general problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

While driving through an intersection car shut off. This loss of power while driving has happened several times over the last few months. I called chevy dealership today and was notified ignition switch was already repaired previously and that I may be charged a diagnostic fee if I bring the car in for repair.

Traction control warning light came on after starting vehicle. Shifted from p to r and the shift was hard. Shifted to d and a clunk occurred. Vehicle did not drive correctly. Shut off vehicle and started it again. Problem went away. This could be very dangerous if it happens while driving at speed.

Recall no. N100023 - I was driving up to a stop sign and all of a sudden I couldn't turn the wheel. I was almost at a stop. The power steering was gone. A little later it turned back on. Recall no. 09041 - when I shift there is a clicking sound that is made inside where the shifter is, and then all of my sudden my car jerks. This happens when I am in motion. It jerks to the point I am physically moved.

Power steering alarm appears on dashboard. Power steering stops working and transmission begins very hard shifting, causing car to 'buck' each time it shifts. The problem has occured both when stationary and when in motion. It was intermittent, but now occurs daily.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 45 mph, the "power steering fluid" warning message appeared. In addition, the vehicle decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after the first attempt. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. The VIN was unknown.

Vehicle wouldn't start. Like the battery was dead, wouldn't even try to turn over. Go to turn the key off and pop my trunk where the battery is located and I can not get my key to turn all the way back to the off position, as a result I cannot remove my key. The speedometer read 30mph even though the vehicle never started and wasn't moving. Non of the electronics were working so I was unable to pop my trunk. This has happened several times before and eventually the vehicle will start and when it does the battery light stays on and the dash reads; engine performance low. The transmission will surge as I am driving and I cannot go faster than 30mph. I have even had the car shut off completly while I was driving down the road. After anywhere between a few hours to a few weeks the vehicle will stop acting up and drive normal for a while. Agian the normal lasts anywhere between a few hours to a few months as well. The power stering also flashes on the dash and sometimes cuts compleatly out.

About once a month "power steering" appears on display, sometime power assist is gone, most times it is still there but transmission shifts very hard and stalls engine when stopped for red light. If power steering comes on right away after starting vehicle, shut off, smack pass side of center console, then start, usually off then, but if vehicle is hot from sitting in sun, or very cold in winter, you have to drive it and either heat it up or cool it off before pulling over parking and shut off for 15 minutes, then hit it then start it. Told dealer of this before p/s recall work was done they said it was not related, when I went to pick it up they ask if we were having trouble with the power steering and transmission, I said yes, they said OH have a nice day.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While the vehicle was stationary, the ignition key became stuck in the vehicle. On another occasion, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the reverse gear. In addition, the vehicle would not start when prompted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the shifter independently moved and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering. The traction control and check engine warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 10v073000 (steering) in 2010. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started, the enhance traction system, the check engine and the power steering warning light illuminated intermittently. In addition, the contact mentioned that when the vehicle was switched into the reverse position, there was an abnormal sound coming from the gear shift. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,377. Ss.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and the engine turned off a second vehicle made contact with the rear bump and the vehicle rolled down a hill and crashed into a tree. The vehicle was destroyed. No police report was taken. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The contact indicated that the vehicle experienced the same failure listed in NHTSA campaign number 09v073000(power train). However, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 133,000. Pam.

My car has been stalling out as it gets to lower speeds and shifting very hard. There is a clicking in the dash somewhere and the speed odometer was fluctuating. It hesitates and tries to shut off at every stop. Loosing power and speed even down hill. The power steering reading has been coming on. And the display for gas mileage will now go to all lines no numbers. I am starting to be afraid to drive my car. That its going to get me rear ended when I am turning and it shuts off. I fear for my safety and the safety of my children. I went so far as to this morning recording the dash as it was acting up so I can show my husband.

He traction control light came on, the car started jerking really bad. The check engine light came on, and the "power steering" started flashing on my dashboard. My power steering went out, happens randomly.

I have a safety complaint I bought my 2005 chevy Cobalt and I'm not happy with-it it doesn't, drive safe its drive like the accerlator pedal going to come off its seems loose when I put my foot on it to accelerate and the car seems like its something wrong with the power steering but I have took it to firestones and dealership they said nothings wrong but I just don't seem safe driving this car especially on the expressways it seems like the car is out of control like its trying to run off from me so I stay off the expressways I think this car was in accident before I bought it but the salesman gave me a car fax report and said it hadn't but if you look at the car it look like it has thank god I haven't been in a accident with this car but im very unhappy with the performance of this car I would never buy another american car again now as fair as the ignition my car was cutting it self off with that bas ignition switch I went to several car places that said it didn't qualify for the loaned so I kept calling GMC and they got me in to get the ignition switch but its something else wrong with the power steering connected to the accerlated palpated my car needs to be toughly check out and I don't have any more money to have car dealer check it out I already spend on theirs car this yea over $1500 dollars im retired I'm one fixed income and I just don't have it if you can get my car into a dealership and have them look it over thoroughly free of charge, and I can try to fix whatever needs to be fix because I know I not crazy something is definitely wrong with my Cobalt I don't know why nobody cant see that. I have replace ball joints sways bars and ignitions switches and this car still doesn't drive right I want every bit of money I paid for this car back. I will never buy another american car again and will tell my family not to either.

