Well let me start off by saying I love this car to death but as an owner of it for only a year and 4 months I can't help but wonder what will break next on my car? It started with minor quirks with the interior but now its' working it's way to the drivetrain aspect of my car.

I figured to myself, I realize it's a first year purchase car but even my own father is telling me that a first year car should NOT have these many problems. I couldn't agree with him more on it. It all started even before I was given the keys in my hand for this car the beginning of hell..

Before I could buy this car it had a TSB bulletin (GM's version of saying "It's a small problem not a recall" but should be treated as one anyways) on my stock exhaust system. It needed to be replaced. Fine I said replace it. Life goes on. Well as the months wore on the problems started creeping up.

It's now to a point where I am on a second page of issues in my problem tracker with this car and my standard warranty is now up and I'm riding on my extended warranty to 75k miles (by the way extended warranty doesn't cover anything but drive train). Currently have only 40k miles on it this car. Seems like alot but it really isn't..

My most recent issues now I am having is the sunroof trim around the button is broken for the 2nd time, My clutch is failing (how convenient after my standard warranty goes out) where the pedal doesn't press back up and gives harsh engagement or none at all. I'm not pushing serious power thru this car unless you consider catback and intake "MAJOR".

I have oil leaks around the seals of the block in several places, the supercharger has a mount for the coolant lines (A Small Metal Bracket) and that has snapped for the 2nd time leaving the lines dangling dangerously close to the rad fan.. My shifter is essentially broken still but the miracle of super glue is holding the shift pattern and the ball together from rolling in my cup holders.. GM told all the dealerships they don't want to foot the $300 bill to fix this problem so they advised adhesive and a screw to fix the issue on a TSB. My dealership will not help nor will several other ones in my area..

My brakes on the front were replaced recently because of premature wear but it wasn't from beating the snot out of the car, it was the fact that all cobalt platforms share the same rotors and they were not designed to be installed on the SS but were as a cost savings anyways (learned that thru parts direct), I realize that some cobalts use a 4 bolt pattern for the rotors but parts department confirmed all cobalt rotors are made of the same thickness and material. Because of this I had to also resurface my rotors along with new shoes, that cost me a total of $150 and guess what.. The brakes still pulsate like crazy and shake the whole car and steering wheel, feels like it's falling apart.. The back breaks are fine..

Again dealerships around here will not fix, it's considered normal. The radio will not spit out my CD's, they stay lodged in the back of the radio until I take an object like a key or something flat to press down on the CD and then it will eject.. My seat belt broke recently and won't retract after taking it off (would hang limp).

All these problems have gotten to me so badly because it's not the first, second or third time this stuff has happened to me. It's more then that and I have it all documented.

Some of my problem tracker is missing mutiple incidents because I am too depressed to keep adding more lines to my problems. All these issues are service related issues. Some aren't problems while others are. See my list below. I'm going to write a letter to GM and propose several options to them which are the following:

1. Fix the car completly with BRAND NEW PARTS to make everything right.
2. Buy the car back from me and pay me back the difference in payments on a car that doesn't run or function right so I can buy something that does.
3. Take the car back, take a hit on it and get me into a new one that's loaded and newer model and continue making same payments with the same amount I owe on old model.
4. Prepare to be sued if those options don't seem feasible to you since you sold me a lemon.

My service related issues:

Purchase Date 03/28/05 Problem Tracker - 05 Chevy Cobalt SS
5 Year / 75,000 Mile Warranty

Problem/Service Done Date Resolution to Problem
Recall on Exhaust March 28th 05' Exhaust from Catback Replaced

Oil Change May 05' Oil Changed

Oil Change/Car Stratched on Both Sides June 05' Oil Changed/Car buffed to remote stratches

Door Handle Sticks June 05' Lubed Door Handle

Air Conditioner spits water out July 05' Installed Evap Screen where one was not on

Oil Change July 05' Changed Oil

Sunroof Trim falls off suddenly July 05' They re-installed trim and fitted button

Air Conditioner spits water out(2nd Request) August 05' Tried to duplicate problem, could not do it

Supercharger Mount Broken for Coolant Lines August 05' Part on order, should arrive second week of August.

Shift patterns on shift knob breaks August 05' Part on order, should arrive second week of August.

Valance needed replacement (user error on purchaser end) August 05' Replacement ordered, should arrive second week of August

Door Handle Sticks(2nd Request) August 05' Doors Lubed

Oil Change August 05' Oil Changed

Battery Light Came On August 05' No Resolution, problem went away

Oil Change November 05' Changed Oil

Door Sills need to be replaced (Paint Flaking) March 06' New Door Sills were ordered and replaced

Car overheated and went into limp mode March 06' Computer Reflash update to thermostat/fix the overheating, nothing wrong with Cat

Radio Buttons/Cruise Doesn't work on Steering Wheel March 06' Button assembly replacement needed, replacement work done.

