Problems with 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Letter from congressman johnson on behalf of constituent re 2007 cobalt defective ignition switch. *smd the consumer stated he began experiencing problems with the ignition switch in august 2009. the vehicle would shut off, and he had difficulty turning it back on. the vehicle was repaired at a cost of $ 192.01. *jb

We bought a 2007 chevy cobalt on 7-27-09. during the next month, there were several times when my son was driving the car when the power steering would go out, the gauges would go back and forth, the low fuel light would come on, the security light would come on and the car would jerk. if you turned the car off and tried to restart it, sometimes it would not start. on other occasions, the ps and gauges would intermittently go off and during the course of your trip. most recently, while my son was driving to marion, the ps went off and on 12 times. we took the car to schott bros. in bucyrus on 9-8-09, and the codes it was displaying were somewhat generic, so they decided to replace the ignition switch which did not have any effect on the problem. it continued to act up. we didn't have the ps problem for about 3 months and then it started it acting up again. we took it back to schott bros. again for service and it was still displaying the same generic codes, and when they contacted gm, they suggested changing the wiring between the ps module and the body control module. however, there was no guarantee that this would fix the problem and it would cost about $400.00. this is a very dangerous problem and there should be a recall for this ps issue. according to gm's records, this car has had this problem for a long time prior to our purchasing the car and although the previous owner had taken it in for service, they were not able to fix the problem either. again, i stress that it is very important that an investigation and recall is issued for this problem. *tw

At first the problem would come and go for about two months but gradually got worse. now, i have no power steering at all - ever. the dash dial gauges go haywire and it feels like my transmission is going to drop out of the bottom of the car!! *tr

Key stuck in the ignition of a 2007 chevy cobalt. my daughter went to the mall and realized that she could not remove the key from the ignition. she had to drive all the way back home and park in the garage(thank god we had one). it was the weekend so there was no service that could be done for the car. since it was in the acc position, her battery died over the weekend. roadside assistance provided jump however, the car had to be taken to the dealer and at the rate of $99.00 per hour they will diagnose the problem (which is already reported as a tech service bulletin. where does the madness stop?... this is a known problem yet, the dealer can still charge for repairs. this is crazy. *tr

Have had many issues with the front steering, dealership claims nothing found. now it will not pass inspection due to the steering knuckles. radio was replaced 3 times!!! door locks do not stay locked/unlocked. dealer states they never found any problems with it. vehicle now has 110,000 miles on it *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that in december 2008, the ignition failed and the dealer replaced the ignition cylinder. march 2010, the contact heard a metal grinding noise while driving. the vehicle was taken a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the front struts, bushings, control arm shaft and stabilizer bar needed to be replaced; the mechanic replaced the bushing. the contact also stated that the front two tires needed to be replaced because of defective struts. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that the vehicle was outside the warranty and offered no assistance with repairs. the failure mileage was approximately 20,000 and the current mileage was approximately 63,000. updated 01/12/11*lj updated 03/28/11

Car has a hard yank after coming to a stop and starting off. knocking noise coming from rear of car since day one of purchase. vibration in accelerator and gear shifter. lights on interior of car dashboard goes on and off. problem still happening today and the tsm was replaced as well, as they always say they cannot duplicate the problem. check engine light has never came on at anytime the problem happened. it happens after car is driven and heated up. only happened when long trip over 50 miles, now since ignition has been changed on call back. problems has worsened lights on and off, transmission hard shift when driving short trips as well as a constant vibration. knocking coming from gas tank side of car was mainly during cooler weather now happened when day was above 90 degrees. electrical problem with vehicle i think and has caused many problems and even deaths. do not think it was keys ignition. i seriously think is in the entire electrical system. problem should of been fixed when 1st reported, but they only reset the trans computer. *tr

I can not remember the date or mileage of first occurrence. i bought this car in july 2006 new. the main annoyance with this car is the bushings. i have gotten them fixed 3 times since 06, and yet making the noise again when i break which indicates they need to be replaced again. second annoyance is the radio, i have had my speakers replaced as only the back ones would work. every winter my speakers go out, one day will be the left front, next day will be front right - they choose when they want to work and when they do not want to, and the other day none of the sound would work! third my rpm's will randomly shoot up while i'm driving, going at a constant speed. not very happy with this car... *tr

I bought my 2007 cobalt in july 2008, used only as a rental car with enterprise, with 34k miles. within 2 months, my rotors were warped and had to be replaced. milwaukee has a terrible problem w/ potholes so i've had to put 4 new rims and tires on it too and an alignment. it still shakes when i go between 45-60mph. also, the gear shift keeps getting locked in park, like a sensor is broken or something. i have to continuously press on the brake until it gives. and there must be a short somewhere because occasionally the blinkers noise (tick tick) and the left speaker go out, come back on, go out, etc. i've had the car 8 months and have this many problems with it? of course the dealership is charging an arm and leg for repairs that i can't afford but i think they should be responsible for this because there is no way these problems can be "operator error." this is a manufacturing problem! i can understand the tires & rims because i've hit too many potholes but everything else? come on. anyone else complained about similar issues? *tr

2007 chevy cobalt- many problems, electrical comes off and on, car rides like a bucket of bolts, at 50,000 kms front passenger wheel had 1 1/2 inch movement while parked. very dangerous. why no recalls for these issues? the fixer of the car replaced a suspension control arm bushing. all kinds of noise, all pot holes i thought the car was going to fall apart. hunk of junk car. many safety issues should be investigated. brought back to the dealer several times for sagging doors on two door model, irregular idol, rattling sounds in the front end to no avail. thank god i only leased it, they can keep it, it is a hunk of junk. i would never recommend this car to anyone. *tr

