Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 3687 | 10016948 | Clunk noise from front of vehicle during turning maneuver. *sc | 10/18/2005 | ||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||||
| 3641A | 10018563 | Rear suspension squawk/squeak over bumps. *tt | 01/06/2006 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 01/09/2012 | |||
| I bought the car in november of 2011. nit even 3 months later, a very loud.clunky noise started every time i go over a bump no matter how big or small.i've been to multiple mechanics and have been told my sway.bar links, as well as my outer tie rod ends are bad. then another said it was my bushings.i just want the noise to stop and want to know why is the car sound like its falling apart? very dissapointed with chevrolet for.not the best 1st car | |||
| 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 | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel began to vibrate excessively. the contact stated the failure usually occurred when driving over 60 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technicians stated that the upper control arms on the front driver's side would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but to no avail. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel began to vibrate excessively. the contact stated the failure usually occurred when driving over 60 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technicians stated that the upper control arms on the front driver's side would have to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but to no avail. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. kmj | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 90000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving at approximately 30 mph the steering wheel began to vibrate excessively. the contact stated the failure usually occurs when driving over 60 mph. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic. the technicians stated the upper control arms on the front drivers side would have to be replaced. the failure continued after the repair. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the technicians were unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. ds | |||
| 12/19/2011 | 40000 | ||
| My 2006 chevy cobalt had wheel bearing issues starting at 40,000 miles. at 50,000 miles my front end suspension (lower control arm and bushings), struts, and doors locks started acting up. my door locks will jam and i will be trapped in my car until they (door locks) decide to work again. fortunately for me usually only one stops working at a time. the dealer says that it just needs greasing; i have tried every grease under the sun and none has fixed the problem. this is a serious safety issue and this car should have a recall to at least fix the doors!!!.the dealer wants to charge over $1,000 per door for repairs. i have heard of some peoples doors never opening again and the door having to be cut off to be repaired. if something were to happen you need to be able to quickly and safely get out of the car. please please please recall this door issue on the cobalt! | |||
| 09/01/2011 | |||
| Vehicle has various problems which started with the fuel gauge going to empty not matter how much fuel there was, this issue was never fixed properly. front suspension rattles and lower control arm bushings are cracked, diagnosed, but not repaired by chevrolet. interior dome light has a short as does the radio ,intermittent. also paint is peeling off of the door handles, radio and dashboard control buttons. and just recently there is an odor of gasoline coming from somewhere on the vehicle. the vehicle has a little over 21,000 miles on it. | |||
| 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 | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 100000 | ||
| Out of the blue my vehicle began to shimmy & shake. at first i thought it may be the wheel alignment. according to the dealershing my front arm bushing needs to be replaced. now the car is squeaking when you turn the wheel to. got a 2nd estimate: the bushing, swaybar link, & steering & suspension need to be replaced. what the heck? after i just had to have the ignition coil replaced. it burned out the 1st one i put in plus brand new spark plugs. this is ridiculous. | |||
| 05/23/2011 | 45628 | ||
| Took my 2006 cobalt in to have recall fixed and was told that my struts are leaking and the lower control arm bushings need to be replaced. | |||
| 08/15/2010 | 52432 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph there was a loud metal to metal noise coming from the front end of the vehicle . the vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics where they could not find anything wrong . the dealer was informed about the failure and they stated that it was the rack and pinion that needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired at the owners expense. the failure mileage was 52432 and the current mileage was 52797.cv | |||
| 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. | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 67000 | 1 | |
| I have a2006 cobalt ltzand the power steering keeps going out when i drive down the road, also i have a very bad shaking problem with it, also i have noise coming from back of the car.............please help, i have went to the dealership, and they want to charge me a outrageous price to fix it.....this is a very dangerous problem..................eugene offenberger......... *tr | |||
