GM Recalls 1.3 Million Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac Vehicles

|
Staff Writers

Add Your Comments

General Motors has issued a recall for 1.3 million Chevrolet Cobalts and Pontiac vehicles sold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into more than 1,000 consumer complaints of the power steering suddenly ceasing to work on some vehicles. Among the reports of steering problems linked to vehicles were at least 14 car crashes.

The GM recall, issued on March 2, includes the 2005-2010 model year Chevrolet Cobalt, the 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, the 2005-2006 Pontiac Pursuit, and the 2005-2006 G4. The Pursuit is sold in Canada and the G4 is sold in Mexico. GM said it has been investigating the problem since 2009, and determined that in rare cases, the power steering motor on the vehicles can die and cause difficulty steering at speeds under 15 m.p.h.

GM officials say once the motors fail, the car can still be driven to dealers to have the motor replaced. When the defective power steering motors fail, drivers will see a “Power Steering” warning indicator and hear a chime alarm. However, officials say that the power steering can sometimes come back temporarily after the car is shut off and restarted.

Do You Know about…

SPORTS BETTING ADDICTION LAWSUITS FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Gambling addiction and severe financial losses have been linked to popular sports betting platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars. Lawsuits are being filed by young adults and students who were targeted by deceptive promotions, addictive app features, and aggressive marketing tactics. See if you qualify for a sports betting addiction lawsuit.

Learn More
SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR COMPENSATION
Sports-Betting-Addiction-Lawsuits
Sports-Betting-Addiction-Lawsuits

Do You Know About…

SPORTS BETTING ADDICTION LAWSUITS FOR YOUNG ADULTS

Gambling addiction and severe financial losses have been linked to popular sports betting platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars. Lawsuits are being filed by young adults and students who were targeted by deceptive promotions, addictive app features, and aggressive marketing tactics. See if you qualify for a sports betting addiction lawsuit.

Learn More
SEE IF YOU QUALIFY FOR COMPENSATION

The company said it will take some time for parts suppliers to provide new power steering motors to replace those affected by the recall. However, the company said that the vehicles can still be safely controlled when the problem arises.

“After our in-depth investigation, we found that this is a condition that takes time to develop,” said GM’s vice president of quality, Jamie Hresko in a GM press release. “It tends to occur in older models out of warranty.”

GM officials say that as the replacement power steering motors come in, they will target older vehicles first, since the problem does not appear to occur until the vehicles have 20,000 to 30,000 miles on them. The company will also have to repair thousands of cars still in dealer inventories across North America.

The company says that customers will be notified when plans for replacing the motors are finalized.

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet Cobalt, GM Recall, Pontiac Recall
Image Credit: |

