10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,536 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #21

Mar 262012

Cobalt

  • 35,000 miles
This vehicle is not safe to drive and was not built right. The manufactures knew for many years that the Chevy Cobalt 2006 would have a leaking gasoline system, and they kept this faulty defect to themselves for many years before bring this issue to the customer. I was driving the vehicle leaking gas for a few years unit the crack was large enough for me to smell it, while not driving, the ignition switch; with the key in it while the car was in park has started the car engine without turning the key. The key wont come out of the ignition switch. The car has turned off on me on the freeway more than 9 times. The car turned off on me going in reverse, couldn't control the brake and steering power to move out of the pole. While driving in the freeway I have had to quickly react; putting my emergency lights on and praying to god a car doesn't hit me, while with the left had side is quickly waving at the vehicles coming from behind to stop. Please help me. I have two children and im tired of being exposed to the dangers of this M defected life threatening vehicle. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bell, CA, USA

problem #20

Oct 082009

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 50,020 miles
Starting the car and pulling out, the power steering not working, car hesitating when accelerating and then I pull over and shut the car off. I wait a few seconds and start the car again, and its running fine. This started a month or so after our purchase (used) on May 15,2009. The dealer did not have any weekend service. The date above is when we 1st reported for service. But turning the car off/on always fixed the problem. Service dates-10/8/09,10/15/09,8/28/10,5/19/11.3/27/12. Dealer couldn't find any dialogistic problems. I brought the car in & running, on 7/2/13, while running a mechanic drove it, said he knew the problem. Dialogistic showed 2- cost $430. To repair. 2wks. Later, happened again, dialogistic showed 6. estimate $6-$800 plus. Too much to fix it. In the past 3 yrs., four times while driving at 60mph, on hwy., no power steering, gas hesitating, & down shifts to 25+/-while flooring the gas, car bucking, & speedometer bouncing B'twn.30-50. Very freighting and once there was no place to stop.

- Milford, CT, USA

problem #19

Mar 062014

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
I was driving on busy road car keeps almost stalling out. Start up the car after 10 minutes car drives fine. Next time I'm driving car is not accelerating. Then car keeps stalling out.

- Cocoa, FL, USA

problem #18

Nov 172012

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 103,459 miles
Car stalls due to throttle position sensor defect. This happens when I come to a stop and the weather is cold. The choke gets stuck in either the open or the closed position. This has happened numerous times on numerous different occasions. I have been told by dealerships that this is a known problem which is why they keep the part in stock. However Chevy/GM has not issued a recall. This part is far to expensive for me to replace. I would consider this a hazard due to the vehicle stalling in mid traffic which could result in an accident. I can keep the vehicle running by having one foot on the brake and one foot on the gas and putting the car in neutral as I come to a stop. This too could result in causing an accident as two feet are not suppose to be used to drive.

- Lakewood, OH, USA

problem #17

Mar 082014

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 139,111 miles
I was driving East on us hwy 2 at 55 mph when my car suddenly dropped speed to 35 mph and the engine light came on and the dash read red eng pwr. It was a very scary experience, I was able to coast to a side road as I live in northern Wisconsin and there is not a shoulder to pull on to due to the high snow banks. I parked the car and shut it off and it had no power no speed control. I let it sit for 1 hour and when I turned it back on the engine light was off along with the dash reading and the car was normal. This is awful! this car is awful!

- Ashland, WI, USA

problem #16

Sep 012013

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
Driving on 127 North toward lansing Michigan at 75 miles per hour when the engine lost control causing the car to go no faster than 15 miles per hour on the highway. This is a safety risk to the driver as well as others. I have replaced the gas peddle sensor which did not correct the problem, next I will replace the throttle body. The codes can be reset to correct the problem temporary if you purchase a $300 dollar code reader. I have also had to replace the front bearings twice. On 2/16/2014 I hit a pot hole and knocked a bolt loose that holds the cars frame together so at this point the car is unsafe to drive. At least I'm hoping its loose and not broke. The car shakes terribly due to the frame bolt. This is a big safety concern.

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #15

Jul 212013

Cobalt

  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, with the cruise control activated, the brakes seized when depressed and did not deactivate the cruise control function. The contact crashed into a median strip and upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained bruising, whiplash, and shoulder and neck injuries. The vehicle was neither repaired nor diagnosed. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure was approximately 29,000..

- Harrodsburg , KY, USA

problem #14

Dec 242010

Cobalt

  • 90,000 miles
First time we had problem was christmas eve 2010 car stumbled. Check engine light appeared T\C light appeared. Car dinged power steering came up on info center all as we were on a country road on our way to our families christmas. We stopped shut car off my husband got out and checked all fluids and fuses all were ok then we. Started car again and everything was back to normal for quite a awhile he said it might have just got confused there. Then the problem popped up intermittently here and there.right around October 2011 not sure of exact date but me and 3 children where on our way across the state of Indiana to see my husband that was working out of town and about 100miles into trip the cars power steering went out and made the car very hard to maneuver lights came on. As did in late 2010 so I pulled over and turned car off and did as my husband did and everything was good. But when I turned car back on it still had lights on so I called my husband and he told me to try unhook battery for like 10 minutes then hook back up and I did that and luckily it worked and we made it to where he was staying and we never had anymore problems till 9/15/12 when I was driving to see my mother and it happened again but this time in heavy traffic at a stop light and this time had all same symptoms but also a new one the transmission wouldn't shift from low gear. And it won't go off my husband researched on internet and found recalls for Cobalts and numerous complaints of same steering problems but when I called GM and gave woman my VIN she stated no recalls for my vehicle I don't understand if it is the same make of vehicle same problems they can pick and choose who has a problem and who doesn't. I am gonna try to solve this by taking to GM customer service, but if they not willing to work with me I will be more than happy to sign onto a class action lawsuit.

