date they have paid the dealer over $1,500 to attempt to fix the issue. she is still having problems. *tr | |||
| 10/31/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| While driving down a very busy highway! my digital reading on my car blinked power steering. this has never come up before in the past! no type of warning saying my power steering was even going out. within minutes i lost all power steering! this made it hard to even steer right or left to exit the highway. this almost resulted in an accident! then when i pull over to read the cobalt manual all that it informs me to do is to take my care immediately to a dealer ship! while driving my car the only way to get any type of steering back i would have to shut my car off then turn it back on to get about 2 minutes of steering before i would loose all my steering again. i how am i supposed to drive my car to a dealer ship if i have no steering! this has caused me a lot of hassle trying to get anything fixed! to get this fixed isn't cheap! and its not like brakes where you have control over how fast you have to replace them due to your driving! no warning and now my car is completely useless until i pay to get it fixed! i am quite unsatisfied as a chevy customer. *tr | |||
| 06/09/2009 | 60000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while accelerating from a yield sign, the vehicle shifted into reverse, rolled backwards down a steep hill over a ledge and rolled over. the vehicle was completely destroyed. she has a copy of the police report. she was waiting for a response from the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 60,000. | |||
| 08/21/2009 | 54 | 1 | |
| I have a 2006 cobalt and i have had nothing but trouble with it. i have already replaced front end bearings, my most recent problem is the key will not come out of the ignition and the shifting lever can be engaged with the car off. does someone have to die or be injured before something will be done. my battery has been drained on 3 occasions because my key is stuck in the ignition, my friends child was sitting in my car and he pulled the shifting lever and my car was going down the driveway with the engine off. this is a terrible safety concern. i am a single woman and i do not appreciate having a dead battery and having to ask someone(stranger)for help . i have been driving chevy's since 1978 and my last 2 brand new chevy's have been nothing but nightmares. i only have them 3 years before they are problems. these are not small problems either, they are safety concerns> lucky for us we were able to stop the vehicle before it went into the roadway and injured the child. chevy should take responsibility for their defects. i cannot keep putting hundreds of $ into a car that is only 3 years old. with 54,000 miles. i also have a pretty steep car payment. does someone have to die or become injured before they fix the problems.? i cannot afford to fix this problem and it is very concerning, especially if people have little children. i have to park my car with the key in the ignition , which is also a theft concern. i have tried pushing the button under the steering wheel , but that only worked once. i don't think i will ever buy another chevy again, unless they take responsibility for their safety issues. i am also going to call gm and my dealer and see what they can do. i can see that this is a problem with others as well. *tr | |||
| 06/30/2008 | 30000 | 1 | |
| While traveling at highway speeds, approximately 40 mph a message appears in the message center in my dash indicating the power steering has gone out. i feel no difference in steering, but when the car switches gears (it is an automatic ) it is very rough and almost dies. it occurs randomly and has happened twice this week local repair shop couldn't find any problem. *tr | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 1 | ||
| The transmission pressure sensor failed at approx 72,000 miles. it was replaced and then the new one failed again at approx 90,000 miles. there is obviously some type of manufacturing defect present. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2009 | 54000 | 1 | |
| 06 cobalt with only 54,000 miles. ignition module and coil system failed. serious misfire in the engine made for this car to have a tough time moving. dealer couldn't believe this had gone on me at 54,000 miles, neither could firestone. unreal. dealer should be doing this repair free of charge and the manufacturer should be recalling 2006 cobalts and replacing ignition coil systems. this is not a typical part of the engine to fail! *tr | |||
| 03/03/2009 | 67350 | 1 | |
| Transmission does not lock into park, thus not allowing the key to be removed from the ignition. shift lever can be moved from park position to any other position without applying pressure to the brake petal. this is a serious issue as the car could easily be shifted into a motion gear without the user knowing. entire shift mechanism must be replaced to correct this issue at a extreme amount of money. this should be recalled before someone is involved in a injury and death related incident. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2009 | 63759 | 1 | |
