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Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt STEERING

On average, the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt starts to “feel” problems with the STEERING and its various aspects after 72 835 miles.

Components Affected by STEERING Issues

We have classified the 1199 complaints from 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt about STEERING into the following categories.

ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 46 HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 10 COLUMN 10 LINKAGES 1 RACK AND PINION 1

Recently reported STEERING problems on 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt

I was driving and the power steering keeps going out of my 2006 chevy cobalt, it don't matter whether i'm in a curve or not, its highly dangerous and could be very deadly if it happens at the wrong time, if i were to have to cut the wheel quickly i would just be hurting, because it won't, and if my pregnant wife is involved in an accident because of this, i will not hesitate at all to get a lawyer and take legal action against chevrolet, because they have been informed of this defect and they refuse to do a recall on this there is a petition being signed right now to get it recalled and it better go through or they will be sued for there actions or non action shall i say, but there has been many complaints and someone needs to do something about it immediately or someone is going to get injured or possibly killed, and then its all on chevrolet because there to sorry to back up there product and fix it. so i'm asking please help me fix this problem before its too late and someone is injured or killed, it cost over 1000 dollars to fix this i'm told and i can't afford it and shouldn't have to when its chevy's fault its this way. so please help and get this problem fixed so my wife (4 months pregnant) can drive her car without being scared of the steering going out and i don't have to worry about contacting my lawyer to push the issue a little harder. thank you and please help! *tr

Chevy cobalt 2006- power steering failure-light comes on indicating failure-turning off ignition and powering on restores power for a wile but fails intermittently...no power steering available during failure- mileage around 50,00-52,000 miles-dealer replaced 436 cpc &power steering module&power steering column & electrical steering column. *tr

My chevrolet cobalt 2006 was purchased used at a kia dealership in july 2008. on friday, 9/4/09, as i was driving back from the mall with my four-year-old daughter in the car, the dashboard display flashed powersteering and my powersteering failed immediately. the car has just over 70,000 on it. the dealer said it will be $800 to fix. should a steering column really fail this quickly for the amount of money i'm paying for this car?! *tr

4 times yesterday 9/3/09 on interstate highway 35 (texas) had major problems trying to get over to the exit when my power steering failed... i have four kids and saw a huge 18 wheeler in my rearview mirror... i thank god that i made it off the highway safe but drove home with no power steering. looking for someone to fix it but labor day weekend... need recall to happen now!!! i still owe $9,000 and can't drive anywhere with this power steering failure happening over and over. i thought gm was a reliable dealership!! please recall *tr

2006 chevrolet cobalt power steering failure while driving, in d or r and when attempting to parallel park. it's an intermittent problem which causes me to have to excessively tug on the steering when to make a turn. this can only be repaired if it does this while in the possession of the chevy service department. once the car is cut off the steering motor resets itself and the failure code is gone. so i would have to drive to the dealership while its happening! nothing has been done to fix this, just the instructions to bring it in when it happens again. *tr

The power steering light came on in our 2006 chevy cobalt without warning and we lost power steering. we were nearly in an accident but my husband recovered the wheel. cost to repair is $960. this is outrageous. *tr

Within 1 month of purchase,the car rattles and sounds like something is going to fall out when you put on brakes,starting to do it when i make turns,getting worse. took it back to dick shirley chevrolet,they said it was in the steering column and it would cost $700.00!! of course that isn't under warranty. they said it was safe to drive. nothing they could do about it. after looking at web site of all the problems people are having with steering issues with this model of car i know i was sold a lemon and they know it,too! *tr

Power steering light on dashboard comes on and power steering goes out in the steering wheel. after turning car off then back on it will go away but problem will repeat itself every thirty minutes or so. also the key will not come out of the ignition when car is turned off. *tr

I own a 2006 chevy cobalt ls with only 15000 miles on it and driving on the highway..the light came on and said power steering and the steering was shot..couldn't barely move the steering wheel..it happens alot now ...cant even drive for a couple of blocks ..have to go to the chevy dealer and since i bought it from a private owner...no warranty..have to pay out of pocket!. *tr

While my son was driving on a limited access highway at approximately 70 mph, the power steering suddenly gave out. he slowed down and was able to safely pull the car over to the side of the highway. he later drove the car carefully about 5 miles to the automobile dealership where the steering column assembly was replaced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt ss. the contact stated when driving, he intermittently loses power steering. as consequence his risk of vehicle crash is increased.the steering column was replaced twice. however, after the second repair a technician advised him that the component would not be replaced under warranty coverage. as of current date the failure has not been remedied.the failure mileage was 45,000. the current mileage was unknown.

