Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt AIR BAGS

I own a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. well to begin, i initially had an issue with my shift column, which i researched and found out it was a common issue with this vehicle. it would cause my key to get stuck in the ignition. i took it to the delearship and they replace the whole column. then a a couple of week later, my vehicle was accelerating really fun, i just blew it off for a moment, until i then tried to put my car in reverse one day, and it would not go anywhere. i took it to the delearship and they told me my transmission is slipping, at 86,000 miles. the dealearship has my car, and is trying to figure out if it's even worth fixing. im also wondering if this problem could have been caught the intial time they fixed the vehicle, and figured it was my shifting column, because even with my transmission slipping, it also affected the shifting column. one other problem i have had with the vehicle is the air bag sensor, i have not got this fixed yet, because the dealearship wants to charge $99 just to see exactly what's causing my airbag sensor to not come on, when i have passengers with me.

While driving 45 mph. lost control of vehicle. hit ditch, went up embankment, airborn, landing and breaking power pole gude wire, continuing 300 ft, frontal impact into tree. vehicle totaled. front rear, under carriage and rear damage. airbags did not deploy, seatbelt did not lock. contacted

My 2006 chevy cobalt has the air bag light on. i received a possible recall notice in february 2010 stating that there were problems with the steering. the letter stated that i would be receiving a letter stating were and when to take my car in for check up. it is july 2010 and i have not received any notice. i'm afraid that this defect will cause an accident. i called the chevy dealer here in salinas ca, and they told me that they did not have the parts yet and that i should wait for that letter and my car could not be checked until then. please help out it is very scary and i'm very concerned. thank you for your attention to this important matter. *tr

I was driving home on february 05, 2010 when my steering wheel locked up and i did not have control of the vehicle. i was coming to a stop fortunately when this happened. this is the first time i have experienced this situation. a friend told me chevy cobalt have been recalled and i began my search online and have found numerous complaints regarding this issue. several months ago, my fuel pump module had a small crack in it disbursing gasoline. the mechanic who worked on it said he had never seen anything such as this before. im lucky i was not driving at a high speed or around a corner when my steering wheel locked up or my car didn't explode into flames from the gasoline disbursing throughout my car when i had to replace my fuel pump. power steering and fuel pumps should not require regular maintenance. chevy barely acknowledges the problem and say its not big deal, try your best to control your car when your power steering goes out. i've heard this becomes a regular occurrence after the first time. *tr

I have a 2006 chevrolet cobalt with 39k miles. my steering wheel shakes when driving, it is sometimes hard to turn, the radio turns on and off, and the check engine light & air bag light are on. i took the car to the dealership and they said nothing is wrong with the car. they got the lights to turn off. my warranty is now expired and the same lights came on again. *tr

My daughter was driving on highway 40 east in north carolina car was hit from behind car went across several lanes of traffic and hit rail steering over compensated and air bag did not deploy car was towed and was declared a total loss. *tr

On december 31, 2009, my 25 year old daughter was driving along an interstate in her chevy cobalt. she crashed into a tree along the side of the interstate. her airbags did not deploy, and her seatbelt did not lock. she died on impact, according to the police on reviewing the scene of the accident, my son observed that the tracks left by the car before it crashed were in a straight line, suggesting that the brakes either had not been applied or had not worked. on doing research, he found information online suggesting that there had been other, similar crashes in cobalts and that the ignition switch was thought to be defective. we have already addressed this with gm and completed our action, and, at the time, i filed a consumer complaint to document the issue. i just read that this agency will be investigating the issue, and i wanted to make sure you were aware of my daughter's death in a cobalt in which the air bags did not deploy, the seatbelt did not lock, and that we strongly suspect, though gm never confirmed this, had a defective ignition switch. *tr

I have owned my 2006 chevy cobalt since 2008. starting in 2009 all the way until now 2014 i have had issues with the car that are related to the ignition switch recall. i took my car in to the chevy dealer to take care of the ignition switch recall on november 5, 2014. i got my car back the same day, they replaced the ignition switch and gave me two new keys. surprise! two days later on november 7, 2014 my car again had the exact same problems related to the ignition switch recall that it did before i took it in for the recall fix. hence, chevy's "recall ignition switch fix" does not solve the problem with these cars! my car still does the following things even after the ignition switch fix that is supposed to solve these problems. whenever it pleases it will lose electrical power and turn off the engine, leaving me stuck in the middle of a busy highway, this has happened on numerous occasions!! as if that isn't bad enough there's more! the power steering light flashes, the check engine light comes on, the service airbag light comes on, the gauges on the dash completely stop working properly the speedometer needle goes haywire moving from 0 mph to 60 mph back and forth non-stop when i'm not even accelerating to those speeds. the rpm gauge does the exact same thing. the car jolts forward uncontrollably,like it is having a problem shifting especially when the rpm is between 2000 and 3000. when you go to brake you have to slam the brakes all the way down because you lose your normal braking power the car skids as you're braking and continues to jolt forward uncontrollably. oh and on top of all of this sometimes the power steering completely goes out leaving you with all of the problems mentioned above and you can't steer properly! something needs to be done immediately! the ignition switch recall fix does not work! these cars should not be on the road period. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i have photos of my crash that i feel was due to mechanical failure with my 2006 cobalt. i drove straight off the road and into some smaller trees causing both airbags to deploy and my wife spending 6 days in the hospital....i do not have the car now i have already rid myself of it unknowing of the recall. i have photos that your company is more than welcome too. please do not have me be one of theones to fall through the cracks. [xxx] *tr

