Steering. Review the 1,143 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 323 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 99 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

97 crash reports12 fire reports57 injury reports

Steering complaints

1,143 reports

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45,481 miles · Feb 9, 2010

Steering

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. WHILE DRIVING AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND WOULDN'T MOVE. SHE TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND WITHIN A FEW MINUTES SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE MANUALLY TO HER RESIDENCE. SHE DID NOT SEE ANY WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL. THE DEALER REPLACED THE POWER STEERING COLUMN AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE FOR $1,387. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,481 THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 58,200 UPDATED 03/19/10. *LJ UPDATED 08/18/10*JB

NHTSA ODI #10307715

47,100 miles · Feb 9, 2010

Steering

1. POWER STEERING FAILURE. REGULAR DRIVING. THE CAR BEEPED AND A PROMPT MESSAGE APPEARING SAYING "POWER STEERING". 2. MULTIPLE TIMES DURING A SHORT DRIVE. STOPPING THE CAR/RESTARTING THE ENGINE TEMPORARILY FIXES IT. COULD LEAD TO INTERSECTION CRASHES BECAUSE OF POWER STEERING RE ENGAGING/FAILING MID-TURN. 3. NEW STEERIN…

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NHTSA ODI #10307686

52,000 miles · Feb 8, 2010

Steering

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I GAVE A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT TO MY DAUGHTER, BOUGHT THE CAR SECOND HAND @ APPROXIMATELY 40,000KM IT NOW HAS APPROX 55,000 KM. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR I ASKED THE DEALER FOR A MAINTENANCE PRINT OUT AND THERE WAS NO REFERENCE TO STEERING ISSUES.TWICE SINCE LAST NOVEMBER THE STEERING LOCKS ON HER WHILE DRIVING, SHE DESCRIBES IT AS VERY HARD TO STEER, RATTLING NOISE AND JERKING IN THE STEERING. TEH FIRST TIME SHE PULLED OFF THE HWY AND DROVE HOME ON THE SHOULDER, SHE CALLED ME UP TO DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE POWER STEERING FLUID ONLY TO FIND OUT IT IS ELECTRONIC SYSTEM. BOTH TIMES I CALLED THE DEALER BUT HE WAS NOT REALLY OFFERING ANY SOLLUTION, HE ONLY TOLD ME HE WAS AWARE THAT IT HAD OCCURED ON OTHER COBALTS AND IT COULD COST UP TO $2000 TO REPAIR. TODAY I SAW ON THE INTERNET THAT GM WAS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR HUNDREDS OF CRASHES DUE TO THIS PROBLEM....DO THEY HAVE A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IF THEY DO WHAT IS MY RECOURSE...I AM CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY DAUGHTER. *CN

NHTSA ODI #10307621

35,000 miles · Feb 8, 2010

Steering

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IN THE SUMMER OF '08 THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN MY CAR AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARK. I ALOMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME BECAUSE IT CAUSES THE CAR TO BE VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. SINCE THEN THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN INCREASINGLY WORSE TO THE POINT THAT EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR, THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AFTER ABOUT 1 MINUTE OF DRIVING. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE TO SEE IF IT WAS A SIMPLE FIX, BUT FOUND THAT NOT ONLY IS IT A DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO FIX, BUT PRETTY EXPENSIVE AS WELL. I DO NOT HAVE THE MOENY TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, SO NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #10307554

25,000 miles · Feb 8, 2010

Electrical SystemSteering

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THIS SCENARIO HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES: START ENGINE, ENGAGE IN DRIVING AFTER GIVING TIME FOR ENGINE TO IDLE DOWN, BEGIN TO DRIVE, ALL GAUGES GO TO 0 OR BLANK OUT, POWER STEERING IS LOST, FUEL GAUGE SHOWS EMPTY WHEN DRIVING WITH A FULL TANK OR LESS, RPM GAUGE STATES 0 WHEN ENGINE IS STILL NOTICEABLY RUNNING, CID DISPLAYS "PWR STEERING" INDICATING IT IS OUT. THE ONLY FIX? TURN OFF CAR, UNPLUG BATTERY TERMINAL, WAIT 5 MINUTES, ATTACH TERMINAL, DRIVE AGAIN. BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT REMAINS ON FOR A DAY OR TWO. THIS NORMALLY HAPPENS ONCE A WEEK AND NO DEALERS SAY THERE'S A PROBLEM READING ON MY ECU/PCM. I'M SO FED UP WITH THIS. MY CAR IS A 2005 MODEL AND THIS HAS NEVER BEEN CORRECTED.

NHTSA ODI #10307444

70,000 miles · Feb 8, 2010

Steering

2004 CHEVY COBALT POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING. CAR HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN DUE TO SAFETY ONCERNS. PLAN TO TAKE TO THE CHEVY DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND POSSIBLE REPAIR FEBUARY 2010. WILL GET RID OF CAR AS SOON AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE BEFORE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OCCURS.