Rotors Warped March 06' Dealership says they can be resurfaced, I am allowing them to resurface them.

Brake Pads Seem Worn March 06' They went down to 10% life, advised them to replace after getting cost to replace

Trim around Dash peeling off March 06' Replacments ordered, problem resolved

Door Handles sticking (3rd Request) March 06' Lubed Door Handles

Seat Belt Loose/Seems broken/Fitment issue April 06' Order replacement belt for Drivers Side. Replaced.

Radio doesn't spit out CD's upon eject button pushed May 06' Nothing has been done yet.

Door Handle Sticks (3rd Request) June 06' Lubed Door Handles myself.

Shift patterns on shift knob breaks again June 06' Super Glued the pattern on myself but knob feels like it's going to break.

Oil leaking from Seals July 06' Not resolved

Sunroof Trim falls off suddenly (2nd Time) July 06' Pushed bezel back in place. Won't hold. Need replacement.

Supercharger Mount Broken for Coolant (2nd Time) July 06' No Resolution, needs replaced

Clutch Failing / Not shifting properly July 06' Won't shift half the time, pedal seems very low, won't engage/harsh engagement. No Fix

Brakes Pulsating when stopping July 06' Dealership replaced pads, resurfaced rotors, problem still persists. Dealer will not fix after repairs

Sucks to be me... and sucks to be GM

-Mike

 

by the way, if they do nothing I am selling the car and moving on. I can't take it.

 

welcome to the club man... Good luck!

 

I thought about you when I wrote this, It's rediclious! And now I know what you mean...

I don't even touch the trim around the car and the paint just comes right off the moment you touch it ever so slightly. I'm not going to let GM push me around on this. I paided hard money on this damn car every month (about $410 a month to be extact) and I also happen to own a Cobalt Sedan too and it's nothing but problems.

I guess you could say you get what you pay for but if I pay almost $800 a month for two car payments and when the **** can't stay in one piece we have a problem. I told my girl that I might just trade both of them in and take a hit if all else fails and buy me a WRX or perhaps a big ass SUV. I didn't buy this car because it was cheap, I bought this car because it's economical and it's my daily driver. I shouldn't have to pay a $100 deductible to go to the dealership to fix problems since I'm over my warranty when I am already paying them $400 + a month on one car. They can kiss my ass!

 

It sucks that your having troubles. First off, you listed that the door handle had to be lubed (3rd request) twice so you might want to change one to fourth.

Sorry, I understand having reoccuring problems can be a pain in the ass, but it doesn't seem like this would really fall under the lemon law. They should probably just replace the door handles and cables instead. It seems like you are really only having two problems, the door handles and the lining around the sunroof.

You really need something mechanical in which they need to replace several times, not just quick fix and/or lube things. You can request them to replace all the handles and stuff, if not you have a valid reason to request the cpmtact info for the Chevy Regional Rep. He will take care of the problem if the dealership declines to replace it.


Mike

 

No this stems from more then door handles.. as I stated, there is more problems, I'm too lazy to write them down. More then two times have most of this stuff occured or something new happens. I didn't mention the axle snap, the cataylst converter replacement, the trim around the center console being replaced, the car dying on the freeway from a bad ground in the headlamp assembly, my speedo reading 0 when i'm doing 50 or the fact that the A/C doesn't work worth a **** and leaks water all over the dash and the floor. . Nah, see those are nothing compared to what other things I can tell you the dealership has documented.

 

by the way as I get over 50,000 miles at the end of summer (Bound to do at the rate I am going) I'm sure something else bad is going to happen as well. I don't like ranting but it's getting bad..At least I am a good informant for the community. I beleive only one other gentleman on here has more miles then I do but I don't think he has a proven track record of problems like I have.

 

Sorry to hear all of that... but I gotta say... you drive a lot of miles in a year and a half.

I had a Dodge Avenger that was super painful for me too. So I know that drill.

best of luck in your ordeal. I would offer words of wisdom... but it seems you are well beyond that point.

 

Family lives all over hells acre (My mom 160 miles away from me in Ohio, My dad is about 60 miles away in Lapeer and work is a 30 mile trek one way for me. It's not fun when you have to do all the driving.. My girlfriend lives 30 miles one way in Armada.. ark!)

 

electrical failure decided to pay me a visit this morning going down I-696 to work. Had no power to the car for about 3 minutes until I coasted to a stop from a 70mph roll... /Rant

 

Sneaky, please dial 1-888-for-lemons. The guy you wanna talk to is Steven Toth. He is a great guy and will help you if you have a case. The office is located on Ford Road in Garden City. Hopefully not too far from where you are at.

 

Wow... just another thing that makes me glad I got the 2.4. I've still got the brake and interior trim problems... but that's it.

 

Very sorry to hear about these issues bro. I hope everything works out in the end. I don't get it, some Cobalts are falling apart and some are perfect. Do you think it could be a building factory thing or were all Cobalts built at the same factory?

