2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

I OWN A 2005 CHEVY COBALT, THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD AND THE POWER STEERING IS OUT. UNFORTUNATELY THE WARRANTY IS OUT AND BY THE LOOKS OF IT THERE IS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT A COST OF OVER $1000.00 WILL NEED TO BE PAID TOTALLY REPLACE THE STEERING PROBLEM. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT AND HOPING THIS WILL BE RECALLED. I THINK IF THEY COMPANY IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THEIR MISTAKE. I DO NOT HAVE THIS MONEY TO FIX THIS MISTAKE BY THE MANUFACTURER. PLEASE HELP! *TR

1. THERE WERE NO SPECIFIC EVENTS LEADING TO THE FAILURE, JUST NORMAL DRIVING. 2. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ALLOW THE KEY TO TURN COMPLETELY OFF. IN DIAGNOSING PROBLEM, REALIZED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL WOULD MOVE THROUGH GEARS WITHOUT THE VEHICLE TURNED ON. 3. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER AND THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY WAS FAULTY AND REQUIRED IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT. IN TALKING TO THE DEALER, THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS BECOMING COMMON, SO MUCH SO, THAT THEY HAVE REPAIRED NUMEROUS VEHICLES WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND ARE STOCKING THE GEAR SHIFT ASSEMBLY FOR QUICK REPAIR. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW CHEVROLET COBALT LS (4 DOOR) IN 2005 FROM MY LOCAL DEALER. I DRIVE IT VERY LITTLE - IT NOW HAS SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 13,200 MILES. LAST WEEK WHEN DRIVING NEAR HOME I REC'D A SUDDEN FLASHING MESSAGE ON THE DASH "POWER STEERING." IMMEDIATELY, THE STEERING FAILED COMPLETELY. IT TOOK ALL MY STRENGTH TO TURN THE VEHICLE AND I WAS ONLY GOING 20 MILES PER HOUR - HAD IT BEEN DIFFERENT - AND AS I'VE SINCE FOUND IT THIS HAS OCCURRED THOUSANDS OF TIMES TO OTHER DRIVERS OF THIS CAR - IT COLD HAVE KILLED ME. MY LOCAL DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE ENTIRE STEERING MECHANISM HAD TO BE REPLACED - RATHER ODD FOR A CAR, PERFECTLY MAINTAINED, WITH SO FEW MILES ON IT! THE HEAD TECHNICIAN AT MY DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A DESIGN FLAW IN THE 2005 AND 2006 COBALT'S STEERING MECHANISM. BOTH RELIED ENTIRELY ON AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM THAT CAN FAIL INSTANTLY AND LEAVE THE CAR WITH NO STEERING CONTROL - WHILE IT'S BEING DRIVEN! THE REPAIRS WERE LARGELY COVERED BY MY EXTENDED WARRANTY - I'VE HAD IT FOR 38 MONTHS. (REPAIR COPY: "INTERNAL MOTOR FAILURE." AND "REPLACE STEERING COLUMN" = $804.00) BUT, AS THE REPAIR SERVICE ITSELF NOTED, THIS JUST RESTORES THE SAME, READY TO FAIL SYSTEM! THE PROBLEM CAN'T BE FIXED BECAUSE IT'S A BASIC DESIGN FLAW! ACCORDING TO THE HEAD TECHNICIAN, BEGINNING IN ABOUT 2007, THE COBALT WAS ALTERED TO INCLUDE A BACK-UP HYDRAULIC STEERING MECHANISM TO MAKE UP FOR THIS RECOGNIZED PROBLEM. THERE ARE OVER 12,600 LISTS OF THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET TODAY, SOME NOTING THAT A SECOND FAILURE OCCURRED ONLY TWO WEEKS AFTER HAVING THE SAME "REPAIRS" THAT I HAD. I'M STILL PAYING FOR THIS CAR AND IT'S A DEATH TRAP. MY WIFE WON'T RIDE IN IT AND I WON'T DRIVE IT MORE THAN A FEW BLOCKS AND ONLY IN DAYLIGHT. THIS MUST BE ADDRESSED!!!!!! GERALD J. DAVEY, PH. D. *TR