| Researched on line due to issue with my car to find lots of people with the same issue. key in the chevy cobalt gets stuck in the accessory position and will not come out. took to dealer said this has happened in a few vehicles they repaired there. had to replace whole shifter assembly. called chevy said no recall was out at this time for that problem. read online to write to you guys. thanks *tr | |||
| 08/21/2008 | 1 | ||
| My 2006 chevy cobalt keeps having power steering issues. i've taken it back to the shop only for them to say there was a computer error. they get the check engine light to come off, but two weeks later it does it again. my power steering goes completely out with my transmission knocking. i took it in back in july and the problem keeps coming back. i've researched this online, and seen that there are a lot of other people who has had this done to them as well. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 19000 | 6 | 08/14/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 55 mph, the vehicle jerked and lost power. the contact heard a clicking sound when she depressed the brake pedal. the dealer was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure; however, they rewired a loose wire and the failure was supposedly repaired. the failure continued. she took the vehicle to another dealer and they stated that the air flow clogged. the dealer made the repair, but the failure recurred the next day. as of december 3, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. the failure mileage was 19,000 and current mileage was 25,000. updated 01-10-08. *kb the consumer stated on december 7, 2007 the transmission was replaced but the vehicle still continues to have the same defect. updated 12/31/07 *tr | |||
| 11/02/2006 | 5 | 5 | 12/24/2005 |
| (1) car shuts itself off while i was driving down the freeway. during@ rush hour i veered away ( w-no power to car ),from traffic behind me. parked ,shut car off, took key out of ignition, then replaced and started it back up, and proceeded enroute. (2) after market cruise control failure to shut off and turn on. (3) result of above (2)after market cruise control takes its own mind and decides to fully accelerate until gearing down in hopes it 'awakes' the computer (automatic transmission),then cruise control will finally shut off. (consequence ) passenger had a heart attack. i called a taxi. he's ok (4) service air bags light have been on since 20,k miles i now have 47,xxx miles. (5)stock tires and rims wobble with irritating continous noises -can't ge rid of it. (6) stock seats driver and passenger sides both were installed incorrectlythey are really slantedlike this ( / ). (7) a clunking bucket sounding noise fills very slowly, (health problems) an odor is always present leaving me light headed ,nautious while driving, dizzy exiting car,and with breathing problems -like shortness of breath. i have severe back problems now, and can not sit in the car for more than 20 min, upon a break of fresh air and a walk for the spine. (8) brakes sound and feel (when applied),scratchy.@5,000 miles the chevy dealership had to turn and shave allready my disc brakes saying they were worn in. (9) my heater makes a lot of noises when using it. (10) acceleration hesitation. *jb | |||
| 10/25/2005 | 675 | 1 | 08/31/2005 |
| I am writing this letter because of concerns i have with my 2006 cobalt i purchased 31 august 2005. (vin#1g1ak55f767633 614) my first concern is the safety of the car. on the 25 of october while driving the car the transmission started to go out of gear and back in causing a jerking motion and when i pulled over the motor stopped. i had 675 miles on it at that time. yesterday i took the car to the dealer and they drove it for a few miles with no problem. no other check was made by the dealer on the car. *nm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||
| 10/22/2007 | 41278 | 5 | 06/02/2007 |
| I bought this car back in june. and i have had nothing but problems with the car. numerous problems with the computers in the car. from the ecm, to the pcm, and the bcm. i also have proof the odometer has also been rolled back. if needed for this investigation can send a copy. the cars has been serviced now 5 times. this time it is sending error codes to the computer of random misfires on the first and fourth cylinder. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 18000 | 15 | 07/16/2006 |