 

man i've been without my car for two months and gm won't do anything its b.s. my car has 8000 miles and the clutch went they would not cover it because my front tires showed wear. so i go and buy a spec stage 3 clutch and fidanza aluminium flywheel and then i find out i need a slve cylinder which is backordered for 8 week. this **** is really getting old. i have called and argued with gm multiple times and they do nothing. i mean i love the car ut this is the second time something major has happened the first time was the timeing chain tensioner loosened producing a horrible tick in the engine.

 

Man dude , Im sorry to hear your still fightin this car . I thought the problems had stopped cuz you seemed like for awhile you were actually enjoying it for once . I just dont understand the build quality variances from car to car . Mine is a early 05 with a build date of 5/05 and the only issues Ive ever had were the doorlock/window bezels , trim on the passenger , and paint on the wheels . Otherwise its been a absultely perfect car , Im at 32,000 miles now . Its sounds like for about the 1st year and 1/2 of production GM had some pretty out of control quality consistency with their suppliers .

For all the crap youve been thru with it , hopefully they do the right thing and buy back your SS ( because they really just need to tear this down and figure out what the hell went so terribly wrong ) and get you one hella deal on 2007 SS .

I know what your going thru , I went thru about the same laundry list of crap on a Trans Am I bought new in 1995 . Spending do much time at the dealer , and wondering what the hell is gonna wrong absolutely is miserable .

 

Them telling you they won't cover the clutch because of "tire wear" is BS. I would have the car sent to another dealer or call GM and complain. The Pirellis that come stock only have a life of about 30,000 miles, so at 8000 you are going to have 1/4 to 1/3 tread wear. I have 10,000 miles on my car and have only briefly (and mostly only because 1st is such a beast) spun the tires at all and I have quite a bit of wear on my tires.

Also if they have had your car out of commission for 30 days due to inability to repair it, that counts as being a lemon. Don't let these dealerships push you around or they will f**k you everytime.

 

Sorry to hear about your issues. This happens with any car regardless of maker. I will say you have 40 and are complaining about replacing brakes? I know on the J-Body's stock brakes are only good for about 25k (with normal driving). Also GM rotors suck and warp. Replace them with aftermarket or even a replacement from like autozone or something and they are much better.

 

I currently have the peeling problem and the water leak in the passenger side.

 

OEM Rotors work alot better then most aftermarket rotors. Not in this case. I'm not complaining that I had to change the brakes. Not a big deal, I understand they wear.. what I don't understand is after getting them replaced with OEM brakes and resurfaced rotors that this problem continues to haunt me. It's like I never changed the brakes...

When I left work today I was sitting at a stop light and the car just stopped. It went below 500pm and stalled. I tried to start it and it cranked for like 20 seconds before it started again..

 

get use to it. they might fix the problem but they just replace it with the same **** that will happen all over again. Quite depressing.

 

what kind of problems are you having on the LT sneaky?

 

sorry to here about all the proplems your haveing sounds like your car was built on a monday. but my dad has told me many times never to buy a first year car because they havent got all the bugs worked out of them yet. so thats why im waiting for 07 to come out. i think they will be the best ones and the new G5 comeing out the inside looks alotnicer. but everyone i no with the cobalts love them and never have had a proplem with them. fact there starting to show up everywhere now today i saw 2 red SS SC driveing around. and where do u live. the dealer i bought the sunfire from is a chevy dealer and they have always fixed things for me if something went wrong no questions asked. and with geting a WRX i no 2 kids that work for subaru and they said that the impreza outback WRX and legacy all have head gasket proplems. but hope things get better for you who knows maybe tomorrow you get in your car and all its proplems are gone lol. goodluck man.

 

Sounds just like the problem I had only I had to wait a MINIMUM of 10 minutes before it would start again. There was no cel, no rough idle, nothing. I took to the dealership more than three times for that problem alone and they must have thought I was crazy because they said there was nothing wrong with it.

 

What's up with the warranty? Our extended warranty covers everything for 5 years, we have a small deductible, but that's it.

The seatbelt should be fixed by them, otherwise the car is not legally driveable.

I'm not sure you can lemon it, depends on the state. Might want to skip the letter from yourself and retain a lawyer. I don't think GM is going to go crap with that letter, I'd go straight to a lawyer and find out what can be done.

Also the Oil seals should fall under the powertrain warranty and not cost you a dime to have fixed, the powertrain warranty is 5 years and 50 or 60k miles I believe.

Though I gotta say I don't think the SS/SC is the best choice for a daily driver. When I think of daily Driver I think of a 1998-99 Honda Civic with AC. hehe.
Or something else equally cheap and reliable.

 

The water leak should not reoccur, The Heater core isn't properly sealed from the factory and requires them to tear apart the dash and reseal it, if it's done right, the problem should never return.