Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt STEERING

2005 chevy cobalt with approx 45000 miles. power steering warning light appears and then steering wheel is hard to maneuver. did google search and found huge numbers of complaints about the same thing with the same model car. after warning light appears, if the ignition is turned off and then back on the light disappears and the steering is ok again for a while. took car to chevrolet dealer and they said the entire steering column needed to be replaced at a cost of $800+. how can such a major problem occur on a relatively new car and there is no re-call? *tr

Recently purchased a 2005 chevy cobalt. three months later in january while driving, the power steering went out. pulled in a store parking lot, shopped fifteen minutes, started the car and had power steering. this happened again seven days later. i took it in to my mechanic who said it was an electronic power steering pump and shutting down was a safety feature if it over heats. it happened a few times during the summer and again around december. this can happen no matter what the temperature. i went online and found out it could cost thousands to replace the whole system. *tw

Power steering randomly goes out while driving. very dangerous!!! *tr

Picked up child from daycare and while turning to get out of facility power steering indicator showed on digital read-out. wheel locked and to avoid hitting another parent and child, turned wheel as hard as possible ( very difficult ) to avoid collision and hit curb. slight damage to rim. vehicle purchased from licensed chevy dealer in may of 07 with 50 thousand miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the power steering failed without warning. immediately, the warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and remained lit until the engine was turned off. the driver experienced extreme difficulty steering the vehicle, which resulted in greater effort to turn the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the power steering unit. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was 49,000 and current mileage was 50,000.

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt and at least once a day while driving (highway or city driving) my car loses its power steering. i can be on the highway or driving home from the store. there is no speed limit, no rhyme or reason. the only way i can fix it is to turn the car entirely off and restart it. i have on numerous occasions had such difficultly steering that i barely missed hitting other cars. turning corners is nearly impossible! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and the power steering failed. she had to place the vehicle into park or neutral and then shut off the engine in order for it to restart. the power steering functioned sporadically before completely failing again. the failure occurred every time the vehicle was in use. the manufacturer informed the dealer of a tsb for the issue and stated that the repair would cost $700. the vehicle has not been repaired. the current mileage was approximately 39,200 and failure mileage was approximately 37,500.

While driving the electronic power steering assist motor failed and lost all power steering in the vehicle. cycling power to the motor (killing ignition and restarting car) brings it back for a few moments before it fails again. entire steering column had to be replaced. *tr

Power steering in my chevy cobalt (2005) shuts off and car is difficult to drive. *tr

I am experiencing a random loss of power steering in my 2005 chevy cobalt. it appears that the electronic power steering in my vehicle will randomly quite working. if i shut the car down and restart it the power steering will function again for a time, but will eventually go out again. *tr

Beginning january 3rd, 2009, the 'power steering' warning has intermittently appeared and power steering assist would fail. this occurred about 3 times, between 30 and about 50 miles per hour. this is clearly a safety hazard. i also own a 2004 malibu. my wife is the primary driver. the same issue happened with her car. after fighting with gm and the dealer they agreed, as a one time exception, to replace the steering column for the malibu at no cost. this due to my "customer loyalty." knowing the trouble involved and the likely outcome, i have not yet contacted gm regarding the current cobalt issues. the cost of repair is suspicious, around $2000. the method of repair is also suspect; the replacement of the entire steering column. not only does this seem to be excessive, there is little assurance that the new steering column is any different. it is not reasonable to expect anyone to foot this bill as a consumer. it is expensive, and clearly a product defect. i am concerned about using the car, especially on the interstate, thus rendering this costly product all but useless - and dangerous. this is not the only electronic issue i have had with this car. i need to open the bottom of the column to remove my key from the ignition (estimated repair cost from goodwrench - $450), and repeated blown fuses when i first bought the car, attributed to pinched wiring. a recall seems in order for this situation. thank you. *tr

A clunk in my driver side front tire, when going over small bumps while turning. also loose steering, rattling sound from the steering column. gm replaced the intermediate shaft, it did absolutely nothing. im now being told i need to replace the whole steering column at 50,000 miles! this will cost about 2 thousand dollars..... problem not caused by driver. inside the steering column there is a "backlash" form the gears causing this problem. *tr

The power steering on my 2005 cobalt rarely works. it works when the car is initially turned on but turns off soon afterwards. this began ~1 year ago. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving various speeds, the power steering shuts off. as a result, the vehicle becomes unmanageable to turn and uncontrollable. in order for the vehicle to reset itself, the contact must shut off the vehicle and wait a few minutes for it to restart. occasionally, this process must be repeated several times. he had to tow the vehicle to his residence after the most recent failure. the contact took his vehicle to the dealer on april 13, 2009. the failure mileage was 52,500.