| 08/05/2009 | 65001 | 1 | |
| I was making a u turn the first time my power steering went out, i thought i was out of gas or something so i turned the key to off and restarted the car,it was fine for a while maybe 20 min. and then it went out on me again going around a corner then i realized it was my power steering that's when i found out it was completely electronic .it comes and goes as it pleases now!!!!! (this is a 2006 chevy cobalt !!!!!!!!!!!! ) *tr | |||
| 09/07/2009 | 12000 | 1 | |
| While turning or sloxwng down my car shakes violently and pulls to the left. i recently put new tires, alignment and rotation thinking this would solve the problem and it has not. it feels as though my steering wheel is going to shake off. the dealership suggested the new tires and it has not helped. this is a huge safety concern and something needs to be done. *tr | |||
| 06/09/2008 | 49000 | 1 | |
| 1) when purchasing this used vehicle from the dealer, we were informed the previous owner had broken his key in the ignition switch, hence the broken ignition lock mechanism. lie 2) car began making a front end noise or so i thought, the next day as my daughter in law and my grandkids were driving home the power steering indicator light turned on, she applied her brakes to slow down and all the lights on the panel turned on and her steering locked. the truck behind us was forced off the road to avoid slamming in to us. after getting online to see if there was going to be an easy and inexpensive way to repair this problem i was appalled to read all the complaint regarding these same issues. i lost my oldest child to faulty seat belts on the 01 ford ranger edge. this is indeed a safety issued that needs to be resolved immediately before someone is seriously hurt or killed. *tr | |||
| 09/30/2006 | 5000 | 1 | |
| Knocking noises in the suspension. rattling in the steering. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 3 | 12/22/2006 | |
| 2006 chevrolet cobalt shakes real bad when driving. customer stated that he had the vehicle get a front end alignment twice and after a while the vehicle begins to start shaking again. *kb the consumer stated the steering jammed and he was unable to remove the key from the ignition. switch. the tumbler was replaced. *jb | |||
| 08/05/2006 | 4 | 08/05/2006 | |
| 2006 cobalt had vibrations at highway speeds. customer states if they stop and turn the vehicle off and on it will temporarily correct the vibration problem. *kb the consumer stated since purchasing the vehicle, the vehicle has had an extreme vibration at high speed. the consumer stated the vehicle has become so dangerous and hard to drive that at times he would have to pull over to the shoulder. the consumer stated after several attempts to assess the problem balancing the tires and replacing 2 of the 4 tires, he was informed by dealer the rotors were out of round and left tire was worn. the consumer stated due to the fact the 2 chevrolet dealers were given ample time to assess the problem, he feels this should fall under the lemon law of a refund or a replacement car. new tires were placed on the vehicle and balanced. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/09/2011 | 28000 | ||
| Front end ball joints are faulty and cause the car to sound like the front end is going to fall off! i had to have them replaced. the rotors have been nothing but trouble as well...third set!! the mechanic said the ball joint would break and you could wreck as your driving! have had this trouble since the day i bought the car..even had it at the dealership for front end problems the first three months that i had the car! the front end is not good on this car and can be very dangerous! | |||
| 02/23/2009 | 32000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that both front lower control arm bushings were extremely worn. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. a private mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that he would need to replace the lower control arm. the vehicle was not repaired. the current mileage was 70,000 and the failure mileage was 32,000. | |||
| 02/23/2009 | 32000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the front lower control arm bushings have worn on the left and right side. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. a private mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that he needed to replaced the lower control arm. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current mileages were 70,000 and the failure mileages were 32,000. bw | |||
| 11/18/2008 | 55000 | ||
| I first owned a chevy caviliar. i loved this car!!!! so when i bought my chevy cobalt i thought i was getting the same dependable car. boy was i wrong. i have already had to two sets of tires on my car, replaced the bushings and wheel bearings. i have never been so disapointed over a vechicle in all my life. as far as i am concerned i will never purchase a chevrolet again. at least toyota stood by their mistakes. | |||
| 08/13/2010 | 76000 | ||
| Exerienced issues with stopping distance and steering in 2006 chevrolet cobalt lt. had brakes, shocks, and struts replaced...continued to experience issue with stopping distance and steering...took in to dealer and and was advised the control arms were dry rotted'...it seems to me that this was the most likely contributing issue to the problem with brakes shocks and struts. in addition due to issue with the control rods the u-joint in the steering column has been bent causing problems with steering. | |||