2006 cobalt 2 door, i was heading to work a couple of months ago when the airbag light turned on after i parked the car and restarted it the light did not come on. after i got off of work i tuned the car on and the light did not turned on after about 15 seconds into driving the car the light came back again. it continued for the next 3 days i was going to take it to the dealer but the 4th day the light stayed off. then 3 weeks later the same thing happened and it as well kept lighting up for the next 3 days and when i was heading to the dealer the 4th day the light did not come on. it has not happened since then. did the research on it and lots of owners have the problem. so far no accidents on the car but i would like the airbags to deploy if i were to be in an accident. *tr

Hit electric pole and went airborne. airbag non-deployment. *tr updated 02/13/10 *bf the consumer stated she hit her head on the steering wheel. updated 02/16/10 updated 05/05/10 *jb updated 03/10/10 the consumer believed the steering problem caused her accident and now a recall has been issued. updated 03/05/10

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt, went off the road through a brick wall, off a 3 foot drop off and into a house. the car is totaled and most of the damage is in the front, the sensors are crushed and no airbags deployed. the car has 60k miles on it. airbags were never deployed before and no codes were on the car saying it was bad. *tr

Airbags failed to deploy during t-bone collision at a speed of aprox. 45 mph. no serious injuries occurred. airbags would not deploy even when dealership representative tried to make them deploy. vehicle had a recall on side airbag and was taken for repairs; however none of the airbags deployed. *tr

Tl*the contact owned a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving less than 55 mph, the driver crashed into the preceding vehicle. the frontal air bags failed to deploy. there were no injuries. the vehicle was destroyed and the front end was smashed into the interior of the vehicle. the insurance company was concerned that the impact was at high enough speeds so that the air bags should have deployed. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 59,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while making a left turn, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front driver's side by another vehicle. the vehicle spun around and crashed into a curve. the frontal air bags failed and the left side of the contact's head struck the window. a police report was filed. the insurance appraiser inspected the vehicle and was unable to determine why the air bags did not deploy. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the speed was unknown. the failure mileage was 40,900. updated 3/27/09 *cn updated 04/01/09. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle was involved in a crash. the frontal air bag deployed and the material in the air bag burned the contact's arm. the air bag appeared as if it would catch fire. the vehicle is currently at a body shop being repaired. a police report was filed. the current and failure mileages were 4,900.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. in april of 2008, the vehicle was involved in a crash while driving 10 mph. the air bags failed to deploy. recently, the vehicle was involved in a crash with a truck and both the driver's side and passenger side air bags failed to deploy. the vehicle was destroyed and two occupants were injured. a police report was filed. the failure mileage was 30,000. updated 09/23/08. *lj updated 09/24/08. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the engine stalled without warning. after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle resumed normally. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. there was a recall related to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) however, the contact was not able to have the vehicle serviced because the remedy part was unavailable. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was unavailable. updated 5/19/14*cn the consumer stated the instrument panel lit up, the radio stayed on, and the steering went out. updated 08/19/14

With the recent talk of the gm recall lawsuit, i wanted to post a complaint. in feb of 2008 i was driving on an interstate with a speed limit of 55mph, i cannot recall how fast i was going, but in that general vicinity if not a little more. i lost control of my vehicle and collided head on with the center cement barrier. i hit, spun around, and most likely hit the wall again on the passenger side of the car. no airbags were deployed during the accident and both myself and my passenger had to be treated for injuries sustained in the accident. my injuries were very consistent with the airbags not deploying as i hit my face and nose on the steering wheel, and my knees underneath the wheel. i had black eyes for weeks and they thought i may have possibly hairline fractured my nose. i had on my safety belt. my passenger did not have her safety belt on, and sustained injuries to her head and limbs. fortunately there were no fatalities, but it was very scary knowing i hit something at that speed head on, and once again on the side with no airbags deploying. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without any warnings. the contact mentioned that when the failure occurred the driver engaged the brakes but the vehicle failed to stop and crashed into another vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was filed and no injuries were reported. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician stated that the head gasket needed to be rebuilt. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 69,000. updated 05/27/14*lj

