46 problems related to ignition have been reported for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt based on all problems reported for the 2006 Cobalt.
With out warning. The key stays locked in the ignition, due to a faulty shifter ( microswitch pin) and will not release. Problem happens every time the car is put into park, and tried to pull the key from the ignition. Dealer service tech's claims the defective part is cheaply made and 6 out of 10 colbalts have this problem. To fix the problem complete replacement of the shifter.
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.
The key can be removed from the ignition at any time no matter what gear the shift lever is in.
The gear shift panel shicks and will not release the key out of ignition.
1) when parking my Cobalt, 3 of every 5 times my key becomes stuck in the ignition. I have to do things like--apply the brake off-and-on repeatedly, shift in-and-out of park repeatedly, and sometimes even rock the car back-and-forth with my body until it "clicks" into place and I can take my key out of the ignition. I work late shift at the hospital. It is a very scary situation to be stuck in the dark--in the middle of a parking lot--not able to get the key out of the ignition. 2)periodically, when I start up my Cobalt, the clock on my dashboard will start back at "12:00". It is very frustrating to have to keep resetting my clock. Why is this happening? 3) as I drive my Cobalt, the back windows slowly roll themselves down. I am constantly having to reach back and roll them up. They do not roll themselves down all the way, but they crack themselves enough to hear the air coming in. 4) since I bought my Cobalt I have had problems with my headlights pointing downward too much. I have brought them in to be adjusted on more than one occasion. They are still not adjusted correctly, and--at times-- I have to squat down in my seat at night in order to see "under" my headlights, so I do not cause an accident. There was a wreck associated with this headlight problem late in '06 involving a deer on the highway becuase it was impossible to see in time.
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.
Upon driving up the on ramp to I-985, the car just shut off for no reason. I was able to move the car to the side of the road, take the key out and restart it. I got the car about 4 feet, and it stopped again. I let the car sit for about 5 minutes, and then restarted it.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving at any speed, the power steering fails. When the failure occurs, the contact must turn off the engine and wait momentarily for the vehicle to restart. In addition, the power steering locks, which makes the key difficult to remove from the ignition. The contact must rattle the key, place the vehicle into park, and continue shifting in order to release the key. The failure mileage was 28,000.
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 fuel 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 upshift. 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.
Two of my friends and I went to brunch on Sunday, 5-21-06. I had purchased the vehicle on 5-13-06. It is a Cobalt ss. We parked the car in the parking lot. I could not remove the key from the ignition. Since I had another key, I turned the motor off and locked the door. When we came back about an hour later, I opened the door and was able to remove the key. The dealer states: "they inspected shifter and lock cylinder per bulletin 06-07-30-004b and was unable to verify the complaint. . . " then I started the car with my foot on the brake and put it in reverse. The car lunged backwards, I put it in neutral and then park, then put the hand brake on, but nothing would stop it until it hit a tree brace in the parking lot. The dealer stated, "unable to duplicate but reprogrammed the pcm with updated calibrations j6354. . . " of course, they would not repair the damage to my 7-day old car. I am lucky there were no people walking in the parking lot at the time!! I obtained 3 appraisals to repair the damages, the lowest being $790. 91. I believe gm is responsible for this. It definitely was a safety hazard and I'm afraid it will happen again. Thank you.
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* 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.