| 07/01/2009 | 35000 | 1 | |
| 2006 chevy cobalt 2.2 ecotech fe1 suspension control arm bushings bad at 42000 miles. bushing are now available under a different part #. *tr | |||
| 03/20/2009 | 63000 | 1 | |
| I have noticed looking on line to consumer complaints, there are alot of people complaining about the lower control arms going out on the cars. i have a 2006 chevy cobalt. my niece has a 2007 chevy cobalt and had the same problem. i think this needs to be a recall on these cars. i'm a single mother just back at work after daughter had a transplant. i didn't work for 4 years taking care of my daughter. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| We purchased two 2006 chevy cobalt cars. one in oct of 07 and one in may or june of 08. one month after we purchased the 2nd vehicle, my son was involved in an accident in it. while on the road (not speeding) the passenger side tie-rod broke (he heard a sudden snap) , the c-v joint came loose (or shattered?) and his entire wheel on that side broke loose throwing him into a ditch. his car was totaled. he came very close to rolling the car and could have been killed. fortunately he remained calm and was not injured. upon examination of the vehicle, it was discovered that the tie rod end and cv joints especially on that side were never lubricated from the factory. the stress of the parts without this lubrication caused them to snap. this has been confirmed by the auto body shop that did the inspection of the vehicle. concerned about the 1st cobalt that we purchased, we inspected it also. it too, was in the same condition. the tie rods and cv joints on the passenger side were bone dry and the drivers side had next to no grease in them. naturally, we had them lubricated. but it seems very strange and outrageous that two vehicles would have the very same defect and a very dangerous one at that. i felt that someone should know about this so that other cobalt owners can have their vehicles inspected. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Knocking noise on front suspension when going over rough roads, or entering and exiting driveways, roadways, etc. *tr | |||
| 03/28/2007 | 2500 | 10 | 10/14/2006 |
| Tl* - the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that there was a sound in the front end of the vehicle under the hood. she had been hearing that noise since she purchased the vehicle. she said that one could hear the sound 85% of the time, and that it was usual while driving at a slow rate of speed. the weather was not a factor. the dealership told the contact that this was normal for this type of vehicle. the current mileage was 20,600 and the failure mileage was 2,500. *ak the consumer switch dealers due to the fact berglund stated noise is normal. pinkerton(dealer) tries to assess what the problem is decided multiple cases of gear concerns and replaced steering gear but the consumer states they can't really pinpoint the problem. consumer has provided various invoices. update *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 02/02/2009 | 1 | 10/25/2007 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 30 mph on wet road conditions, the contact heard a loud noise underneath the vehicle. immediately, the vehicle spun out of control several times before skidding off the road surface into a wooded area. the failure occurred without warning. the police department and roadside assistance were called to the scene and a police report was filed. the driver sustained minor facial injuries. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection, but the cause of the failure has not yet been determined. the manufacturer engineers are investigating the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were unknown. updated 05/11/09.*lj the lower control arm was replaced. updated 05/11/09.*jb | |||
| 11/20/2008 | 55000 | 1 | 12/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact took the vehicle to a repair shop to have the tires rotated and the mechanic noticed that the rear lower control bushing arm needed to be replaced. the repair would cost $243.40. the manufacturer stated that the lower control bushing arm was not covered under the warranty and advised her to take the vehicle to a gmc dealer for a diagnosis. the vehicle will be repaired. the failure and current mileages were 55,000. updated 02/10/09. *lj updated 02/11/09. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 12/28/2007 | 40000 | 20 | 11/11/2005 |
| Vehicle will not start after it is turned off after a period of driving. this occurs at least 5-10 times a week. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership, bresee chevy in liverpool, ny for this problem, and we were told nothing could be done because the problem could not be replicated. we were told that we had a bad battery cell and were charged for a battery replacement after owning the vehicle for 2 years. the vehicle now has a engine low power warning and the engine light is on. the vehicle runs erratically, and there is concern of stalling while driving. this vehicle was purchased brand new in november of 2005, and is only used for commuting to work on the highway. also, the tires on this vehicle were completely bald at 38,000 miles and had to be replaced, and the bearings on the front end also had to be replaced. this vehicle has major problems-it is an overall nightmare! *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 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 | |||