general problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt - part 1

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

Our vehicle has had zero accidents the airbag light showed up on dashboard stating check airbags. Then as far as electrical the headlights seem to turn on there own at times. We feel this perhaps is a recall not known yet.

My speedometer jumps and shows a message of power steering. It makes my fuel line jump as well. I've recently gotten my starter fixed because my car wouldn't start. My tire warning stays on and my tires are new and set at the right psi. My abs comes and goes all the time and nothing needs to be fixed. My car jerks really hard when all of this is going on.

I was drivein on high way in my car got hard to trun so I stoped and let my uncle drive cause he is more stronger then from that point it got harder to trun it amost locked up on me who know what would have happen but I was almost to my house so we were ablue to get it here then I called my car lot and I hade to drive it there it was so impossible to do but with the help of my uncle he got it there and im in school and stuck with out a car intell its fixed and I have to pay laber wait on part to come in thay say etc its just alot and thank god I was not alone.

Power steering is locking up while driving. Windows won’t go down.

I own a 5-speed manual transmission which should roll freely while in neutral. After starting engine while on a slight incline in a parking lot, the vehicle would not roll in neutral, as if all brakes were being applied. I thought that by driving the vehicle on the road the brakes would free up, but they did not. I shut the engine off and on a few times but that did not make a difference. I could only move forward at 5-10 mph in first gear to get the vehicle home, which fortunately was just 5 blocks away. Something smelled terrible like burning wires or brake pads. Even after letting the vehicle sit in my driveway for a few hours it would not free up the brakes which were being applied. Then I read a tip on an internet users forum: remove a fuse labeled "abs2" and voila! it freed up the brakes! I can drive the vehicle normally but obviously without abs capability. Now my 19 yr old grandson, who turned the vehicle over to me because of this issue, states this happened to him on two different occasions *while driving on the road!* imagine having your brakes applied while at full speed: this is a serious safety issue which could result in injury or death.

The receptacle that holds the brake light gets so hot that it melts and has melted the plastic around it as well. The bulb won’t stay lit because of this therefore the brake and turn signal lights constantly burn out and it could cause an accident due to lack of signaling and could also very easily start a fire. It started about 2-3 years after we bought the car new with just having to just replace the bulbs much too often, yearly, then a couple of times a year, and now the bulbs are not even lasting a month and the components are actually melting.

The accelerator pedal constantly fails to activate immediately after turning it on. It used to happen on cold or rainy days. It now fails to activate all the time. Took it to an independent service center and they said it could be the wiring due to water getting in the car. My car did have a leak and it was fixed but many months after these issues started occurring. I get a check engine light with a service traction control, service esc, and code p2138 is shown.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that on stated that while seated in the driver's seat without the key in the ignition the vehicle attempted to start independently. The contact stated that the internal lights flash on and off. Additionally, the vehicle would attempt to start independently until the battery was depleted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the battery was recharged. Classic Chevrolet of lake city, 6190 w blue rd, lake city, mi 49651, (888) 580-3758, was called by phone and informed of the failure. The contact stated that the ignition was replaced on four separate occasions however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate mileage failure mileage was 150000. Ah.

The battery of this vehicle, and even new ones from the same manufacturer, have the battery installed in the trunk from the factory. There's a brittle plastic tube that vents the toxic fumes generated by an operating battery to the outside of the car. If this tube is damaged/broken, it allows fumes to enter the trunk, and seep into the cabin. The fumes corrode your lungs, which in some cases, such as mine, leads to hypoxia, meaning that the operator of the vehicle is dizzy & confused. This issue not only affects the owners/occupants of the vehicles with this design, but could potentially endanger unsuspecting pedestrians/motorists due to the operator of a vehicle becoming incapacitated, or they may simply black out at the wheel due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. The fumes are allowed to build up in the cabin of the car if the windows are left up and the air conditioner is on recirculate. The fumes are odorless meaning that you can go about operating the vehicle for an extended period of time without noticing that there's a problem, not that it would matter since the fumes corrode the nerve in your nose that allow you to have a sense of smell. The symptoms are flu like, which may lead a victim to ignore their symptoms. In my particular instance, the fumes that were entering the cabin of my car was sulfuric acid. This design flaw could easily lead to death, if not from the highly toxic, carcinogenic fumes that are entering the cabin of the vehicle, then the confusion/dizziness that the fumes lead to, which not only endangers the operator of the vehicle, but unsuspecting pedestrians/motorists who may be in the path of a vehicle with an operator who has blacked out, or is simply confused/dizzy due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. The part number of the tube for my specific car is 15247277. Trunk batteries should be outlawed unless aftermarket.

The gauges on the dash go haywire. A subtle 'ding ding' sound is made. The engine has difficulty accelerating and will only do so in spurts. A power steering warning is displayed on the dash and the steering wheel becomes very tight and impossible to turn. Car will give you about a minute, tops, to do something before shutting down completely. Issue happens randomly but seems to be triggered by the car deccelerating into first gear, at a stoplight for example. However, this past incident happened while on the interstate and nearly caused a collision with a semi. My particular VIN is not included in the loss of power steering recall involving Chevrolet Cobalts, general motors recall number:10023 and NHTSA recall number: 10v073000. However, based on performance the past 6 months, I sincerely believe it should be.

