At random times, my 2005 chevy cobalt will pop up a "check engine" light and a "traction control" light, where I lose my power steering, the motor shifts hard into each gear, and the motor runs very rough. Also, there are clicking sounds at the shifter, like it is trying to shift into a gear or something. This is a serious hazard and as I've read online, I am not the only one this has happened to. There are thousands of others. This entire car needs to be recalled because no one knows what is doing this!
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt transmission complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 99, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving on a major highway, "power steering" message is displayed on dash, warning chime sounds repeatedly, power door locks cycle at random, instrument panel gauges stop working intermittently and jump around, complete loss of power, and random warning lights appear on dash. At times the gas pedal was completely unresponsive, then vehicle would lurch forward - had a near miss incident when the loss of power on acceleration from a red light almost caused another vehicle to hit us. Issue has occurred at random intervals since the car was new, but has become more frequent lately and tends to occur more often on hot days. Dealer was unable to duplicate concern, despite hundreds of similar complaints on the internet.
My car repeatedly go through times of fits. These fits include losing power steering, power steering chime, traction control chime, clicking behind the radio, spinning speedometer, gas gauge fails, jerking or hiccupping as one person described it, occasional stalling. My car will drive fine for weeks, likes its new even, then all of a sudden it has a fit and this goes on for days. This started when my car was a year or two old. I have taken it to the dealer a total of 8 times. Early on when the car was younger it would seem to be repaired only do start this problem again a year later. Now that the car is older and not under warranty I have quit taking it as I do not believe it will help. They do not seem to know how to correct this problem. They are rude to me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that both the traction control and power steering warning indicators illuminated until the engine was turned off. There was also a complete loss of power steering and the transmission began to down shift independently. The contact was able to continue to drive with excessive force being applied to the steering wheel. The failures would recur sporadically. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and repaired under the federal safety agency campaign id number 10v073000 (steering). The failure recurred one year after the recall remedy was performed. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Why isn't there a recall for the 2005 cobalt? This happened shortly after I purchased the vehicle! Why do you have the recall only for 2009, it should be for 2005 and all models affected, regardless of the year! Just picking one year is not accurate for this type of issue. This need to be fixed asap! Please and thank you! "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
If there has been the same recall on 2009 chevelot cobalt, it should be for 2005! I can tell you of 3 other people with the same issue. This is not safe for cars to be on the road with this issue. Transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park".
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated the vehicle would shift abnormally hard and would often jump when driving at various speeds. In addition, the vehicle would sporadically attempt to stall. The contact stated that various warning lights would illuminate on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer twice and each time the dealer stated that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact also stated that the automatic key fob could not be used to lock the doors because the anti-theft alarm could not be disarmed. As a result, the contact had to manually lock and unlock the doors at all times. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000 and the current mileage was 71,000.
After approach from stop sign, went to accelerate, vehicle stalled, dashboard computer lights flashing, I.e power steering, brake, MPH, and pinging. Started vehicle after multiple attempts. Difficult steering, accelerating no more than 30 MPH, and transmission jerking. This vehicle has been to shop 2 times. The trans module was replaced august 1, 2012. A day after pick up, it had the same issues I.e. Difficulty steering, unexpected stalling, rough limited acceleration, flashing computer lights on the dashboard. The auto shop employee assured me" it is safe to drive and do not be afraid.." the shop had this vehicle for three weeks. It was written on invoice, " car driven for 26 miles trouble free has possible inop issue, but is operating as designed." nine days after pickup this vehicle still remains unsafe on the road, with unexpected stalling stopping I.e stop/ go traffic, intersections, and computer lights flashing on dashboard. The TCM /ECM issue is still not resolved causing a safety issue with unexpected stalling and difficulty steering and loss of acceleration.
