Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2005 cobalt chevrolet power sterring goes out

1) occurs when both driving at low speeds and high 2) car completely shuts off (as if driving a manual shift car and stalling - my car is automatic). failure has occurred 3x now, twice at low speeds, once going 60 mph on the highway 3) put the car in park and restart the car. took the car to dealership, they kept it for 3 days and told me nothing was wrong with the car. *tr

The brake caliper was rattling because it was broke i had a auto repair man replace part then all of a sudden it brakes again that was for the front and back it also has elected electrical problems the windows work when they want and the car mostly always stalls it has even stalled on me in the middle of traffic on hwy what it does is act real sluggish and the more you press on the gas the more it bogs out and pulls back instead of taking off as supposed to the turn signals in the front always blow everytime replaced there is also interior electrical problems such as the interior lighting works when it wants to and the doors lock and unlock themselves with will unset the anti theft system and allow for prowlers to take the car. *tr

Power door locks and remote will not work replace battery still not working, can not drive over 40 mph because car jumps and steering is all over the place and made me hit a giant pot hole and cause damage under the car and i think it bent by rim on passenger side front and four about a year or more drivers headlight light is pull of moisture and has a bad glare in it. called chevy and they refuse to do anything about all of it. *tr

My 2005 chevy cobalt has power steering issues since i bought it (11/09). the traction control light comes on and power steering comes on the message board. when this happens and i am driving it, it is very hard to control my steering and jerks when i accelerate and/or change gears. it also becomes a little harder to come to a compete stop. i took it to the dealer and they greased the wires thinking that it was a connection problem. it worked alright for about a month and a half but then the light flashed on again about 2 weeks ago and has flashed on randomly ever since. this seems to be an ongoing problem. *tr

1).nothing just driving and the power steering when out had to stop turn the car off and start the car again 2)power steering start thursday 10-29/until 11-2 i took the car to the shop,would go out and couldn't turn the car without both hands and it was hard. no consequences thanks goodness i had to small kids in the car but was able to stop and turn the car off 3) had to take to the car to the shop and it going to cost up to 1300 to get it fix. part needed was to replace the electronic power steering column assembly and program. which they don't have so they have to ship overnight for 30 extra. *tr

Was stopped at a red light, after the light changed i proceeded to go and car stalled going about 15 mph. no warning lights were on dash, the car had no power, no lights, nothing. i was able to coast to side of road, put car in park, waited a minute and started up. dealer has been unable to locate a problem with car, miles on car when problem started, 34k. *tr

My dad bought me a used 2005 cobalt as my first car on may 2009 and power steering started to flash 2 days after i got the car. it went away, but it would come back on when it did, i felt the car some how pull or it felt heavy. i was driving out of my driveway when power steer flashed and the steering wheel was rock solid i couldn't turn, i freaked and left the car outside i called my dad, went back out and barely drove it in. my dad came home from work, i took him out to show him, but the car seemed normal. it felt like i was pulling a million pounds. i'm scared of driving it, that it's just parked in the driveway we got it used with 8,000 miles on it, so we have no warranty, and i certainly don't have $2,000 to fix' it we need a recall. now i'm driving it only to go 2 miles around my house!!! i often have to stop on the side of the road and re-start the car to unlock the steering wheel. by using this car, i am putting my life, and others in danger. chevrolet has to do something about this, i thought that it was a simple fix, but when i found out how much it cost i can't do it. i don't think it's fare to us as customers to have a car we cant even drive. now, the power steering dosn't work, the needle that tells you the speed doesn't work!!! we really need a recall from chevy!! my dad bought the car with light transmission noise problems.the transmission was replaced . i don't have trans problems but the power steer has been there 2 days from getting it. *tr

2005 chevrolet cobalt. consumer writes in regards to reimbursement for ignition switch recall. *smd the consumer stated her daughter was driving, when the vehicle suddenly stalled. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. she stated that while driving at speeds of 40 mph over a railroad track, the vehicle stalled without warning. within a few seconds, the power steering warning light illuminated and flashed across the instrument panel. she was able to restart the vehicle moments later and took the vehicle to the dealer. the dealer replaced the power steering column due to electrical failures. the repairs were covered by her factory warranty. the repairs did not correct the failure and the problem persisted. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where they replaced the power steering column a second time. the failure occurred again and the power steering column was replaced a third time. she also stated that most of the electrical components on the vehicle had failed; upon opening the driver's door, the horn would blow. the power locks would not operate, the electrical trunk release would not operate and the catalytic converter also failed. the catalytic converter was replaced under warranty. there were no additional power steering failures after the third repair, however the steering wheel would feel hard at times. there were no recalls for any of the failures. the failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 79,000.