I was the owner of a 2006 chevy cobalt. on december 3, 2007 i lost control of and hit head on into a guard rail on the right side of the road doing 50-55 miles and hour. the car spun and hit the back end on the same guard rail and shot me across the street into the guard rail on the left side hitting the front drivers side. the car stopped and the air bag never deploy. i called and alerted gm and they adv would send someone out to look at the car (which could take up to 14 bus days) but would not pay for storage. they adv they would replace the airbag if they found malfunction but since the car was totaled they would do nothing. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the catalytic converter failed a total of three times. the first failure was repaired under the three year/30,000 mile factory warranty. the second failure was repaired under the extended warranty, along with the cam sensors. the dealer stated that the failures were due to the converter becoming clogged. the third time the converter was replaced under the extended warranty as well. currently, the catalytic converter is failing for the fourth time. the vehicle would hesitate upon acceleration and lose power for several seconds before stalling. the vehicle has not been repaired to correct the fourth failure. the failure and current mileages were less than 83,000. updated 9/1/09 *cn updated 09/04/09.*jb according to the paperwork, on july 18, 2010, the consumer was involved in an accident and the air bags failed to deploy. updated evoq 08/19/10*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 50 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle and struck a guardrail. the vehicle was destroyed and the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was filed. gm could not explain why the air bags failed. a collision mechanic stated that the air bags should have deployed. the vin, engine size, and number of cylinders were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 50,000.

My teenage daughter swerved to miss a deer, hit a utility pole head on, dead center of the bumper, snapping it off at the base. her car was totaled. it was 2006 chevy cobalt. the air bags did not deploy. if it had not been for the pole being old, there is no doubt she and her passenger would have sustained huge injury or worse. there is no explanation as to why the air bags did not deploy. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 55 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle struck the embankment, flipped over, and landed on the roof. the roof detached and the vehicle was destroyed. the air bags failed to deploy. the contact sustained injuries to the back and shoulders. the insurance company has not determined what caused the air bags to fail. a police report was filed. the dealer information was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 15,000.

I was at a red light, the light turned green i started to go and the person in front of me in a pt cruiser stopped short and i hit him in the rear causing so much damage to my front end. how on earth can they give this car even 1 star for front end collisions, if i was going any faster i would have been killed! the entire bumper, hood, the structure that holds the bumper is ruined and my compressor to the air conditioning as well, this was all at the speed of approx 2 to 4 miles per hour! the airbags never deployed either, showing that this was not a heavy impact, however this car just crumpled and i am worried for my saftey driving in my car. i go to college and then to work and i am scared that if someone were to hit me i don't even have a chance in this car that claims to have good impact results. there was no damage to the other car and i was the one that was injured, my back and both knees. i would like more information on this car and the results from minor fender benders as they call it to see if maybe there is something wrong with the structure of just my car, or all the 2006 cobalt 4 door sedans.

2006 chevrolet colbalt. vehicle was involved in collision hitting another vehicle on the right side causing damages to the front end. consumer states that the air bags did not deploy. *mc update 4/25/07*tr

Tl*- while driving on a rainy day on a main road, the contact lost control of a 2006 chevrolet cobalt at a speed of 40 mph, causing the vehicle to crash into a hillside that had a big rock sticking out. the entire front of the vehicle sustained damage, the radiator, transmission and engine were crushed. the contact stated that the frontal air bags never deployed. prior to the incident there was no warning that the air bags weren't working. *ak the consumer hit a ditch before hitting the hillside. the seat belt didn't restrain the consumer. updated 02/27/07. *jb

2006 chevrolet cobalt sedan had 2 incidents of going out of control 9 days apart. first time was when car was put in reverse and slight tap of gas pedal resulted in car rapidly reversing until hit mud area on grass and light pole. second incident was when car was in forward and stopped to open trunk. car lunged forward with such force that it went through garage wall. air bags did not deploy either time. car towed to dealership. parts ordered to replace damage but not yet checked out mechanically to see what went wrong with forward & reverse incidents and why air bags did not deploy. *nm

