Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt STEERING

Power steering stopped working while driving. *tr

I have a 2006 chevrolet cobalt that on frequent occasions the power steering unit goes out for no reason at all. it seems that this happens as the outside temperature increases. it doesn't matter if i am on the interstate or driving in my neighborhood. i have researched this issue and have found 1000's of complaints on this power steering problem. i hope this brings this to your attention for gm to recall this issue before someone is killed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the power steering indicator illuminates while driving various speeds, and then the vehicle loses power. the vehicle nearly forces him off the road and he loses control of the steering wheel. a mechanic stated that the entire power steering needed to be replaced and the motor sensor was burnt. the dealer has not been notified. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 50,000.

Sunday, march 8 starting car in parking lot and began to drive but the power steering failure displayed. this is a 2006 cobalt and should not experience something like this so soon. i've read numerous complaints about the same thing. what is being done about it!?! warranty or no warranty, repair of this should be on the hands of chevrolet, not me. where on earth has quality gone and ownership of your work ethic. who cares about putting the latest and greatest vehicle on the road? how about thinking about the person driving the car! thank goodness there wasn't an accident 5 minutes before the parking lot because the car was on the interstate on a busy weekend. *tr

When driving my car the power steering message comes on my dash with a beep. and then all power steering is lost in the car. once the car is turned off and re started the power steering message goes off and the power steering works fine until the buzzer goes off again. if you press the button the power steering message will disappear but there is still no power steering. there does not seem to be any variables as to what causes this you can be going 70 mph or 20. it can go off 10 minutes into the drive or 45 minutes into it. i have taken to a local shop they feel there is a short in the dash. they have referred me to take back to the dealer and to contact your site. the dealer is going to do a diagnostic on the car tuesday mar 12, 2009. my car is a chevy cobalt 2006 with 40 000 miles on it. i was informed that there are many service bulletins on this car and that for such a new car a problem of this type and large repair cost is extremely abnormal and the safety issues of the sudden loss of all power steering is a great concern. *tr

Driving at different speeds (even 70 + mph on interstate) the power steering would go intermittently on our 2006 chevrolet cobalt. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving, the power steering light appeared on the dashboard and moments later the power steering failed. the contact noticed that the check air bag light was also illuminated. the dealer has not diagnosed the failure. the contact stated that the steering failure could result in a crash. the current mileage was 97,000 and the failure was 90,000.

While driving the car on a 3 hour trip the power steering went out and the car was very hard to handle and turning a corner was very difficult. it happened several times over one weekend. first thing on monday i took the car in to be checked and was told the electronic steering motor/module needed to be replaced at an expense of $858.23. no old part was able to be used and the part had to come directly from the manufacturer. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt, i have had this occur 2 times. while driving the electronic steering that is used in this car malfunctioned and the whole steering wheel locked up and the engine started shutting down. this is a dangerous situation because this has happened twice to me while driving, the first time i took it to the dealer they failed to properly fix the vehicle and stated the replaced a computer chip. four months later this happened again. this final time they had to replace the whole steering column. if this were to happen while driving on the expressway going over 55mph this would have been a life threatening situation. this defect could kill innocent people along with the driver and any passengers as kids in the car. i have had the steering column replaced, however i am doubtful that this issue won't happen again due to the fact the electronic system in the car may be defected. *tr

On this particular day i was driving north on i55, from joliet to chicago, without any previous warning while driving about 65mph. the "power steering" warning flashed on the dash and simultaneously the steering wheel became extremely hard. luckily i managed to gather enough strength and safely steer the vehicle to the closet off ramp. i turned the vehicle off and it was fine again until i was on my way back home and the same thing happened. i took the vehicle in for service but it is under no warranty. after doing some research i see that this is a frequent and extremely dangerous problem. i checked with the dealer but they say no recall is in effect. however, i certainly think that there should be this could result in fatalities. this is a giant problem that shows up without any warning. *tr