NHTSA ODI #10307383

61,000 miles · Feb 8, 2010

Steering

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I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY COBALT WITH POWER STEERING PROBLEMS. I CAN BE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH AND HEAR A SNAPPING NOISE IN THE FUSE BOX AND THEN INSTANTANEOUSLY THE WORD POWER STEERING IS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH BOARD MONITOR. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. I PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, TURN OFF THE CAR AND RESTART THE CAR AND THE POWER STEERING RESUMES. ON 1/12/2010 I DROVE THIS CAR TO TOPEKA, KANSAS AND HAD NO PROBLEMS GOING THERE WHICH WAS 80 MILES. ON THE WAY BACK HOME, THE POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING 7 TIMES IN A 60 MILE. TOWARDS THE END OF THE 60 MILE DRIVE, THE POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT WITHIN 5 SECONDS OF RESTARTING THE CAR AND DRIVING LESS THAN 100 FEET. I LIMPED THE CAR TO WORK WITH NO POWER STEERING AND LET IT SIT FOR SEVERAL HOURS. AFTER WORK, I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS DRIVING THE REMAINING 20 MILES TO MY HOME. THE POWER STEERING IS PROBLEM IS VERY INTERMITTENT, IT CAN BE PROBLEMATIC SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE DAY AND THEN NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE TEMPERATURE THE DAY I HAD SO MANY PROBLEMS WAS COLD (20 DEGREES), HOWEVER THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 6 MONTHS NOW AND STARTED WHEN IT WAS VERY HOT, OVER 100 DEGREES. UNFORTUNATELY THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT. I WENT TO A CHEVY DEALER AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME $100 TO HOOK IT UP TO A COMPUTER TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A PROBLEM. WITH THIS MANY COMPLAINTS, THERE SHOULD BE NO CHARGE TO HOOK THE CAR UP TO A COMPUTER TO DETERMINE WHAT IS WRONG. OUT OF FRUSTRATION, I PARKED THE CAR AND STARTED USING AN OLDER CAR FOR WORK. THE COBALT HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT AND IT IS STARTING TO HAVE ALL KINDS OF ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONICS. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING BEFORE IT TURNS INTO A TOYOTA PROBLEM AND SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

NHTSA ODI #10307380

45,000 miles · Feb 7, 2010

SteeringUnknown Or Other

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TWO AN A HALF YEARS AGO MY VEHICLE STARTED TO JUST TURN OFF RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, IT STARTED ABOUT EVERY 4-5 MONTHS THEN ABOUT A YEAR AGO IT STARTED HAPPENING ABOUT TWICE A MONTH. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE TO THE SHOP AND THEY STATED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE FUEL PUMP. IT WAS REPLACED SINCE THEN. I HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE TURNING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF ME DRIVING. NOW FEBRUARY 6, 2010 I WAS DRIVING AND THE POWER STEERING RANDOMLY WENT OUT. SOMETIMES IF I TURN MY CAR OFF AND RESTART IT WILL HAVE POWER STEERING AGAIN SOMETIMES IT DOES NOT HELP. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR 2 DAYS NOW AND IT HAPPENED YESTERDAY 3 TIMES AND TODAY 3 TIMES. I WAS DRIVING THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS AND ALMOST CAUSED A COUPLE OF COLLISIONS BECAUSE OF THIS. I PLAN ON GOING TO THE SHOP TOMORROW AND I WILL KEEP ANY PARTS THEY REPLACE. *TW

NHTSA ODI #10307340

40,000 miles · Feb 7, 2010

Steering

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POWERSTEERING CUTS OUT FOR NO REAL GOOD REASON. I BELIEVE IT IS A BAD DESIGN. MOTOR NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH OR CIRCUIT BREAKER VALUE TOO LOW. ITS A !@#$% PROBLEM. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU DRIVE THE CAR. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET WITH THE SO CALLED FIX DONE 3 TIMES WITH THE SAME RESULT. THIS ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE AND IT TEMPTS YOU TO JUST INCREASE THE AVAILABLE CURRENT. GM DESERVES TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS FOR THEIR CARELESS HANDLING OF IT. THIS CAR IS A CERTIFIED LEMON WITH NUMEROUS PROBLEMS THAT EVERY ONE OFF THE LINE HAS, JUST GOOGLE IT. MY CAR HAS AN EVAP ERROR, BAD UNLOCK BUTTON ON REMOTE, PWS ERROR, CABIN AIR QUALITY SUCKS, LIKE SUCKING ON THE TAIL PIPE IN FRONT OF YOU, TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT UP PROPERLY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FEATHER TOUCH TO GET IT TO SHIFT UP. CLICKING SOUND ON SHIFTER EVERY TIME YOU HIT THE BRAKES, KEY GETS LOCKED IN STEERING , YOU HAVE TO MOVE SHIFTER AND OR HIT BRAKE TO GET IT TO RELEASE IT. THEY NEED TO GET TO THE ROOT OF THE STEERING PROBLEM SO THAT WHEN IT IS FIXED IT STAYS FIXED. INSANITY - USING THE SAME PARTS AND EXPECTING A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. BEING A ELECTRONICS MAJOR I KNOW THIS IS A !@#$% ERROR THAT IS ROOTED IN THE DESIGN. *TW