- Lawrenceburg, IN, USA

problem #13

Jul 262011

Cobalt

  • 155,560 miles
I was driving home one rainy day, about 45mph, dash lit up to shift. I looked and I was already in 5th. Next second everything on dash went out. No speedometer, no shift light, no mileage or trip meter, nothing. Only thing on dash that works is tach and digital display says power steering. Already had an appointment for recall work for power steering assist motor, thought that maybe that was what was wrong so I kept appointment. When got back from dealer, they tell me they replaced power steering assist motor and they had noticed the dash display and had done scan and it showed the power steering motor is went out! bought this car for my daughter, to drive back in forth to school, scared for her to drive it the 90 miles a day she drives to college. Thought this was just an isolated case but after checking online, I see that this is a major defect in these cars. Something needs done before someone gets hurt or killed.

- Genoa, WV, USA

problem #12

Jul 122011

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
When driving or at idle 2006 Cobalt will stall when the heater or air conditioning is turned on. Loss of power steering is lost as well as all other power. When the heater or air conditioner is turned off car will start again. There are no engine codes displayed.

- Cincinnati , OH, USA

problem #11

Sep 062011

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • miles
The power steering failed on yesterday September 6th, 2011. The mph needle does not move at all on the RPM needle. In order to get the vehicle to move what it seems to be 30 miles per hour I must press hard on the accelerator. There was a recall on the vehicle and I received a letter to have the car looked at by darcars dealership. I took the car to the dealership May 2011 and the representative stated that the steering column was replaced and everything is fine. Now 4 months later the vehicle is in worse condition then it was prior to me taking it to the dealership. Not sure what to do at this point.

- Riverdale , MD, USA

problem #10

Feb 122011

Cobalt

  • 44,800 miles
The contact owns 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that when the brake pedal was engaged the vehicle stalled. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer several times, but was told that there was no code and the vehicle was functioning normally. After leaving the dealer the vehicle started to move forward and accelerate while the contact was sitting at a traffic light with the brake pedal engaged. The vehicle started to pull to the right when this occurred and abruptly made contact with a curb. The vehicle was towed to a different dealer for diagnostic testing to determine what caused the failure. The failure and current mileage was 44,800.

- Marshallville, OH, USA

problem #9

Aug 052006

Cobalt

  • 12,000 miles
2006 Chevy Cobalt key comes out of ignition and it still runs. Key gets locked in steering column and will not release. Have to wait anywhere from 1 minute to 3 hours. Radio shorted. Automatic transmission slips and car will not accelerate (this happens while car is being driven). Car will not start indicating a "lock key", have to cycle automatic shifter through gears before it will start. Car will not start and just clicks. Battery reads $12.21 volts. Vehicle has a loose thumping noise in front axle area. All these indications generated a year after purchase and becoming more frequent.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #8

Jun 142010

Cobalt

  • 70,000 miles
My 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt ls 4 door sedan has the power steering go out quite frequently, two days ago my girlfriend was driving it and was stopped at a T-intersection. After making the stop she proceeded to make a left hand turn, at that time the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably and she ended up with all four tires jumping the curb. I do not know if the power steering went out at that particular moment, everything happened pretty quick. All I know is I have numerous concerns as to this cars road reliability.

- Rockford, IL, USA

problem #7

May 012008

Cobalt

  • 50,000 miles
I have a 2006 Chevy Cobalt that has a power steering issue. The screen will display "power steering" which means that I have lost power steering. I have had steering column rattling randomly. My key gets stuck in the ignition, my cruise control does not work a long with my keyless entry I do not have any money to fix it.

- Richwood, TX, USA

problem #6

Sep 132007

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle automatically sped out of control. The vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree. The vehicle sustained a considerable amount of damage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that there was a recall for the failure; however, they were never notified. The vehicle was repaired through her insurance Agency at the cost of $6,971.29. The contact paid a $500 deductible. Her VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was diagnosed as having a faulty fuel injection system. The powertrain, recall number, and failure mileage were unknown. The current mileage was 6,800. Updated 02-11-08 updated 02/11/08

- Titusville, FL, USA

problem #5

Jan 062007

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
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.

- Youngstown, OH, USA

problem #4

Nov 272006

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,700 miles
: the contact stated upon initial acceleration onto the highway, the accelerator pedal stuck to the floorboard without warning. The contact quickly pulled to the side of the road and turned off the ignition which stopped the sudden acceleration. After restarting the engine, the problem persisted. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was not alerted. Updated 12/15/2006 -

- Ionia, MI, USA

problem #3

Nov 062006

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10,000 miles
: the contact stated while traveling various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The dealership cannot duplicate the problem.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #2

Aug 072006

Cobalt 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 19,000 miles
: 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.

- Worden, IL, USA

Read the next 1 complaints »