Just wouldn't start one day. it's an 07 cobalt - chevy new car that i financed with about 20,000 miles on it. i played around with the shifter and it started! now it does it at least once daily. it usually takes about 10 minutes to get it started. the engine will just click and the battery comes on, all the lights etc. it is not life threatening directly - but suppose i get stuck somewhere in the middle of the night with no heat? i brought it to the dealer - it's under warranty. the dealer could not duplicate the problem and i have tried numerous times to resolve this. today was the last straw because they told me they refused to help me. i don't know what else to do. . .chevrolet should pay for the this. *tr

Bought the car in august 2006, it had 2 miles on it when i drove it off the lot, currently has 28,500 miles. i had no problems with it until this past year. in march the front speakers quit working and the dinging noise for the door being open was constantly on along with the blinker sound. the blinker was off and the doors were shut and locked but the noise continued. took to the gm dealership after a week of dealing with it and they kept it for 2 days and tested it, saying that they did notice the problem and tightened the screws in the front speakers. they said that it was a common problem and would go away on its own, was nothing they could do. it went away about 2 weeks later and hasn't been back since. *tr

On february 21, 2008 3:21 a.m. i was called by allegheny general hospital (agh) in pittsburgh, pennsylvania to inform me that my son was taken there by helicopter and was unresponsive. he was in a car accident and suffered severe brain trauma. unfortunately he died on february 29, 2008. this was my son's first "new" vehicle. we purchased it on 12/3/2007 and he died in it 2 months later. the vehicle is a 2007 chevy cobalt. the accident was investigated and the police believe my son fell asleep at the wheel as he crossed the center line of a 2 lane road and hit another vehicle. the person in the other vehicle survived. after receiving the first recall notice about the ignition switch issue i contacted the car manufacturer (general motors) to inquire about whether they would investigate the vehicle to determine if it was defective and could have been the cause of the accident. i was told by a gm representative that there was nothing they could do as they had filed bankruptcy. i continue to receive the recall notices which leads me to believe that my son's death is not included in the total number of chevy cobalt deaths. i first contact the us dept. of justice and got nowhere. i then contacted your organization (nhtsa) - reference# 614104 and was told that i needed to go back to gm. it is my understanding that both organizations are involved in an investigation of gm however nobody at either organization seems to want to talk to me. i don't trust gm after some reading i have been doing however i plan to make that call. this is reliving a nightmare! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 35 mph on a snowy road, the vehicle drove across a patch of slush. the contact lost control and the vehicle went airborne. the vehicle struck a guardrail, and then dropped approximately four feet from the interstate to the off ramp. the contact was injured and the vehicle sustained minor damage. a police report was filed. she shut off the vehicle and removed the key from the ignition. approximately 30 minutes later, the vehicle started on its own. the vehicle was taken to a dealer twice, but they could not determine how the vehicle could start and shut off without a key in the ignition. the current mileage was 19,084 and failure mileage was 18,315.

I bought my car new, every since i have had it they have been a problem. first the outside temperature didn't work so i took it back to the same place i bought it from which is a hour drive one way & they said they replaced it. next the doors started leaking air so i took it back to the same place they took all day but suppose to have fixed that problem. now the rubber seals on both back doors keeps falling off finally fixed them. total upset because they fixed one thing and messed another up. i start taking my car to rameys, were they fix the outside temperature which the other place was suppose to fix. at less than 35,000miles the rotor had to be turned. i take it for a oil change explain that the speed and tack hand moves on it own you when the engine is cut off & they said they didn't see it do anything.i take it back to the rameys for the next oil change and at this time the recall had been issued on the steering & i told them that sometimes its difficult to steer & again they say nothing is wrong well as time has gone by it is getting worse. now the doors are all sticking. i got out of my vehicle & noticed my light were still on, they never turned off until i twisted the nob that worked for a little bit then it got to were they wouldn't even go off if you twisted the nob so my husband took out the fuse out now i don't have anything but bright lights. a few weeks later the signal lights stop make a sound i thought that my bulb was blown so i checked them all & they all worked but the odd thing is sometimes when i am driving they will make the sound. after going to rameys& getting the answer nothing wrong, i took it to a private garage were he thought it was the switch itself, he installed a new one & that didn't solve the problem is board in the fuse box .the speaker on the drivers side don't work either & the trunk slams down when you let go of the trunk door. *tr

I purchased a new 2007 cobalt on 8/1/07. i could not start the car at night on two occasions when i was trying to go to work as a nurse and the third time the car would not turn off . it kept running and was towed. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition while it was parked. the dealer replaced the shifter assembly. the front passenger rim was dented and also replaced. the failure mileage was 2,700 and current mileage was 8,000.

There weren't really any events that led to this point - but my car starts basically whenever it feels like starting - i brought it into dealer for help and they won't help me because they can't duplicate the problem it is very frustrating spending time in my car trying to get it started. and it is under warranty and i can't get it resolved - why even bother getting the extended warranty? just a waste of money when the car is so bad i am ready to get it fixed out of my own pocket. i am fed up! *tr

Around two months ago my car locked it self while the keys was in the ignition! then service air bag soon light came on and has stayed on! just last week the engine slowed down like it was going to shut off! i'm 58 years old and disabled and live on very little money each month! so i've been unable to have my car looked at and fixed! i'm frighten to drive my car now ! please help! god bless, thank you! *tr