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Chevrolet Cobalt Electrical Problems



  • i can not click on your name to email you. can you send me your email and also what information would you like?
  • I would say about a month ago or a little less.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Posts: 4,169
    Hello Ashleychrist08,
    It is Thank you,
    Mariah GM Customer Service
  • The air conditioning fan went out on my colbalt LS 2007 this morning. it didn't make any noises or anything it just suddenly stopped working. i checked the fuses and relays and none of them seem to be blown. any suggestions as to what might be the problem?
  • My 2006 just stalled for the first time at a redlight. It was frightening, because I had my small child in the car, and I realized that we could have had an accident. The cars behind honking was bad enough, but the idea that this car stalled at a redlight was pure frightening. The radio was still working and it seemed as if the car was fine but it just wouldn't go. I took the key out, put the key back in, and it started. I have noticed that since that happened yesterday, the car is not completely the same. It seems to be a little jumpy when I stop and it doesn't have the same "get up and go" upon take off from a light or stop sign. Until this happened, I hadn't complained about my Cobalt even with the ignition switch sticking once or twice a month. That was minor. This stalling issue is a safety hazard and after reading all these other people with this problem, I don't understand how come GM doesn't have an answer for this issue. I was thinking about getting another Chevy this fall, but as of yesterday, I'm thinking about going back to Japanese vehicles.

