Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl*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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the engine stalled without warning. after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normally. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. there was a recall related to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) however, the contact was not able to have the vehicle serviced because the remedy part was unavailable. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was unavailable. updated 5/19/14*cn the consumer stated the instrument panel lit up, the radio stayed on, and the steering went out. updated 08/19/14

The first time this happened was on a trip to a bowling tournament in cincinatti. i was on the south side of indianapolis on 465 i believe when i hit a bump and the car shut off. i thought it was strange at the time, but just put it in neutral, restarted the car, and continued driving. i thought maybe it was an some type of safety device to shut of the car if i hit the oil pan or something else on the bottom of the car. i pulled over later, checked the oil, looked underneath and did not think anymore about it. it happened several more times when hitting bumps but especially in road construction zones during repavement near bridges when there is a change in road height and once or twice in pot holes. i have just learned to slow down to 25-30 in these areas to avoid this. it has probably happened 4-5 times total since i purchased the cobalt in september 2007, but probably has not happened in several year. i have never really noticed that the ignition key shut off, but i have not really looked for that either. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated when she attempted to start the vehicle, the engine would not start. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who advised a new key was needed to start vehicle. the contact purchased a new key and the failure was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 31,000. updated 5/28/14*cn *tr

My 2006 chevrolet cobalt with 37,000 without warning did not start up properly the first thing in the morning. car engine chugged along and would accelerate. the car didn't want to 'go'. related or not the car gas mileage decreased from an average of 30 mph to closer to 23 to 24 about 6 months ago. the dealership indicated that there are similar complaints that have been logged. the dealership further indicated that gm has issued an technical service advisory based on similar complaints. *tr

The key can be removed from the ignition at any time no matter what gear the shift lever is in. *tr

The gear shift panel shicks and will not release the key out of ignition. *tr

Vehicle will not start after it is turned off after a period of driving. this occurs at least 5-10 times a week. the vehicle was taken back to the dealership, bresee chevy in liverpool, ny for this problem, and we were told nothing could be done because the problem could not be replicated. we were told that we had a bad battery cell and were charged for a battery replacement after owning the vehicle for 2 years. the vehicle now has a "engine low power" warning and the engine light is on. the vehicle runs erratically, and there is concern of stalling while driving. this vehicle was purchased brand new in november of 2005, and is only used for commuting to work on the highway. also, the tires on this vehicle were completely bald at 38,000 miles and had to be replaced, and the bearings on the front end also had to be replaced. this vehicle has major problems-it is an overall nightmare! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. the contact mentioned that when the failure occurred the driver engaged the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop and crashed into another vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician stated that the head gasket needed to be rebuilt. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 69,000. updated 05/27/14*lj

I bought this car back in june. and i have had nothing but problems with the car. numerous problems with the computers in the car. from the ecm, to the pcm, and the bcm. i also have proof the odometer has also been rolled back. if needed for this investigation can send a copy. the cars has been serviced now 5 times. this time it is sending error codes to the computer of random misfires on the first and fourth cylinder. *tr

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. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle experienced electrical failure and lost power steering. the contact crashed into a ditch. a police report was filed. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the current and failure mileages were 17,800. * updated 12/12/07 *bf the consumer stated electrical problem resulted in loss of gauges and also resulted in low fuel message. the consumer stated the accident resulted in $6,500 worth of damages. updated 12/12/07 *tr

Smelled gas and saw gas leaking from under car. small fire started and put it out. took car in. steering wheel locked up fixed but never right. now the ignition switch is being fixed but all the lights in the dash are lighted up due to this. no turn signals. car is not right. car has never been right! *tr