NHTSA ODI #10307259

Mileage unknown · Feb 7, 2010

Steering

2005 CHEVY COBALT POWER STEERING CONTINUED TO GO OUT DAILY- HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED. HUSBAND WOULD BE DRIVING AND NO POWER STEERING.WOULD TURN OFF CAR AND THEN TURN THE CAR BACK ON AND COULD DRIVE. SEVERAL DATES TOO MANY TO REMEMBER. A RECALL SHOULD BE MANDATED AS THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD.

NHTSA ODI #10307239

Official recalls

14V171000 · Electrical System:ignition

Apr 10, 2014

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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 Motors at 1-800-222-1020, Pontiac owners at 1-800-762-2737, and Saturn owners at 1-800-553-6000. General Motors' number for this recall is 14113 for the ignition lock cylinder and key replacement, and 14133 for only key replacements. Note: Until a vehicle has been remedied, owners and operators are advised that when exiting, to be sure that the vehicle is in "Park," or in the case of a manual transmission, that the vehicle is in the "Reverse" position and the parking brake is engaged.

14V047000 · Air Bags; Electrical System:ignition:switch

Feb 10, 2014

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 been used as service replacement parts on other vehicles, and as a result GM will be recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, Saturn Sky, and Pontiac G5 and Solstice, and 2008-2011 Chevrolet HHR vehicles. The part numbers for the service parts are 10392423 (a/k/a ACDelco D1461F), 10392737, 15857948, 15854953, 15896640, and 25846762. This expansion represents an additional 823,788 vehicles.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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. GMs recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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. GMs recall number for the vehicles that may have received the replacement parts is 14092. Note: Until the recall repairs have been performed, it is very important that customers remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the vehicle key. The key fob (if applicable), should also be removed from the key ring. Always wear your seatbelt.

Electrical System:ignition:switch

Consequence: 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.

10V073000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Mar 3, 2010

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF POWER STEERING ASSIST IS LOST, IT WOULD REQUIRE GREATER DRIVER EFFORT AT LOW VEHICLE SPEEDS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: 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.

07V014000 · Structure

Jan 18, 2007

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.'

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IN A CRASH, HEAD IMPACT PROTECTION MAY BE INADEQUATE.

Remedy: 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.

04V560000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Nov 22, 2004

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THE BULB SHIELDS INSIDE OF THE HEADLAMPS CAN LOOSEN DUE TO VIBRATION.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE BULB SHIELD CAN LOOSEN OR BREAK BECAUSE OF VIBRATION. IF THIS OCCURRED ON A HEADLAMP INSTALLED IN A VEHICLE, ONCOMING DRIVERS MAY NOTICE ADDITIONAL GLARE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL TWO NEW HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 17, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

PE10005 · Electric Power Steering Failure

Opened Jan 27, 2010 · Closed Jul 19, 2010

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System

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.In the next ignition cycle, power assist is typically regained and the DIC message is no longer displayed.GM's letter identifies the root cause of the EPS failure as the EPS motor and indicates that production of a new motor started in December 2009.GM's recall repair procedure instructs dealers to replace the EPS motor in all recalled vehicles. ODI's analysis of all information available related to sudden loss of EPS assist while driving in the MY 2005 through 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt vehicles shows current complaint and warranty rates of 323/100,000 vehicles and 0.4% respectively.In response to ODI's request for information, GM identified 81 complaints where a crash was claimed that may be related to loss of EPS assist.ODI's analysis of all crash claims was based on verifiable factors such as; whether a loss of EPS was indicated at the time of the crash by a chime or malfunction indicator lamp or if a EPS related component malfunction was identified after the crash occurred.With this method ODI identified 36 possible crashes related to EPS failure.GM assessed crash claims based on the available facts and excluded crash claims that indicated that the vehicle was travelling at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater.GM said that it believes if power assist is lost while a vehicle is moving at speeds in the range of 30 mph or greater there is a small difference in steering efforts perceived in subjective evaluations at those speeds and it is unlikely to lead to loss of vehicle control. Based on GM's safety recall, this investigation is closed.