| I have a 2006 chevy cobalt purchased used with 28000 miles on it. all my problems started about a month after i bought the car. the steering wheel started shaking violently when driving at 50 mph and over so i took it in to a chevy dealer and they rotated and balanced the tires and that seemed to fix that problem. about 2 weeks i was driving home and i was sitting at a red light and the car just shut off. i restarted the car and every thing was fine on the dash board, no warning lights or messages in the driver information center. i started driving again and when i press on the gas there was this loud grinding noise and it felt like the car was not shifting gears properly. so i pulled over on the side of the road and turned the car off for about 10 minutes and restarted it and it drove fine. now at this point im just thinking that there is a malfunction in the computer. i took the car to the dealer the next day and they scanned the computer and found no errors and everything was checking out fine. about 3 weeks later i was driving on the highway and i lost complete control of steering and the power steering message in the driver information center was displayed along with the check engine light. unable to steer i had to stop in the middle of the highway and shut the car off. i waited about 20 minutes and restarted the car and the power steering warning message and check engine light had gone away and i gained steering control again. i once again took the car to the dealer and they could not find anything wrong with the car. now some days when i start my car the power steering warning message and the check engine light come on and some days the car drives fine and its really starting to frustrate me. in addition to the steering problem i am unable to remove my key form the ignition. to this day none of my problems have been resolved. *jb | |||
| 09/24/2006 | 3400 | 1 | 07/03/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph, the vehicle went over a bump, and the engine stalled. the vehicle was restarted, and taken to a service dealer, who determined the pcm was faulty, and uploaded new software. this did not correct the problem. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 05/08/2008 | 45052 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that when the keys were in the ignition while the vehicle was parked, she was unable to remove the keys from the ignition. the gear shift selector was also stuck in the park position and could not be removed. the dealer replaced the ignition at the owner's expense. in addition, while driving at speeds of 20 mph, the power steering locked without warning. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where the steering column was replaced a second time, at the owner's expense. the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls and the warranty was not valid. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 45,052 and the current mileage was 72,000. | |||
| 11/15/2008 | 61100 | 1 | |
| Gear shift breaks so ignition key gets stuck in the ignition. have to replace the whole shift assembly. this should be a recall on gm's part. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 05/17/2010 | 76000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving at 5 mph, the key was difficult to take out of the ignition. the contact had to change gears, turn the vehicle on and then back off to pull the key out. the contact spoke with the dealer who stated that the cause of the problem was the shifter. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the current and failure mileages were approximately 76,000. | |||
| 07/09/2007 | 30000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated the gear shift selector failed several times, and had been replaced twice. the first repair was covered by factory warranty. the second repair was at the owners expense. the manufacturer was contacted but would not provide any assistance. the manufacturer advised the failure occurred because she drove the vehicle too often and wore out the selector. the failure mileage was approximately 30,000 and the current mileage was approximately 68,000. | |||
| 01/13/2007 | 5745 | 1 | |
| Internal binding of the floor shift assembly of my 2006 chevy cobalt with automatic transmission prevented the key from being removed from the ignition. also the push button latch on the top of the shifter was stuck inside the shifter causing the shifter to freely move from park to drive without the button being pushed. i took the car to sands chevrolet and the shifter was replaced under warranty with part number 15926820. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/02/2006 | 12000 | 1 | 11/29/2005 |
| I was driving along at 50 mph in 5th gear. the shifter came out of gear. i pulled over shut off the engine restarted it and tried to get the transmission in 1st gear with no success. had the vehicle towed to the dealership. dealership is advising that the clutch is completely worn out and they want $2,000.00 to fix it. the vehicle is just one years old and only 12,000 miles. i do not down shift, ride the clutch or dump the clutch. we have spoken to many transmission specialist and they have informed us that it is impossible to destroy and clutch in only 12,000 miles and one year of driving. they advise that the pressure plate was faulty from the factory. *jb | |||
