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2006 Chevrolet Cobalt Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 2,330 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, most often about the steering (56% of complaints, typically around 61,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Cobalt model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt problems
Steering
1,299 complaints · 56%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, column, hydraulic power assist system, hydraulic power assist.
I have a 2006 chevy Cobalt that I purchased used in august of 2007. Recently the power steering has been going out (while the car is in operation) which makes it very difficult and very dangerous because it becomes nearly impossible to turn the wheel. My wife has had this happen to her several times just in the last…
I own a 2006 chevy Cobalt lt, which I purchased brand new. It now have 62,000 miles on it. Yesterday (6/26/2008), was my first incident with a problem that has continued into today. I was driving on the highway and the car bell beeped twice. I looked at my dashboard which read "power steering" and at that moment, I…
Fuel system
466 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 85,500 miles. Parts named most often: delivery, fuel injection system, storage.
I have a 2006 chevy Cobalt which I have had for 2 years now and for the past couple months when I slow the car down or I am at a stoplight the car will stall! I brought the car to be fixed already and they said that there was nothing they could find that was wrong with it but replaced things that might help. Well that…
I have a 2006 Cobalt. The fuel pump started to leak gas. I was wondering why this was not part of the recall for this problem that has been in effect for other states. I live in missouri.
Electrical
412 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, instrument panel.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, and then there was a loss of power steering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and a technician concluded that since he could not identify the cause of the failure, he…
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt, 77,000 miles words powersteering lit up on dash and I was unable to steer car while moving. No consequences on block from my house but it is not a fluid system. This is not preventable and I viewed one report with over 375 complaints of the same problem with 2005 - 2008 cobalts. This needs to be…
Air bags
146 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 79,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window, knee bolster.
No events leading to malfunction. Air bag system disables randomly during normal driving. "service air bag" displays on digital interface. No correction was made by owner. After a few days the malfunction became less often and eventually stopped with intermittent recurrences thereafter.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine stalled with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle restarted and resumed normally. The failure recurred twice. There was a recall related to the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 14v047000…
Transmission
137 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, driveline, clutch assembly.
Gear shift will not lock in the park position, resulting in key sticking in the ignition. I have not had problems with it coming out of park, but it is only a matter of time because it is happening more and more.
I had bought a 2006 chevy Cobalt. Once I started driving it for about a week I noticed a loud noise every time I would hit a bump of any kind. I also noticed from time to time I would lose power steering momentarily. Luckily this has never happened besides when I was in places like small parking lots or driving very…
Engine
136 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact was driving approximately 50 MPH, when the traction control, ABS and emissions warning lights illuminated. Suddenly, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the speedometer began fluctuating between 50 and 70 mp. In addition, the fuel level gauge began…
Tl contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was able to be immediately restarted. The vehicle was taken to two local repair shops but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was 77,137.
Brakes
51 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 41,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, power assist.
I have a 2006 chevy Cobalt ls. It has been giving me several problems. I have been fixing one thing after another on my car. My car only have 46,000 miles. That is good for it being a 2006. I have problems with my brakes. I have replaced the master cylinder and now I have to replace the brake booster. But the worst…
Brakes locking up on 2006 chevy Cobalt. Vehicle is not equipped with anti lock brakes. Also a friend with 2005 Cobalt brakes completely locked seized. Brakes burned up. Car towed, and had to replace brakes.
Body and structure
51 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
The drivers side door will not open. Both the inside and outside door handle do not work. For 2 days, I had to climb out of the passenger door. After 2 days, I unlocked my door and heard a popping sound from the door. Whatever is jamming up finally released. It's a safety danger because of the risk for an accident.…
The power locks suddenly do not work as usual. Usually, all the doors are locked when I drive the car while they are unlocked when I park the car. Now, there is no response of each door when I shift the car to park or drive. I hear some tick sound when I push the brake, which is not there when the locks work well.…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Chevrolet Cobalt recalls
Electrical: ignition
Risk: If the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position, the vehicle could roll away: (a) for an automatic transmission, if the transmission is not in the "park" position; or (b) for a manual transmission, if the parking brake is not engaged and the transmission is not in the "reverse" position. This potential for rollaway increases the risk for a crash and occupant or pedestrian injuries.