More Lawsuit Stories

247 Comments

Joanne
We just bought an ’06 Chevy Cobalt LT 2-door. Lately we’ve been hearing a rattle that we thought sounded like it was coming from the steering column area and a feeling like something was gradually loosening (it’s subtle but there). It seems to be getting worse, especially on bumpy roads. Mechanic checked alignment and had apparently taken it for a drive and said he didn’t hear anything out of the ordinary. We thought maybe it was the fact that most of the parts under the hood are covered in plastic pieces and perhaps THAT was making the rattling sound. However, this may all be leading to this power steering problem, by the sounds of the above. Anybody else have this rattling problem, especially if it then led to loss of power steering. Some of these stories are a bit scary–not being able to steer suddenly, etc.
Ed
The United States Tax payers have loaned General Motors (GM) 5.2 billion dollars due to bad business practices. I have filed a claim with GM over a re-call on a car that I had bought for my daughter. Prior to the re-call I repaired the car and then a month later received a re-call notice from GM. I have been denied any refund toward the repair due to the GM re-calls. It seems they should stop doing bad business and pay the tax payers what they are owed due to thrie recalls.
Marianne
I have a 2006 HHR. Daughter driving home from school yesterday when power steering locked up while driving sending her slamming into the curb on the street causing the rim to be dented and the tire severely damaged. She said the power steering light came on about 2 weeks ago but she was on a side street only doing 10 mph when the power steering light came on and again locked up causing the car to veer to the right. After turning the car off then on it worked again. Chevy needs to address this problem before someone is seriously hurt or killed.
Dalena
On monday I was in an accident in my 2008 chevy cobalt. I came out of a corner on a two lane road and I had no steering. Almost went of a cliff managed to get in back on the road just in time for it to go straight across the road in to a rock wall. I slammed in to the rock wall and flipped the car on its side. Beside the steering going out none of my air bags went off. I want gmc to make up for the mistakes they are making. This accident wouldn’t of happened if they fixed the steering box in my car. The air bags is a whole different problem. They should have went off the question now is why didn’t they
Shawn
I will never buy a Chevrolet (Period).
Qiana
I have a 2006 pontiac G6 and my power steering and check engine light is on. However, my car is over 100,000 miles and when i called GM they stated that they will not cover my car. I think they should this is a massive issue with their cars. I need to contact a lawyer, anyone know of a lawyer to contact regarding this issue?
Ed
I have a 2006 cobalt that I repaired prior to the recall. After I received the recall notice GMC will not pay me. I will never buy another GMC product again.
Suzie
Is anyone actually receiving the recall notice to get it fixed? I own a 2007 Cobalt SS and received the first letter about the recall, and was told to wait for the second letter before taking it to the dealership to be repaired. As of to date, I have not received the second letter. My local dealership keeps telling me there is nothing they can do until I receive the letter. Anyone else having this problem?
Debbie
I have a 2009 Pontiac G5. I went through a Tim Horton’s drive through and rubbed a curb there was a piece of metal sticking out it put a whole in my tire and bent my axle. I am waiting for some answers from GM. What kind of damaged would of happened if I was in a real accident????
Linda
I had a 2007 Cobalt (the car was totaled). In June 2010 I was driving down a two lane road during between 30-40 miles an hour, when I couldn\’t steer my car and the next thing I knew it had rolled. It all happened so fast I\’m still trying to figuire it out. Thank God no one else was involved, I wasn\’t hurt bad and no one else was in the car with me.God is good
bikobop
I have a 2006 Cobalt SS, it has 79,000kms. There has been problems in the front end for the last 30,000kms. the tires have to be tightened every other month. I have been told by some people that the bushings need to be replaced and that a strut is leaking. It sounds terrible as you can tell i don’t drive it a lot. it is in good shape. My daughter drives a 2008 4 door and drives a lot i am really worried now with what i have heard here. I have an extended warranty and am going to use it hope it is covered.!! Oh i also asked about this problem at the dealer ship they said the steering parts are all on back order.
Courtney
My steering went out in my buick and now i am car less and have a hurt back
vickie
i hate my chev colbalt, when i first got it . i hade to take it back due to a tire steering rod broke . cna keep tire on the car , drive like i 4 wheeling , now the power steering problem i was park and could not get the car to back out of the spot . also my sun roof is leaking and water is coming in to the car call about getting it fix , over a thousand dollars to fix just the sunroof . the bad thing is the car not payed for yet . i am very dispointed in gm , i guess some thing real bad has to happen , to get something done right , what happen to we will stand be hide what we make , and really mean it .