I purchased a 2006 chevrolet cobalt on 10/06/2007 the car was a prior corporate lease vehicle, with an impeccable car fax history detailing its service records. i did not start having any problems with the steering until approximately 1 month ago and it was intermittent power steering loss. it has now progressed to the point where there is only power steering for the first minute the car is running. i did a little research and contacted a service writer that i know and trust at a large chevrolet dealership here in kansas city and he mentioned that he wrote replacement orders for 20 of the steering columns himself within the last year. i took the car in and they did a diagnostic check and sure enough the column needs to be replaced. i feel that a car with under 75000 miles should not have this type of a failure, so i contacted gm and was told the best they would do is 15% discount on the total repair which is $760.00 plus tax, i feel this is a major slap in the face for a 30 year + chevrolet customer, not to mention the fact that my daughter is driving this car with my grandkids and it is not safe. i do not have the means at this time to afford this repair. this should have been a recall on gm's part a year ago, the person i spoke to at gm denied that this was a wide spread problem, but obviously after what i've found on this site as well as numerous others, i beg to differ. please help!!! thank you *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the power steering failed on her vehicle. while driving more than 60 mph on the highway, the steering would lock on the vehicle and she could not turn the wheel in either direction. the steering column would only unlock when the vehicle was shut off and restarted. the manufacturer informed her to take the vehicle to a chevrolet dealer and pay $80 for a diagnostic. the hotter the temperature was outside, the more frequent the failure would occur. the current and failure mileages were less than 68,000. updated 07/10/09. *lj while driving on the freeway, the consumer heard a beeping sound and then the work power steering illuminated on the dashboard and then the steering wheel locked-up. updated 07/10/09.*jb

I just bought a 2006 chevy cobalt ss last year and have only put 15000 miles on it and the power steering went out last night while i was going 70mph on the freeway! i researched to see if anyone else is having this problem with cobalts and found site after site of thousands of people! this needs to be recalled before it kills someone! *tr

Driving home powersteering light came on and power steering went out. i was told by the dealer to turn the car off and the computer will rest itself. it lasted for a while, but started again. car had 19,000 miles, bought new and dealer wants me to pay $1,100., to replace the whole steering column. do not have $1,100 to pay for this new vehicle. i am taking chance driving this vehicle and the powersteering light will come on anytime. warranty ran out 01/09. the 1st incident occurred feb 5th, 2009. fox chevy dealer advised 3 yr warranty expired. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 30 mph on wet road conditions, the contact heard a loud noise underneath the vehicle. immediately, the vehicle spun out of control several times before skidding off the road surface into a wooded area. the failure occurred without warning. the police department and roadside assistance were called to the scene and a police report was filed. the driver sustained minor facial injuries. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer for inspection, but the cause of the failure has not yet been determined. the manufacturer engineers are investigating the vehicle. the failure and current mileages were unknown. updated 05/11/09.*lj the lower control arm was replaced. updated 05/11/09.*jb

My 2006 cobalt engine check light kept coming on. it felt like the transmission was not shifting properly. the ipc gauges go nuts at times. the steering light indicator is displayed. steering is hard. my mileage was 74450 bellamy strickland chevrolet replaced my steering column total charges $1,190.17. *tr

You know when my son bought this car, i know he thought he had the best, this is part of your reviews. new for 2006 are ss sedan and coupe models with normally aspirated engines. these new ss models fit between the lt and ss supercharged models. their price, power and performance and body work are all toned down from the ss supercharged coupe, but they're sporty cars and possibly the best choice in the lineup, boasting 171-horsepower engines and sports suspensions.this car was suppose to handle good. but now he is dead because of this car. do you people at chevorlet even know how people feel or what kind of emotion a parent goes through with losing a child and how my life has changed. i will never see him get married, have children. i will never be able to talk to him, feel him, tell him i love him. yes, i'm hurt. i want you to pay for the mess you have done for my son's life and the life of others. because you guys hid this mess for years you knew. how many people have too get injured or die. just look at all the recalls just for this car. just to think chevrolet has been the choice of vehicles we have always driven. *tr

When the accident happen, my son and his friend were going to his other friend house to stay. his friend that lived said he was having trouble controlling the steering they ran off the road hitting the side of the road flipping the car, my son was thrown out of the car and was dead on the scene. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving at 25mph she would hear a click from the vehicle and the power steering would shut off making the vehicle difficult to steer. the contact has taken the vehicle to a dealer and the dealer informed the contact that there is a tear in the steering column and it needs to be repaired. the contact feels a recall should be issued due to the amount of complaints that are filed regarding the power steering. the failure mileage was 50,000.