    FYI, this happened exactly one day after I picked my car up from the dealership regarding the power steering recall issue.
  • pvanhousepvanhouse Posts: 9
    Sound just like my '05 Cobalt. It did this little trick at red lights, while driving down the highway, 5-10 times before it finally misbehaved at the dealership (last trip before the extended warranty ran out.) It was the Body Control Module. I'm not sure what the other users found out about theirs. I don't think it's widespread (yes, it's mentioned here a lot but there are very few posts in these groups about how great a car is!) I have several friends with Cobalts and HHR's (same chassis) who have not had this problem or any of the others posted here. It IS upsetting, though, that my car's problem was correctly analyzed by a dealership mechanic in Arkansas who did not have immediate access to the part. Since we were on vacation and could not wait for 2-days for the part to arrive we continued on our journey expecting that with a diagnosis in the computer we could get the part replaced at another dealer. WRONG...even when I offered to show them a video of the things that went wrong.
  • hi
    i have a 2007 cobalt LT with standard transmission for a while now all display lights in the car will randomly brighten/dim and the volume on the radio will spike and the go back to normal. i took it to the dealership and the said it was a feature to compensate for the noise of the engine, but i found later that that feature was turned off. it still does it but now also the speakers in my doors have stopped working. and yes i have checked the fade. and since now it's passed the warranty I'm hoping someone can give me some suggestions!?!
  • tseldontseldon Posts: 1
    My car refused to start yesterday, I checked the fuse box and the starter fuse was blown, I replaced it and started it three times before the fuse blew again. Can anyone advise me on how to permanently fix this problem?
  • Hi,
    I had purchased my 2005 cobalt used in November of 2007. Seven months later it began!!! Nothing that wasn't a big deal, at first. My air conditioner was leaking on the passenger side and soaked my carpet almost to the backseat and my power locks would go up and down, up and down. I took it to the Chevy dealer because it was still under warranty and they fixed those problems, temporarily. Last year, I had to replace my battery 3 times and every other month I have to change my driver side turn signal bulb.When I have my air on, its barely cold and my vents sweat and there is some dripping onto the passenger side every once in a while. Now, here I am in the middle of almost being done paying it off, and I am afraid I am going to be car-less. I hit a hole in the rode and my tire fell off, it freaking just fell off! Got it fixed and insurance covered the majority of it. Now, it shakes, my whole car just shakes. There is a lot of rattling and banging around. I can barely hold my steering while driving, it sounds like and feels like the tires are going to fall off. It also seems like it is having problems with RPMs and it not getting the "up and go" when I try to accelerate. My car now also almost stalls every time I stop or go to slow down and the headlights will dim like its just going to die. When I made a trip New Jersey to Georgia, I was in sit and go traffic for like 20 minutes and it was doing the whole going to stall thing and it started bouncing, like someone was jumping on the back end of it. Not to mention my locks having a mind of their own again and jumping up and down. I recently had to take the fuse out for my horn because every time I opened my door to get in it, my alarm would go off. So now when I open my door my lights just blink. I had two different remotes and they both stopped working. My power lock buttons also don't work, the ones on the inside, both sides :cry: . Lets see also recently I couldn't get my trunk to pop open and had to replace the fuse as well as my radio fuse because that went out also. My car warnings will randomly come on all the time saying stuff like "POWER STEERING" "ENGINE" and "BATTERY POWER (something)" . I have had my alternator checked, tires balanced, I change my oil on time, I have bought so many tires,I think 2 of my rims are messed up, random dinging noise( the sound it makes when you run low on gas)even when I had gas and no messages showed up on the dash. I also had condensation in my front drivers headlight but I was following my friend going 10 miles an hour approaching a stop sign and i bumped into her bumper and my headlight plastic cover busted. I was thinking maybe my car was in an accident or a flood before or I just have bad luck. I have a 2 year old and my husband is deployed and I now can't drive my car. I can't afford all these repairs all at once. I just don't know what is going on. I called Chevy in my town for the recall on the power steering, I have an appointment next week. They are going to look at it and tell me what is wrong. So, I guess I will owe them another arm and leg, since I am already paying $17,000 for it. I hope no one else is having all the same problems as me, with their cars. Sorry this was long, but this crazy!
  • my cobalt keep blowing fuses. its the one that control the a/c,defrost ,heater,and control center.i replace the fuse and it work for a few hours and blows out again can any one help .diagnostic didnt show anything wrong
  • there was a recall on the steering motor if you paid out of pocket for repairs GMwill refund you
  • My power locks have been acting up lately on my 2005 Cobalt and I can't figure out why. They will unlock themselves and re-lock and my keyless remote does not work nearly as well as it used to. I checked the fuses that I thought would be associated with the problem but everything seemed fine on that end. Can anyone help me?
  • I had the same problem with my car. After diagnostic it said bad TPS (Throttle Position Sensor). It turns out that on this vehicle the sensor cannot be purchased alone but the whole throttle body. A friend suggested cleaning the throttle manually because there is build up of gunk and dirt in the area. I did it myself and the problem went away instanly. I have suggested this to other owners and has also worked on their vehicles. Hope this helps.
  • I am having a lot of problems with my chevy cobalt 2005.
    First of all, I have to say that I bought this car as a "rebuilt" and in the dealer, they said that it doesn't have warranty, even though it has only 50,xxx miles, only they could provide me the steering power recall. But getting in this recall was the start of the end, because one week after the recall was done by the dealer, the air conditioner was leaking gallons of water that flooded all the floor in the right side of the car and I had to pay to get fixed. Then the air conditioner just stops blowing whenever it wants, it doesn't matter if is sunny or raining, it just stops, and the only way to recover it, is turning off the car, opening the fuse box and get out and get in the A/C fuse. Also, sometimes my car didn't recognize the key and I have to wait 20 or 30 minutes to its recognizing the key and start... can you imagine this situation in the middle of nowhere or in a bad neighborhood... Now... oh my God, the doors lock and unlock like craziest and the alarm put itself when the doors are still opened. I close the car but then it unlocks the doors and my car remains open until I lock them again, but 10 minutes later they are open again... also the trunk is locked... I can't open it unless I use the key and the alarm goes on... what is happening to my car?... some people say that this is the beginning of the end and I am so worried, because I got this car in an auction because I don't have much money and I am so young that any insurance for a lease is impossible for me.
    I though that I was the only one with this bad luck... but in this and other forums I can see that I am not the only one and GM is not doing anything to recall this issues. :mad:
    I am so afraid... I read a girl that had to get out of her car by the window... I can't imagine me getting out by the window... for sure I will get trapped by the window too... :cry:
    This is unbelievable... in our better times, my father has a Colorado and it has been the better car in the world for us... but now I hardly start my Cobalt and when I am driving it, is like entering in the twilight zone where my car is alive and hates human beings like me. :cry:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Crossroads of America: I70 & I75Posts: 18,537
    edited October 2010
    What did they do to fix the water from the AC on the floor?

    I'm curious if that was the access patch under the air intake that was actually leaking rain water into the car. Was it rainy the week you had the wet floor on the front?

    Also the leaky cover leaks water into where the resistor group is for the heater speed control.

    The windshield wipers have a cover over the tap that holds them on.
    The air intake has push pins that you lift up to take of the cover over the intakes.

    See this link from the HHR forum for info on the leaking cover. It can be sealed back down with silicon or butyl caulks. Myself I'd probably use PL polyurethane caulk that I use for flexible gluing--available at Lowes.
  • They cleaned some drain that is under the car and sealed something on the back closed to the panel (I think with silicon)... and it worked...

    I'm sure that was A/C water 'cause when I turned off the A/C, leaking stopped at all.