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. *jb

I parked my 2006 chevrolet cobalt in my driveway and overnight an animal climbed up under a plastic schroud over the 4 cyl engine and literally chewed the main wire harness off the connector that feeds the electrical wiring to the engine components , approximately 20 - 30 wires. the wires were inches too short to reconnect to the engine connector, and the whole wiring harness had to be replaced at a cost of $826.00 at a chevrolet dealer. this area is accessible to animals, such as squirrels/ chipmunks, etc. they apparently used the wiring materials for nesting purposes. should this area be enclosed or further protection be provided on the wiring components to prevent fires or malfunctioning components/sensors to prevent accidents of system faults. every wire on the connector was separated and shortened overnight. it took the gm service garage several hours to find this fault, and was not covered by any gm liability for leaving access to this area. *ak

Events that lead to failure: 2006 chevrolet cobalt randomly shut off, instrument gauge needles randomly flicker/twitch, bad smell that in my opinion resembled a burnt food/sulfur combination. it started out lightly and randomly for a few weeks, but became heavier and constant over a week. a knocking noise came from the rear of the car, idle surged, and cruise control failed to disengage. failure & consequences: fire! component that failed was a canister/sending unit rear of the gas tank with the consequence of a fire and the total loss of my 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the evening prior i contacted my local dealer about the smell and i told them i have no warning lights on. the next day driving to the dealership the smell/odder intensified. my thoughts were, we'll at least they can't say they don't smell it or give me the "can't duplicate it" decision. i only made it halfway when my car had a major electrical/mechanical failure. i was assisted by cars traveling behind me as one pointed out my car was on fire and the car shut down, all without any warning lights! the fire severely burned the entire back half of the car. after being inspected by a very well seasoned fire inspector the fire was diagnosed to come from a canister/sending unit malfunction. again no warning lights gm! in my opinion the random shutting down of the car, the gauges twitching/flickering, the strange knocking noise and the smell/odder was all part of the same problem. corrected failures: in reference to the fire, that will be up to gm however, after reading the nhtsa alarming number of 2005-2007 chevrolet cobalt complaints and technical service bulletins one would be led to believe that there should be more than just a couple of recalls. *ak

Letter from constituents regarding problems their son experienced with his 2006 chevy cobalt; considers it to be a lemon, seeking reimbursement (full document not imaged). *smd the consumer stated his son was making a right turn, when the vehicle suddenly stalled, leaving him without steering capabilities. the vehicle darted to the left, across the opposite lane of traffic, where he crashed into a curb. the left control arm collapsed, he hit his head on the door post and the air bag did not deploy. the vehicle was towed, the consumers residence. on a separate occasion, the vehicle stalled again on the freeway, and again steering capabilities were lost. there was no accident, but the vehicle would not re-start, and it had to be towed to the dealer. their testing could not locate the problem. the same problem happened 6 more times, resulting in a tow to the dealership. each time, the problem was blamed on the power control module. the third incident happened while his son was driving on a curvy mountain, the vehicle lost power and there was no steering ability. his son was traveling at a low speed and he steered the vehicle into a ditch damaging the radiator, the engine pan and the front bumper cover. the last accident totaled the vehicle, when the vehicle stalled in traffic, the anti- lock brakes failed and the air bags did not deploy. *jb

Email from congressman van hollen on behalf of constituent re recall on 2006 chevy cobalt (send reply to ms. austin morris). *smd the consumer stated she was involved in an accident in 2007 and the vehicle was totaled. the consumer stated the faulty ignition was the cause of the accident. however, the consumer stated gm stated the accident occurred during the time, they were filing for re-organizations and was not going to honor the recall. *jb

2006 chev cobalt warning lights did not come on to state that something was wrong**cc the consumer stated she ran over something in the road and as a result radiator was damaged which caused coolant to leak. *jb

2006 chevrolet cobalt shakes real bad when driving. customer stated that he had the vehicle get a front end alignment twice and after a while the vehicle begins to start shaking again. *kb the consumer stated the steering jammed and he was unable to remove the key from the ignition. switch. the tumbler was replaced. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that she was unable to remove the key out of the ignition immediately after turning the vehicle off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to determine the cause of failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 26,000. the current mileage was 35,000. *tr

Tl* - the contact stated that her 06 chevy cobalt experienced stalling incidents on several occasions. the vehicle stalled while driving at various speeds. the weather condition at the time of the incidents has been fairly warm. the contact has taken the vehicle twice to the dealership the first time was on 12/05/06 and they replaced the ignition switch. the vehicle still continued to have the same problem, so she took it to the dealership for a second time and the dealership replaced the kill switch. the contact can provide copies of invoices if needed.