Chevy cobalt 2006. power steering goes completely out and have no control of the wheel. this happens every time the car is moving. *tr

The power steering fails every 50 yards on my 2006 chevy cobalt, making it very dangerous to drive. it's been happening for months, so i rarely attempt to drive the car. *tr

I bought a 2006 chevy cobalt about six months ago. three months after i bought it the power steering began to go out. it does not take power steering fluid there is a ps motor in the steering column. everyt time i drive my car it goes out, it is not just every once and a while. when i restart my car the power steering will come back on. but within 100 yards it will go out again. the first time it went out i was going around a sharp curve and i nearly lost control of the car. the car behind me had to slam on there breaks because i started to fishtail . this is a major safety issue for me and other drivers and something really needs to be done about it. there is page after page of people who have the same problem. it seems to me that with so many people having this problem that there would be a recall on it. obviously something was done wrong. it is dangerous and basically every time i get into my car i am risking my life. its not worth it and you guys being a safety administration should really look into it. *tr

On 9-1-09 i was driving my '06 chevy cobalt lt 4dr sdn on a city street traveling at approx. 25 miles per hour when the steering warning light came on and it became extremely difficult to control and steer the vehicle. i luckily managed to get it to the dealership who diagnosed the problem as an eps motor failure. they replaced the motor at a cost to me of over $400. *tr

Approximately 6 months ago..power stee ring light came on and complete loss of power steering occurred. the vehicle must be shut down and restarted to recycle the power steering..this has ceased working because the power steering does not last more than 2 seconds after restarting. when the power steering light is on it is extremely difficult to maintain control of my vehicle. i have replaced fuses and i am just short of taking it to the dealer and upon research noticed more than a few complaints about this problem with this vehicle. *tw

I own a 2006 chevorlet cobalt lt. recently my power steering went out on me while i was driving down the road causing me to nearly hit someone. when i looked under the hood, to my surprise, i was unable to locate the power steering reservoir. after researching this online i found that it is all electronically and will nearly cost me $2000 to correct. this problem happens randomly which is a major safety hazard! if i shut the car off then start it back up the system does reset itself, but still will come on at any given time. *tr

2006 chevy cobalt constantly power steering light comes on and the power steering goes out. have to cut the car off and restart in order to have power steering again. the warmer the motor gets the more frequent it happens. *tr

We own a 2006 chevy cobalt, our first chevy purchase ever. purchased it used in spring of 08. don't know what previous problems it may have had, but one can only wonder. while driving this past fall, my husband heard dinging sounds, looked down, and the screen said the power steering failed. sure enough, there was no power steering. the manual says to shut off engine, restart, and rock the steering wheel. every time we restart, the power steering comes back on, but only for a very short time. as soon as we drive 20 feet, it goes out again. this happens for us while driving at any speed - could be going 55 miles an hour down the road, could be while going around a turn. we live in west virginia with mountains and sharp turns, and this poses a serious danger. if we lose power steering going around a big turn, we're in trouble. i've read reports of power steering failing at slow speeds. however, this is certainly not the case for us. it will go out at any speed, and the more you restart the engine, the more it continues to go out. we took the car to the place of purchase to see how much it would be to repair, and they told us that they couldn't fix it there or guarantee it if they did try to fix it. but the cost could be as much as $1100 or more. well, i don't have $1100 to fix the newest vehicle i own, it's very dangerous the way it is, and so the car has been sitting for the past 6 months. i couldn't be more tickled if chevy had to correct their mistakes and fix my car for no charge. if we had known that everything in this car is electrical and had no steering fluid, we would never have purchased our "first-ever" chevy to begin with. next time we'll stick with ford. thank you for your investigation and hope that we get this resolved. *tr

I own a 06 chevy cobalt and the power steering light came on and car turned of in the middle of rush hour--not safe!! chevy needs to recall and correct. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt most of the time i don't have power steering. when i do have power steering i will drive a block down the road and the power steering will go out and the information center will tell me that i no longer have power steering.*tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while exiting a parking space, she lost power steering. the inability to steer while driving could lead to a vehicle crash. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for inspection, nor has it been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 48000. updated 11/17/09 *bf updated 11/18/09.*jb

Power steering assist motor went out, usually within 30 seconds of car being in 'drive.' occurred everytime i drove the car. i had to go buy a power steering assist motor (~$190); replaced within 20 minutes by mechanic. *tr

I'm having problems with my power steering on my 2006 chevy cobalt. it always goes in and out when i'm driving. many times i have lost control of my car due to this problem. the problem started about 3 months ago but i have not had the money to get it fix. this is a on going problem! *tr

I have a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. at about 38,000 miles, the power steering would occasionally go out. this has become progressively more frequent, until now it happens almost all the time. a few times i could barely manage to turn a corner because of the effort it took to steer, and came within inches of going off the street into the ditch. without power steering, it seems harder to turn than even a car that never had power steering. i've contacted my local gm dealer but they would not repair it without first my paying for an analysis, and with no guarantee that they would repair the problem if it was the power steering motor. my wife dares not drive this car for she fears she could not turn the steering if the power stops. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt that has an electronic power steering failure. i am currently teaching two teenagers holding driving permits how to drive. while my 15 year old daughter was driving the power steering went out and i had to help her pull over to the side of the road as there was limited steering. later restart car and power steering comes back. it shuts off at random intervals. needless to say this is a very dangerous safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while the contact was driving the vehicle she noticed that the power steering light had appeared on the dashboard, moments later the contact noticed that the vehicle no longer had power steering. the vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact had the power steering control module replaced. there were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 73000.