    They told me that this is a problem that could get worse and if it happens again they had to remove the front panel to seal inside.

  • I got my 2006 Cobalt in 2008. Shortly after, I got the fuel leak and the broken pump. I paid $500 for parts and labor and I don't think GM will refund me because I paid a mechanic under the table and don't have a receipt.

    I haven't had issues with steering, but today the Cobalt gods struck me down.

    This morning, I tried to start the car as usual. It wouldn't start. When I cranked it, my dash showed the "Security Light" (picture of a car and a lock), and the engine light. The car clicked and made a small whine.
    At first, I couldn't get the key out. After giggling it, it came out. I thought that the steering wheel wasn't locked (that's what I thought the Security light was for before looking in the book.)
    I have manual locks and I don't think I have an alarm system, so I don't think this is really a security issue. I looked at other sites and they all said to leave the key in on "On" (without cranking) for 10-30 minutes and the lock will "reset" and the car will start.
    When I left the key in on "On," everything started flashing- my control panel, my radio, the temperature, my headlights, and some of the warning lights in the dash. Also, the car kept clicking. The clicking and flashing would go in 15-20 second intervals. Then the car would be still and quiet for a few seconds and the clicking/flashing would start again.
    After a couple minutes with the key in the ignition, my "Battery Saver On" light came up. At that point, I took the key out because I didn't want the battery to die out on me, too.

    Later on, I tried again. I got new warnings: Check Airbag System AND Check Charge System. I can't tell if it's electrical, the engine, the starter, the ignition switch, the alternator, or anything because EVERYTHING is going nuts. I loved my car until today. :(

    I can't miss work another day, so I am going to call the dealer and have them tow me to their shop if things don't change.
  • tharkinstharkins Posts: 1
    edited August 2011
    I have a 2005 Chevy Cobalt and i gotta say its the biggest *****! Well first off let me just say everything in it is so cheaply made and falls apart easily. Now on the my adventures with this POS and how i now know all of the workers at chevy and my local gas station on a first name basis.

    Right away first thing with the car i had was when i pressed my ***** sun roof button the damn button pressed all the way up into the car and the holder fell off leaving a hole in my roof i took it to get repaired and after 2 days and replacements i get car back try to open the sun roof again and the buttons holder falls off again and the button is dangling.......take it to the shop again....when i get it back it happend AGAIN. Get the car back press button it works but when i goto close the sun roof one corner wont close im left with the sun roof half open........take it back to shop replace everything AGAIN.....i have not tried to open the sun roof anymore......the buttons holder falls off all the time and the button is still lose and kinda dangling but im not bothering with it anymore.

    NEXT, the damn key wont come out of the ignition.....the key gets stuck when u try to turn car off and it wont come out......only way to get it out is pressing the button underneath the stearing wheel to manually release i take it to shop get the whole steering column and shifter replaced......a few months later it happens again.......had to get it replaced 2nd time.

    3rd. Drivers side window doesnt work. Had to take to shop they replaced all electrical on driver side.

    4th, CD Player dies and gets error. Take it to shop the cd players isnt covered by warranty they say will take over 500 bucks to fix and its completely broken i say screw that. A few weeks later i accidently press the cd button and the cd players starts working........

    5th... Rear headlights wont turn off even when car is off......just the rear headlights stay on ran the battery down 3 times when i didnt notice.....replaced battery took car to shop replaced more electricals.....

    6th....Just happend today car running fine i drive to store get back in car and turn the ignition and it just clicks a bunch of times and shows Check Charging System error on the idea......battery seems fine lights come on, Radio works and plays, everything is fine but turn the ignition and CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK.

    Fed up with this cheaply made ******* car.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Crossroads of America: I70 & I75Posts: 18,537
    The place to start would be having the battery checked and recharged. When the battery deteriorates, such as a sulphated cell, the voltage is lowered. The computer controls in the car don't like working with voltages below certain levels. Some of the strange behaviors you're seeing are the result of low voltage.

    Either a dying battery or bad cell. Your battery is 5 years old. 3 years is an average life according to the mechanic on the call in radio show I listened to Saturday.

    Possibly a poor connection at the ends of the positive cable from the battery in the trunk to the connection in the engine compartment.