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

POWER STEERING PROBLEM WITH MY 2005 CHEVY COBALT. THREE ATTEMPTS BY GM DEALER TO FIX A PROBLEM, THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. THIS SHOULD LEAD TO SAFETY RECALL. DURING THE DRIVING POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, THE CAR STARTS TO SHAKE AND IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I FILLED COMPLAINT WITH BBB, CHEVY, BUT THEY SAID THAT THE SAFETY RECALL MUST COME FROM NHTSA. LOOKS LIKE THOUSANDS OF POWER STEERING COLUMNS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON TWO OR THREE YR OLD CARD, WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL WEAR-AN-TEAR PART, AND SOMEONE SHOULD RUN STATISTICS ON THIS PART WITH GM, AND CONSIDER THE SAFETY OF CUSTOMERS/DRIVERS. THIS IS A TYPICAL HIGHSCHOOL/COLLEGE STUDENTS CAR, INEXPERIENCED DRIVERS IN TOTALLY UNSAFE CARS... DO NOT WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE GETS KILLED TO HAVE RECALL ON CHEVY COBALTS POWER STEERING ISSUES. THANK YOU! *TR

AT 57,000 MILES, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON IN MY CAR WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. IT BECAME VERY HARD TO STEER AND SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS. AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND THEN TURNING IT BACK ON THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO GO AWAY, BUT IT CAME BACK ON SHORTLY WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF TURNING ONTO A BUSY STREET. I ALMOST HIT A TRUCK. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WILL COST $1000 TO FIX AND THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NO SIGN THAT IT WAS MY FAULT. *TR

05 CHEVY COBALT SS POWER STEERING WAS LOST DURING MERGING ON TO HIGHWAY, HAS HAPPENED TWICE NOW. ALMOST HIT ANOTHER CAR AND CONSTRUCTION CONES NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE FAST ENOUGH. DEALERSHIP SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ACTUAL POWER STEERING. BUT IF THEY WERE TO ORDER A NEW PART IT IS ON BACK ORDER, SO THERE MUST BE SOMETHING PRETTY MESSED UP WITH THE POWER STEERING IN CHEVY COBALT TO NEED THE PARTS SO MUCH. *TR

WE OWN A 2005 CHEVY. COBALT. THE VEHICLE WENT IN FOR A STANDARD FRONT BRAKE REPAIR, NORMALLY YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO TURN THE ROTORS ONCE , HOWEVER WE WE'RE TOLD THAT THEY WE'RE RUSTED OUT AND COULD NOT BE TURNED UNDER NORMAL INSPECTIONS AND WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE NEW ONES. THE VEHICLE HAS NORMAL WEAR WITH ODOMETER READING 43,923 MILES ON IT, SO IT WAS NOT DUE TO NOT DRIVING IT. THE DEALER SAID THEY HAD BEEN SEEING A LOT OF THIS LATELY AND DON'T KNOW WHY THEY SHOULD BE RUSTED OUT, I DECIDED TO GET A SECOND OPINION AND TOOK THE VEHICLE ELSEWHERE. THE SERVICE CENTER SAID THE SAME THING AND THINK IT IS A MANUFACTURES DEFECT, AS THEY ALSO SAID THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST BEEN TURNED ONCE IN THE ROTORS, (CARS) LIFE TIME. THEY ALSO SAID THEY HAD BEEN SEEING ALOT OF THIS ON GM PRODUCTS AND HAD ANOTHER VEHICLE IN FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AS DID THE DEALERSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, I NEEDED THE BRAKES REPAIRED AND HAD TO BY NEW ROTORS FOR THE CAR. THE SERVICE CENTER CHARGED ME $84.48 PLUS LABOR FOR THE NEW ROTORS INSTALLED. I FEEL THIS IS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO AS I AM NOT THE ONLY CONSUMER THAT HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM. I SHOULD ALSO SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR THIS DEFECT. I HAVE RETAINED THE ROTORS OF INSPECTION. PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH ANY RESULTS YOU MAY FIND REGARDING THIS PROBLEM. SINCERELY, CONSTANCE E WALLACE *TR