When driving the 06 chevy cobalt, the power steering fails while driving at moderate speeds. this happens nearly ever time the car is in use now and happens several times during the course of a 15 mile trip. the only recourse is to turn the key off and back on to get the steering to respond again. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt that has power steering problems. the power steering locks up making it impossible to turn, i avoided an accident but i have not drove the car since. i had it towed to the nearest dealership and the cost of repair is $1200 dollars. no one can tell me why this has happened. i have gone on the internet and discovered that i am not the only one that has had this problem with this particular vehicle. so i can only assume that it is a manufacturing error. with the economy the way it is i am not able to afford to pay for this repair. i am financing a car i don't even drive. *tr

Normal driving, and the eps shuts down, making it hard, or sometimes even impossible to steer. quite dangerous saying it does it only while driving. once the car is started and running, it takes approx 15 mins to begin acting up. shutting down the car resets it, but shortly after, the eps shuts down again eps(electronic power steering). nothing has been done yet to fix this problem because this is a newer car, and it's basically not affordable right now. knowing by reading forums this is not only a problem i have, but many others are having with this. with this kind of system being in newer cars, this product should be looked at closer to see if there is going to be an outgoing problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 45 mph, the contact noticed that the steering column was becoming stiff when attempting to turn the wheel. the steering wheel locked and became very difficult to maneuver. the contact was able to safely steer the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the electronic steering sensor failed. the vehicle was repaired at the cost of $802.62. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 74,000 and current mileage was 74,500. updated 03-09-09 *bf the steering position sensor failed. the dealer replaced the electronic steering column. updated 03/13/09.*jb

While driving our 2006 chevrolet cobalt a loss of steering control has occurred over 3 times which includes erratic transmission and gearshift noises. if this had occurred on the highway in any of these occurrences a crash would have resulted. after conducting an online investigation there are thousands of owners of cobalts which have the same problem with the electronic steering and other electrical problems within the steering column. nothing has been done to correct the problem due to the dealer wanting to charge $2k. it is clearly a manufacturing defect with most dealers stating it is. *tr

I just bought a 2006 chevy cobalt ls from a dealership. they had it inspected while i waited, at another inspection site, off their lot. i am 4 day out of the 30 day warranty they gave me on the purchase of the vehicle. the warranty expired january 5, 2009. today as i'm driving through the town i live in, i hear a warning signal and look down at the digital readout on my dash board. it says power steering. i try to turn to go home, and the vehicle will not turn. i almost hit another car. i struggled with great effort, after turning on my hazards to turn it enough to get it into my parking lot. since then it has occurred five times today. i called the dealership from which i bought it and they said they can not fix it. i bought it from monstre auto credit in manassas, va. they never offered me an extended warranty and only offered to have the guy the general manager knows fix it for me at a deep discount. i cannot even drive it back to manassas because i feel unsafe in driving it a 55 miles per hour and having the power steering give out on me. *tr

I was driving my car at 25 miles per hour and a warning signal was heard and then the digital display read power steering and i couldn't turn the wheel. got it home, narrowly missing a car, and turned it off. turned it back on again and worked fine. it happens randomly, and often. took car to local chevy dealer, it's out of warranty and chevy refuses to pay for it. it will cost $971 to fix. car is unsafe and i am not the only one with this problem. *tr

Driving 35 mph, warning tone came on, power steering warning light came on, steering became difficult. pulled over shut off ignition. checked under hood saw nothing obvious. started car, pulled out all was well for ten minutes then happened again. same scenario every time it's driven. repair will be $900.00 !?!?!? parts are on back order because this is apparently such a problem. why is this not a recall??? *tr

My power steering light comes on , on the dash and i loose all power steering. *tr

My mother has a 2006 chevy cobalt and the power steering does not work correctly. in fact it doesn't work at all. so far she has been lucky not to have a wreck, but i am afraid that it could happen. i am not sure when it stopped working, but i do fear for her safely along with other cobalt owners. she has contacted gm about the problem, but they seem that they don't want to do anything to fix this issue. i know there are numerous complaints about the power steering from the 06' cobalt. my mother can't go two blocks without the power steering going out on her. she is currently unemployed and has no other way to find a job to get this part fixed, and i feel that gm should be held responsible for fixing the problem since there have been many other complaints about it. as far as when exactly the powersteering began to go out, i am not sure about. i know it was towards the beginning of 2009 when my mother begin to complain about this issue. *tr

After reaching 50,000 miles on my 2006 chevy cobalt, the power steering became faulty. it will work for the first 30 seconds of turning the car on, and then it will stop. it happens every time the car comes on. i took it to the dealer and they told me it would cost about $1,100 dollars to fix. *tr

My son owns a 2006 chevy cobalt. gm has elected not to recall his car at this time even though he has experienced loss of power steering while driving. his car has around 60000+ miles. if he shuts the car off and waits a few minutes he regains power steering. i am not sure how often this occurs be cause he is at school. gm gave him a case number and said he could have a diagnostic preformed. why should he have to pay for this and why are they being selective on cars. do not have specific date on failures.