JC
I am wondering, will GM pay for a recall to be performed more than once?
debbie
Our 16 year old son was driving our 2009 Pontiac G5 at his high school and the power steering went out in the parking lot when he was at a low rate of speed and even then he couldn’t steer it and hit a block wall, causing over $2700 damage to the car and slight whiplash to his neck. Spent two months having doctor visits, CT scan and xrays and he’s finally ok. But our new car is worthless once it’s fixed because no one wants to buy a car that’s been wrecked, plus even when it gets repaired, the power steering motor still won’t be replaced, so my husband and I will not let anyone drive that car again. Yet we’re still making payments on it and it’s going to be sitting until GM fixes it or replaces the car (like that would actually happen). Plus Pontiac is now closed down and they don’t even make this car anymore. My son was going so slow when he hit the wall that the airbags didn’t deploy and the Onstar didn’t call to see if he was okay. So our car is at a body shop racking up storage charges because we don’t want anyone from the body shop to touch it until GM can look at it. However, repeated calls to GM are not being returned. Is there anyone that can help us or maybe someone needs to start a class action lawsuit? I’m just thankful our son wasn’t pulling up to a gas pump or in the middle of traffic when this happened. I would advise everyone to not drive these cars especially if you drive mountain roads, that could be extremely dangerous.
Sharon
Colbalt 2007 – I got the recall on the power steering engine, but haven’t brought it to the dealer yet! BUT THERE’S ANOTHER BIG PROBLEM!!! My mechanic told me my control arms are shot, the bushings are coming right out or through whatever..this car only has 20,000 miles on it..I want to know how many more ppl out there are having this problem so we can sue GM!! I started noticing my car was riding really hard when i hit a bump..and it keeps getting worse..this is bull***t! Of course, there’s no more warranty!
Danny
I just got the power steering replaced yesterday via the recall, in my 2006 Cobalt. Within an hour, the same ole thing happened. The powersteering out, the car started jerking, the gauges went haywire, and the check engine light as well as the light with a car and lock came on. Now my local dealership wants to charge me to look at it. This is completely wrong, and Chevy really needs to do something about this. I drive my 2 year old in this car, and heaven forbid that I lose control of the car because of these issues!
Jennifer
I have a 2007 Cobalt. I have had nothing but problems with it. My left speaker went out and about two weeks following that all the radio buttons stopped working. Now the right speaker is going in and out. Then my lights will randomly not come on or go off. then about two weeks ago my steering went out in a parking lot. Then this morning my husband gets in and the check engine light is on. REALLY this car is such a lemon. I called the dealership and I got the life’s tough and bring it in and they will order the part and call me when its in. No compassion nothing. I do not feel safe having my two small children in this vehicle. I am scared to drive it.
Sherri
GM is full of shit. When your power steering goes out your are unable to drive the car unless you don’t plan on making any turns. I had my power steering in my ’08 cobalt fixed prior to the letter they sent out in April. I am wondering did they replace the part with a working part or a defective one. Oh and one more thing it is almost August and still haven’t recevied any more info about the recall GM needs to get their act together. I can’t believe we bailed those bitches out.
Charlotte
The power steering on my 2006 Chevy Cobalt went out on me yesterday while driving towork. I am so glad I looked this up on the internet. I will be calling the Chevy dealer today to see if they have parts. I have over 60,0000 miles and it was extremely hot out yesterday.
larry
I also bought a 2009 colbalt brand new.It has been in for repairs for the steering.they replaced the steering column twice and the steering shaft also.And not fixed. But Gm is saying its not a safety thing…of couse untill some one is hurt…gm is doing nothing about it…
Clyde
I have a 2007 Cobalt and have 30,000 miles on it and still love it.I will have it 3 yrs in December and thank god no problems at all but am still waiting to be contacted by Dealership just in case
Courtney
I hate my 2006 Cobalt. This is the second recall I have received on it. At this moment it is in the shop because the sunroof is leaking and has left two huge puddles in the floor board of my car. The covers over the mirrors of my visors, both have broke off and in order o fix it I have to replace the entire visor, no just the cover. The paint on my car chips off so easily, not that chipping paint is not to be expected on any vehicle, but the amount of chipping is unreal.( I have a yellow one.) Not only that, a few years back, I started hearing this sqeaking noise in the passenger side door. I took it to the dealership several time to get it fix, each time f getting told it was fix, then only to have the noise return a few days or weeks later. Soon after, something up in the dashboard began to sqeak, took that to get fixed as well, was told the same thing, then it began to sqeak again. I have had several problems with the breaks and I have had to have them worked on several times. I think that car has spent more time in the shop then I have driving it. I am getting ready to move shortly off to college and I am going to need a reliable car, and I’m starting to worry that something else is going to go wrong!