"takata recall" I am buying this vehicle from a buy here pay here lot. During my experiernce driving this car. I've had trouble steering the wheel. I brought in in to tire discounters for inspection testing. The result the auto tech explained to me in writing that I have electrical issues with the car. Also the tires was placed on backwards and the car needs new tires. The check engine light is on in the car. In motion on the street when experiencing this problem. The sensors are bad. This vechicle is programmed and needs a remote. I have to go to the dealer resolve it. Time auto sales in latonia kentucky previous owner of this car.

I have a fuel leak on the drivers side middle of the vehicle, in front of the rear tire. This leak is from the fuel lines around the heat shield. It appears the fuel lines are corroded. I tried to get a price quote on parts from the dealership, but they required me to take in in for diagnostics, because they said it was a common problem and should be covered under a recall. After $100 they told me it wasn't covered and finally quoted me on the repair, over $1,000. Not only do I feel the parts were faulty, I feel like I was scammed out of an additional $100 to confirm what I already knew. The vehicle leaks when stationary, if you turn the key off the fuel lines will drain onto the ground until the lines empty. Starting the vehicle takes about 5 seconds for the pump to get new fuel to the engine. When the engine is on the fuel will continually drizzle out. The leak was not noticed until a mechanic pointed it out in September of 2018, but has now grown to a big issue. Given the proximity of the leak to the exhaust I am concerned this could be a major issue for someone driving in the south, in the summer.

Battery keeps dying and key is stuck in ignition. Have to keep replacing battery every 8 months which are brand new 5 year battery. Fuel line was replaced but still strong odor of gas and rotting fuel line again. Safety hazard! this has been reported by a large number of people. Why is there not a recall on this?? vehicle was stationary at the time. This happens all the time so I can only put one date in here. Something is also wrong with my electrical system and the check engine light comes on all the time after diagnosing with my mechanic and having it turned off. Why isn't gm doing anything to help us?.

Instrument cluster malfunctioning, speedometer and warning indicators flashing, going out, resuming normal operation, then repeating the failure symptoms repeatedly. During failure symptoms the transmission and engine bog down, stall and the power steering assist fails (with engine still running) . Random electrical issues such as the check engine light, car alarm sensor, etc flash on and off then start working again totally normally. Can not get the failure to occur at the dealership or mechanics. Fails several times a week. Fails when driving on street, highway at low speeds, medium speeds or high speeds.

Won't crank unless you hold key in a certain place.

The dash message says power steering. As I was excellerating in the on ramp of the highway, the rpm jumped up to 6,000 all on its own and now it will not shift gears, does not read any mph, and can barely go more than 20mph. This was unexpected and had no warnings prior to. Although it still functions (turns on, runs, has all power available, has reverse) it is ultimately disabled. Also, the fuel lines/ fuel pump failed causing a gas leak, making it a challenge to start the vehicle. I have patched the fuel line as a temporary fix. I have already replaced the lower control arms and the timing chains at my own expense.

My 2008 chevy Cobalt began secreting a very strong fuel odor; it didn't matter if it was parked, or driving, the odor has been prominent 24/7. I checked for leaks and found nothing. I recently moved, so I have yet to find a new, trustworthy mechanic, so I've been driving my husbands car due to the fact that I do not feel safe driving the chevy at this point. I had however, been regularly starting the engine once a week, while trying to locate a mechanic, however now. My chevy is completely dead; it wont turn on, nor will the lock system even function VIN number: 1g1al58f787297278.

I first had noticed my front passenger speaker would cut in and out. It didn't matter if the car was stationary or if I was driving. The following week I was driving through the parking lot of my job and the doors locks started locking and unlocking rapidly by themselves. And now they rarely ever do either when I try and push the lock buttons. So they either have to stay locked or unlocked depending the mood of the car. The following week I had a gas leak and had to have it serviced because that is very dangerous. The mechanic told me that there was a recall on that plastic piece to fuel system but only in southern states and I live in the north. And not to long after that my turn signal switch wouldn't stay on or it wouldn't shut off by it's self. Also dangerous trying to hold switch on while making a turn.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver while driving various speeds. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 10v073000 (steering), 14v047000 (electrical system:ignition:switch), and 14v171000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

Tl- contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that when attempted to drive the vehicle, the steering wheel seized as the power steering warning light illuminated. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering needed to be replaced and was informed to take the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 10v073000 (steering). The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the failure and informed that the vehicle was out of warranty and did not offer further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000. Aw.

I give my car chevy cobolt to billy navarr lake charles for ignation switch recall because gm corporate told me take there and chevy delar billy navarr sold my car to some body but they are saying some body steel the car and they can do nothing.

Start of the problem the gauges will go eratic, my car chimes a few dings then theft light comes on. I don't have a theft system. Ls model. Also effects the transmission(automatic) cause it will shift hard and jerk the car. The ac also shuts off during this issue, it will blow air but it won't be cold. Seems like the issue always comes back when it's extremely hot outside. This is an on going issue for about 5 years and it comes and goes. Every mechanic I went to their car reader can't read my car. Also it has happened while I was driving and again when I'm parked and just started the car. And I have had all the recalls fixed that were reported.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 55 mph, all the warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the power steering failed and the speedometer, fuel gauge, and tachometer needles moved back and forth and displayed inaccurate readings. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the electronic brake control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the remedy did not resolve the issue. The contact stated that the failure continued to occur intermittently. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving various speeds, the instrument panel gauges fluctuated, the power steering failed, and the transmission shifted abnormally. The security system warning indicator illuminated. The failures occurred sporadically. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

"takata recall" when going slow in drive and reverse my car began to have trouble steering. It physically go to the point where I was manually turning it my self with no help from the power steering. The dash lights have gone out, none of them are currently working. . . . I have to drive with a flash light secured to my dash just to see my gauges. I am unable to see any thing else that comes up on my dash that has to be seen by a light. My gear shift lights do not work. I must turn on the dome light in order to see the gear I shift into. Heating/ac lights are gone. Tail lights also are not working. Have changed the light bulbs and still no tail lights.

Tl- the contact owned a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being operated approximately 15mph the vehicle experienced a loss of steering, which resulted in a driver side impact collision. The air bags did not deploy. The failure occurred without warning. The towed away to a local dealer where the vehicle was deemed destroyed. Prior to this failure the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system). The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. A police report was filed. There were no injuries that required medical attention. The failure mileage was 138,000. Kh.

Multiple times (not only today) my vehicle did not let me open the doors, the passenger door handle had too much give and did not allow my passenger to open their (passenger) door. I had to walk around the car and try to open it from the outside, which did not work, either. After a few minutes of trying I banged my fist next to the lock, which allowed the car to open. This has also happened to me on the driver's side door. Luckily, there was not an emergency, but if there were, if we were in an accident or the car was on fire, we might have been trapped in the vehicle. Another issue the car is having is stereo problems and speaker malfunction. My front speakers do not work at all and the front left (driver speaker) is the one warning chimes come out of, including the blinker. I have researched this problem and it is a very common malfunction. It is not dangerous per se, but a blinker left on unknowingly could easily result in an accident. I have researched both of the issues online, especially the latter is very common for Cobalt owners. I have contacted gm, and was told I need to get the vehicle diagnosed for my own money, even though it clearly is a malfunction by the parts/flaw in design to get gm customers to pay premiums for fixing parts that should not go wrong.

Purchased this vehicle off a used car lot Feb/2015 within a month of use the transmission fluid lines broke. Got back on the road, several months later the check engine light comes on and the power steering sensor as well. The car immediately started to become harder to handle. I'm scared that it will cut out on my wife and infant.

The air bag switched turned on and does not cut off and now the car hesitates to start up. All my recalls have been due to either electrical, steering and ignition problems. Now their is an issue witj the air bag and ignition. It chokes them starts after turning the key all the way to the right but it hesitates to start. This dudnt not happen unitl the air bags light started to stay on.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle had a fuel leak and the contact noticed a strong smell of fuel and also noticed a small puddle of fuel on the ground. The contact stated that when she tried to start the vehicle, it would not catch. It took a while before it would start. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. Ed.

The electrical system drains the battery causing the keys to get stuck in the ignition I need to get a jump to start it and this is a new battery six months old.

Car rolled down slight hill after turning off and exiting vehicle, transmission shifter appeared to be in park but obviously not as car rolled after leaving alone on slight slope. After accident, I placed key in ignition, started car but will not back up or change position of gear from neutral or drive. Will not go back into park. Key will not come out of ignition now. Bumper and radiator are damaged after crash.

This evening when I pulled into the garage, I put the car in park and proceeded to turn off and remove the key from the ignition. After several attempts to turn key forward and then back, I could not get the key out. I tried putting the car in gear and then putting it in park again. The key still would not come free. I didn't want to burn the 1/2 tank of fuel so I removed the fuel pump fuse, which stopped the car and then had to disconnect the battery so as not to drain the battery as the key is stuck in the "on' position. Different than other stories I have read about the key being stuck on, is that I am still able to turn it forward a bit. Hopefully, I can put the fuse back in, connect the battery and start it so that I can drive it to a dealership in the morning.

Took car to dealer on gm ingnition switch recall; there was nothing wrong with the car mechanically when they took posession. They had the car for about 6 weeks , they moved it around on their lot by thier own admission, did a req oil change and when we went to pick up they had lost the keys. When they agreed to make new keys, they could not get the automatic door lock to work and after now 6 months of discussions they still wont take resposibility although a second dealership has looked at it and says "they must have shorted out the system changing the ingnition or programing the keys" . . I need help getting them to fix the locks.