On several prior occasions, the key would become stuck in the ignition. To solve this problem, I would simply shift from park to drive, cycling through the gears. This would allow the key to be removed from the ignition. I figured it was a small problem with the automatic gear shifter, it may not be fully engaging in park. This situation carried on for approximately two (2) years, whenever needed I would repeat the cycling of gears to disengage the key. However, a few days ago the key became stuck in the ignition and the previous solution would no longer dislodge the key. I found the switch under the steering wheel to remove the key, but the car is inoperable due to the key becoming stuck in the ignition cylinder on a constant basis. Upon doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that is a common problem with automatic transmission equipped cobalts. The shifter is not fully engaging a micro shifter when engaging in park, causing the key to remain in the ignition. It has come to the point where I can not remove the key, even while using the switch under the steering wheel.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. While stopped, the contact placed the gear shifter in park and noticed that the indicator was still illuminated in drive. The contact was able to shut the engine off but was unable to remove the key from the ignition. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that the instrument panel gauges were malfunctioning and the power of steering would fail sporadically without warning. In addition, the transmission was shifting gears independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 53,000.
The power steering light came on. I had no mileage or speedometer reading. I took it to mr. Tire which was about 3 miles away. They put the car on a machine and found mil code u0101. They told me to take it to the dealer because there was a recall for this. I called the dealer the next morning and took it right over to them. They had the car for two days and finally called me and told me that they had to replace the TCM and reprogram it, clear the codes and retest. This was going to cost $500. I had taken this car to bob bell last june when I received the recall notice. It was repaired. After a few months I noticed that three or four times the signal came on about brakes but then disappeared and everything seemed fine. Then this monday this happened.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while accelerating from approximately 5 MPH the vehicle began to jerk. During the failure, the contact also began to hear a clicking noise. The vehicle was pulled onto the emergency lane and shut off. Upon restarting the vehicle, the failure continued to occur. The power steering service light and another warning began to illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact also stated there was no steering failure even though the power steering service light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 25,300.
With no advanced signs or warning (mileage at 99,930), upon starting the vehicle, the traction control and security light came on. The car's RPM revved up and down and wanted to stall. The fuel gauge jumped back and forth. There was a constant clicking in the gear shift and the steering wheel locked into place where I could not turn it. I shut the car off and restarted three additional times before everything seemed to go back to normal and I was able to drive. The next time this occurred was when mileage was at 99960. After several attempts at stopping and starting the vehicle, the traction control and security warning lights went out and I put the car into gear to drive, only to be practically jerked out of my seat with hard shifting and acting light it wanted to stall when coming to a stop. I drove the car directly to the dealership and the problem continued on the entire drive there. Once the car was shut off, the problem could not be recreated at the dealership and therefore I was sent on my way with no explanation of what might be wrong. The next repeat event occurred 3 weeks later (mileage 100,450) but corrected itself with several off/on of the engine. Next occurrence again at 100,600 with same results. This has not yet happened while driving, but I did ask the dealership about the possibility of this happening and he said if it did, I would easily be able to control the car and pull off the road. Personally, I do not want to experience this while driving 55-65 MPH! The dealership said that this could be a costly fix since it is a process of elimination and no guarantees each time whatever they tried would fix it...not much confidence coming from the chevy dealership mechanic!!
*please note...the incident date is approximate. We have a 2005 chevrolet cobalt sedan that was involved in the recall for the power steering motor intermittent power steering failure. We had never had a problem with the steering prior to the recall being performed. After the recall was performed, we began having trouble with intermittent power steering failure - plus additional failures. Upon start-up, we have experienced no power steering, and had to shut the vehicle off and retry numerous times before the power steering returns. In addition to loss of power steering, we have experienced the following electrical problems: traction control light illuminating random clicking of the brake safety interlock relay / actuator (without touching the brake). Check engine light transmission going into "limp mode"..."slamming" into gear when shifting from park - or improper shifting while driving. Random dash gauge failure random failures of the "driver's information center" - flashing, etc. This was initially happening only upon start-up...but started happening while driving as well - nearly leading to an accident while my wife was driving on a busy urban street. She was fortunately able to drift into the turn lane and come to a stop to avoid a collision and likely serious injury to herself and others, as it was virtually uncontrollable. In addition to the loss of power steering (while driving), the transmission also went into "limp mode", causing very hard shifting and much difficulty in drivability. This has also happened while I was driving the vehicle. I am 6'3", 260lbs., and I was struggling to control the vehicle. I have also been in contact with other cobalt owners with the exact same set of "symptoms". It is clear that the motor replacement was not sufficient to repair the problem, and - in some cases - may be leading to further problems as in our case. This vehicle is very dangerous!