james
i have a 2007 cobalt ss supercharged. i have 95000 miles on the car, i have had the besel fo the suroof and switch replaced 4 times, i have had to replace the fuel control module, th fuel filtes, i get knocking ou of the trunk when i shut the car off, i replaced the front brakes including the rotors because of the unusual wear on the rotors, now the car has just shut off like somone flipped a switch. i turn key off the turn the key back on and the car starts back up like nothing happened. my dealer knows nothing of course. when do i qualify for lemon law rights and be able to get somthing done about this car?760
David
I have an ’09 Cobalt bought in September of 2008 with 41,000 miles on it and I’ve only had one problem with a bad wire on the air flow sensor. Other than that the car has run just fine. I am wondering, however, when GM is planning to get around to doing the repair work. I got my notice of the recall a few months ago, but nothing since.
abby
the day i baught my 06 cobolt it made a noise in the front end with 0 miles on it! it took the dealership 3 months to properly fix this problem..when it was a yr old the back right door was stuck shut, i had the dealership fix it..a month later i couldent get that same door to close! I was driving to the dealership with the door duck taped shut! it really pisses me off when im making a monthy payment on a POS!!
Shalonda
I hate GM as well I had to have my cobalt towed to a chevy dealer in Atlanta, Ga while I was on vacation because my power steering went out. I was told that it would take 2 weeks for the part to come in so I asked would GM provide a rental car and they said no because my warranty is out. I have had problems out this car since I had it. This is my first and last purchase of any GM car!!!!!
nayely
im having problems with my cobalt 07, when the steering power warning appears the steering gets hard and it doesnt matter if im in the middle of a turn or on the freeway i think its dangerous.
Donna
I have a 2009 Colbalt, 2 days after buynig the car I had the engine light come on, they could figure out the problem then all of sudden it was a pin size hole in one of the hoses. It is now 2010, finally was notified that my car was on the recall list, but I too have been experienicing other problems, loud humming sound coming from the right side dash area, wihich still has not been addresses, shaking and rattling front end, struts went bad with havnig only 28,000 miles (what is wrong with this picture), car is eating up gas like we live in the desert. I only drive back and forth to work only getting half or less of mpg then what is being advertised.
Josh
I bought a 07 Cobalt. One afternoon while driving, the power steering failed and I lost control on a slippery road as a result. After the subsequent roll over, my Cobalt was totalled. I was unhurt, mostly, but the damage to my finances, insurance premium increases and lost time, prior to the accident, getting the car fixed on multiple occasions has me in a bind. I want Chevy to pay for their lack of quality workmanship and the time and money I lost as a result.
Dionne
i have a 2008 cobalt and it has 40300 miles and i must say its great i have no had a single problem with it yet…. thank god
Arlene
I purchased a 2007 Chevy Cobolt in December of 2009. And today 6/26/2010 while driving home from work my car started to act funny. I looked down & the gas gauge & tac gauge was going up/down. The digital started flashing low fuel . So because I had to have the gas tank replaced a few months eariler because of a leak, I stopped and put fuel in, got in, started the car, than started the car, well the low fuel flashed again & also it started flashing power steering. I needed to move my car away from the pump. So I started to move away & the steering was like driving a non power steering car. When I went to look for the power steering to check the fluid, guess what, there is none. So, its saturday, and when I called the dealer, well they are closed. No emergency contact number to call for help with the dealer. So now it will be monday before I can contact them. Let alone, that if I haden’t decided to search the web to ask where was the power steering fluid checked, I would not have found this site, let alone that not only did I not get a notice about this recall.
jeffrey
I was just driving my 2008 Cobalt on the highway when I heard a chime and then noticed the power steering message on. The steering was cery difficult at slow speeds. Car has 30,500 miles on it.. Contacting dealer tomorrow.
Steve
I forgot about them replacing the steering column shortly after the front end problem
Steve