I have a 06 four door chevy cobalt. when i got it from the dealer it was in good condition, but 50,000 miles later the power steering has been acting up. while driving i get a message that i have no power steering, i have power steering at first, when it starts, but shortly after the power steering goes out. the power steering is also electric, and the miles i put on the car is freeway miles. no excessive steering wear and tear. it is quite a chore driving around town, with no power steering. this is supposed to be a luxury compact car which i enjoy but with no power steering, it makes want to hate to drive it, instead of loving to drive it once i got it. because of the bad malfunction, if asked, i would not recommend this car. *tr

My power steering has went out twice, both times were very frightening. the first time, i was about to turn out into a busy street. luckily, when i noticed that it was extremely difficult to control my steering, i put my car into reverse in order to back into a parking space in the lot that i was about to leave. i was hoping this would be the only instance where this would happen. however, while i had a co-worker in my car, coming back to my workplace after picking up lunch, i was faced with the same problem. i was very thankful that i was able to turn into my parking lot. i couldn't imagine wrecking with a passenger in my car. and even worse, if i would've lost control and crashed into the nursing facility that i work at, i could've injured residents, too! after reading all of the complaints about this problem, i'm just curious what it's going to take for it to get recalled. will someone have to lose their life in order for someone to take action?! i'm furious with chevrolet for forcing people to pay for something that they (chevrolet) can prevent!!! *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt 2dr coupe. first, about a year ago my power locks stopped working and they would randomly go up and down while i was driving. i got that fixed and then on 12/28/2008 i was driving from shreveport, la to chattanooga, tn. it was fine for most of the trip but as i was getting off the exit in chattanooga, my power steering went out. at first it would do it randomly but after about a month of it happening now it happens every time i drive the car. it works when i crank the car up but after about 1-2 miles, the power steering goes out. i took it to the dealership and was told that it needed a steering column and it would cost $1200.00 which i could not afford. then last week on 08/02/2009, a lot of things stopped working. the odometer, cruise control, temp. gauge, and speedometer. and the car would not change gears. since it stayed in a low gear i could only drive about 30 mph to take it to the shop. it turned out that it needed a transmission control module and it cost $362. after that everything started working again except the power steering. i know this is a common issue as there were over 500 complaints about the issue on the one website that i looked at and that's only one website (www.topix.com/forum/autos/chevrolet-cobalt). i feel that this is a very dangerous problem and something should be done about it! also, the air conditioner has leaked water onto my passenger side floor since i have owned the car and i have also read that this is a common issue. *tr

I own a 2006 chevrolet cobalt ls. when i purchased it in january 2008 it had approximately 62,000 kms. in the last year i have driven it for approx. 9000 km. in july 2008 i had my first problem with the power steering. i was driving out of my driveway and the power steering light came on. the car immediately stopped working after shaking for 2-3 seconds. i re-started the engine and the car moved but the brakes were shaky and it seemed as if i was out of gear. i took the car to the dealer 2-3 days later and they replaced my whole steering column with a cost of close to $1000 at the time as my car was out of warranty. the problem went away for a few months but unfortunately last night it began again (december 21). the power steering light came on and the vehicle started shaking while i was driving at 40 km/h. i did not lose control but it made my drive really difficult as i was driving on icy roads. same as in the summer the brakes were shaky and the engine was out of gear and accelerating was hard to control. after stopping at a gas station and re-starting the engine the car worked fine. i am taking the car to the dealership again, but i cannot believe how gm does not recall this car as hundreds of people report the same problem. it's really dangerous to have the power steering go off randomly. and i don't even know what this is going to cost now.. i have spent over $1500 in repairs for this faulty car just in the last 6 months! *tr

The power steering unit locks up when i am driving. i can only slow the vehicle down and hope i don't have to turn while it is locked. i hit a curb and busted my rim on one occasion. it does it frequently and i can't afford to get it fixed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 15 mph and making a left turn, the steering column failed. the contact's vehicle almost crashed into another vehicle. the vehicle was able to be safely maneuvered into a parking space, but the steering was very stiff when attempting to park. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the power steering motor failed. the cost to repair the vehicle would be $600. no repairs have been made. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the current and failure mileages were 50,000.