Electronic equipment in 2005 cobalt that was going crazy while driving my car. all the testing at repair shops could not detect the problem but when i would drive, radio and front panel lights would go off and on; brake problems, and engine would cut out, even at high rates of spead, then die when car slowed. replacing ignition cylinder and removing all electronic codes finally resolved the issue but was only a guess on part of many different repair people. why should toyota be the only one to take the blame for auto parts that aren't reliable? *tr

The shifter assembly on our 2005 chevy cobalt broke. my husband was suddenly unable to fully disengage the shifter, so that the key could be taken out of the ignition and the car fully turned off. because the key could not be taken out, it created a serious draw on the battery strength of the car and caused it to die. the next day my husband tried calling customer service at gm corporate, who refused to look at our problem (the second time this problem had occurred in our car in the 4 years/52,000 miles we had owned the car. they refused to help or even discuss our problem, not seeing it as an issue at all. they refused to recognize the research my husband found online of owners of the same make/model year and customer service was rude and refused us allowance to speak with a supervisor. *tr

2 things: 1-the steering column problems in 2009 chevy dealer replaced unwillingly. 2- electrical issue. panel lights go on and off and the car cant shift unless we start the car over and over again. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 25 mph the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control, and then the gears in the transmission began slipping. he had to exert great force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and shut the engine off. he was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal operation. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and repaired. the failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was unavailable. updated 11/17/09 *bf after all the failed attempts of fixing the vehicle, the consumer was told the body control module needed to be replaced. the power steering would go out occasionally. all of the gauges were acting erratically. updated 11/18/09

My 2005 chevy cobalt power steering has gone out. when i am driving on the freeway the power steering light comes on and i am unable to control the steering since it fails. i have to pull over and restart my car in order to continue driving it. the more i drove it the worse it got! i drive no more than 2 minutes with my power steering light coming on and a 5 minute drive i would have to restart my car at least 5-6 times before getting to my destination. i feel like this is putting me in danger since i am not able to navigate the car properly. this shouldn't be happening! my car has been back and forth in the shop for 2 weeks now, and i don't know what to do. *tr

Driving my 2005 chevrolet cobalt, the steering lockup and a alarm appear on dash said power steering failure, to correct this. have to stop the car, turn off the engine and restart. then anywhere from 5 to 15 minute the steering lockup again. i think this is a safe issue. the car has a electrical power pump and is not the only car at has is pump, chevrolet equinox has the same pump and also the same problem. *tr

Was driving my car at or around 60 mph and the powersteering light came on in my car and the steering wheel became extremely stiff and hard for me to pull of the side of the road. i turned my car off for about 2 minutes and turned it back on and it began working normally. approximately 20 miles later the powersteering went out again. as of today august 3, 2009 it has gone out 3 times within 3 days. *tr

The cobalt power steering randomly fails making it extremely difficult for the driver to steer. this has happened in many instances, with many people and should be considered very dangerous. you have to replace the entire steering column to fix the problem. there should be a recall. there is no warning before it happens and there is nothing you can do to prevent the problem. dangerous. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition after several attempts. the shifter was placed in the park position. when the ignition key release control button was engaged, the key suddenly released. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unable to be entered into the system. the failure and current mileages were 91,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 60 mph, the steering locked up and the contact was forced to pull the vehicle over. the vehicle was towed and is unable to be driven. there were no prior failures with the steering. the dealer stated that it would cost $2,000 to repair the steering. the electrical system was also defective and will not activate the air conditioning or lock the doors. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 73,000.

No events leading to failure. chevy cobalt 2005 model 33,000 miles power steering random catastrophic failure key sticks in ignition nothing was done to correct the failure by the manufacturer (no recall) even though multiple complaints and problems have been identified with the power steering in these models. *tr

Engine would not turn over no electrical connection this happened several times during ownership.