I bought a new 2009 Cobalt in December 08. Less than 9,000 miles they replaced rotors and other parts on front end. Panic alarm has been going off whenever it wants to day or night for months now. Today I stopped for gas and the car wouldn’t turn off. Called Road side assistance and was told to drive the car home and then call. It sat in the driveway running for over an hour while waiting on tow truck. Now I have nothing to drive. Biggest piece of S I’ve ever owned. Government should have let GM go under. I’ll never buy another GM as long as I live.
kathy
my daughter drives this 2005 colbolt the back windows won’t go up and down now the front ones and now the radio is nothing but static. Does anyone have these problems? Called the dealership they can’t get it in for another week is this a sign chevys are junk?
Stephanie
I still have not received any info on the recall…A friend of mine received hers 2 weeks ago. Is there someone I can contact so I can get my info? Or can I just contact my dealership?
Linda
I bought 2007 Cobalt LT in august of 2007, off the lot. Now, since day one i have had nothing but problems with this car and the dealership will dot help me out at all. I banged into the back of a truck as i could not steer away from it, was charged and so on. Was the fault of the car. It has been and continues to be a lemon. I travel a bit and have my kids and grandkids in the car with me and what would happen IF i was in a serious accident and it was the fault of GM for not coming good on the car defaults. They would get sued. I just recently took my daughter and grandaughter for a drive 1.5 hour away from my place, dropped them off and on my way back the steering failed, had to slow right down to 60 km on the highway. I have had 5 sets of tires on this car so far and not even 3 years old. Front end has always been bad and dealership was told about this and never did a thing. auto start fixed twice and went again and will not fix it. Nothing in this car is good. Stabilizer links twice now and wheel bearings. Why is this happening? hmmmmmm MAYBE Chev could give some answers? As the dealership will not help , but they are quick on taking the money from you…..
Amy
My little brother drives a cobalt and he was recently in an accident involving the loss of his power steering and chevy has done NOTHING about it. They are in fact giving him a hard time about it. If you have a recall isn’t your responsibility to take care of it. He was even hurt in the accident!!!
Francine
I have an 06 Cobalt that I got in March of 2010. I have this noise coming from the front end that is bad. I think that my car is going to fall apart. I took it in they did not find anything wrong with front end. What is that NOISE!!!! I hate to use my car. I thought it could be a ball joint but they said the car does not have ball joints. What the heck is going on. Any one having the same problem as me?
Marilyn
along with the steering problem, my daughter has had to replace her front signal light bulbs on a monthly basis, has anyone else had this problem?
Angela
I have an 07 Cobalt and the power steering went out on me twice! I called GM and gave them my VIN number and they said my car isn’t in the recall as of right now ..??? the recall says 2005-2010 cobalts. They told me I would just have to wait it out. I’m not sure how much longer to wait until it goes out again and I crash and die. I’ve been talking to an attorney about the case to sue them before anything gets out of hand. Maybe then they’ll fix it.
Alley
I have a 2006 cobalt. It has been a piece of junk since I drove it off the lot. At first I was telling the dealership that when I accelerated it felt like my motor was going to fall out. I kept taking the car to them and they told me everything was fine. It started doing it more and I took it again. Come to find out, my motor mounts were cracked and this was in the first year of owning the car. My next issue in year two was that all my struts were bad. Now my biggest issue is that my car only unlocks when it wants to.
kim
excuse me if this gets posted twice but I posted one but dont see it. I also have a chevy cobalt 2008 and it is now in the shop. My power steering went out. I received a letter a couple months ago and it did exactly what the letter said. It sucks that I have to have a rental even though it is true. GM should make the car payments since it’s their fault for selling a pos. Shop doesn’t know how long it will take to get the part. could be months since it is a nationwide recall. They should just give us a new car!! haha they also said it was happening to older cars with mileage between 20 thousand and 30 mine only has 15 thousand miles. It sucks if I wanted a rental I would just lease a car. And to top it off I got a crappy toyota lol
Julia
On Thursday May 13, 2010 my mother, Julia (83 yrs old) was driving her 2005 chevy cobalt on the highway in the right lane doing about 50 miles per hour when the steering failed. She was on the Taconic Parkway, which if anyone lives in NY they know this road is very windy. She could not continue to steer the car and veered off the road and crashed her car into a tree head on. The car was almost spit in half – the seat belt and the airbags saved her life. After being cut out of the car, she spent 4 days in the hospital. She is currently recovering from this accident. Please, Please, Please anyone with the 2005 cobalt take it to your dealer/shop for maintenance on your power steering. GM waited too long to recall this car. If it were not for the efforts of one man who put a video out there on UTube GM would have never acted on the recall.
