Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
12/26/05 at 3:30 p.m. On interstate I-495/wilmington, de bypass. Road straight with no debris and dry. Heading southbound in the far left lane of a three lane divided road. Gaurdrails on both sides. Doing 65 MPH/speed limit. Center lane was a walmart semi tractor trailer doing 62 MPH. In front of my lane near the front of the truck were two cars about 5 car lengths ahead. My car jerked radically to the right and then back to the left twice in rapid succession. The car then jerked violently to the right and the left front of the car impacted the back bumper of the truck. The truck driver felt a bump and started to brake. My car rotated clockwise until I was going down the road backwards about 50-55 MPH in the first lane alongside the stopping truck. The car pulled again to the right and the rear of my car impacted the guardrail. The rear window exploded and I felt cold air. …
I own a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, and about a month ago I was driving down a country road when my "power steering" message was displayed on my dashboard stating it had shutoff. This then lead to my car trying to shut itself off in the middle of the road going 55 miles per hour. The gauges were flashing, radio was flashing, the car would not shift gears and was rocking back and forth, and I couldn't really steer the car. After I was able to get it under control and stopped and shutoff it seemed to reset the system and I had no problems until a few days ago. I was driving on a very busy interstate during rush hour while going about 80 miles per hour, and the situation happened again except I was nearly in a collision with semi truck trailers, it took all I had to get it off the road without hitting anything. This scared me to death. …
2005 chevorlet Cobalt ls sedan- purchased new 15 miles on odometer. @ 5000 mile service after nearly dieing on the I-5 from violent shaking! Found (non disclosed)hit before purchased, rail dust corrosion on moldings, weights missing from three of four tires, dash cubby broken and 1 yr to replace, electrical demons! (locks, radio, gauges, etc...) maintenance @ 100.00 a pop under warranty ( but still major problems!) struts replaced three times, electrical harnesses replaced, power window motor on two windows replaced, ignition cylinder replaced, fob keyless entry reset, new radio. A never ending nightmare prospect motors dealership in jackson ca whom I purchased the vehicle from has filed bankruptcy and is no longer in business. Frank halverston owner has made no attempt to help me! Continuing problems; 70K miles clunking, rattling, shaking, feels like the car is going to fall apart! …
Power steering on my 2005 Cobalt goes out intermittently, it had not done it for two months. But recently, while I was taking a turn, it went out, and I was unable to keep the car in my lane and hit the curb on the opposite side of the road, thankfully no other vehicle was present in intersection, or it would have been a front end collision. Now it works only for a few minutes when I turn my car on , but goes out every time I drive it. I also have problems with the power locks locking and unlocking themselves constantly while I'm driving, and even after the vehicle is parked. I can not leave it unattended because it unlocks itself. I started to have the problem shortly after purchasing it in 2007, but the warranty expired, its 63,000 miles, and cannot afford to fix it. This should not be an issue in a car less than 5 years old. …
Car purchased 2/21/05. Windshield fluid not in the car. Driving on highway mud was splash on window tried to wash it off, no fluid, mud smeared on window had to pull over on the highway to manually wipe off-2/05. Horn not working or was never put in, had to wait 3 days for replacement-3/05. Brake light coming on whether car is in motion or not. First reported 3/05 then again in 4/05. Told that the fuse May be going out. Still does this as of 9/05. Radio/cd player locks if you start the car an immediately adjust the volume have to restart car to unlock- 5/05. Back lighting for console does not come on all the time while in automatic mode. Unable to see speed if driving through a tunnel not well lit. Driver side tire making squeaky noises and grinding sound when parking in reverse. First reported 5/05 told May be brake dust still doing this as of 9/05. Appt pending. …
Today is aug 16 2009 and I have been having problems with my 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt for a while. Since the last year my steering wheel has been shaking every time I put on the brakes, and starting the last 3 weeks the power steering illuminates and the steering wheel just locks and I would have to pull the vehicle on to the shoulder and shut off the engine and restart it and then it works again.this normally happens 2 or 3 times a day. I have not taken it to the dealer yet although I did speak to a service advisor about the situation and he thinks it might be the power steering pump and that it would probably run me about $1200 to fix it. I really cannot afford that kind of money due to me being unemployed. The last date that this incident happened was on aug 15 2009. Please I need your help and assistance. Thanks
Feels like an accident waiting to happen. Rattling front end noise for a few months and with my 60K mi check up it's discovered that I need 2 lower control arms (the bushings are gone) and need to replace the front struts and rear shocks as they are leaking. I have always owned a Chevrolet and find this appalling. My Cobalt is only 3 yrs old and needs to replace major equipment. I had an old Chevy and never had to see a replacement like this until I had over 100K mi on the vehicle. I cannot find any recalls on these parts, but see many complaints. Even the dealership thought I should get rid of the car??????? Given the current times, who could afford that. So now I am looking at an estimate of $1821.40 to fix this. When is GM going to step up to the plate and acknowledge this problem with this vehicle.
Dt: the consumer stated that he heard a snapping noise in steering column and could feel it in the steering wheel. This happened all of the time and would occur with no warning. The steering column shaft was replaced. The ignition switch was replaced because of the flashing that held the tumbler and the s had collapsed. The manufacturer told the dealer not to replace the steering column shaft but the dealer made the repairs because they had already ordered the part. (12/01/05) after the column was replaced, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer twice. The wheel cover did not have enough rings to hold the rims tight and would rattle when going over light bumps, the vehicle pulled to the right and the passenger side front pillar was loose.
I own a 2005 Chevy Cobalt ls and have had numerous problems with it. 1st I had to take it in because the passenger side rear suspension was making clunking noises. 2nd I had to take it in because there was moisture building up inside the drivers side headlight. 3rd I had to take it in because the passenger side rear window was howling and you could hear the outside air blowing through it when driving. 4th problem I just recently am having is the heating system. The blower just does what it wants. I can have the air to the off position and it still blows air at a high speed. Also, when driving the blower turns itself off and on whenever it wants to. All this and I only have 7,500 miles on my car. I won't be buying another GM vehicle!
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering began to vibrate violently. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was driven on normal or uneven road surfaces. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and an independent mechanic numerous times for the failure. The repairs performed on the vehicle consisted of the replacement of the entire front suspension, excluding the steering column and rack and pinion. The failure continued to occur after the repairs were performed. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Suspension complaints in other Cobalt years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the suspension of the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, 3% of the model year's 1,649 complaints. The component named most often is front (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 45,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.