The electronic power steering on my 2005 chevy cobalt ceases to function in the middle of traffic or while making turns. this causes me to temporarily lose control of the car and could lead to accident or serious injury. *tr

2005 chevy cobalt - loses power steering. dealership cannot diagnosis and neither can my mechanic. teenage driver. very unsafe to have happen to her while driving. *tr

Problem, while driving 2005 chevy cobalt, power steering light appears on dash warning, and power steering turns off making wheel difficult to move. this has happen a few time while i was driving, and i pulled off the road, put my hazards on, turned off the car, then restarted it again, and the powering steering was back. this is occurring my frequently, and since i drive on the highway daily, it is an accident waiting to happen, my car is unsafe. i will have to pick to mechanic to have fixed somehow. *tr

Electrical power steering failure in my 2005 chevy cobalt. i have made numerous complaints to the manufacturer with no response. my power steering goes out and then resets itself, sometimes while you are going down the road. the only repair for this is to replace my entire steering column which costs over $1,000! this happened when i had only 62,000 miles on the car. cannot afford to fix this car and pay for it too. i have children though and this is a dangerous situation. we live in ky and the roads are full of hills and curves, now that the power steering is starting to reset itself again while going down the road, it is even more hazardous. *tr

2005 chevrolet cobalt. power steering fails at all speeds. impossible to steer the car. could definitely cause collisions at high speeds. should be a recall. gm is unwilling saying they do not have enough complaints. someone is going to get hurt. *tr

Electronic power steering failure in a 2005 chevy cobalt. first started failing intermittently around 55k miles. now fails within a few seconds of starting the vehicle (62k miles). gm says they cannot fix without completely replacing steering column. have found hundreds of complaints online for the same problem. *tr

I drive a 05 chevy cobalt.....my power steering keeps going out.....it is electronic so i turn the car off and crank it back up and it will come back on...may last 5 miles or 50.....had to pay 100 to run diagnostics on my car and they said it was the power steering motor....651.00.....trying to get a loan from the bank now to repair....this is very unsafe and needs to be looked in to...ive had this problem for aprox a year... *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt and every time i drive it no matter how far at some point in that trip the power steering will cut off. at one point i had the radio on i did not realize the power steering had cut off and happened to be going around a really tight turn luckily i realized what had happened and was able to keep control of the car but if i hadn't there would have been serious consequences as that road is wooded area the last thing i would like to hit is a tree. also in bad weather this could be seriously dangerous, if your power steering turns off and you need to maneuver quickly odds are you are not going to be able to. i drive 25 miles to work and back every day. when i get home and pull my car in the driveway its all i can do to pull it in the drive way my shoulder hurts from steering the car with no power steering many time i leave the wheels turned in the drive way because i do not have the strength to make them straight. what if a older person was driving this car do you think that they would be able to steer a car with no power steering? have any one there or at gm tried to drive a car with no powersteering?? because they can most certainly come drive mine and maybe then they might think that this deserves a recall? or if their families or children were driving this car would it warrant a recall? it doesn't matter because no one has died yet! is that really what it takes for them to correct something so serious?? *tr

Power steering failed in my chevy cobalt. it cuts out within a few minutes of driving and remains out. this makes it difficult to steer at low speeds and park. i have come close to being in accidents several times. i have stop driving my car because it is to difficult to maneuver and it is to much of a strain for me while pregnant. *tr

It was christmas morning and i drove approximately 20 miles home and as i got off the highway the power steering sensor came on, i lost control of the vehicle as i had no steering. it occurs every time i drive the vehicle, there is no accurate way to determine when it will go out, the consequence is possible death or accident depending upon what's around that i may hit when i can't steer my car. it was brought it for diagnostic testing, it was diagnosed, it was not repaired as it cost over a thousand to fix. *tr

Power steering stops working while driving, works again after restart. dealer says this is a common problem with this vehicle. dangerous as car is very difficult to steer. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 20-50 mph, the steering wheel indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel locked up. the vehicle lost power and became very difficult to steer. the failure has occurred more than six times in one month. the vehicle is currently parked because the contact feels that it is unsafe to drive. a mechanic stated that there was failure pertaining to the steering wheel. the failure mileage was 19,698.