    If you have someone with a jumper cable to another battery, connect that at the ground and the positive connection under the hood. I would try that first. I suspect all those strange symptoms will be gone with the higher voltage from the other battery.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Posts: 4,169
    I apologize for your frustrations. I would like to look into this for you. Can you please e-mail me with your Edmunds user name, complete contact information including a good telephone number to contact you, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer. I look forward to your response.
    GM Customer Service
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Posts: 2,345

    gotta love a car that fixes itself..

    but all kidding aside, from what i have been reading, the earlier Cobalts had a ton of wiring and electrical issues. Hope you were able to get some of the stuff sorted out.
    I would wish you luck to get ALL the stuff sorted, but that almost seems like too much to hope for.
  • Re:Worst car ever- that is how all of my problems started with the CD player, then the daytime running lights not working, then the gas gauge, then key getting stuck.
    The car almost killed me several times, completely dying on the major highway in
    Pennsylvania. Dealer kept saying car was fixed etc.making me look like I was an hysterical woman.

    Lost so much money on this car, still got rid of it, hated driving it thinking it would kill me.
    Good luck to you.
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Posts: 2,345
    Sorry to hear :(

    One thing i have learned is to not keep going back to the same incompetent dlr. They are not all the same. Even a dlr whom u didn't buy from, will often help u out way better, and they know that you will keep them in mind for your next purchase if you stay with brands they sell.

    What yr was yours?

    My neighbour recently bought a (likely 2010) Cobalt. He was very happy, proclaiming all the bells and whistles it had for such a low price (which wasn't low at all considering they are clearing out a replaced car (with the Cruze).

    I was shocked he traded in their Vibe on it! The Vibe/Matrix even though was a few years old, I suspect was a better sorted car than what he replaced it with. I didn't rain on his parade, but i suspect others already had, cuz he kept saying that at least he has new with full wty etc etc.
    To myself, I stood there thinking/hoping he wouldn't need it but I think the new Cobalts had a lot of the issues sorted out that the 05 etc had. I would have bought their Vibe (for my nephew) had I known they were getting rid of it. The car was fine. Never had a problem with it. Gas and oil changes and tire rotations.
  • ">link titleOur '05 leaks A/C water onto the front passenger side floor. I attempted to clean out the weep holes and debris from the hood vents under the windshield... but still not fixed. Water is collecting and causing the carpet and interior to smell, Can anyone tell me how to fix this problem. Thanks
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Crossroads of America: I70 & I75Posts: 18,537
    edited December 2010
    See previous post and link to HHR discussion about a cover on the heater box leaking water in air intake area under wipers.
  • Mine stalled at a red light after the power steering was replaced also, but the day after they fixed the power steering recall my aircond/heater blower went out. Last week I was getting on the Highway and my transmission stuck and ran up to 5 RPM's. I have taken it in at least 3 times for a rough shift between 30-40 mph I was told that is how the new transmissions are. I wish I had never purchased this 2007 Cobalt LT. it has been a money pit. The local service people even told me my car was not in the recall, but after they replaced the power steering motor my gas mileage went back up to between 28-36 MPG. I wish I had a FORD!
  • Apparently it is luck of the draw. My '06 LS coupe has performed very well, 110k and counting. Now, with that said, It did get a case of didn't know what gear to be in. Didn't do it all the time and if you pull over turn it off & recrank it, it wouldn't do it again that day maybe not the next day. Anyway, it was the Transmission Control Module.

    Good luck
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Posts: 4,169
    GM Customer Service
  • chendl05chendl05 Posts: 1
    edited December 2010
    I bought my Cobalt in June 05, at first it was the best little car. Fully loaded, heated leather seats, sunroof, pioneer system with stock sub. 2 Months into the car I had to take it in for a leak in my "anti-lock brake valve". I've also had the chrome door handles replaced after i cut my hand and it did it again, the plastic piece around my sunroof fell off and has been fixed at a dealership 3 times .. that is still not attached. In 2007 I got into a car accident and had a new hood put on it (Which came from a dealership no longer open) which is now rusted the size of a half dollar! GM will not replace it because it has not rusted all the way threw. Really? Sell me a junk hood and say oops? For the past 3 winters everytime i stop when it is cold and i have my heat and heated seats on my rpm's drop and my engine power reduces, my engine and traction control lights both come on. I paid a dealership $75 to try and find the problem, which it didn't and took it back a year later for them to tell me nothing is wrong.
    On a good note, great gas miliage and i love how it handles. I just hope my next GM vehicle doesn't have so many cosmetic issues and better service. Oh, My power locks do not work anymore and my chevy symbol fell off of my trunk. I feel like i drive a 5 year old beater. :lemon:
  • I had the same exact thing happen to me, and I paid to get the whole throttle body put in, however a week later my car is doing the same thing. I have no idea what to do now.
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