On June 18, 2014 while driving 45 miles per hour I suddenly lost power steering in the vehicle and the engine kept cutting out like it was going to shut off. I pulled into a store parking lot and the shifter would not work properly when trying to get it into park. Power steering light, engine light and several other lights appeared on my dashboard. . I called the dealership on June 18, 2014 to notify them of my power steering going out and the other issues described above. They told me parts were still not available. I did receive a call back that they did in fact have the part and to bring in the vehicle on June 19, 2014. My husband drove the vehicle 35 miles to the dealership with no power steering, the engine wanted to die every time he came to a stop and acted erratically the whole drive there. According to the invoice received the dealership mileage on my vehicle was 114, 340 and they performed recall 10023 v220 removed and replaced power steering motor with motor kit 1 19257875 motor kit. On June 20, 2014 the car was driven 320 miles. On June 21, 2014 I I had no power steering. On June 23, 2014 I had to have a wrecker service tow my vehicle back to the dealership. . On July 18, 2014 I picked up my vehicle. According to the invoice received the dealer performed recall 13454 (f-cylinder kit ), performed recall 14113 (removed and replace ignition cylinder and programmed 2 new keys per recall 14113). The mileage they say was on my vehicle on this invoice dated 7/18/14 was 114, 292. Don't know how my mileage went backwards??? on July 28, 2014 driving to work at 4:30 am going 60 mph my power steering light comes on, the engine is cutting out, the dashboard lights up, the speedometer needle is flickering uncontrollably and I have no where to pull over. This is the 3rd time power steering problem due to gm recall. Help!!!.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that when he turned the vehicle on and then off it failed to restart. The vehicle also made a rumbling noise when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition module and the spark plug wires needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000. Rk.

I had the ignition cylinder replaced about a year ago, due to the key not being able to release. This was a common problem with 2005 model year Cobalts. Well, the vehicle is doing this again. The key is not being released from the ignition cylinder. However, this time I believe it is the shifter assembly that has gone bad. There is no reverse lock out. I can freely cycle through the gears without applying the brakes which is a safety hazard. I can put the car in reverse without applying the brakes by simply moving the shift lever. Little to no force is needed, I can accidentally knock the lever into reverse with the littlest of force. I have yet to contact the dealer about the issue since I am sure it will cost a fortune to fix even though it is a documented problem with a few technical service bulletins on the issue.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated his vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system) and NHTSA campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) however, the contact stated when is key is in the park the key will not release from the ignition source. When the contact picked up his vehicle from the dealer the technician was unable to remove the key from the ignition and informed him that his vehicle had an transmission problem not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 900. Az.

While driving on a major highway, "power steering" message is displayed on dash, warning chime sounds repeatedly, power door locks cycle at random, instrument panel gauges stop working intermittently and jump around, complete loss of power, and random warning lights appear on dash. At times the gas pedal was completely unresponsive, then vehicle would lurch forward - had a near miss incident when the loss of power on acceleration from a red light almost caused another vehicle to hit us. Issue has occurred at random intervals since the car was new, but has become more frequent lately and tends to occur more often on hot days. Dealer was unable to duplicate concern, despite hundreds of similar complaints on the internet.

My car repeatedly go through times of fits. These fits include losing power steering, power steering chime, traction control chime, clicking behind the radio, spinning speedometer, gas gauge fails, jerking or hiccupping as one person described it, occasional stalling. My car will drive fine for weeks, likes its new even, then all of a sudden it has a fit and this goes on for days. This started when my car was a year or two old. I have taken it to the dealer a total of 8 times. Early on when the car was younger it would seem to be repaired only do start this problem again a year later. Now that the car is older and not under warranty I have quit taking it as I do not believe it will help. They do not seem to know how to correct this problem. They are rude to me.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that both the traction control and power steering warning indicators illuminated until the engine was turned off. There was also a complete loss of power steering and the transmission began to down shift independently. The contact was able to continue to drive with excessive force being applied to the steering wheel. The failures would recur sporadically. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 10v073000 (steering). The failure recurred one year after the recall remedy was performed. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated the vehicle would shift abnormally hard and would often jump when driving at various speeds. In addition, the vehicle would sporadically attempt to stall. The contact stated that various warning lights would illuminate on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer twice and each time the dealer stated that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact also stated that the automatic key fob could not be used to lock the doors because the anti-theft alarm could not be disarmed. As a result, the contact had to manually lock and unlock the doors at all times. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 71,000. Kmj.