Without warning the power steering has failed and has failed everytime i start to drive it. this started on 12/20/08. driving it is difficult and the only cure is to replace the steering column costing $700. i have found this is a common problem to the chevy cobalt 05-08. *tr

Power steering fails to work and makes driving difficult.when changing lanes. it is a 2005 cobalt. this started after 70,000 miles and warrety expired. contacted gm and they didnot help. the estimated cost of repare is over $1200. it is an electronic device. *tr

After driving for a few minutes the "power steering" indicator comes on and then there is no power steering, it happens every time you drive it. it is going to cost over $1000 to fix it because the factory warranty is out, so we are unable to fix it at this time. it is the only vehicle i have to drive a 130 mile commute every day. *tr

Driving the car, and then, no power steering. called mechanic told "didn't want to touch eps system. called dealer told to bring in to look at. *tr

I was recently traveling on the highway when the steering wheel became stiff and hard to maneuver. i looked down at the warning panel and it had lighted up "power steering". my car is a 2005 chevy cobalt with 45,000 miles. i read on the internet about other 2005 cobalt owners having the same problem around 40,000 miles. i took it in to a chevy dealer telling them that it appears that this is a flaw with the 2005 cobalt but they said there has been no recall on the electric power steering system and that i would have to pay several hundreds of dollars to have the eps module replaced. i feel that it is unfair to have something so expensive to go out on your vehicle when it is still fairly new and have the same thing happen to others but yet we are left to pay for an apparently well know flaw in the chevy cobalt that gm does not want to admit exits. *tr

The incident date below was the fifth time this has occurred. first noticed traction control and power steering light coming on-the car "bucks" and power steering is lost-several times car will lose power and have to be restart. after restart warning lights will go away and power steering returns. seems to come back to normal after restart, runs ok until the process starts again. the car was purchased may 08 and first incident was aug 15 2008-took to dealer and they reset the computer, second and third time the car seemed ok until the 4th incident and returned to dealer again and reset again. i was told that the computer codes were showing u2105 and u2100 u2107 and car returned. this last incident (12-11-08) the car was doing the same thing and drove right to dealer to show service what the car was doing. they claimed the car is equipped with electric steering column and it disengages from the computer and the steering column needed to be replaced and a computer module. gave them permission to correct this because i can't let my son drive a car knowing at anytime he will lose power steering. he has been lucky he was traveling at low speeds when this occurs. if he was on a highway and in front of a tractor trailer and lost power he might be killed because he would lose ps and stall. this is a safety-related defect in the vehicle equipment (electric power steering column) when at any time with no warning you can lose your steering, stall and/or buck. upon further research into the 2005 cobalt, i have found 805 complaints regarding the steering column and the problems of controlling the car when this happens. upon further research the malibu is having the same issues with steering. guess what kind of steering is in the malibu. check "www.aboutautomobile.com" for complaints regarding steering column. several people have described incidents where their safety was compromised. please help gm rep claims can't recall column without you. please help *tr

While driving the car a "power steering" warning came on and the power steering stopped working. the car became very difficult to steer. this is the second the message came on in the last month but the first time it went off and there was no steering problems. the car was diagnosed by a local dealer as needing a new electric power steering motor. the car is scheduled for repair this week. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 50 mph, the contact changed lanes quickly to avoid another vehicle and the steering locked. the contact attempted to maintain control of the vehicle, but he spun out twice and eventually pulled off the road. the day before the failure, the power steering indicator illuminated for two seconds on the instrument panel. the contact found numerous complaints regarding this component. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the failure and current mileages were 35,300. updated 12/30/08. *lj updated 01/05/09.*jb

Tl* the contact owns 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving around a curve on a highway at 60 mph the steering warning light illuminated, and then he experienced difficult steering. the vehicle was taken to a local firestone facility for inspection. the technician stated that the steering motor,and column needed to be replaced at an expense of $1,2000.00. the vehicle was repaired. the current and the failure mileage were 83,000. updated 1/14/10 *cn updated 01/15/10.*jb

'05 cobalt: failure of electric power steering while driving. condition will clear by turning car off then restarting, but fails again while driving. this appears to be a common problem with cobalts, but gm won't issue a recall. please don't wait for this to become an accident! *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt that i bought new in 05. at about 50k miles, the power steering would occasionally stop working and the car was incredibly hard to steer. this happened randomly, sometimes driving straight, sometimes turning. i had a few near collisions when it failed mid-turn. after finding out the replacement part was close to $1000 from chevy, i found a suitable donor car and salvaged the electric power steering unit. i swapped it out and have had no problems in the 15k miles since. i still have the failed power steering unit available for inspection. *tr

Power steer cuts out and does not come back until car is restarted. happens random timing every trip. chevy quoted 800.00 to repair stating that the steering column needs to be replaced. *tr

