Problems with 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. while parked the contact attempted to shut the vehicle off when she noticed that the key had become stuck in the ignition. the contact allowed the battery to die in order for the vehicle to be shut off. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics but the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

Ignition switch. could not turn off engine. could take key out in any gear but wouldn't turn off engine. had to pull fuse out to get it off. for 79,732 miles i think this is a hazard. *tr

Letter to the president requesting an investigation into the possible cover up by general motors regarding an ignition switch defect. *smd the consumer stated her son was killed in an accident. the consumer stated her son had several keys on his key chain. the keys began to swing back and forth which caused the vehicle to shut off. her son lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. *jb

I drove to my destination and tried to turn off my car, however, the key would not turn off. luckily, i drive a 5 speed and was able to kill the engine by popping out the clutch otherwise i would be forced to let the engine run until it ran out of gas. with the engine off, the key was still stuck in the car and all that was needed to re-start the car was a giggle of the key. this is really unsafe. with my key stuck in my car, i was unable to lock the car door; otherwise i would not be able to reenter the car. this meant that a child could have entered my car and with the key already in the car (since it was stuck) they could have driven it and caused serious bodily injury or death to themselves or to another. if my car would have been an automatic transmission, then there would have been no way to shut it off except for running it out of gas. this could pose a serious safety risk in several situations such as a car being trapped in a garage with little ventilation or if it was involved in an accident involving leaking gasoline. general motors is aware of the problem and have even issued a service bulletin on the matter (document id: 2552146 ; #10256: customer satisfaction - ignition lock cylinder - replace ignition lock cylinder - (dec. 14, 2010). this bulletin is available online at http://5hizn1t.vacau.com/10256.htm#ss2-2552146. it upsets me that general motors is aware of the problem but fails to take any meaningful action. their "service bulletin" remedy is illusory at best. when i took a copy of this bulletin to a chevy dealership they did not honor it. they said my car was not one of the 2009 cobalts that were included. how not my car did the same thing as they warned. luckily no one was physically harmed by gm's negligence in this occurrence; however it is very likely that if this problem goes unresolved that someone will be seriously injured or killed. *tr

As i was merging onto the highway, my vehicle lost post without an apparent cause. i fortunately was able to steer the vehicle off to the side of the highway, where i removed my key and waited for around ten minutes. i was then able to start my vehicle. i approached a local dealer with the problem and they were unable to tell me a likely cause. it has occurred on several separate occasions in both similar and dissimilar environments since the initial incident, each time with out any precursor event or warning. it is truly frightening! *tr

My taillight assembly is 1/3 filled with water, due to a broken seal (which is allowing water to enter). due to the broken seal, the water damaged the entire l/r taillight assembly, rear turn signal (drivers rear), the lamps, bulbs, flasher, and switch. several mechanics said that the broken seal in my 2009 chevy cobalt, appears to be a chevrolet manufacturer's defect. *tr

Key is stuck in the lock cylinder. can not turn off car. this is an extreme safety hazard. electro-mechanical release mechanism interlocked with gear shifter appears to be working correctly (inside bottom of steering column). the key is physically stuck in the ignition lock cylinder, so the car can not be turned off. quick search on the web reveals dozens of the same complaint on cobalt models at least back to 2005. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition and he was unable to shut the vehicle off. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and the ignition cylinder was replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000. updated 10/26/11. *jb.. updated 10/27/11 *bf the consumer also stated the electric power assist went out. the dealer replaced the electric power steering motor. updated 12/16/11. *jb.... updated 01/17/12 *bf updated 02/01/12. *jb

The first occurrence was on 9/9/2011 at 7:30 am in the morning. the vehicle would not start. the second occurrence was on 9/9/10 at 5:00 p.m. the vehicle started and when arriving at designated location the vehicle would not stop in park. the engine continued to run, unable to take key out of ignition, the vehicle when put into other gears was able to drive. we attempted to get the engine to stop and get the key out of the ignition but we failed to do so for a lengthy period of time. the battery had to be disconnected with the engine running. this decision was made after no other alternatives could be made to shut off the vehicle. this was a dangerous situation and could have cause electrical burns or other issues while doing this. *tr