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While stopped, the contact placed the gear shifter in park and noticed that the indicator was still illuminated in drive. The contact was able to shut the engine off but was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. Kmj.

Not sure exactly when it happened, but it has been occurring for years now. I have spent thousands of dollars in diagnostics, parts, and labor trying to fix the mystery problem! I'm fed up! it seems to happen randomly and fix itself randomly. Sometimes it lasts a couple days and sometimes longer than a couple weeks. The problem: my car will lose power steering, it starts shifting really hard and the gauges inside get all screwed. Occasionally when it happens it just won't shift at all. It will stay in first gear. The inside gauges: the speedometer will bounce all over the place, never staying still. The radio will also get loud and quiet by itself. The power locks would frantically go up and down themselves, until I took out the spark plug for those. It is very difficult to drive when the power steering goes out, not like cars that were built without it in the first place. The very hard shifting cannot be good for the car and is dangerous when I am driving during winter months or rainy weather. I live in michigan and it snows a lot. Even the chevy dealership can't tell me what is wrong and I have paid to have numerous parts replaced that have not fixed the problem. I've read other boards online with people having the same issue. I just cannot afford to keep paying to not get the problem fixed. I hate driving such an unreliable car with two young children, four years and 10 months. It happened multiple times when my little one was a newborn. Felt like I was giving the poor baby whiplash when the car switched gears. It's an automatic so there is nothing I can do about it.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while accelerating from approximately 5 mph the vehicle began to jerk. During the failure, the contact also began to hear a clicking noise. The vehicle was pulled onto the emergency lane and shut off. Upon restarting the vehicle, the failure continued to occur. The power steering service light and another warning began to illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact also stated there was no steering failure even though the power steering service light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 25,300.

I started to notice, in my Cobalt that the brake light would flash across the screen every couple of days. I did not mind it because it was not a constant thing. I asked a technician to check it out and the car was fine. A couple of weeks later I notice, when I got in my car to go to work, that my radio was short circuiting. I figured out how to get that fixed, thinking that the brake light and the radio was not related, even though everything in the car is electrical. After this incident occurred, I was driving home from work, on the interstate, and as I exited the interstate to commute to my home, "power steering" flash on my dashboard and my wheel jerked. Now, I was turning the wheel and exiting the interstate merging into oncoming traffic. While exiting and merging, I was going across an overpass over the interstate and came life-flashing close to hitting the bridge. Thank goodness I maintained control of my vehicle. I had to drive five miles to my home with a, basically, stuck steering wheel. After I approached my home and turned the car off, I went going into my home. I don't know anything about cars, let alone power steering. So, I decided to go to meineke to get it checked out. I got back into my car and the steering was fine. I thought I was just panicking and it was just a glitch. I asked the meinke technician about it and he confirmed that maybe it was just a glitch and to bring the car in if it happens again. Hoping it doesn't happen again, I went home relieved, or so I thought. The power steering in the piece of !@#$% car has gone out at least 5 times since that day. It's getting annoying and chevy should do something about it before someone is killed and a lawsuit is produced. Thank goodness I didn't have my two year old in the car with me. I will never, and I mean never, purchase another chevy if they don't know how to protect the people who are willing to give their hard earned money for these death traps/cars. Correction in progress.

I have a 2005 chevy Cobalt and my power steering has been out for about 8 months. I've started seeing articles concerning the power steering and thought I should report my car.

I have this problem on my 2005 Cobalt of the gauge cluster going nuts, speedometer and rpm gauge jumping up and down, the lights in the cluster, abs, security, brake, engine and some others start flashing, the transmission starts clicking near the shifter and the automatic transmission shifts very hard, in fact when slowing for a stop sign or traffic light I have to shift to neutral and then pull the shifter to 1st just to get it to go without stalling, the worse part of this problem is when this starts while traveling down the hi-way and the power steering stops working and I am going around a curve and it intermittently starts working and I have to try not to over steer causing an accident, this first appeared in 2008 and has done it since, no one can fix it not even the dealership.

I purchased a chevy Cobalt brand new in 2005. From the moment it left dealership I have had one recall issue after another. The main issue is stalling while driving caused by the ignition switch. This had been fixed at schumacer Chevrolet several times. My vehicle continues to stall and I am terrified of causing an accident due to this recall which gm refuses to fix. I feel I was sold a lemon and all I get from gm and the local dealers is nothing. My vehicle is worse with the stalling. I dont know where to turn to. Please help. I dont want monetary compensation from gm if I or any passenger in my vehicle dies in an accident due to a malfunction due to gm.