Letter from constituents regarding problems their son experienced with his 2006 chevy cobalt; considers it to be a lemon, seeking reimbursement (full document not imaged). *smd the consumer stated his son was making a right turn, when the vehicle suddenly stalled, leaving him without steering capabilities. the vehicle darted to the left, across the opposite lane of traffic, where he crashed into a curb. the left control arm collapsed, he hit his head on the door post and the air bag did not deploy. the vehicle was towed, the consumers residence. on a separate occasion, the vehicle stalled again on the freeway, and again steering capabilities were lost. there was no accident, but the vehicle would not re-start, and it had to be towed to the dealer. their testing could not locate the problem. the same problem happened 6 more times, resulting in a tow to the dealership. each time, the problem was blamed on the power control module. the third incident happened while his son was driving on a curvy mountain, the vehicle lost power and there was no steering ability. his son was traveling at a low speed and he steered the vehicle into a ditch damaging the radiator, the engine pan and the front bumper cover. the last accident totaled the vehicle, when the vehicle stalled in traffic, the anti- lock brakes failed and the air bags did not deploy. *jb

2006 chevrolet cobalt. consumer writes in regards to ignition switch recall repairs. *smd the consumer stated the key would not release, from the ignition. *jb

(1) car shuts itself off while i was driving down the freeway. during@ rush hour i veered away ( w-no power to car ),from traffic behind me. parked ,shut car off, took key out of ignition, then replaced and started it back up, and proceeded enroute. (2) after market cruise control failure to shut off and turn on. (3) result of above (2)after market cruise control takes its own mind and decides to fully accelerate until gearing down in hopes it 'awakes' the computer (automatic transmission),then cruise control will finally shut off. (consequence ) passenger had a heart attack. i called a taxi. "he's ok" (4) service air bags light have been on since 20,k miles i now have 47,xxx miles. (5)stock tires and rims wobble with irritating continous noises -can't ge rid of it. (6) stock seats driver and passenger sides both were installed incorrectlythey are really slantedlike this ( / \ ). (7) a clunking bucket sounding noise fills very slowly, (health problems) an odor is always present leaving me light headed ,nautious while driving, dizzy exiting car,and with breathing problems -like shortness of breath. i have severe back problems now, and can not sit in the car for more than 20 min, upon a break of fresh air and a walk for the spine. (8) brakes sound and feel (when applied),scratchy.@5,000 miles the chevy dealership had to turn and shave allready my disc brakes saying they were worn in. (9) my heater makes a lot of noises when using it. (10) acceleration hesitation. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. the owner received a recall notice for the side airbags. the contact called the dealer to schedule an appointment, left a message , and has not received a return call. the current and failure mileage were 7,800. *ak

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 55 mph on the highway with the cruise control engaged, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle lurched forward without warning. multiple attempts were made to disengage the cruise control by constantly applying brake pressure, but the vehicle continued to accelerate. the vehicle suddenly careened through two lanes of traffic, struck a guardrail, and rolled over into an embankment where it finally came to a stop. the contact was wearing a seat belt, but minor injuries were sustained. due to the extensive body damage, the vehicle was deemed totaled. the police were alerted and a report was taken. the manufacturer was also alerted. updated 9/20/2006 - the air bags did not deploy. *nm

I was driving to work on rt 8 in butler, pa. a deer ran into my car, hitting the front end. i was going about 50 mph. i slammed on the brakes and got out to look at my car. the front bumper was completely smashed, along with the bumper being folded, ac condenser broke, grille broke,radiator broke. i got back in my car and noticed the air bag symbol was on but by air bags didn't deploy. i wasn't wearing a seat belt and i was the only one in the car. my seat belts locked up for some reason and the air bags didn't go off. i called the chevy company and asked them why, and they told me that you need to hit the car in a certain spot on the car, but a mechanic told me usually if the rebar is cracked the air bags go off. they said there is nothing they can do about it. i paid the car off and i didn't have full coverage. so my car is practically garbage. i think they should at least fix the air bag problem and the seat belts. *jb

i was driving my 2006 chevy cobalt when i was taking a friend to the airport. i was on i-495 n in the lane leading to the exit that takes you to the airport toll road. i applied my brakes and the car did not slow down. hoping to coast down the exit and pull off to the side of the road, i turned the steering wheel to veer the car left. the car kept going straight. i kept hitting the brakes and turned the steering wheel to the left, but the car did not stop, nor did it turn. we crashed into the guardrail at about 50 mph. the airbags did not deploy. turns out the car shut off while i was driving it. this was the second time this had occurred. it happened back in may 2006 and i took it in to the dealership. they kept it for a couple of days and said it was fine. apparently not. *jb

Brakes failed. hit another car at stop light. car slowed but would not stop. felt abs kick in but brakes only slowed car down. less than 5 mph. no aib bag inflation. car was a loaner from dealer, while my car was being worked on. had car towed back to dealer and they said they found no problem with brakes. i know how to drive and i find it hard to believe that brakes don't work when you use them.*ak

Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to apply brake pressure at 40 mph the vehicle hit another vehicle from behind and the airbags did not deploy. a police report was filed at the scene and there were no injuries. the vehicle sustained front end damage. it was towed to the dealership and the front end was replaced. the manufacturer was contacted. *ak