There's a whining type noise coming from the steering and a when brakes are applied going down a hill it makes a shutter clinking sound too from the steering. Also at times it will get tight for no reason. Their is also play like in the steering. I can move back and forth and you'll hear clunk/clink noise.
Chevrolet Cobalt harsh shifting problems
73 of the 7,681 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Cobalt describe harsh or hard shifting, most of them for the 2005 model year.
- owner complaints
- 73
- worst model year
- 2005
- typical mileage
- 61,200
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Ball joint 15Power steering loss 13Check engine light 8Steering noise 6Loss of power 6Jerking 5Stalling 4Grinding brakes 4
Trouble codes mentioned
U0100 1U0073 1P0700 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, she heard a clunking sound. The power steering warning light illuminated and the rpms reeved up. The vehicle slowed down and the contact pulled off to side of the road. The contact was able to drive home very slowly and parked the vehicle in her driveway. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Traction, engine and wheels sensor light on. Hard shifting. Car shakes when braking. Engine runs rough and skips when idling. I've had brakes replaced and spark plugs. Have had all recalls repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering ability seized. The contact stated that the failure only occurred for a few seconds before returning to normal. The contact also mentioned that a clunking noise was present for approximately six months. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
Key ignition jammed. Steering column clunking, know tsb issue.
Steering is not working especially a slower speeds. Very hard to turn at times and is making sort of grinding noise or clunking noise when attempting to steer the vehicle. This is very unsafe and am concerned that the steering may fail all together. Have seen many cobalt's recalled for steering defects. I looked up my VIN #, but it is not listed for recall. How can this issue be addressed so that my 2010 colbalt is included in the recall. This is serious. Thank you.
Traction control warning light came on after starting vehicle. Shifted from p to r and the shift was hard. Shifted to d and a clunk occurred. Vehicle did not drive correctly. Shut off vehicle and started it again. Problem went away. This could be very dangerous if it happens while driving at speed.
While driving at 40 MPH getting off exit 100 off of route 81, the power steering to the right wasn't working, being very hard to turn. As I turned the steering wheel a little to the left, the steering loosened and allowed me to turn right very slowly. I returned to driving as the steering seemed to be working properly as a few tests in the parking lot indicated that it was working properly. Fortunately, I made it home but as I turned to the street to take me home, I heard a loud clunk from the front. As I turned into the driveway, I heard the clunk again. I let the car sit overnight. When leaving the next morning, the steering wheel, nor the tires themselves, would turn to the right at all! The steering motor had been replaced by a recall and then I had to replace the replacement 3 years later! I had to have the tie rod ends replaced under warranty with only 15,000! Now I don't know if I want to put more money into it. It wasn't a horrible car and it did well, but seeing all these posts makes me think this was a design flaw that they turned a blind to.
Failure to communicate with TCM/ECM/PCM. This problem has caused several occurances where driving the vehicle has been hazardous. Because of either the wiring or the TCM itself, I, the consumer, have nearly been in 2 accidents. At first I was told that it was the power steering assist module. Replaced that and problem still occurred. When the problem occurs, the gauges jump up and down and completely stop working (speedometer and tachometer), transmission shifts extremely hard when accelerating, power steering illuminates in the data information box which in turn causes loss of power steering (replaced power steering assist motor, issue still happens, 1 occurance of loosing power steering and being able to stop before going off the side a mountain when trying to maneuver a right hand turn), check engine light illuminates, when shifting from park to reverse, reverse to neutral, neutral to drive, the transmission engages very hard and results in an audible "clunk". 1 occurance of vehicle switching gears into neutral from drive, while driving (shift lever still in drive position),passlock light also illuminates in dash. Vehicle consistenly acts as it is going to stall (headlights and dash lights dim). Checked alternator and battery, both in optimal working condition. Presenting diagnostic code include p0700 and u0100. Vehicle maintanence has been performed at 3,000 mile intervals but has been pulled off the road due to the 2 occurances of near accidents. Vehicle has been experiencing issues for several months prior to removing it from opperation. I know for a fact, this cobalt is not the only one having this issue.
Takata recall. I have a 2006 chevy cobalt 2.2. The traction control light is on and the power steering is on the dash. When driving it has a hard shift to it and power steering at all. It all start with the traction control light come on. I cant not get it off.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift
- What is wrong
- General motors is recalling 276,729 my 2009 buick enclave, chevrolet cobalt, hhr, malibu, traverse, gmc acadia, pontiac g5, g6 and saturn aura and outlook passenger vehicles. These vehicles fail to comply with federal motor vehicles safety standard 102, "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".
- Risk
- The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable will be replaced free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before march 24, 2009. Owners may contact buick at 1‑866‑608‑8080, chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438, gmc at 1‑866‑996‑9463, pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668 and saturn at 1‑800‑972‑8876 or at www.gmownercenter.com.
Recall number 09V073000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Cobalt harsh shifting
Which Chevrolet Cobalt years have harsh or hard shifting problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2005 (24 complaints), 2007 (19 complaints) and 2006 (18 complaints).
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