Re:2005 chevy cobalt- power steering goes out and reverts to manual steering at random intervals. this is a safety issue as steering problem could happen on an icy turn or in heavy traffic on a four-lane highway,etc. there is no advanced warning that the steering will fail making it difficult to steer unexpectedly.the dealer suggests a new steering column replacement at $800.00 . we have found technical service bulletins (tsb)regarding this ongoing problem with the '05 cobalts although no official recall has been announced tbs reference no 070232007 and 070235004. dealer maintains there is no recall. this is , in my opinion, an "accident waiting to happen". *tr

I brought a 2005 chevy cobalt brand new my powersteering went out a little over 75,000 miles out of extended warranty. the powersteering kept go out until i had to replace it at nucar chevrolet in new castle de it cost me over 800.00 dollars in november 08. the dealer said the power steering was electric and they have similar problems with other cobalt same model year. *tr

I have a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. it has electronic power steering. it went out one day when i was on my way to work. it was very hard to turn the steering wheel, which was very dangerous. i took it to numerous of mechanics, all of who told me it would cost $800 - $1,000. the failure occurs every time i turn my car on about 30 seconds later. it is very hard to steer and impossible during traffic. *tr

While driving at any speed, the power steering intermittently shuts off. the failure progressively worsened over time. this causes extreme difficulty in turning, especially scary in urgent situations with children in the vehicle. *tr

The vehicle in question was being driven at the time when (with little warning), the power steering went out and caused the driver to almost have a car accident. thank god he was driving slow (in city limits) and not 65 mph on a highway! a local dealership did the repair work which meant the steering column in question was fixed with the same kind of steering column replacement. i have received information that not only this make and model have this particular problem with the power steering going out, but also another chevy make and model as well. our concern is that this "should" be a recall for the vehicles in question. we feel it is a definite safety issue and we don't want to see this happen again to us or anyone else. god forbid there be a tragic accident and/or fatality because of this issue! *tr

I almost wrecked my car 2 weeks ago because my 2005 chevy cobalt's power steering just stopped working in the middle of a slight bend causing me to almost side-swipe another vehicle. what's happening now is when you start the car, within a few seconds you hear a clicking sound & the power steering just stops working. i think there's a service bulletin but not a recall. i just purchased the car used in january but it was only a 30 day warranty. i have already been to our local dealer & they stated that the steering column needs replaced but i would cost me $800 plus tax. i have also been in touch with gm in order to get this fixed under a warranty repair but have been getting nowhere with them. they stated that they were unaware of the issue but meanwhile i have found numerous blogs on the internet where people have also contacted gm & gm has told them the same thing. "this is the first time we are hearing about this problem." i have refused to drive the car as it is unsafe, so my husband has to be unconvinced by taking me where i need to go because i cannot steer it. it's not safe for us or other people, while this car is going down the road. *tr

I own a 2005 chevy cobalt which i purchased new in 2005. tonight while driving home a 'power steering' message displayed on my dash at the same time that my power steering went out. i was able to pull off to the shoulder of the road and turned my car off. i turned my car back on thinking maybe it was just a glitch in my computer and it drove fine for another 5 miles then the message popped up again and again i lost power steering. i was able to pull into a nearby gas station to attempt to see if i was low of fluid but found out its electronic power steering. since i was only a few more miles from home i was able to, with hazards flashing, drive the rest of the way home having to stop once more to turn off and on my car to remove the warning and to re-engage my power steering. i've read online about multiple other cobalt owners having this same issue and i think it is deplorable of chevrolet to not have recalled this by now. *tr

While turning through an intersection, a warning bell/dash indicator alerted me that my power steering had failed. this was verified while trying to turn through the intersection. thankfully, nobody was in the lanes next to me, and i was able to glide through the turn and into a nearby parking lot without incident or harm. the chevy/gm dealer nearby said the electronic motor in the steering column had shorted out, and they replaced the entire steering column. the replacement was still covered by my extended warranty, thankfully, by a few thousand miles. *tr

Power steering failure while i was on a curve going at a high speed. the steering wheel locked up and i was unable to resume driving. something has to be done about this or someone is going to be killed! it is not the first time this has happened. *tr

About three months ago, i was driving down the road when my power steering stopped working. i shut the car off, and it went back to working. about a month ago it started doing it again, no i have no power steering. i have read other complaints on the issue. my back driver side window has now stop working and my ac is leaking onto my floor board on the passenger side. the car only has 55,000 miles on it. it had about 48,000 on it when everything started to happen. *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

While driving the vehicle the power steering light on the dic will come on and power steering will be lost. you can pull over to the side of the road and turn the engine off and back on and the problem will go away for 5 minutes, 5 hours or a day before occurring again. this has occurred intermittently for the last two weeks. the dealer has said the whole steering column must be replaced to repair the problem. *tr