Chevy dealer replaced power steering assist, since the repair, issue has been recurring. Transmission slips and knocks the car forward, power steering error appears, tachometer and speedometer short out.
I recently purchased used my 2005 chevy cobalt and sunday a week after having the car gave me problems. According to the carfax report the power steering was replaced in april assuming do to the recall. But I got in my car and the power steering read across the mileage area and chimed. Very little noticeable issues do to steering but when I came to a stop light it vibrated really bad and then everytime it shifted(its an automatic) to another gear higher or lower it would act like it had shifting problems. Also when I would come to stops at a light or stop sign it would vibrate really bad to the point where it seemed like it would stale out. It had only stalled once. I just hope someone can resolve this issue because it seems like tons of people are having this issue.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. While attempting to turn the vehicle off, the key would not come out of the ignition. The gear shaft would not go in park and the vehicle began to roll backwards. The contact took the vehicle to the dealership and was advised this was a known problem and had happened several times. The contact was advised to pay $397 for the repair. The contact spoke with the manufacturer who advised the problem had happened several times. The contact filed a complaint and received a call from the manufacturer who closed the case. No further assistance was given by the manufacturer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure miles were 50000. The VIN was not available.
I have a 2005 chevy cobalt. 59000 miles on it. Had the whole power steering problem right after I financed the car, the recall that went out in march was replaced immediately, 3000 miles later (I drive about 2500-3000 a month) power steering started acting up again, took it to a mechanic, it wouldn't act up for him, he said to bring it back when it was actually acting up. It worked fine for a few weeks, happened again, check engine light came on, took it in still wouldn't give him any problems, mechanic advised to have chevy check the power steering motor recall to see if maybe they replaced it with a bad motor. Called chevrolet to get the power steering recall looked at again to see if maybe the replacement was a bad one..... Chevy dealership looked at it, checked the car and said he didn't know what was going on with it, and that he could change a few things.... Power steering column, new battery...etc. $1000 dollars + worth of work and not knowing the whole time if it was even the problem. Worked ok again for a couple more weeks and now it doesn't want to shift in and out of gears and gain speed on the highway, check engine light came on, took it to a mechanic as soon as it happened, he took it out to test drive and the darn thing wouldn't act up on him. This car is a lemon, even the idiotic chevrolet people at the dealership don't know what it is going on with the car and don't know how to fix it. I just want the thing off my hands, don't want to have to pay anymore into it, it's unreliable and unsafe.
My "transmission" warning light on my 2005 chevrolet cobalt is displayed on my dash and the car will gain or lose r.p.m.'s while driving and trying to maintain a constant speed (without depressing or letting up on the accelerator). This causes the car's speed to jump or drop. Please advise me on what to do.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 20 MPH with a loss of power steering. The vehicle was able to continue in operation with caution. Additionally, the transmission slipped and the speedometer fluctuated and displayed inaccurate readings. The manufacturer was notified; the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The VIN number was unavailable. The failure mileage was 70,000. The current mileage was 72,000.
My 2005 chevy cobalt was randomly losing it's power steering. Once I had that costly repair, it began randomly stalling. Usually at intersections, but sometimes just for slowing down. I've had it in to be fixed several times. It has improved but it still happens occasionally.
I am not able to get my key out of the ignition of my 2005 chevy cobalt ls. This has been a persistent problem since I bought the car in 2006 (was a rental). Up until today (2/27/10) I've always been able to get it out eventually. Now however, my car will not start - it just clicks, and my shifter won't move. The car doesn't recognize that it's in park. After doing some research online, it appears many people have had this problem. The conclusion is that there is a defect in the transmission shift cable. Please see this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfb6y7_zkx0 this is not the only problem I've had with this car: power steering failure after about 45,000 bad wheel bearing after about 50,000 cd player replaced because it wouldn't eject cds (this is still a problem even though the dealer replaced it with the same manufacturer's model) faulty glove compartment. I feel this model of car is dangerous and should be recalled after all the problems people are experiencing with it.