The key will not turn in the ignition cylinder. therefore the car will not turn off. there is a special bulletin #10256 about this exact problem including only the 2009 cobalt however as there is not an open recall the manufacturer will not repair my car because my car has a branded title and they will only repair 'open recall' items. this issue is not listed in the global database when my vin is searched but it needs to be listed under my vin and there needs to be an open recall on this issue because it is certainly a huge safety problem that many owners have been experiencing. the only way to turn the car off is to get under the hood and remove the fuel relay fuse. in case of a fire this would be a catastrophic safety issue which could result in serious injury or even death. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the ignition key would fail to shut the vehicle off and the key could not be remove from ignition switch with the vehicle running. the contact had to remove the fuel pump relay to shut off the vehicle. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that the entire steering column needed to be replaced due to the key being stuck in the ignition switch. the failure mileage was 16,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that he was unable to power the vehicle off and the engine remained running. the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had not been included in any recalls. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. no repairs were performed. the current and failure mileages were 38,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the key was removed from the ignitin yet the engine continued to operate. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the engine lock cylinder would need replacing and that there were no recalls for the failure. the manufacturer was contacted who stated they will contact the dealer and check on the failure. the failure mileage was 39,900. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph and descending down a hill the engine suddenly stalled. the contact restarted the engine and the vehicle operated as normal. the contact indicated the defect occurred a second time while descending down the same hill. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 30,000. *tr

Issue: my ignition key will not turn once inside the ignition, preventing my car from starting. dealership: will charge for replacing and cylinder, housing and key if vehicle exceeds bumper-to-bumper warranty (36,000 miles or ~2 years, whichever comes first). cost including labor is $797 + tax! number of occurrences: 2 safety: depending on where you last park your car, you can be stranded anywhere! tip: i have learned from the tow company that this is the most frequent problem from these chevy vehicles and that many people have had this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shut off when it was in park and turned off. the key broke inside the ignition when the contact attempted to pull it out. the dealer and manufacturer denied any assistance with repairs to the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 60,000.

During july i had to have my 2009 chevy cobalt towed into a repair shop because i couldn't turn my key in the ignition. i had to have the ignition cylinder replaced which cost me over $200. now in november 2011, 4 months later, my car is having the same problems. there hasn't been a recall yet on this and multiple people are having the same issues. this is getting ridiculous. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shut off even after removing the key from the ignition. the fuse was disconnected in order to shut off the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 62,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated the key would not turn off the ignition. the contact had to disconnect the rally for the fuel injectors in order for the vehicle to be shut off. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer advised that the ignition switch lock cylinder needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. in addition, the contact stated that vehicle would drift from left to right when driving at least 60 mph. the vehicle was not inspected for the drifting failure. the failure mileage was 51,000.

I went to shut off my car saturday night, may 28th and was unable to remove key had to remove battery cable to shut car off. dealer familiar with problem . apparently at least 200$ solution. this has happened to other folks also. *tr

Could not shut car off when parked. the key would not move lock to shut car off. could move key forward (to start), but could not move to off. immediately drove car to dealer. dealer told me they had to disconnect battery (while the car was running) to shut of the car then proceeded to replace the ignition cylinder. the remarks on dealer repair invoice were " replaced ignition cylinder due to the key getting stuck in the housing and the cylinder blowing up". note that i consider not being able to shut off a running car extremely unsafe! in case something happens like throttle sticking etc. (don't know if there is any history of throttle sticking on this model yet). also, generally it is bad practise to disconnect the battery cable on a running engine. this may affect the computer (future safety issue? or future expensive electrical system repairs). does gm condone this practise at their dealers? dealer used my extended warranty and charged $106.00 for the deductible to fix this safety item. i found similar 2009 cobalt ignition issues on your nhtsa website, ref. odi id's 10364046, 10368042, 10361530, 10394051