Powersteering and check engine light come on. there is then no powersteering and the car lurches forward as i accelerate. when stopping the car acts as though it is going to stall. the speedometer does not keep speed the needle just moves up and down. took car in to chevy dealer while still under warranty but they said they could not find problem. the car continues to do this just about every day and now is no longer under warranty. *tr

Ignition key sticks in the "acc" position at shut down about 80% of the time. restarting the car or pushing up under the key cylinder sometimes releases it. i've gone to two dealers so far and all i get is yup its stuck...maybe its the shifter maybe its the ignition. that's not a great response to hear. this is on 05 chevy cobalt ls coupe. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer because he heard a noise coming from the steering column. the dealer stated that a new steering column was needed. there were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel at the time of the failure. the current and failure mileages were 34,950. updated 05/27/09 *bf an ignition switch was needed as well. updated 05/29/09

I purchased a 2005 chevy cobalt in august of 2005. less then a week after purchasing the vehicle it was in the shop to be fixed. i have had problems with the steering panel (key will not come out of the ignition, button on stick shift sticks, can not turn car off without disconnecting the battery), i have had problems with the power windows and locks, i have had problems with the stereo going into "lock" mode - which in turn makes me turn the car on and then off again to get the radio to work. i looked into the lemon law and they stated since it was all electrical, they could not pin point it to being the same problem all 5 times of it being in. well, it has done it again now in march of 2009. they are stating that me extended warranty through national warranty does not cover this therefore i have to pay $400 to fix something that seems to be a default on this car. it is not yet 4 years old. i have had nothing but problems with this car. i tried trading it in, but i was laid off last year and make less money and do not have the best credit because of not working for almost a year. i hate this car and after the customer service and the problems i have had with this car, i will never purchase a chevy again!! this is something that has happened since i purchased the car and they say they will not cover it. i have found on several websites that others have had this same problem, but chevy says it has not been reported enough to them to say that it is a recall. wow! *tr

There were no events leading up to the failure; it just happened. the ignition control module has been replaced twice in 4 years on my 2005 cobalt. the first time was 2 weeks after i bought the car so it was under warranty. the second time it cost me over $600 dollars to have it fixed. the odometer will read "ice possible" when it's 80 degrees outside and the brake dummy light comes on all the time. the radio will display a "lock" on it and the radio won't work. just recently the rear defogger quit working. i replaced the fuse and relay switch thinking this would be quick fix and neither worked. the 2005 cobalt has many issues and i've read of others with issues similar to mine. new cars aren't supposed to have this many problems this soon. my car is only 4 years old and i can't wait to get rid of it! *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt. within the last year the power steering has started going out on it. when you turn the car off and back on, it will be fine for a little while. i have talked to several other people who have had the same problem with this model car. from what i've been told, it is going to be extremely pricey to fix too. the electric power steering system is faulty and should be recalled before someone gets seriously injured! *tr

Electric power steering problem. indicator light turns on and car loses power steering control.....very dangerous. *tr

For the past month, my cobalt has been having the check engine light come on while i am driving, happening intermittently. concurrently with the check engine light coming on, the rpm needle drops and you can feel much less power. sometimes stalling also occurs, (most likely at stoplights/stop signs) and also occurring in groups. on days when the car is running with no check engine light coming on, there will be no stalling. the car will go for a day or two with no problems, but always reverts back to the check engine/stall problem. and there was one time when i went out to get pizza. i parked the car, went to the pizza place, and when i came back to start the car, not a light nor a sound was made when i turned the key. i tried this several times over a 20 minute period. the car was utterly dead. that only happened once, and luckily, after waiting for about 30 minutes, it did start up again. i have begun taking back roads only as if this would happen on a highway, the results would obviously be disastrous. *tr

More than six months ago i was driving at approx 55mph when my car started to "jump". reminded me of someone learning to drive a standard. had car towed to dealership, no codes, did trans service, 1 qt low (approx $500 w/tow). problem cont randomly, could not afford to take to dealership for them to play guessing game. finally took in begin of jan for ck engine light, no code, sent home. few days later started acting up again. let me elaborate...it will "jump" when shifting especially into 2nd, ck engine light on, t/c light on, speedometer gage goes goofy and "power steering" appears, oh and ticking in shifter. we have also had issues with the power steering going out. on 1/15 it started acting up while on freeway took it straight to the dealer. they pulled code p0742 and decided to replace transmission valve body (approx$2000). picked up car on 1/19, next day eng light back on. husband took to dealer told it would go off. came back on beginning of this week. last night on way to school & back experienced worse case yet. "jumping", ck engine, t/c an auto-theft lights on, ticking in shifter especially when breaking. when leaving school power steering wouldn't work, turned car off n on 3 times to get it to kick in. i do not feel that my car is safe to drive anymore. and with as many complaints as i have read today i do not understand why chevy/gm has not found a resolution for this yet or done a recall. will it take a fatality to get them to react???? (1/29/09 sk). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. when the contact attempted to start the vehicle, the key became stuck inside of the ignition. the dealer advised the contact that the key cylinder needed to be replaced. there were no prior warnings and the current and failure mileages were 47000.