At roughly 40,000 miles and 3 years of ownership, a problem with the shift lock on the car was observed. At first, the problem was limited to the key being stuck in the ignition even when the car was in park. After ejecting the key with the button on the bottom side of the steering column, the shifter would remain in park. Eventually, the problem escalated to the point that the shifter could be moved from park to other gears without the key in the ignition. The car was taken to a dealership, but the problem could not be reproduced at the time. A few months passed after the escalated problem was first observed where the shifter behaved as intended or in the manner where the key would need ejected but the shifter would remain in park. After a failure in power steering system resulted in the replacement of the entire steering column by the dealership, the car was returned to the owner with the gearshift button stuck "down." since then, the key remains stuck in the ignition unless the ejection button is used and the shifter moves freely from park to any other gear even without a key in the ignition or a foot on the brake.
We purchased a used 2005 cobalt and have had this issue with the power steering going out on numerous occasions. Each time the car was taken in they would say they couldn't find the problem and would return the car to us unrepaired as it would do the same thing again and again and on one occasion it almost resulted in a severe accident while my wife and daughter were turning through an intersection and the steering went out. Thank god the other drivers were alert and a near and possibly fatal accident was avoided. They tell us it can be fixed but now that it's out of factory and somehow even extended warranty they had us purchase that was supposed to last until we paid it off have expired they want us to now pay for the repairs and even $100 to even look at the car. We got a report that this car had issues from day one and were never told but received it later from gm indicating the car had a some problems and was sold to our dealership at a gm auction. We feel stuck with this car and trusting in god each day that the problem won't occur and cause loss of life to anyone. Please make gm recall and repair these cobalts so that loss of life or limb isn't a result at anytime. This occurs quit often and should be addressed.
2005 chevy cobalt power steering failure. We purchased this car a few months ago and it has begun to have major problems. The car is inside of the timeline for power train warranty, but is over miles. The power steering light comes on followed by complete power steering failure, engine stalling, rough shifting, strange movements of the speedometer needle, check engine light comes on. Power steering loss happens while driving and the engine has stalled while driving. The engine also stall when braking. This nearly caused an accident today and the situation is getting worse. My wife and I drive our 1 year old child in this car and my wife is pregnant. We cannot afford another vehicle and may not be able to repair this problem as numerous reports on the web indicate that this is a extremely common problem that is very expensive to fix. This problem happens several times each day.
I have a 2005 chevy cobalt and my power steering has been out for about 8 months. I've started seeing articles concerning the power steering and thought I should report my car.
Driving my 2005 cobalt is a dangerous option, you can drive it for day's and all of a sudden the steering quits and the transmission starts acting up also lights on the dash panel start flashing the car is still running but the steering does not work anymore, also the shifter will not disengage the steering lock you have to remove the plug out of the bottom of the steering wheel and stick your finger up in there push a small button like thing to get the key to unlock and turn all the way off other wise it will not lock the steering wheel. This has been happening for about 1/12 years I called the dealer ship and they told me the warranty for this kind of thing was up and that they did not have a fix for this, however they knew of the problem in other cars, I was told to replace the brain I did it didn't work I was told to put a larger capacity (amps) battery in, I did , it didn't work, this is a very serious problem that needs fixed. I'm going to put the last incident date in the box below.
My 2005 chevy cobalts power steering completely shut off while I was accelerating up onto a twisting highway on ramp at approximately 65 MPH. Tw*
I own a 2005 chevy cobalt. This vehicle is my families' only means of family transportation. Also, I have very serious medical conditions, including a very high risk pregnancy. The vehicle is my only means of traveling to my doctors and hospitals. At random times my car has shut off while driving, and locked the keys in the ignition. After restarting the vehicle it has trouble staying in drive, and starts to slip into neutral periodically. The problems usually occur while I am driving on the interstate. I have taken the vehicle to the chevy dealership in town on more than one occasion to have the issue fixed. They have changed items within the steering column and told me the problem is fixed. Yet, just today, the car shut off again. I cannot explain how important it is that I have a reliable mode of transportation to and from my doctors. I have explained that fact to the dealership, but still have the problem. If I am unable to make it to the doctor of hospital, my medical conditions can take my life, or my unborn child's. I need to have the problem fixed, before I go bankrupt paying for them to fix what they cannot seem to find.
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