I have a big issue about the odometer reading on my cobalt. i have made several complaints to the dealership. i bought my car 7/29/09 and it now has 59,740 miles on it. this is only an in town car. i bought tires in 3/11 and the tire place last week said i put over 12,000 miles since then. this is no way possible. they say they have tested it and there is no problems. i have not change my driving habits since i bought this car. the car i had before this had a regular odometer and not the digital. the car was 1997 and it had 155,000 and i drove out of town a lot. by the end of the year i won't have a power train warranty anymore. there is just no way in hell this is correct and i have heard others say the same. someone needs to step up to this issue.. this looks like a way for the manufactures to get out of warranties. *tr

After shutting off my 2009 chevy cobalt i was not able to turn the ignition switch to restart the car. i had to have it towed to the dealer and have a new ignition lock cylinder replaced. *tr

The battery continues to die and it causes the default factory alarm to lock the car. the keys are always getting stuck in the ignition. right now im locked out the vehicle. the extra key can't unlock the doors (cant override the alarm lock). *tr

Ignition stuck in the on position. we had to disable the distributor to stop the car. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact attempted to park and shut the vehicle off but the key could not be removed from the ignition. a mechanic arrived to disconnect the engine. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who was diagnosing the problem. the current and failure mileages were approximately 54,100. the vin was unavailable.

Driving home from work stopped at store, tried to turn my vehicle off, the key got stuck in the ignition and wouldn't come out. drove the car home, had to leave the car running until the tow truck came. the tow truck man informed me that this has been a problem with 2010 cobalts and that he has had to tow many of them away. the car was towed to a dealership, still at the dealership, been there for almost two weeks. was quoted a an outrageous price to fix the problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated the key in the ignition could not be removed and it would not shut the vehicle off. the contact was only able to shut the vehicle off by disconnecting the battery. the contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the contact stated that this was a safety issue because the battery could electrocute someone while the vehicle was turned on. the failure mileage was 39,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving over a road bump at approximately 25 mph, the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle restarted and resumed normally.the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the lock cylinder was replaced. the failure persisted after the repair was performed. the vehicle had not been repaired. the contact was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 4,100.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the brake light would remain illuminated at all times and functioned properly only intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the bcm needed to be re-calibrated. the vehicle was diagnosed on a later date by a dealer, who stated that the bcm needed to be replaced. the contact mentioned that the vehicle was taken to a dealer on numerous occasions for the same failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. the approximate failure mileage was 25,000 and the current mileage was 59,000.

I was driving home from work and put my cobalt in park and could not turn the car off. i went to the chevrolet dealer and they said it was a faulty ignition switch. i asked how this could happen on a new car. and the dealer said the switch was electronic. the switch was bad. i had to pay to get the switch fixed because the original warranty had expired. i recently contacted general motors, when i heard about the 2007 chevrolet cobalt. general motors said they could not help retrieve my money back because the recall was not on 2009 cobalts. i believe chevrolet was still using the faulty ignition switches on later models. i will not get my money back, but maybe people with later model cobalts who have the same problem with the ignition switch fixed as a recall. i have since traded in my cobalt because of the problems with the ignition switch. *tr

2009 chevy cobalt. over past 6 months, on a couple of occasions: ignition switch would not turn off. i had to select ign switch on/off several times before engine would switch off and i could remove key. sept 21 parked at hotel to check in. returned to car- started normally. i parked car at room ignition switch would not turn off. key jammed in ignition. i had to disconnect battery to shut off car. upon return home car taken to dealer-ignition switch,collar and key removed/replaced. dealer service mgr stated had several of these and mechanic familiar with replacement. i had a 2006 chevy cobalt that ign switch started to do same thing ,but car was total loss accident before i could take to dealer. i think this is a fire/safety defect. *tr

Headlights side marker cover came off on both headlamps not at the same time short time after the first one then the right side came off causes glare. power locks do not function any more with buttons only function with gear shifter sometimes locks will go lock to unlock by themselves multiple times with or with not driving the car. contacted gm and they informed me that the headlights are not recalled on my year but they are for the 2005's. obviously they did not fix the problem from then. i will not by another gm product ever. *js