I have 06' chevy cobalt ls and the power steering is gone. the power steering light come on everytime i turn the car on and drive away. i'm taking a big risk every time i get behind the wheel but have no choice right now. *tr

I bought my 2006 chevy cobalt in june of 2008, and within 6 months of having it the powersteering would go out. i have an extended warranty on my car and the part is not covered. what happens is i will be driving, and at random the light for the powersteering comes on and the steering becomes really tight. now if i turn the car off and on it resets itself, but usually it will go out again. i have also noticed it seems to do this either when the weather is really cold or really hot. its very scary especially on the freeway. recently i was in an accident because of the powersteering. i made a claim with gm and they did an investigation. when the investigation came back to gm they declined the repairs. so now im stuck paying for a car the doesn't work. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately between 65 to 70 mph on normal road conditions; the steering wheel locked. the "power steering" warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. there was difficulty steering which resulted in a higher effort to turn the steering wheel. the vehicle steered in one direction. the contact was able to drive into the emergency lane. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was able to resume operation. the failure recurred. the vehicle was in the process of being taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. the failure and current mileages were 77,000. the vin was rejected from the system.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving the warning light came on stating that the power steering was low. the contact lost power steering control and found it difficult to drive to the emergency lane. after turning the engine off, he was able to restart the vehicle and drive normally. the dealer stated that the motor within the power steering unit needed to be replaced. the repair cost was $900. the dealer advised him that there was a related recall in 2007 and may have been mailed to the previous owner. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 112,000. updated 10/08/09

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevy cobalt ss. while driving at 65 mph the power steering warning light flashed and the power steering in the vehicle disabled which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the current mileage was 59,000 and failure mileage was 58,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. she states when driving the vehicle the steering locks up and then the light illuminates on the instrumental panel. and then she would have to shut the vehicle off and then restart it. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and they replaced three fuses. after the repair was performed there was an electrical smell and the power steering got worse. the vehicle has not been taken back to have it diagnosed again for the power steering but she is planning to take it back . the lock up on the steering happens about six to ten times daily . the failure mileage was 65000 and current mileage was 75000. bl updated 10/5/09 *cn the dealer found the steering motor and column bad. updated 10/07/09. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving she noticed that the power steering light was illuminated and within a few minutes the contact was unable to control the steering wheel. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 78000.

In june 2006 i bought a 2006 chevy cobalt sd. on june 2008 i was left stranded. the car would not start. the car was towed to a nearby chevy dealer. they checked the car and found the following: battery failed midtronics (battery one replaced), checked engine light on (injector fuel cleaned), induction system dirty (they flushed it) and air filter full of dirt (raf replaced air filter). this problem cost me $208.82. on jan 2009 the horn was replaced (it had stopped working 2 months prior). this cost me $58.85. the major problem is the power steering. the light came on around aug or sept of 2009. the steering wheel gets hard and it's very hard to maneuver, specially when you're going to turn into a parking space. i had the car checked by two different mechanic shops and they both said it needs the power steering module replaced. this piece cost around $470. plus labor. the first mechanic checked it on jan 23, 2010 and bought the power steering motor ($175.00)from the chevy dealer and replaced it. the problem still existed and he kept the car for two days to check if maybe it was something else. he concluded it was the steering column that needed to be replaced. he returned the motor and now was told that they (chevy) did not sell the motor by itself, that he needed to buy the whole module, which is $470.00. the first 2 months i would turn off the car and it would not happen again, but since the beginning of dec 2009, even when i turn off the car and then turn it on again, the steering wheel locks up and it stays that way the whole time you are driving. it happens every day, everytime i turn on the car. this is a pain because it's hard to maneuver the car, but it is also very dangerous, because if i had to make a quick turn, i couldn't do so, and that would probably end up in an accident. *tr

Power steering loss after driving the vehicle and without warning the powersteering goes out. this is very dangerous and it concerns me because my daughter and grandson used this car they don't use now for fear of an accident i still owe on the car and feel gm should fix the issue i searched the internet and a site which directed me to this site please help.... *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact states while was driving 60mph he noticed that the power steering light had illuminated on the dashboard and then the vehicle lost all power steering. he did not notice any difference beforehand. the current and failure mileage is 23146. updated 10/26/09. *lj updated 10/26/09*jb

