i had this same issue once but all i did was violently try to turn the wheel left and right a few times and at the same time try to turn the key to fully off and it worked out for me. was the last time this happened to me as well.

 

In that case I'd say you experienced a steering wheel lock. You probably moved the wheel when it was off and it locked it. That's very common. This is a far different issue.. I literally cannot get the key out after I turn the car off..

 

lol autos shifters get stuck, and in a 5spd gears get locked out in the cold, not to mention the damn ghost in the trunk...wtf was chevy thinking...

 

haha True. But all cars to get iffy in the cold, not just Cobalt 5 speeds. I remember that my 5 speed Accord would suck when it was cold out until everything got worked in. It wouldn't shift for a damn..

 

if u key dosnt come out and u can,t take it out of park and they tell u u need 2 replace the gear shift if u whant i can show u a cheep way 2 fix it

 

Already taken care of. Just needed a new key cylinder..

 

This just happened to me and I don't have an automatic....

 

ghost in the trunk???

 

2 year old thread?

 

just happend to me in my 09 SS/TC how the hell do I get it out. Can't find the stupid white button.

 

there's a little square panel under the steering column, pull this tab down and you will see the white tab that you have to push.

 

Hello all,

My wife Cobalt LT 2005 has the same problem with the shifter assembly. My local chevy refuses to honor the extended warrenty due "excessive dirt in the console". I took the cover off and the inside is clean.

I digress.

I spotted the TSB about the shifter asembly and download what I though was the instruction on the fix.

Does anybody has the full detailed instructions and diagrams? I keeping looking and finding deadlinks.

thanks in advance

 

Bump, mine just took a ****. I now have to use the white button to remove the key every time. I also dont have shift lock or steering lock anymore...

 

help! this is happening to me right now i can not find any lil white thing under the steering column n but messing with my shifter and still having to no luck. i had to call work n tell them i was going to be late. some body please help me

 

My key is stuck aswell I just stall it out and pull the battery starts up fine everytime it's in the shop now tho

 

there's a plastic cover on the bottom side of the steering column. Pop that off and you'll see the plunger. Press that and twist the key out. Then head to the dealership.

 

i took the piece off and all i see is a black piece i keep messing with it and i cant find anything. i even took apart the column and cant find it. also i live in the uk and closest place for warranty work is manchester. about 3 hrs away. so that gonna have to wait for the weekend

 

dont know if it matters or not but i have an 09 ss/tc

 

well i jsut ended up pullin the green electrical plug that connects to the bock of the ignition port n it turns off. looks like that is what im going to have to do for the mean time. i will just leave my key in and unplug it when i want it to turn off.

 

if you have a warranty, take it in an they'll fix it.. otherwise.. I dunno on the SS(or all manual cobalts I think) you cant push the button under the steering column to get the key out.. If its an auto, then jus feel around for it

 

so for a manual what options do i have. im trying to find a dealership to do warranty but it seems like its gonna be a while. anything will help and thanks for all the info

 

Do what I did stall it out and pull the battery until you can bring it in

 

i ended up yanking the key out so atleast its not visual to anyone looking inside it. I found out that if i pull the green connector in back of the ignition switch it turns the car off exactly like if i was turning it off with the key. i need the car to get back n fourth from work. but meanwhile, im sending emials to chevrolet customer service as to where i can get warranty work done

 

I had the same problem with my 09 cobalt. I had to kill it and then disconnect the battery each time I wasn’t using it. When it first happened I didn’t have another key with me and I was forced to leave my car unlocked (with the key stuck in the ignition). All you had to do to start it was wiggle the key. It was really unsafe since a little child could have gotten in my car and injured or killed someone. The defect is even more unsafe in automatic cobalts; if someone crashed their car and gasoline was leaking, then the car could explode since there is no practical way to kill it. I informed GM about their manufacturing defect but they did not seem to care. They have a "service bulletin" at Document ID: 2552146, but they only honor certain 2009 cobalts with certain VIN #s (I'm guessing very few, since my car wasn’t one of them and it had the exact same defect as described on their service bulletin). Since GM wasn't very helpful for me, and I bet they will treat you similarly, I would suggest filing a recall complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to inform them of the common problem people are having with the ignition lock cylinder and to tell them of your safety concerns and GMs failure to truly remedy the situation. If the defective part is put on the recall list then GM will be forced by the government to replace the item that they negligently put into our cars in the first place and the government will force them to make our car as safe as what it should be. Please contact NHTSA if you have had a similar incident, otherwise GM will once again get away with screwing over their customers and disregarding their customers' safety.