10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 4 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 1
- Average Mileage:
- 44,117 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
We are buying a used 2006 Chevy Cobalt ls & the key has stuck in the ignition. We have found out through research that this has been a huge problem with others & the automatic shifter assembly has to be replaced. We have no warranty now & still owe too much on the car. Why is there no recall on this since there are so many complaints? every single web site we were on people have complained about this. This is a rotten deal.. every website has too many complaints. There absolutely should be a recall to fix this problem.----this was a message sent to Chevrolet of which they replied: Thank you for contacting the Chevrolet customer assistance center. I have processed the information on your vehicle and after thoroughly researching all the resources available to me; I was not able to find any recall associated to your vehicle. Recalls are vehicle identification number specific so not all vehicles of a model year are affected. I emailed back that they need to have a recall for this. It is costly to replace & not fair to the consumer. Please help.
- Omaha , NE, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact is unable to remove the key from the ignition. The key was usually released from the ignition when the column lock was pressed. The dealer was unable to correct the failure. The manufacturer stated they are not aware of the failure. Updated 09/16/09 updated 09/17/09.
- Pembroke, MA, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving at any speed, the power steering fails. When the failure occurs, the contact must turn off the engine and wait momentarily for the vehicle to restart. In addition, the power steering locks, which makes the key difficult to remove from the ignition. The contact must rattle the key, place the vehicle into park, and continue shifting in order to release the key. The failure mileage was 28,000.
- Lebanon, PA, USA
The car shifter button won't release the key. In other words the key will not come out of the ignition. This is the first time it has happened. The repair shop has to put a new shifter in because they couldn't buy just the interlock system (button). The repair shop says it sounds like a lot of people have the same problem because the dealership had several in stock. I have read several complaints online concerning this problem. It is dangerous when you have to leave your key in your car overnight.
- Beech Grove, IN, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition switch after several attempts. The ignition was turned to the 'off' position and the gear shift was placed in the "park" position. When the ignition key release control button was pushed, the contact was able to remove the key from the ignition. The failure occurred intermittently. There were no prior warnings. The vehicle is in the process of being repaired. The contact is aware of the safety risks involved. The failure and current mileages were 56,000.
- Coalingal, CA, USA
2006 Chevy Cobalt:key is getting stuck in the ignition have to remove the access panel under the steering column to access button to release key I work for a towing co. In westeren pa and have had several calls of this nature the vehicle in regaurds to belongs to my sister in law thank you.
- Braddock, PA, USA
The gear shift panel shicks and will not release the key out of ignition.
- St. Louis, MO, USA
With out warning. The key stays locked in the ignition, due to a faulty shifter ( microswitch pin) and will not release. Problem happens every time the car is put into park, and tried to pull the key from the ignition. Dealer service tech's claims the defective part is cheaply made and 6 out of 10 colbalts have this problem. To fix the problem complete replacement of the shifter.
- Niles, OH, USA
1) when parking my Cobalt, 3 of every 5 times my key becomes stuck in the ignition. I have to do things like--apply the brake off-and-on repeatedly, shift in-and-out of park repeatedly, and sometimes even rock the car back-and-forth with my body until it "clicks" into place and I can take my key out of the ignition. I work late shift at the hospital. It is a very scary situation to be stuck in the dark--in the middle of a parking lot--not able to get the key out of the ignition. 2)periodically, when I start up my Cobalt, the clock on my dashboard will start back at "12:00". it is very frustrating to have to keep resetting my clock. Why is this happening? 3) as I drive my Cobalt, the back windows slowly roll themselves down. I am constantly having to reach back and roll them up. They do not roll themselves down all the way, but they crack themselves enough to hear the air coming in. 4) since I bought my Cobalt I have had problems with my headlights pointing downward too much. I have brought them in to be adjusted on more than one occasion. They are still not adjusted correctly, and--at times-- I have to squat down in my seat at night in order to see "under" my headlights, so I do not cause an accident. There was a wreck associated with this headlight problem late in '06 involving a deer on the highway becuase it was impossible to see in time.
- Wadesville, IN, USA
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt with several different issues customer states that car is a lemon and that she drove the 2007 Cobalt and it ran beautifully* the consumer stated the entire shifter system had to be replaced. The ignition key would not turn in the ignition, the steering column was replaced and the system was reprogrammed, the rotors were machined.
- Glen Burnie, MD, USA
Upon driving up the on ramp to I-985, the car just shut off for no reason. I was able to move the car to the side of the road, take the key out and restart it. I got the car about 4 feet, and it stopped again. I let the car sit for about 5 minutes, and then restarted it.
- Oakwood, GA, USA
The contact stated while driving at various speeds the engine shut off four times suddenly without warning. After sitting a short while, the vehicle restarted every time. The check engine light did not illuminate in the vehicle prior to each incident. The manufacturer alerted the dealership the problem was with the ignition coil. The dealership replaced the ignition coil and corrected the problem. Updated 9/20/2006 -
- Edmond, OK, USA
Two of my friends and I went to brunch on Sunday, 5-21-06. I had purchased the vehicle on 5-13-06. It is a Cobalt ss. We parked the car in the parking lot. I could not remove the key from the ignition. Since I had another key, I turned the motor off and locked the door. When we came back about an hour later, I opened the door and was able to remove the key. The dealer states: "they inspected shifter and lock cylinder per bulletin 06-07-30-004B and was unable to verify the complaint..." then I started the car with my foot on the brake and put it in reverse. The car lunged backwards, I put it in neutral and then park, then put the hand brake on, but nothing would stop it until it hit a tree brace in the parking lot. The dealer stated, "unable to duplicate but reprogrammed the PCM with updated calibrations J6354..." of course, they would not repair the damage to my 7-day old car. I am lucky there were no people walking in the parking lot at the time!! I obtained 3 appraisals to repair the damages, the lowest being $790.91. I believe GM is responsible for this. It definitely was a safety hazard and I'm afraid it will happen again. Thank you.
- Margate, FL, USA
- Oakland, FL, USA