NHTSA Complaint #10701424 — 2006 CHEVROLET COBALT

THE FIRST TIME THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM BEGAN, BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN OH SO MANY OTHERS, I TURNED ON THE CAR AND A POWER STEERING MESSAGED APPEARED. THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANYTHING ELSE, JUST THE "POWER STEERING" MESSAGE. THIS HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY FOR ABOUT 2 MONTHS. THEN ONE EVENING WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT, THE CAR STARTED TO HOP, THE "POWER STEERING" MESSAGE CAME ON WITH A DINGING ALARM, THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 5 MPH, AND THE POWER STEERING WAS GONE, ALONG WITH THE BREAKS. IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN OR STOP THE CAR. WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD, WHERE WE TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND ON A FEW TIMES. EACH TIME WITH NO SUCCESS IN FIXING THE ISSUE. FINALLY AFTER LETTING IT REST FOR ABOUT 15 MIN, WE WERE ABLE TO TURN IT ON AND IT RETURNED TO NORMAL. SINCE THEN, INTERMITTENTLY THE "POWER STEERING" MESSAGE COMES ON AND DINGS, THE CAR HOPS, AND THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $800. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND THIS, SINCE MY STEERING COLUMN HAS RARELY BEEN MOVE, MAYBE A TOTAL OF 30 SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2006. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND VERY FEW PEOPLE, OUTSIDE OF MYSELF, HAVE DRIVEN THIS CAR, LENDING TO MINIMAL ADJUSTING OF THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR