Chevrolet Cobalt owners have reported 54 unknown or other related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common unknown or other problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's unknown or other (54 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
This car started losing power on the hwy around 60mph now the problem has grown to car losing power and dying on the hwy at 60 mph and different speeds while the steering locks when car dies I have reported the problem to gm and it has been in and out of the shop for a month and they can not find out what the problem is this problem could cause me to be rear ended or wreck as the steering locks when the car dies maybe you can help me I fear for my safety and for others on the road with me.
My car shutts off every couple of minutes while im driving it also shut down on big intersection and I almost got hit by the car in back of me. It is very dangerous I was so scared the car just honked and was mad because it was my fault the car just shut off.
My car shut off while driving out of a parking lot a couple of days ago. Everything shut down. I couldn't even brake. I was able to put the gear in park and restart it just fine. However this is the fourth time this has happened. The last time being on the george washington bridge. The very first time was 2 months after I purchased this car. I assumed it was because I went over a speed bump that was larger than normal. The second time I went over a pothole. The third time was on the highway. So I had a mechanic look at it and he stated that I could be the alternator. This was about 2-3yrs after purchase. However my time was very limited. I live in MD but I work in new york so I spend a lot of time there and leave my car at home. So I haven't had a chance to get it fixed. With this last incident I decided to search the internet and it turns out that I am not the only one with this issue. I found it funny that there were many others with the same or similar problem. I put in a search for "cobalt shutting off while driving" and found a couple of sites describing similar issues. This last incident reminded me of how dangerous this could be. I had my 4 yr old niece in the backseat and the exit of the parking lot was on a hill. Feeling the car rolling back and not being able to brake would surely be considered a safety issue. On a side note I did have my car examined for the recall I was given notice about. This was completed last year. Nothing abnormal was reported.
Car will not turn off, key goes to acc then wont turn any farther. I have to push the shifter button before it will release the key.
I was in town with my 5 month old baby and my door handle messed up. I had parked, and exited the car and went around to passenger side of car to open the door and get my son but the door wouldn't open. I locked and unlocked the car door and it was still stuck. It was as though the door handle wasnt latched to anything. It was just there, it wouldn't do anything. I beat and bang on the door for almost an hour until the passenger side door finally opened. The driver side door still won't open, inside or out. This car needs to be recalled. I have read of many others with same problem. My child who is only 5 months old was screaming and I couldn't get to him. This could have been very tragic had it been hot outside. Someone needs to do something about this!!.
I drove to my destination and tried to turn off my car, however, the key would not turn off. Luckily, I drive a 5 speed and was able to kill the engine by popping out the clutch otherwise I would be forced to let the engine run until it ran out of gas. With the engine off, the key was still stuck in the car and all that was needed to re-start the car was a giggle of the key. This is really unsafe. With my key stuck in my car, I was unable to lock the car door; otherwise I would not be able to reenter the car. This meant that a child could have entered my car and with the key already in the car (since it was stuck) they could have driven it and caused serious bodily injury or death to themselves or to another. If my car would have been an automatic transmission, then there would have been no way to shut it off except for running it out of gas. This could pose a serious safety risk in several situations such as a car being trapped in a garage with little ventilation or if it was involved in an accident involving leaking gasoline. General motors is aware of the problem and have even issued a service bulletin on the matter (document 2552146 ; #10256: customer satisfaction - ignition lock cylinder - replace ignition lock cylinder - (Dec. 14, 2010). . Read more...
Door will not shut, than door will not open, than door opened while driving down street.
It driver side door latch began malfunctioning and either would not let my door shut or once it was shut it would not let me out. The locks still work but the door continuously gets stuck shut or won't shut at all.
Came out of the store with my three kids in 25 degree weather, when I got into my 2008 Cobalt and I couldn't get the key to turn!! there are so many complaints about this and chevy is doing nothing to fix it!! my car is at the shop and it is going to cost me $408. 00 to get fixed, right before christmas!.
Hankook optimo 725 p205/55r16 tires sidewall with extreme cracking! very similar to the hankook dynapro recall. Cobalt has very low mileage, so many consumers may not be experiencing a problem of this sort due to a car with higher mileage (and needing a tire change). I have contacted hankook and my new car dealer (kenny ross Chevrolet), but has promised me nothing to this point. I am terrified of a blow-out, and possble bodily injury, due to the extent of the cracking sidewalls. Also, these tires are leaking air pressure, which is a big concern that it may well be the valve stem, or possibly the cracking of the sidewalls. All four tires are cracked extensively.
Key is stuck in the lock cylendar. Can not turn off car. This is an extreme safety hazard. Electro-mechanical release mechanism interlocked with gear shifter appears to be working correctly (inside bottom of steering column). The key is physically stuck in the ignition lock cylendar, so the car can not be turned off. Quick search on the web reveals dozens of the same complaint on Cobalt models at least back to 2005.
I have 2008 chevy Cobalt and it only has 30,000 miles on it, bought it brand new from the dealer, lately I can smell gas burning. I took it to a service shop and they lifted it up and said it was leaking gas and they showed me. I looked online for recalls on this car and found it had a lots of recalls, even one that has the same problem mine has(leaking gas), but the years it has are between 2005-2007. I have 08, but I feel it is the same issue. I know the dealer is going to give me the runn around, but I feel they should fix this problem, so I dont have to pay them x amount of the dollars just to find the problem and then x2 amount of dollars the fix the problem.
Front windshield keeps fogging up, and not during any certain temperature. Defrost is used to dissipate problem however it is an annoyance. While driving one rainy evening I almost had an accident due to this condition, and I consider having good night vision.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was unable to turn the key to start ignition without pressure holding the steering wheel . The second occasion, the steering wheel could not be turned without calling a mechanic in. Parents bought car for commuting college student . Mileage is approximately 80,000.
The first occurrence was on 9/9/2011 at 7:30 am in the morning. The vehicle would not start. The second occurrence was on 9/9/10 at 5:00 p. M. The vehicle started and when arriving at designated location the vehicle would not stop in park. The engine continued to run, unable to take key out of ignition, the vehicle when put into other gears was able to drive. We attempted to get the engine to stop and get the key out of the ignition but we failed to do so for a lenghty period of time. The battery had to be disconnected with the engine running. This decision was made after no other alternatives could be made to shut off the vehicle. This was a dangerous situation and could have cause electrical burns or other issues while doing this.
The key will not turn in the ignition cylinder. Therefore the car will not turn off. There is a special bulletin #10256 about this exact problem including only the 2009 Cobalt however as there is not an open recall the manufacturer will not repair my car because my car has a branded title and they will only repair 'open recall' items. This issue is not listed in the global database when my VIN is searched but it needs to be listed under my VIN and there needs to be an open recall on this issue because it is certainly a huge safety problem that many owners have been experiencing. The only way to turn the car off is to get under the hood and remove the fuel relay fuse. In case of a fire this would be a catastrophic safety issue which could result in serious injury or even death.
Key gets stuck in ignition.
Issue: my ignition key will not turn once inside the ignition, preventing my car from starting. Dealership: will charge for replacing and cylinder, housing and key if vehicle exceeds bumper-to-bumper warranty (36,000 miles or ~2 years, whichever comes first). Cost including labor is $797 + tax! number of occurences: 2 safety: depending on where you last park your car, you can be stranded anywhere! tip: I have learned from the tow company that this is the most frequent problem from these chevy vehicles and that many people have had this problem.
When coming to a stop, the car will accelerate on its own. It does this at random times, today at stop sign the car speedometer accelerated to 80 mph and car shut down while at a complete stop. No codes to read nor did check engine light come on.
After parking my vehicle in the parking lot, I attempted to turn off the engine. The key was stuck in the ignition and would not move. Thus, the car could not turn off. I tried shifting the car from park to drive to park again but this would not work. I finally had to remove the fuel pump relay so I could turn off the fuel and lock my car. The key was still in the ignition so the battery drained. I had to jump start the car the next working day to drive it to the dealership.
2008 chevy Cobalt keys stuck in ignition and vehicle will not turn off. Chevy offered no assistance with the issue when I contacted their corporate office. There is also an issue with the 2009 chevy Cobalt having exactly the same issues and gm has sent a memo to services centers to correct this issue. The 2009 issue involves exactly the same part number and the same make and model car as well as a few other vehicles with the same problem.
Ignition key stuck will not turn off car and cant remove key have to pop clutch and disconnect battery told by dealer that there have been a lot of these ignitons just falling apart why is there no recall.
We just bought a used 2005 chevy Cobalt from the chevy dealership. The day we picked the vehicle up the car shut off and would not start. We took it back the dealership said it was the kill switch. We took the car back home with us. The same day, driving to another location the car shuts down while driving. Two months later, the car still keeps shutting down while driving at any given time. I work at a mechanic shop and I have many mechanic friends. No one can explain why it keeps shutting off. I have researched on the internet for a while; many people with the same problems with no solution. This vehicle has low mileage and most complaints in forums with the same issue have the same problem with low miles or happening from first of purchase. Do not know how to fix the problem. Was told that the car must do this while mechanic is driving in order to try to repair the problem. No diagnosis can be made. I feel this problem will cause an accident; was close to getting hit today when car shut off in the middle lane of traffic. No parts purchased at this time.
Cruise control work's intermittly trun signals trun off on there own once in about every 10 time use . If your don't hear trun signal still blinking and keep driving other driver think you going to turn,came close to wreaking couple of times that's when I notice they were'nt truning off after making the turn.
2007 chevy Cobalt, 60,000 miles. Bushing on driver side was completely missing, busing on passenger side was almost gone. Car would veer to the left, counter steering would cause the car to be very erratic. Was told by chevy that only the bushing would be covered under warrant, however my mechanic would not replace just the busing as the control arm would be compromised. Replaced parts - only to have the car start acting the same way. On a recent trip upnorth for the holidays, when I reached 60 mph the steering wheel started vibrating and it felt like the wheel was not on securely. My son and I were bounced around inside of the car as if we were swaying back and forth. I was told by our local chevy dealership that this problem with the bushings is not going to be recalled as it is not a safety issue. I really must disagree, I was very nervous being on the freeway driving 70 mph only to have the car start swaying back and forth. We immediately turned around and drove back home. I will be making an appointment with my local mechanic to see what the issue is, and then will be trading the car in to never own a chevy again in this lifetime. This is unfortunate as I loved my Cobalt - great gas mileage, perfect size car. . . . . I have noticed through my research that there are hundreds of people who are experiencing this problem. I have never owned a car where major equipment needed to be replaced within 4 years of driving. This is not simply wear and tear, however poor production on the part of chevy.
I have a 2008 chevy Cobalt. The ignition is stuck and the key will not turn the ignition to start the car. This has happened on several occasions with the vehicle. Using force the mechanic was able to eventually get the car started, but this happened again in another incident several months later. It is not included in the recall since the recall for the ignition only covers the 2009 chevy Cobalt. This was also not covered in the extended warranty.
Had no problem leading up to this problem and worked fine and came out of no where. My 2008 chevy Cobalt LS won't turn off the key is in the ignition and won't come out or turn off. I called my dealer ship and they said they have had several problems with Cobalts prior to this and it's the cylinder ignition. It's in the shop now and won't know anything till tomorrow. If people are having problems then why isn't this taking car of? I do not have 300 plus dollars to put into my car.
After shutting off my 2009 chevy Cobalt I was not able to turn the ignition switch to restart the car. I had to have it towed to the dealer and have a new ignition lock cylinder replaced.
They key is stuck in the ignition due to a problem with a micro switch in the shifter. You can shift the car into gear without touching the button.
Rear brakes and rotors bad , severe groves in rotors .
1. Begin squeaking and e brake begins to no longer hold the car 2. Rear breaks pads wear out very quickly about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles 3. Put new pads on.
The ignition cylinder on my 08 Chevrolet colbalt imploded and I was unable to drive vehicle. I had to have it towed in and repaired. The service adviser told me there was to be a recall on this problem. Is this true? how does someone get an investigation started?.
Had control arm replaced about 8 months ago due to bushing needing to be replaced now it needs to be done again I am very worried about this and I dont know about anyone else but I do not have the money to continuously replace these parts there are several other complaint for the same make and model car I would like to know why gm has not been required to fix this problem it is very dangerous.
The key can not be removed from the ignition switch. Eventhough the shifter is in the park position. The key does not return to the remove position. You can turn the engine off, but the key remains in the accessory position so the battery runs down. Repeated efforts of cycling the shifter and turning the wheel does not rectify the problem. When I took it to the dealer the shifter was replaced at a cost of $287. Fortunately, this happened when I returned home and was able to park in my own garage. It would have been unfortunate if I had been on a trip or an important errand and would have to left the key in the ignition in a public area. When I "googled" this problem on the internet in an effort to find a simple solution, I found numerous similar complaints in regards to the Cobalt car.
I tried to open the driver's side door, from the outside, and the handle broke off. I am not a person of unusually great strength. The car is less than ten years old. The winter conditions on January 10, 2011 in the great northwest were nowhere near as cold as other parts of the country. This door handle should not have failed due to the age of the car, the weather, or my opening the door in the usual manner. The outside door handle of the 2007 Cobalt needs to be made stronger. This is a safety hazard that needs to be addressed before a life is lost. Should a person need medical assistance and another door handle fails, a death could occur.
Power steering becomes inoperable after several turns of the steering wheel on the new electronic power steering system. General motors was aware of the condition as disclosed in the diagnostic bulletin provided to me after the third return to the local dealer to report the problem. (see attached bulletin). I have contacted general motors customer service and they are supporting the statement provided in the bulletin that this is a normal condition and no resolution for the problem. I informed the dealer salesman, management and title agent the vehicle was needed for driver education purposes. The vehicle is unsafe and puts students in danger when making hard turns, evasive maneuvers to avoid accidents and parallel parking. In addition, they are failing the mva road test due to an inability to control the steering. The selling dealer was aware of the problem as noted in the bulletin and should have informed me the electronic power steering becomes inoperable when the system warms-up. And to not have a resolution is unconscionable.
Trunk of the vehical has collected water. My spare tire was not available when needed during the winter because it was frozen to the bottom of my trunk. The water collected is so excessive that enough of it was able to cover my spar tire and freeze it. Water comes up through both wheel wells and does not drain out.
My wife an I were stoped at middlebrook pike trafic light waiting for the oncoming traffic to pass on western avenue in knoxville,tennessee so that we could make a right turn. We were rear ended by another vehicle who failed to stop. My seat belt did not restrain me ,I was bouncing back and forth several times(I remember going back and forth around 3 to 4 times before it knocked me out). The seat belt just did not hold me ! at that time I weighed about 250 to 260lbs. I was paralized from the waist down for about 9 days at the university of tennessee hospital in knoxville on the neuro floor. I have been to patricia neal rehabation several times and they have fitted me for a power wheel chair. If the seatbelt would have worked properly I would not be in this situation the head rest is bent and loose were my head bounced off of it severaltimes, an the seat itself moves when it is supposed to be stationary(it can go forward or backward) without warning. The car dealer said they was a recall on the seat belts on this car but they never did fix them. The car dealer had people who bought vehicles sign papers that they had their pre-delivery inspection when they did not. The dealer would give them a tank of gas for it an also for any letter from gm on ranking the local dealer's service favorably only. This dealer knew of several recalls on this vehicle but they did not want to fix them under the manufactors warranty. My wife called gm headquarters and they told her that if she had any more problems with her car they would replace it . I also have a spinal cord injury.
My 2006 chevy Cobalt will sometimes loose power when you turn a corner or from take off. It will hesitate for a few seconds a then start to take off gradually. There has been no engine light on but one time. The electric power steering light came on (making a dinging noise) then went off when the car started to run better. Seems to have more problems during the colder weather. I called gm dealerships and they said there is nothing they can do about it. It a safety issue because people are behind you when you take off and all of a sudden your car starts to act like it has no power and I almost been hit from behind. Amco transmisson place told me it might be something with the transmission trying to take off in second gear. Gm dealerships said they doubt it and would not look at it. I was wondering if anyone else has had problems. Gm in tulsa, claremore oklahoma said they never heard of it but I do not belive them. This problem happens all the time.
I was driving to a different state, and about 3 hours into the drive, I stopped for gas. After shutting the car off, I was unable to remove the key from the ignition. I was able to release the key by reaching under the steering column and pressing the manual release button. Even after having recall work on another item at a gm dealer, they didn't offer any sort of solution on how to get this fixed. I still have to press the manual release to get the key out. Contacted gm customer service through email and they offered no remedy and claimed no responsibility.
I have a 2006 chevy Cobalt, the check engine light will come on in the car and the car will just stop or sometimes the check engine light doesn't come on and the car will stop. I was crossing a busy intersection and the car just stopped, I tried to start it back up but it just stalled. This has happened several times were you could be driving and the car will just stop. I was at a stop light and the car just stop. It's becoming a driving hazard, because I really don't know when the car will just stop on me. I have had a diagnostic check on the car from the dealership and they found nothing wrong and I had them check it again they said it was a sensor. The next day after the dealership checked my car the car stopped again in traffic. Now this will be the third time I will have take it for repairs to see what is wrong. I'm afraid I'll get hurt or my teenager daughter will get hurt, because the car just stops. The car also stoppped on the expressway while driving, I was in the slow lane and was able to pull over. Can you please help. . .
My car is a 2005 Cobalt Chevrolet. Twice in 3 months a hear a chime and the steering goes from automatic to manual and puts me in harms way while driving. I have to turn the car off and then on again to fix the problem. The problem scared me today while driving 65 mph on i95 while raining. The steering went out and I had to manually control my vehicle and almost crashed before I was able to pull over. I contacted chevy customer service the week before and they said it is a problem and a recall notice will be sent to me soon. Please help because I really don't want to crash and chevy said it may be a while before I get my recall notice and they know how to fix it.
For the last 10 days I have been having problems with my 2006 chevy Cobalt. For some reason after u park the car the vehicle wont go all the way into park and u cant remove the key from the ignition. Also when I start the car the shifter seems to be completely stuck and after I continue to restart and press the brake it finally will move. Seems to be a linkage problem. I looked this up online and other people are having the same problem. So my vehicle has been sitting in the garage since Saturday with the keys stuck in it. When are we gonna start getting proper recalls on this car or have it labeled as a lemon. I just got it out of the shop a month ago for the power steering problem.
No crash, injury's.
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt ss - turbocharged. Rear brakes going bad quickly and ruining rotors.
Passenger side door started to not close when this first started and after a while the door got completely stuck and will not open and the passenger side door handle is cracking almost ready to brake. Driver side door is starting to stick shut also.
2009 chevy Cobalt ss 4door car has only been put under standard driving conditions city/highway and before 20000 miles the rear brake rotors were groved and warped beyond repair and the inside rear brake pad was down to metal. The outside pad still had over 70% life left on it but was groving the rotor also. Front brakes are fine with no issues.
My rear brake were scored up and squeak ever since I got the car brand new. After a little bit of stop and go traffic the rear brakes began to squeak when brake is applied to gradually slow to a stop.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 70 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle suddenly flipped over three times. The weather conditions were dry. Due to shock, all the contact could remember was climbing out of the vehicle. She was informed by witnesses at the scene that the vehicle was traveling at a high speed and flipped over while exiting off of the freeway. The contact sustained a fractured vertebrae, internal bruising, and a cracked tailbone. A police report was filed. A couple of months prior to the failure, the contact stated that the power steering was difficult to maneuver and the warning indicator was illuminated. The vehicle was not serviced at that time. The contact had previously taken the vehicle to get a rod inspected, which was located between the brake and the steering. She was informed that it was not a serious issue at that time. The current and failure mileages were 60,000.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that she hears a knocking noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The noise is usually louder when the temperature is below 50 degrees. The contact stated that it sounds as if someone is inside the trunk. The dealer stated that the failure cannot be repaired and referenced the contact to service bulletin # 1890375. The current mileage is 4,577 and failure mileage was 500.
The paint on the interior of the car continues to peel off.
3/30/2007. 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. Contact hit an object while driving on the highway. The radiator was damaged when the consumer hit the object. The consumer stated no warning lights illuminated to let her know there was problem.
Washed car in parking lot, parked car in car port over night. Approximately 18 hours later after starting the engine attempted to pull out of the car port and the car felt stuck, I got out to make sure nothing was blocking the wheels; tried driving the car again with greater acceleration--was able to move car but the right rear wheel was locked and made skid marks and sounds for about 15 feet, the wheel would not unlock, tried putting the car in reverse, the wheel remained locked, then tried accelerated and braking hard, the wheel would not unlock. Called Chevrolet roadside assistance they sent a flatbed truck to take to dealer, the tow truck driver had the same problem, at my home and at the dealer; left Cobalt in the service drive overnight; next day when service drove the vehicle into service it operated normally. Dealers service dept was unable to duplicate the problem--I am concerned about this happening when I am not home or I am driving. 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS.
Clutch went on car after 60 miles (2 weeks old) been in toms Chevrolet repair shop for three week still not parts.