10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 57 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 51 / 3
- Average Mileage:
- 67,646 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
While driving my car, the dash will ding three times, flash "power steering" and then the steering wheel will lock up. I will have to pull over, turn the engine off, and restart the car. Upon restarting the car, it will work fine. This will happen several times in a row. It is a hassle while driving, I've had to stop in the middle of the road to turn my car off at times when there isn't a shoulder to pull off on. From what I have read, this is something that happens a lot with 2006-2007 model Cobalts, cost upward T $1000-$2000 to fix and obviously needs to be recalled.
- Toano, VA, USA
2007 Chevrolet Cobalt with power steering system failure. The car currently has 67,000 miles and had not had any issues with it until this randomly happened on the street. A "power steering" message came up on the dashboard of the car and seemingly the steering column locked up. This was with my 2 year old nephew in the car. I am glad I was not on the freeway when this happened. After that occurrence it has continually happened over the last 2 weeks every time the car is used. It is random and there is no pattern to what sets it off. The power steering fails and it is dangerous to drive that way. I cannot afford to take it back to the dealership to pay the $2000 they want to fix this dangerous issue, so this is still occurring. I am trying to find another way to get this fixed but this needs action against as there are countless others that are experiencing this as well.
- Covina, CA, USA
We have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt in which while driving the power steering goes out. Really scary and dangerous. Since GM has been aware of this failure since 2005 and nobody has done anything about it is even scarier. If you turn car off and back on power steering will work again only for period of time then shut off again while driving. There are thousands of complaints on-line. Please do something before someone is seriously injured.
- Fairborn, OH, USA
Power steering suddenly went out, nearly causing a collision. Power steering came back after engine was turned off and then back on.
- Half Moon Bay, CA, USA
I have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt ss. It has 51,000 miles and the power steering just went out suddenly while I was driving. I almost got into an accident I was barely able to turn into a gas station. I am not very strong, thankfully my brother was with me. I was 50 miles from my home and would not have been able to steer home. This is very dangerous. I got home and researched to see how to fix this, and I noticed several people had posted complaints on several different websites stating the same problem.
- Lake Jackson, TX, USA
While driving at 45 mph on a windy and dangerous mountain road, lost the power steering and almost went over the edge of the mountain. Turned the vehicle off and back on and power steering seemed to work ok, but keeps going out. Very dangerous and still under warranty and trying to get into the dealer asap.
- Kirkland, AZ, USA
Car: Chevy Cobalt 2007 - power steering power steering randomly goes out while driving with no warning. Restarting the car temporarily fixes the issue. There are many complaints on this very dangerous issue.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 70 mph and making a left or right turn the steering wheel locked. The failure has occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage and the VIN were unavailable. The current mileage was 64,326.
- Atlanta, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 65 mph he experienced difficult steering and then the power steering light illuminated on the instrument control panel. She was able to safely pull to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The dealer was notified, and she was advised that she would have to pay $800 dollars to repair the vehicle since the warranty expired. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileages were 40000.
- Kress, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving approximately 75 mph the "power steering" warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, and there was a loss of power steering. The driver exerted great effort to turn the steering wheel. The driver pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the engine to resume operation. The failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure could possibly be contributed to the power steering motor. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 50,692. The current mileage was 51,000. Updated 01/12/10 updated 01/13/10.
- Middleburg, FL, USA
My Chevy Cobalt 2007 becomes very hard to steer. The power steering light comes on. When the vehicle is turned off and back on it works fine, but it could be very dangerous for me and my family since it usually happens while driving.
- Galveston, TX, USA
Chevy Cobalt - 2006... while driving car the steering goes out. Car will not turn to the left or to the right... simply freezes up. I am a small business owner. My company is a molly maid franchise. I have 15 cars for work. I own 5 Chevy Cobalts, years 2006 and 2007.... this has happened to me with 3 out of 5 vehicles so far! when I call Chevrolet they tell me it is not a defect, but I believe it is - and very dangerous!!
- Stuart, FL, USA
My power steering went out. Cant get my inspection sticker!!
- El Paso, TX, USA
My 2007 Chevy Cobalt was running normally, then the steering column locked up while I was driving. I barely missed a telephone pole as the car was almost impossible to steer. I was by GM to wait until the problem duplicates itself and lights the check engine light so they know what to diagnose. I'm afraid to drive this car.
- Edgewood, MD, USA
Electrical power steering fails while driving the vehicle making it almost impossible to turn.
- Grenada, MS, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving between 5-10 mph he lost power steering. The failure occurred twice. The vehicle was repaired.. the current mileage was 54,500. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN number was not available.
- Erie, PA, USA
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt ls. While reversing out of parking space, she experienced a loss of power steering. She restarted the vehicle and resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. After the inspection the failure would occur whenever the vehicle was in operation. The failure mileage was 47,000. The current mileage was 50,000.
- West Carrollton City, OH, USA
Beginning about 2 weeks ago, I have had issues with my power steering. It will arbitrarily shut off while driving and the screen on the dash board will flash "power steering". I have to pull over and shut the car off, and upon restart the problem is fixed. So far I have not had any real safety issues, but this will cause a severe issue one of these days while I am on the roads. I looked online and saw that I am not the only person with the exact same issue with this vehicle, give or take a year. A recall should be made asap before it causes serious injuries to drivers or passengers..
- Toano, VA, USA
On December 08, 2009, I was on my way home from work when the power steering message was activated on the dash display panel followed by the malfunctioning of the power steering assist. I pulled off the freeway and to a convenience store to check the engine compartment. I discovered that there is no place to add power steering fluid I discovered that the power steering is really power assisted mechanically assisted and they problem went away by turning off the car and then restarting the car; however, the problem recurs once on the hwy. This is extremely dangerous to the public and should be address immediately by GM before some gets killed.
- Mcallen, TX, USA
- Trainer, PA, USA