2009 chevy cobalt ls, the odometer registers 1 mile, slightly before you actually drive 1 mile. i found this using mile markers on the highway after seeing major differences from older vehicles with analog odometers as i tried to measure miles i'd hit my stop watch running on the shoulder of the road. this makes the warranty expire i guess 3-4% sooner than it should and could quite possible !@#$%'. over the consumer whose not getting what they paid for. i wouldn't call this a safety issue but a sneaky way to screw their customer over. i just spoke to gm today about it but doubt anything will be done to resolve this. the car has about 17,000 miles on it which is really more like 16,500 or a little bit under and if something happens just after the mileage for warranty purposes, that's !@#$%'. over your customer. i know this is going on at least in my cobalt and i find it interesting to hear today there are cases of power steering issues. i have yet to experience that thus far but will complain again is that comes up. gm is !@#$%'. it's customers over!! *tr

We purchased a 2009 chevy cobalt for our son who is just learning to drive. while practicing parallel parking and the 3 point turn the steering locked up and was impossible to move. we took it into the dealer who said that this is a problem that could occur (and there was a bulletin issued by gm) because the power steering is run by computer and it could overheat which could happen when practicing parallel parking. however, there was nothing they can do to fix it. i do not find this an acceptable solution since my son is a first time driver and has not even taken his driving test yet. i would like to know if there are any options available. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated the cruise control was activated while driving approximately 55 mph. the steering column began to shake violently when the brake pedal was engaged. the failure only recurred when the brakes were applied. in addition, the ignition failed to function properly upon starting. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the power steering pump was replaced. the steering malfunction persisted and the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the contact no longer owned the vehicle. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 33,900.

Background: i have a chevy cobalt ('07) and currently having a serious problem with power steering. i did some research and noticed hundreds of owners experienced the same or similar problem all over the country(us). 1. problem occurs after start driving for couple hundreds feet or less. regardless of speed or turning the steering wheel, problem will occur. 2. how often? varies from couple minutes to couple seconds, but problem occurs every time the car runs. 3. shutting down the engine and reignite it again. this will restart the programming of the vehicle but does not solve the problem. after couple of hundred of feet, problem arise. *tr

No incident has occurred at this point, however, i see this as a potential safety hazard. i have a 2009 chevy cobalt with battery installed in the trunk. the battery vent tube is connected to the top of the battery by a plastic elbow, a plastic vent tube is connected to the male nipple on the elbow. the plastic vent tube inside diameter appears to be too small inside diameter for the male nipple. the plastic vent tube is split where it attaches to my battery where it is pushed onto the male nipple which will allow the vented hydrogen gas to vent into the trunk (which is part of the passenger compartment only separated by the back seat) i think presents a potential safety hazard and potential fire risk. i can send you a picture of the split vent tube if you need to see it. i assume that this is a factory installation defect, this is not an improper repair defect, so this situation could exist on other models using this type of vent tubing. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt lt. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after being informed by neighbors that the headlights and brake lights were illuminated all night. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where they advised the contact that the computer module failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired for the computer several months later. in addition, while driving approximately 50 mph, the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 10v073000 (steering:electric power assist system) however, the failure recurred shortly after having the recall repairs performed. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure mileage was approximately 100.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while traveling at any speed, the vehicle would intermittently become hesitant and was not able to change gears into reverse. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the unknown repairs were made to the vehicle. the contact had also experienced the vehicle stalling intermittently on multiple occasions. the contact was not included in nhtsa campaign id numbers:14v047000 (electrical), 14v171000 (electrical) or 09v073000 (power train) but stated that he had experienced the failure described in each recall on multiple occasions. the vehicle was scheduled for diagnosis and possible repair. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 15000.

2009 chevrolet cobalt. consumer writes in regards to ignition switch problems. *smd the consumer stated she experienced several incidents, with the ignition switch sticking and not being able to turn the key, including the first day she brought the vehicle home. over the years, the switch has failed, which left her stranded. the vehicle was taken to the dealer many times, but they never replaced any components regarding the lock cylinder or switch. *jb updated 05/14/14. *jb the consumer stated she was unable to shift the vehicle into gear. updated 06/26/14 the electric power steering motor was replaced. updated 07/10/14 updated 07/30/14 the consumer stated the vehicle was fixed. updated 09/02/14