Beginning january 3rd, 2009, the 'power steering' warning has intermittently appeared and power steering assist would fail. this occurred about 3 times, between 30 and about 50 miles per hour. this is clearly a safety hazard. i also own a 2004 malibu. my wife is the primary driver. the same issue happened with her car. after fighting with gm and the dealer they agreed, as a one time exception, to replace the steering column for the malibu at no cost. this due to my "customer loyalty." knowing the trouble involved and the likely outcome, i have not yet contacted gm regarding the current cobalt issues. the cost of repair is suspicious, around $2000. the method of repair is also suspect; the replacement of the entire steering column. not only does this seem to be excessive, there is little assurance that the new steering column is any different. it is not reasonable to expect anyone to foot this bill as a consumer. it is expensive, and clearly a product defect. i am concerned about using the car, especially on the interstate, thus rendering this costly product all but useless - and dangerous. this is not the only electronic issue i have had with this car. i need to open the bottom of the column to remove my key from the ignition (estimated repair cost from goodwrench - $450), and repeated blown fuses when i first bought the car, attributed to pinched wiring. a recall seems in order for this situation. thank you. *tr

Left blinker randomly will not work. i have tried replacing the bulb and the wiring assembly. started with just the front driver side and now the rear driver side does not work. worked after jiggling the wires one day when i was bored but after hitting a bump one time when right back to normal. i have tried putting the flashers on to fix it but does not work. all the fuses and everything are good. looked it up online and looks like a very common problem for chevrolets and 05 cobalts in general. *tr

Key will not remove from ignition my daughter got stranded told was a very common problem with 2005 chevy cobalt dealer said 500.00 to fix should be recall for this problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. when the contact attempted to turn off the vehicle, the key remained stuck in the accessory stage of the ignition module. the failure prevented her from turning off the vehicle. she has not taken the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. the failure and current mileages were 42,500.

I own a 2005 chevy cobalt which i purchased new in 2005. tonight while driving home a 'power steering' message displayed on my dash at the same time that my power steering went out. i was able to pull off to the shoulder of the road and turned my car off. i turned my car back on thinking maybe it was just a glitch in my computer and it drove fine for another 5 miles then the message popped up again and again i lost power steering. i was able to pull into a nearby gas station to attempt to see if i was low of fluid but found out its electronic power steering. since i was only a few more miles from home i was able to, with hazards flashing, drive the rest of the way home having to stop once more to turn off and on my car to remove the warning and to re-engage my power steering. i've read online about multiple other cobalt owners having this same issue and i think it is deplorable of chevrolet to not have recalled this by now. *tr

Rough idling, check engine light... replacement of the ignition control module... 2 times... parts replaced 2 times... *tr

2005 chevy cobalt...the key gets stuck in the ignition. no matter what you do, it will not come out. i looked on line and i cannot get over how many people have problems with that and the compressor going out. chevy needs to own up to their defects. i paid over $200 to have this fixed. *tr

While traveling at highway speeds (~65 mph) the car has shut off 4 times. each time car behaved the same way, as if the key had been removed: the engine stopped, instrument panel dials went to 0, lights turned off. radio stayed on (as it would if the car was turned off). the shut offs were sudden: there were no warnings (lights, sounds, vibrations) before shut off. i was able to coast/brake and pull to the side of the road, shift to park and restart the car each time. the first incident was in july 2008 approximately 100 miles into a trip. the second three incidents happened in about a 30 minute time span on the same trip in mid october. i took the car to the chevy dealership after the october incidents and they could not reproduce the problem. they performed a computer update. i had them check the wiring in january 2009 and they could not find any problems. the clock radio resets to 12:00 (when i turn on the car, not during driving) about once every 3 months since i bought the car in 2005 - i'm not sure if this problem is related. the car is an automatic 2005 cobalt, 4 doors with about 35000 miles. *tr

Key ignition locks up, can't get the key out, have to play and play with it until it unlocks, oh and the radio locks up periodically too. *tr