kim
I have a 2008 chevy cobalt and my power steering just went out. It is at shop waiting for part and I have a rental. I had no problems them taking care of everything. Just dont know how long it will be before part comes in, hopefully never because I agree its a p.o.s, I wish I never got it third time having a rental for stuff going wrong. Luckily under waranty service dept hasnt given me any problems. I dont think we should have to make our car payments when we dont have our car.
dave
A cobalt, why? They are a P.O.S I had mine a month (2006) and the thing was on the hook and towing me back to the deal er. Key would not come out of the ignition that little stint although I had a warranty cost me $582,00. Two months went by and it was back in for the same thing . Except now the shift tower had to be replaced as well as the ignition. Strange but now the shift tower is not covbered by the warranty. That cost me a big buck. The right front wheel developed a cracked bearing back to the dealer with it.. Then as you guessed the power steering started to act up. and so on and so on. by the way I have 29,000 km on my 2006 cobalt. I could write another page on this lemon. Dave
Stacey
Am I understanding correctly here? When folks say the steering ‘went out,’ do you mean you lost power steering, or the wheel locked up completely? That is seriously scary. I have a 2007 Cobalt SS that’s been garbage since I drove it off the lot. Besides stupid problems like the sunroof rattling (been in the shop 3x for that – the first time they tightened something, the 2nd time they told me it was a rear speaker cover (what?) and now they say they don’t hear it…), the plastic bezel around the sunroof button has been replaced twice (fell off again this winter and I tossed the damned thing in the glovebox), I had the intermediate steering column replaced at 9 months because of sloppy handling, and by then the front tires were completely bald! Living on the east coast, the car had winter tires on for four of those 9 months, but the dealer claimed the bald tires had nothing at all to do with the loose steering, and the OEM Pirelli tires just “wear out fast.” Really? 10,000Km, your new tires are bald, and that’s normal? (I should not that I’m an adult woman and have never spun up my tires, or been otherwise hard on the car.) Now there’s a clunking sound coming from the front end when I go over even the smallest bump. I was thinking CV joint, but now I’m not so sure. What I am sure about, is that after 25 years of owning nothing but Chevrolets, I can’t see myself spending another pennt on a poorly built, underdesigned low-end Chev. My ’98 Cavalier is still running fine with no problems at all! The Cobalt wants to live in a garage.
reid
Wife’s 07 cobalt lost steering power and had Chevy “fix it” but now is even more dangerous to drive!! You turn the wheel one direction and it won’t go back without really fighting !!! Now Chevy is calling us liars!! I don’t want my wife to get hurt or die because Chevy won’t take care of their mess!!! This isn’t the first bad deal with them!!!
Jeanette
I have a 2007 Chevy Cobalt which has two recalls on it. The first recall is the fuel pump and the second is the Power steering. I took my car to Darcars Chevrolet and they looked at my car an which they discovered that I needed to have the pump replaced. My gas tank was completely full of gas so they could not do anything except tell me to bring the car back after emptying the tank. The car was finally fixed and the following day of driving my car I smelled gas so I called the dealer back and was told to bring the car back. Once I brought the car back they notice gas leaking from the car so they informed me I needed a new tank. I was told that it’s not there fault because the tank is not part of the recall so I have to pay out of pocket for a car rental and a deductible of a $100. I no longer want this car because of this issue as well as the Power steering not being fixed.
1 2 3 4 5

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Share Your Comments

This field is hidden when viewing the form
I authorize the above comments be posted on this page
Post Comment
Weekly Digest Opt-In

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

MORE TOP STORIES

Judge To Hear Depo-Provera Lawsuit Preemption Arguments on Monday
A federal judge will hear oral arguments on Monday over whether Depo-Provera lawsuit failure to warn claims are preempted by federal law.
Lyft Lawsuit Alleges Ride Share Sexual Assault Dangers Known for Years
Rideshare company Lfyt faces a sexual assault lawsuit from a Georgia woman who says a driver exposed himself after she ordered a ride home from a babysitting job.
Exploding Isopropyl Bottles Make Smokeless Fire Pits Inherently Dangerous, Lawsuits Claim
Lawsuits allege tabletop fire pits are inherently dangerous because they encourage consumers to fuel them with ordinary isopropyl bottles, which can explode in seconds and cause devastating burn injuries.