10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 29,746 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the key would become stuck in the ignition. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 72,000. Updated 12/01/11 the consumer stated the key would get stuck in the ignition and there was no release button to remove it. The consumer stated he would have to leave the vehicle on, or leave the key in the ignition and disconnect the battery. The consumer also stated the power steering failed a times and the speedometer did not work and the windows wouldn't roll down. Updated 12/08/11 updated 12/12/11 the consumer stated the brake does not have to be applied to shift out of park. The consumer experienced other problems due to the problem with the ignition. Updated 12/15/11
- South Attleboro, MA, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe because the speedometer, instrument panel, and a host of other failures were occurring with the vehicle. The check engine light illuminated, but the dealer could not diagnose the cause of the failure. The warranty has expired and the dealer still is unable to locate the reason for the failures. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer regarding the warranty. The failure mileage was 13,000 and current mileage was 31,000.
- Pavo, GA, USA
Events that lead to failure: 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt randomly shut off, instrument gauge needles randomly flicker/twitch, bad smell that in my opinion resembled a burnt food/sulfur combination. It started out lightly and randomly for a few weeks, but became heavier and constant over a week. A knocking noise came from the rear of the car, idle surged, and cruise control failed to disengage. Failure & consequences: Fire! component that failed was a canister/sending unit rear of the gas tank with the consequence of a fire and the total loss of my 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The evening prior I contacted my local dealer about the smell and I told them I have no warning lights on. The next day driving to the dealership the smell/odder intensified. My thoughts were, we'll at least they can't say they don't smell it or give me the "can't duplicate it" decision. I only made it halfway when my car had a major electrical/mechanical failure. I was assisted by cars traveling behind me as one pointed out my car was on fire and the car shut down, all without any warning lights! the fire severely burned the entire back half of the car. After being inspected by a very well seasoned fire inspector the fire was diagnosed to come from a canister/sending unit malfunction. Again no warning lights GM! in my opinion the random shutting down of the car, the gauges twitching/flickering, the strange knocking noise and the smell/odder was all part of the same problem. Corrected failures: In reference to the fire, that will be up to GM however, after reading the NHTSA alarming number of 2005-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt complaints and technical service bulletins one would be led to believe that there should be more than just a couple of recalls.
- Stafford, VA, USA
2006 chev Cobalt warning lights did not come on to state that something was wrong* the consumer stated she ran over something in the road and as a result radiator was damaged which caused coolant to leak.
- King City , MO, USA
When turning the headlights from the automatic to the manual position the dashboard instrumentation does not light up. This poses a safety hazard on cloudy / foggy days when the automatic sensor sensitivity is set to high to allow for proper lighting of the headlights and dash instrumentation. When the lights are switched to manual this should bypass the automatic sensor and allow for dashboard illumination however this is not the case.
- Penngrove, CA, USA
- Olathe, CO, USA