| 03/22/2006 | 464 | 1 | |
| I was downshifting from third to second gear after slowing down dramatically on a turn and my car made a clunk sound. come to find out my clutch burnt up and my starter then was fried and that it bust a ring of some sort. my car only had 464 miles on it. it has been sent to a dealer and gm denied it it has been there for a month and they have just told me about a week ago now they have to re/evaluate it and the aren't doing crap is say it is going to cost about 1600 hundred dollars for stuff that should be covered under warranty or recalled or something. *jb | |||
| 04/02/2006 | 2300 | 1 | 03/02/2006 |
| Got out from tim hortons after driving on the highway, tried to shift second gear and it did not with 3800 kms on it cannot drive my car, nothing has been done as of yet. *jb | |||
| 12/27/2005 | 2400 | 1 | 11/17/2005 |
| 11/24/05 clutch burning odor, was told it was normal exhaust coating burning off 12/27/05 clutch slipping while on highway, proceeded to the dealership, where it took almost 3 weeks and cost me 1600 dollars to replace a failing clutch. later confirmed for a private mechanic that the clutch was too weak for the cars hp rating. i am not the only cobalt ss/sc to have this failure. *nm | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 05/30/2011 | 71110 | ||
| On monday may 30 2011 i was driveing home and decided to tke the freeway. i entered the 215 freeway at center street in riverside, then eccelerated to traffic speed then the car ahead of me slammed on there breaks so i proceded to stop and avoid hitting them and the sterring wheel locked up and my car veered over to the center divider from the slow lane and my car crashed into the wall it left me completly faceing traffic on the 215 freeway! then to avoid any further accidents i drove off the freeway and drove home. this is the first time ive noticed the steering wheel locking up. my car is currently being worked on. | |||
| 04/20/2010 | 61000 | ||
| 1. i took my car to a chevy dealership to have the fuel pump recalled then one day after i got it back the power steering stopped working while driveing home from work. 2. i was driveing and i heard a chimeing noise and i looked at my dash and it said power streering, so i drove home as best as i could and parked my car, turned it off then back on and it was fine but now nearly every day when i drive it fails as im going down the road, i have nearly collided with other cars because of the loss of control in my car! 3. i called the dealership and they told me i could have it replaced but it wasent under recall. | |||
| 03/03/2010 | 68000 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the free way and there was traffic and as i was getting ready to slow down my wheel locked on me almost putting me into the wall on the free way. i have been having problems with it and scared for my life. i talked to chevy and they told me i would have to wait up to 4 weeks but in the mean time i am stuck in this car that could possibly kill me or someone else on the streets. i believe this a problem that is caused by them and they should at least provide a rent a car. its dangerous to be driving these cars on the streets when it could hurt someone. i went to many different chevy places and all told me that same that i would have to wait for their systems to post the recall. i have this problem every single day. i had it fail 4 times with an hour of me driving my car. i think that something should be done soon or there will be more accidents and fatal accidents. *tr | |||
| 09/26/2009 | 78000 | 1 | |
| Power steering column not working. *tr | |||
| 04/18/2009 | 44500 | 1 | |
| Our 2006 chevy cobalt has started having power steering failures. the car has 44,000 miles. two weeks ago while driving down the highway, the ps light indicator flashed on and we did our best to try and get off the road. if we turn the car off and then back on, the power steering will work, but the problem is becoming more frequent; at least a couple of times a week. this car was bought new and is driven by my 20 yr. old honor college student. i had a mechanic check this and he told me the steering column had to be replaced at a cost of approx. $1500. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/10/2010 | 46000 | ||
| Hydrolic cylinder went out on an 06 chevy cobalt with 42,000 miles on it. was driving it less than 15 mph in a residential complex on level ground when the clutch went loose. could not shift and had to roll it into park. both hydrolic cylinders were replaced (spent $1400 so i'm assuming they were new parts) and now the clutch sticks and the car is overheating. still waiting as to what is to be done with the new problems. | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 64000 | 1 | |