2005 CHEVY COBALT - 09/20/2008 - WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT AT APPROX. 10 MPH ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET, CAR CHIMED, DIC DISPLAYED "POWER STEERING" AND POWER STEERING WAS LOST. WITH DIFFICULTY, PULLED CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET, PUT CAR IN PARK, TURNED CAR OFF, AND RE-STARTED CAR. ON RE-START, DASH DISPLAY WAS NORMAL, POWER STEERING WAS NORMAL. ON 09/23/2008, WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT AT APPROX. 30 MPH ON A BUSY ROAD (2 LANES EACH DIRECTION), SAME THING HAPPENED (CHIME, "POWER STEERING" DISPLAY, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, DIFFICULTY STEERING THE CAR); SLOWED TO A STOP ON APPROACH TO A RED LIGHT, PUT CAR IN PARK, TURNED CAR OFF, RE-STARTED CAR, BACK TO NORMAL. ON 09/26/2008 (TODAY), WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET AT APPROX. 20 MPH, SAME THING HAPPENED (CHIME, "POWER STEERING" DISPLAY, LOSS OF POWER STEERING, DIFFICULTY STEERING THE CAR), NO PLACE TO PULL OVER, HAD TO TURN LEFT ON A SIDE STREET TO PARK, VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE CAR WHILE MAKING THE TURN, PARKED, TURNED CAR OFF, RE-STARTED CAR, BACK TO NORMAL. I HAVE AN UPCOMING SERVICE APPOINTMENT AT MY CHEVY DEALERSHIP, BUT SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISES ME THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE, AND THEY WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO FIND/FIX PROBLEM IF IT OCCURS WHILE IT IS IN THEIR POSSESSION, AND I AM OUT OF WARRANTY (44,000 MILES ON ODOMETER). I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR, BUT HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO GET TO WORK AND BACK. I WILL NOT DRIVE IT ON THE HIGHWAY. I DID AN INTERNET SEARCH ON 09/23/2008, AND SEE COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT FROM COBALT OWNERS ABOUT THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM. ALSO SEE THAT THERE WAS A "SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT" (DATED 12/03/2007) FOR 2005 CHEVY MALIBUS AND 2005 PONTIAC G6S FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME POWER STEERING PROBLEM (REMEDY FOR THIS WAS FOR DEALER TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY; SPECIAL COVERAGE WAS FOR 7 YEARS OR 70,000 MILES). DRIVING A CAR THAT SUDDENLY LOSES POWER STEERING ON AN ON-GOING BASIS IS NOT SAFE, WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM FOR COBALTS? *TR

MY NAME IS FREDDIE BROWN I AM A FIREFIGHTER/EMT I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT IN REGARDS TO A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE POWER STEERING (ELECTRONIC ON THIS CAR) GOES OUT 2-3 TIMES A DAY WHICH CAUSES THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING THIS WITH THIS MODEL YEAR COBALT. THANK GOD IT HAS NOT DONE IT WHILE I AM TURNING OR IT WILL RESULT IN A CRASH. CHEVROLET WANTS $2000 TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE CAR IS 3 YEARS OLD AND IS A FACTORY DEFAULT. IN ORDER TO RESET IT YOU HAVE TO THROW THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND TURN IT OFF WHILE ROLLING AND TURN IT BACK ON AND IT RESETS ITSELF. PLEASE LOOK INTO IT. I TYPED IN COBALT STEERING RECALL IN GOOGLE SEARCH ENGINE AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF COMPLAINTS. THANK YOU, FREDDIE BROWN FIREFIGHTER/EMT MARION COUNTY FIRE-RESCUER *TR