Fix: General motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the ignition cylinder and cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. For vehicles that were built with the redesigned ignition cylinder or had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will cut and, if necessary, re-learn two ignition/door keys for each vehicle. The recall began on april 18, 2014. Chevrolet owners may contact general
Full defect summary
General motors llc (gm) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 chevrolet cobalt, 2006-2011 chevrolet hhr, 2007-2010 pontiac g5, 2006-2010 pontiac solstice, 2003-2007 saturn ion, and 2007-2010 saturn sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "off" position.
Air bags
Risk: If the key is not in the run position, the air bags may not deploy if the vehicle is involved in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Gm will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on march 10, 2014, informing them of the safety defect. Owners of 2008 and later vehicles will be mailed an interim letter on april 21, 2014. All affected owners will receive another letter once parts are available. The recall began on april 18, 2014. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, pontiac at 1-800-762-2737 or saturn at 1-800-553-6000. Gm's number for the initial recall is 13454 and 14063 for the expansion. Gmâs recall nu
Full defect summary
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. General motors llc (gm) notified the agency on february 10, 2014 that they are recalling 619,122 model year 2005-2007 chevrolet cobalt, and 2007 pontiac g5 vehicles. On february 25, 2014, gm increased the recall to include an additional 748,024 model year 2006-2007 chevrolet hhr and pontiac solstice vehicles and 2003-2007 saturn ion vehicles and 2007 saturn sky vehicles. In these models, the weight on the key ring and/or road conditions or some other jarring event may cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position, turning off the engine. On march 27, 2014, gm notified the agency that the defective ignition switches may have be
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, it would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the electric power steering motor free of charge. Owners are being notified on a rolling basis between march 29 through november 2010. A copy of the mailing schedule is located in the recall file. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 and pontiac at 1-800-620-7668 or at the owner center at www.gmownercenter.com.
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 chevrolet cobalt and model year 2007-2010 pontiac g5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering. The driver may experience a sudden loss of power steering assist that could occur at any time while driving.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module free of charge. A special coverage will be implemented in the same time frame for model year 2006 vehicles registered in alabama, arkansas, california, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee and texas and model year 2007 vehicles registered in: alabama, arkansas, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, north carolina, new mexico, oklahoma, south carolina and tennessee. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before february 4, 2010. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-63
Full defect summary
General motors is recalling certain model year 2006 chevrolet cobalt and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona and nevada; and model year 2007 chevrolet cobalt, pontiac g5 and saturn ion vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of arizona, california, florida, nevada and texas. The plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly may crack. If either of these ports develops a crack, fuel will leak from the area. If the crack becomes large enough, fuel may be observed dripping onto the ground and vehicle performance may be affected.
Body and structure: structure
Risk: In a crash, head impact protection may be inadequate.
Fix: Dealers will install energy absorbing plastic to the headliner trim to reduce the severity of head impacts in a crash. The recall began on march 21, 2007. Owners may contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438.
Full defect summary
Certain passenger vehicles not equipped with optional roof-mounted side impact air bags fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 201, 'occupant protection in interior impact.'
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Electric power steering failure
Summary
In a march 1, 2010 letter, general motors corporation (gm) provided a defect information report to NHTSA regarding a problem that could result in sudden loss of power steering assist in certain model year (my) 2005 through 2010 chevrolet cobalt and my 2007 through 2010 pontiac g5 vehicles equipped with electric power steering (eps).the letter indicates that the loss of steering assist could occur at any time while driving and that, once assist is lost, a message is displayed on the driver information center (dic) and a chime sounds to inform the driver.the letter further states that steering control is maintained in manual mode, but would require greater driver effort at low vehicle speeds.i
Questions about the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (1,299 complaints, typically around 61,000 miles); fuel system (466 complaints, typically around 85,500 miles); electrical (412 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from April 10, 2014 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Chevrolet Cobalt?
- It is the most complained-about Cobalt model year since 2000, with 2,330 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.