| I had bought a 2006 chevy cobalt. once i started driving it for about a week i noticed a loud noise every time i would hit a bump of any kind. i also noticed from time to time i would lose power steering momentarily. luckily this has never happened besides when i was in places like small parking lots or driving very slow, but it could potentially be dangerous. and the noise sounds like the car is just about to fall apart. i hear the noise 9/10 times i hit a bump. i went to the dealership about this issue and they told me that many people had been complaining about it but there has been no recall issued so if i wanted the problem fixed i would have to pay out of pocket and it was roughly $1500 he said. *tr | |||
| 02/27/2009 | 30275 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt coupe. while driving approximately 55 mph, the clutch failed and prevented the vehicle from accelerating into the proper gear. prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the tachometer fluctuated abnormally. upon further inspection, he noticed that the clutch was burned out. the vehicle was towed to a dealer and they stated that the failure resulted from normal wear and tear. the clutch was replaced at the cost of $1,600. after the repair, the failure continued. the manufacturer did not assist. the failure mileage was 30,275 and current mileage was 37,800. | |||
| 11/25/2008 | 40000 | 1 | |
| Clutch/trans have had to have trans rebuilt and replaced 5 times for locking into gear and locking up front wheels while driving has almost caused 6 accidents and cost me hundreds of dollars in tires and rentals also towing have documents as well love the car but gm as disappointed me this is from some one loving gm products for 23 years this product is going to hurt or even kill someone i have seen many blogs with people having the same problems. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2009 | 48500 | 1 | |
| Driving as normal on a highway at approximately 70 mph when i realized the tachometer was fluctuating as if i were at a stand still and revving the engine, i had to slow down to merge onto another highway and when i tried to reaccelerate from 50 mph to 70 mph in 4th gear the tachometer shot up and the engine was at a high rev but would not go any faster, i shifted to 5th, the engine continued to rev and the only light that came on was a light telling me i needed to upshift from 5th gear. i pulled off the nearest exit and had to stop at a red light, i pulled away from the red light and the engine screamed at me as i changed gears. i got the vehicle safely in a parking lot and i could smell something burning and i realized it was my clutch, the gears were changing fine and since i have driven standard transmissions for 15 years and know how to drive a manual and i do not ride the clutch i thought there might be a hydraulic issue or something broken in the gear box or clutch assembly. i had it towed to the dealership i bought it at since it was still under the extended warranty. they said the clutch shouldn't be burnt out since it is an 06 and has only 48k miles on it and they called gm to try to get them to pay for it because they say the extended warranty i bought doesn't cover a clutch. gm said they would only pay $400 of the over $2000 bill, and said it burned out because of my driving habits. i filed a complaint with the better business bureau at 800-955-5100. gm called me about the complaint with their standard answer of we can't help you. we don't sell defective equipment. i have done some research and found that the clutch and fly wheel are extremely thin so they do burn out at a much faster rate than a clutch should. this is typical gm cutting the typical corners in their workmanship and design. *tr | |||
| 12/15/2006 | 8000 | 10 | 02/28/2006 |
| While traveling north on i-75 through cincinnati, oh my manual transmission popped out of 5th gear and into neutral traveling at appx. 70 mph. this same incident has happened 10 times so far and the vehicle has only 9000 miles. it is happening in 5th gear between 50 and 70 mph at 2-3000 rpm. the car was taken to the dealer who could not duplicate the problem so they would not work on it. now it seems i am being ignored by the dealer and chevrolet as well. apparently they are hoping i just go away! i have also pointed out to the dealer (kerry chevrolet in alexandria, ky) and chevrolet corp. themselves through e-mail, which have elicited no response, that their is a website for cobalt owners (cobaltss.net) that has a forum for problems and service. this forum has hundreds of owners who are experiencing problems with their transmissions. anything from simply popping out of gear to complete failures and lockouts. *nm | |||
| 03/01/2006 | 2000 | 2 | 02/21/2006 |
| 2006 chevy cobalt, shifter won't engage @ 500 miles-dealer trades cars. 2006 chevy cobalt, clutch burns up @2000 miles, dealer replaces clutch plates at no charge, will charge for another occurrence of same nature. dealer states abuse is cause of clutch damage. *nm | |||