2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer writes in regards to ignition switch recall repairs. *smd the consumer stated the key would not release, from the ignition. *jb

(1) car shuts itself off while i was driving down the freeway. during@ rush hour i veered away ( w-no power to car ),from traffic behind me. parked ,shut car off, took key out of ignition, then replaced and started it back up, and proceeded enroute. (2) after market cruise control failure to shut off and turn on. (3) result of above (2)after market cruise control takes its own mind and decides to fully accelerate until gearing down in hopes it 'awakes' the computer (automatic transmission),then cruise control will finally shut off. (consequence ) passenger had a heart attack. i called a taxi. "he's ok" (4) service air bags light have been on since 20,k miles i now have 47,xxx miles. (5)stock tires and rims wobble with irritating continous noises -can't ge rid of it. (6) stock seats driver and passenger sides both were installed incorrectlythey are really slantedlike this ( / \ ). (7) a clunking bucket sounding noise fills very slowly, (health problems) an odor is always present leaving me light headed ,nautious while driving, dizzy exiting car,and with breathing problems -like shortness of breath. i have severe back problems now, and can not sit in the car for more than 20 min, upon a break of fresh air and a walk for the spine. (8) brakes sound and feel (when applied),scratchy.@5,000 miles the chevy dealership had to turn and shave allready my disc brakes saying they were worn in. (9) my heater makes a lot of noises when using it. (10) acceleration hesitation. *jb

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. *nm

Power goes off after you shut the car off. you have to press the button in the trunk on the battery before it will crank. power button for the trunk does not work. you can start the car and it will still keep trying to crank. *jb

Dt: the contact stated while driving at various speeds the engine shut off four times suddenly without warning. after sitting a short while, the vehicle restarted every time. the check engine light did not illuminate in the vehicle prior to each incident. the manufacturer alerted the dealership the problem was with the ignition coil. the dealership replaced the ignition coil and corrected the problem. updated 9/20/2006 - *nm

Tl*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.

2006 chevy cobalt key comes out of ignition and it still runs. key gets locked in steering column and will not release. have to wait anywhere from 1 minute to 3 hours. radio shorted. automatic transmission slips and car will not accelerate (this happens while car is being driven). car will not start indicating a "lock key", have to cycle automatic shifter through gears before it will start. car will not start and just clicks. battery reads 12.21 volts. vehicle has a loose thumping noise in front axle area. all these indications generated a year after purchase and becoming more frequent. *tr

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. *tr

When turning the headlights from the automatic to the manual position the dashboard instrumentation does not light up. this poses a safety hazard on cloudy / foggy days when the automatic sensor sensitivity is set to high to allow for proper lighting of the headlights and dash instrumentation. when the lights are switched to manual this should bypass the automatic sensor and allow for dashboard illumination however this is not the case. *nm

On may 28, 2006, my husband was driving solo in a rented 2006 chevrolet cobalt on an undivided highway leading from the north rim of the grand canyon. the road conditions were excellent: it was 9 am on a sunday morning with very little traffic, on a straight, dry road with open country on either side. witnesses to his accident report that after he passed a camper at a normal speed for that highway and began to pull back in front of it, his car abruptly veered off the lane and onto the right shoulder, where he lost control. the car fishtailed, skidded back onto the highway, and rolled over several times. other drivers stopped immediately to help, but my husband was unresponsive and died a week later without regaining consciousness. all who saw the accident were at a loss to explain how or why it occurred. my husband was an experienced and very careful driver, in good health and alert that morning. the recent news about faulty ignition switches in cobalts of that era finally provides a plausible explanation. he had long legs and could easily have bumped the steering column or ignition keys during normal operation of a car that was unfamiliar to him. it's far too late to examine the car, but i hope this account contributes circumstantial evidence that there were more deaths caused by those faulty switches than will ever be proven-- or redressed. *tr