Electronic power steering failure. every time vehicle is driven the power steering goes out. this makes the vehicle very difficult to control while turning. *tw

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving less than 65 mph, the power steering warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. within seconds, the steering wheel locked and could not be turned in any direction. the dealer performed a diagnostic and discovered that the power steering column needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $547. the vin that was provided was not accepted by the system. the failure and current mileages were less than 73,000. updated 03-06-09 *bf updated 03/09/09. *jb

Power steering goes out in my 2006 chevrolet cobalt. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt. the power steering will go out while driving down the road. i can restart my car and it will work again for a period of time. the car is past its warranty stage and has 49625 miles on it. i bought the car from a chevy dealership with 7000 miles on it. this is definitely a safety issue as who knows what may happen if the power steering goes out while changing lanes or making a rapid turn. i have researched on the internet and found alot of people having the same thing happen as well to the cobalt they have. surely this has to be a malfunction within the car and i believe should be addressed and fixed. i contacted the dealership and chevorlet assistants and i was informed to take the car in to have the problem diagnosed, which i am scheduled to do so; however this is costing me money. i realize that car break down and sometimes there are costs involved but i do not think this is just a problem that one individual car is having; this is an recurring problem that is happening in cobalts with the electrically steering eps. it is not safe, it should not be happening in a newer model of car. what happened to the integrity of chevorlets? please advise or help in this matter before someone does have a fatal accident or die behind this problem. *tr

Car has 50,000 miles on it. first time the electric power steering went out i was driving 60 mph down the highway and "power steering" popped up on the dash and then the power steering stopped working. i pulled over and turned the car off and then back on again and it worked. it seems to happen every time i drive the car for longer than 45 minutes, it will go off and then i will restart the car everytime it happens but it will only stay on again anywhere from 1-10 minutes before it goes out again. *tr

Key sticks in switch and you cant get it out. steering column locks wile driving. steering happened twice. key sticking happens all the time. had switch replaced but still dose it. this is a 2006 chevy cobalt. *tr

My power steering has been going on and off since 2008. i took it to the dealership and they said i have to replace the entire column. the power steering goes out every day. as soon i turn on the car and go a few yards it goes out. the problem has gotten worse. it's a lot harder to turn and a lot more frequent than it was in november.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 50 mph the vechile lost power and the engine shut off. when the vehicle shut off the steering wheel was very difficult to control. the power steering warning light illuminated when the failure occurred. after the vehicle lost power the contact was only able to drive to the dealer at 5 mph. the dealer was performing a diagnostic test and will let her know the results. the failure mileage was 34,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. she stated that while driving 20 to 30 mph, the steering wheel locked and she could not turn left or right. she turned the vehicle off, attempted to turn the steering wheel and restart the vehicle and was unsuccessful. the vehicle was then towed to a chevrolet dealer and the computer diagnosis indicated no failure codes. the dealer also drove the vehicle 50 miles and was unable to duplicate the problem. the dealer has unsuccessfully diagnosed the failure on 4 occasions. the following four computer codes were listed: code p0700, u2105, u2100, and u0075; however, the vehicle has not been repaired. the contact is aware of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 20000 and current mileage was 41000.

I have a 2006 chevrolet cobalt that just came out of warranty. i was driving home when my power steering light came on and my steering wheel became really tight and very hard to move. luckily when it happened i was going about 60mph on a highway on a straight stretch heading towards a turning lane that leads to my main road connecting me to my subdivision. this incident just happened about twenty minutes ago and i am fortunate i was not far away from home or was not driving a curvy side road. i am going to have to have my car towed to a dealer to get an estimate on having my car fixed. i had my car in to my dealer less then 3000 miles ago for electronical issues. *tr

Power steering goes in out when driving causing it to be difficult to steer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that in 2008 while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering. he noticed that the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. he pulled to the side of the road, turned the vehicle off and restarted the ignition; after restarting, the power steering functioned normally. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not find the cause for failure. after being able to duplicate the failure, the dealer informed the contact that the problem was a steering issue. he was also informed that his vehicle was not included in recall 10v073000 (steering:electric power assist system). the vehicle was repaired at another authorized dealership. the failure mileage was approximately 32,000. the current mileage was approximately 64,000.

Feb. 28, 2010 2006 chevy cobalt ls sedan 4 cylinder 4 door automatic transmission i purchased the 2006 chevy cobalt brand new from a chevy dealer. i fully maintained and serviced the vehicle as required and when necessary. on october 25, 2008 i was driving the 2006 chevy cobalt and i was driving onto the cross county parkway heading eastbound when the vehicles steering system failed thus causing me to lose control of the vehicle thus crashing the vehicle onto the parkways guardrail. i was very shaken, the vehicle sustained serious damage, and the county police was called to the scene. a police report was filed soon thereafter. the 2006 chevy cobalt had to be towed off the parkway and back to my home. gm should really investigate the chevy cobalt for steering system failure. *tr