We were driving down the road and the power steering went out as the computer lcd prompted a power steering failure. we tried turning off the car and restarting but in less than 2 minutes the power steering went out again. we have no money to get it repaired so we have no idea how we will resolve this power steering issue to get to work tomorrow so this presents a major problem and currently there are no recalls for this failure. *tr

Daughter has a 2006 chevy cobalt ltz purchased used in 2009. last year on one occasion, as she was backing out of the garage, she indicated that her car suddenly became very difficult to turn the steering wheel. i came out and determined this was in fact occurring. i then turned off the car, re-started it and this seemed to take care of the issue. i now report this as i have now read of similar occurrences from other owners to which you are now investigating. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that intermittently while driving the power steering warning light would illuminate on the instrument control panel, then the power steering failed. the inability to control the vehicle increased the risk of a vehicle crash. additionally, she smelled a strong odor of fuel inside the vehicle. the vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of failure. the current and failure mileages were 58,900. updated 10/21/09 *bf updated 10/20/09.*jb

2006 chevrolet cobalt power steering failure. first occurred august 2009 after buying the car used in july 2008. has occurred everyday since. getting progressively worse. cannot get more than a mile down the road before power steering fails each time car is driven. *tr

I have 2006 chevy cobalt and i am having power steering problems. my car has 72,000 miles on it and the car constantly jerks. *tr

I own a 2006 cobalt which i leased new in 2006 and in the past 8 months i have had the power steering go on my car 4 times. all four times was during parking the vehicle. i have been teaching my 16 year old daughter how to parallell park and this is when the incidents happened. all of a sudden i could not steer the car and this would last up to 10 minutes and then it would start working properly when not turning the wheel so much. i was told there was nothing wrong with the car. since this happened to me, i keep hearing about alot of other people with the same problem. this concerns me very much as the times it happened to me i was fortunate that i have not been in an accident or injured but there is no guarantees the next time i may be as fortunate. also at times the steering makes creaking noises when taking sharp turns...this concerns me greatly and i do not feel safe drining this car anymore.

The power steering in my 2006 chevy cobalt ss supercharged went out suddenly. when i turn the car off and then back on, the power steering is fine while i am parked, but as soon as i begin driving again the power steering goes back out. the vehicle only had about 36,000 miles on it when the power steering went out. *cn

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 10 mph on normal road conditions and proceeding to make a left turn onto a highway. the power steering warning light indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. suddenly there was a loss of power steering. the driver exerted higher effort to turn the steering wheel, and pulled over to the side of the road with caution. the warning indicator remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. the vehicle was restarted and resumed to normal operation. identical failures occurred while traveling. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated the failures were contributed to excessive usage of the steering wheel. the estimated repair cost was $1,200. the vehicle is inoperable and has not been repaired for the failure. the failure and current mileages were 68,000.

Failure of power steering while driving. *tr

Alarm goes off,the power steering and engine light come on. the car starts to jerk violently and the power steering goes out! if you come to a stop the car stalls. it does not happen all the time , but so far three times for me. the first time it was at the garage nothing was reading out from the codes. they have the car again and so far it hasn't acted up for them.but it is kicking out codes this time. thank goodness my husband was driving because i could not have turned the steering wheel. there could have been a terrible accident!! *tr

Steering wheel is very hard to turn. this happens frequently. if the engine is turned off the problem goes away for a while, but soon returns. so far this problem has not caused an accident, but i am almost afraid to drive the car for fear of one. *tr

2006 chevrolet cobalt electronic power steering assist power steering light came on the instrument panel. power steering goes out. turn the car off and restart it and the power steering is working again. then it will go out at anytime and will not work again until you restart the car. if you start it up in the driveway and back out into the street, it will go out as soon as you put the car into drive. if you turn it off and restart it and put it in drive 1st it will work for a while. you never know how long it will work or when it may go out again. the car has low miles and well maintained. i cant afford another car nor can i afford $1200 to $2000 to replace the whole steering column. research on the net indicates possibly 1000's of these cars with the same problem. i cant even fantom my wife doing 65 mph and this happening to her. this is a recurring safety hazard that could cost 100's of innocent lives. please force gm to rectify this problem. i've been a gm owner for years and if they truly wont to remain in business this is not the way to do it. this sort of problem could cost $1000's of dollars and hundreds of lives and accidents to no fault of the driver or the other car/cars involved. thanks *tr

Last night i was driving and noticed my power steering light kept flashing. a few minutes later my car started jerking back and forth , cutting in and out, and shuckling when i turned the steering wheel. i assumed my gas was faulty, so i cut the car off, put in octane booster and more gas. after this it ran okay, but i am complaining because i felt like my safety was in danger because of how my car was responding. if this happens again i will complain again. i am still under warranty and will take this to the dealership. *tr

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