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. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle loses power and rolls to a stop. the contact loses control of the vehicle and the power steering fails. all of the instrument panel lights illuminated. after purchasing the vehicle, the contact detected smoke. a mechanic stated that all of the wiring and fuses in the vehicle needed to be replaced. the shifter locks in position and the key cannot be removed from the ignition. as a result, the vehicle cannot be shut off, which causes the battery to fail. the vehicle has to be connected to a charger all night in order to be driven the next day. in may of 2006, the dealer stated that they could not locate the failure. in november of 2007, after the warranty expired, the dealer stated that all the wiring in the vehicle needed to be replaced and the contact would be charged. the failure mileage was 3,000 and current mileage was 49,600.

i was driving my 2006 chevy cobalt when i was taking a friend to the airport. i was on i-495 n in the lane leading to the exit that takes you to the airport toll road. i applied my brakes and the car did not slow down. hoping to coast down the exit and pull off to the side of the road, i turned the steering wheel to veer the car left. the car kept going straight. i kept hitting the brakes and turned the steering wheel to the left, but the car did not stop, nor did it turn. we crashed into the guardrail at about 50 mph. the airbags did not deploy. turns out the car shut off while i was driving it. this was the second time this had occurred. it happened back in may 2006 and i took it in to the dealership. they kept it for a couple of days and said it was fine. apparently not. *jb

2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer requests reimbursement for ignition key lock repairs. *smd the consumer stated the key became stuck in the ignition. the ignition cylinder was replaced. also, she had ongoing problems with the brakes, which almost resulted in an accident. *jb updated 06/12/14 the consumer is seeking reimbursement. updated 07/02/14

1. the instrument panel gauges continue to move after vehicle is shut off. occurs daily and has done so since purchase of vehicle 2/2006. dealership replaced engine computer twice while vehicle under warranty but only after i personally contacted gm. 2. while driving car the steering wheel and car pulls to the left. dealership states they can not reproduce this condition yet other family members who have driven the car have had this happen to them. saw on news broadcast a possible recall for this. 3. ignition in steering column will not turn on. ignition replaced 4-5 times by dealership. 4. gear shifter sticks or will not go into gear. replaced while under warranty and under service bulletin numerous times. 5. while trying to start car starter or something drags. has done this since purchase of vehicle. dealership claims they can not reproduce condition. *tr

I was driving in the freeway and the power steering was not responding for a moment so i was so scared a thought i was going to cause an accident so i stop for a while and it was working again but when i got home i tried to parked my car and the same problem happened i don't know what to do my dad check the car to put some fluid on the power steering but we found that the system is electric, today could be really dangerous not only for me but others that were driving close to me in the freeway. *tr

2-incidents of sudden acceleration at freeway speeds: the first time the cruise was activated and on hitting resume the car took off on it's own. the coast function did not slow the car and turning off the cruise did not slow the car. i was in fairly light traffic and was able to steer and brake out of trouble until the accelerator returned to normal[the brakes only partially slowed the car because of the high speed involved]. about an hour later i was entering a freeway and at about 40-45 mph the accelerator went to the floor on its own again and i had only partial control of the car's speed. the cruise was off this time and again after a few minutes and miles the engine revved down to normal on its own. again traffic was fairly light so i was able to steer and brake through without a crash but in heavier traffic this would be a serious problem. the dealer test drove the car for about 18-miles but could not replicate the incident which is random and intermittent and their diagnostic tests showed these incidents never happened but believe me this is a real problem when these computers or electronic systems malfunction. general motors has opined that this is impossible which is a cover up since everything is controlled electronically. this is particularly dangerous since it happens at freeway speeds and the pedal goes to the max. *jb

Power steering failure. electrical system failure. *tr