On 9/3/08 my husband and i were driving our 2005 chevy cobalt with 45,700 miles on it going 35 mph, we came to a curve in the road and the warning light in our car went off and it read, "power steering", we then lost all power steering. my husband veered off the road because it was hard to steer, we then turned the car off hoping it would clear the error. we started the car and it then drove fine. when we got to where we were going we decided to check the power steering fluid but couldn't find where it was. we looked in our owner's manual and it stated that it was electrical and there was no fluid. the next day on the interstate at 60 mph driving to work the warning light went off and it read, "power steering", my husband maintained control and it never regained power steering. from that incident on every time we drove it kept happening and we would never regain power steering until we turned the car off and restarted it. first thing monday morning 9/8/08 we took it to the dealership. they told us there was an internal fault in the steering column motor and they needed to replace the electronic column. i asked if there had been a recall because i found hundreds of incidents with the same problem with our same vehicle, make and year on the internet. the dealership claimed this is the first they had heard of. i told the dealership that when they replaced my motor i wanted the faulty one back. they got an attitude quickly and told me that i couldn't have the old part because it was under gm warranty. i then asked if that's the case then why do i have to pay for this new part because my old one is obviously faulty. they told me it was part of gm policy and i could not have the old part. after that it made us very suspicious as to why they wouldn't let us take the old part. i told them this was a safety issue endangering people's lives that needed to be addressed. i contacted the gm corporate office and they gave me the same spill that they haven't heard of this issue. *tr

I own a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. gm did replace the power steering motor, but i still do not have the power steering back. the service company told me that it was the power steering module that has gone bad and it is not covered by the recall or the warranty. it is causing my vehicle to jump and sputter. when this occurs i loose all my safety gauges like my speedometer, gas, etc. the vehicle even cuts off completely when i come to a stop at intersections. what do i do now? oh yeah, i even had the transmission worked to make sure it wasn't that either. *tr

The time the incident occurred was when we were on our way (my wife and i) to canada for a wedding, we got to our destination and the all of the sudden the car literally starts hoping down the road, then in the middle of the road it completely stalled. the power steering light came on the dashboard and then the check engine light came on. we looked in the manual, because we have only had the car for a month and found the power steering piece to contact gmc. well being in the city and all dealerships closed we couldn't do anything. we shut the vehicle down and tried to restart, the same thing occurred- we were able to drive it to a mechanic near by (when finally it was working) and they had no idea what to do because of the electric power steering. we gave up and finally went home to my mother in laws house. i researched on the internet and then i came onto not one but many websites via google on how much trouble people are having with their cobalts. we are very unfortunate and do not have warranty left over. so when it comers to replacing the 2000.00 part we can not. i really need my car to run properly -my wife and i live in the united states and its a long way home!!! i really hope we do not get into a vehicle accident along the way due to the power steering malfunction, otherwise our lawyer and gmc will be talking. at this time i want a resolution from someone! how can gmc produce a vehicle with multiple known issues and continue to sell it without notifying people how deadly it is. i am very upset and i will never buy another gmc product again. if anyone at this company can do some easy research and find out that there are so many people with the know issue of power steering out there. i want a resolution and someone to pay for the consequence. i need to be contacted asap!!! *tr

First experienced warning on display panel for power steering failure august 08. have had the car back to the dealer 4 times since that time. 2nd time dealer replaced some wires. 3rd time stated nothing was wrong with the car. have lost complete control of steering 3 times since first occurrence. yesterday dealer stated car was not fixable. being advised by gm to clear error codes and return car to owner. advised i contact bbb to pursue a claim. car is unsafe to drive. *tr

Several times the ignition would not turn off without continuously cycling it several times. also several times the ignition would not turn on without continuously taking the key out and putting it back in and retrying to turn it several times. *tr

2005 chevrolet cobalt with only 10,000 miles has had repeated problems with ignition failing to start the car. *tr

My 2005 cobalt has had electrical and power steering problems ever since i leased it. intermittently, while driving, the instrument messages start flashing (usually "power steering"). the car then becomes very hard to steer and brake, the engine surges up and down. on aug 3rd the car was involved in a minor accident when it was steered into a curb, possibly caused by another equipment failure. i took the car in to a chevrolet dealer again, when it failed again two more times after the accident. both times the dealer found error codes. however, they said they had a "tsb" on this problem, from chevrolet which says to just clear the logs, give the car back to the customer and to "perform no work". they are putting lives in danger by following this procedure. i have copies of the service orders to confirm my statement. *tr

I was driving down the highway making a turn and my power steering went out it beeped at me and the dash displayed "power steering". when i restart my car its fine for a wile but then it dose it again and from what i can tell speed, turning,rpms, temperature distance have nothing to do with it. i was ran off the road due to this with my wife and child in the car my daughter smacked her head on the window i tore something in my should just trying to steer. *tr

Power steering failure signal comes on after any length of time of driving, at any speed and on any pavement. the steering wheel locks up and the car has to be turned off and restarted in order for the steering to reset. fuel injection failure. key won't turn in ignition. cd player picks and chooses when it will work. *tr