Chevrolet Cobalt - Door Issues

anya1229

I have a 2006 Cobalt, and since my warranty expired (I have 39,000 miles on her), I have had one problem after another. My biggest is that my doors sometimes don't open. First it was my drivers side. I unlocked the door with the keypad, and although the door was unlocked it wouldn't open from the outside or inside. It lasted for a few days, then started opening again. It was too warm to be frozen. Two weeks later the same thing happened with the passenger door (lasted for a day) and then the day after that was fixed it happened to the drivers door again. Any suggestions? Anyone else had this problem?

kcmarie

Hi,
I too have a chevy cobalt 2006 that I purchased in March 08. Now just the other day my drivers side door will unlock, but I can not open it from the outside or inside. I am having the dealership look at, but not until Nov. 10. Did you ever find out what is causing that?? Let me know.

thekansasrose

Did you ever get this resolved? My mother is having the same issue with her car.

Thanks.

Rose

dft56

I have a 2007 Cobalt LS 4 door sedan and the rear passenger door i find i'm having problems with it. I first noticed it today. I haven't opened it in awhile and when unlocking it(i have manual locks) i tried to open but no go. After a few minutes i got it to open, but later i pushed lock down and closed door..tried to open and it did. The lock didn't lock it. What could be the problem and how do i fix it other than taking it back to the dealer? Any info will help greatly..thank you.

poncho167

Do your rare doors have that child safety lock built into the door as you open it. That could be the issue if so equipt.

dft56

Yes it does and i have turned the dial both ways and no luck..will not lock..guess i'll have to take it to a dealer..yuk! Thanks for the reply

taniagoody

just wanted to let you know that i have a 2007 chevy cobalt with rear passenger side door issues. before the year was up from me having the car, the door lock just popped out. i could not lock the door, but opening it was no problem. i ended up removing the door interior panel and it turned out the inside piece which connects the door lock to the door handle is not very sturdy. i put the piece back together and everything worked fine. i figured i had solved the problem and nothing would happen again. yesterday i had a bigger issue arise. now the same door is locked and will not open. when i pulled the lock switch (mine is automatic- simple to use but apparently the cobalt has some problems to address with it) the lock switch actually pops out like before. i am very upset because it not locking was better because it's easier to access the door and remove the inside panel to fix the issue. i now have to see if i can remove the door panel some other way since it won't unlock or will have to take it into the dealership to have fixed. it's a great inconvenience since i have two kids and they have to use the driver's side passenger door for everything now until i get it fixed. i love my cobalt. my family and friends all have the cobalts or cavs. it runs great. no problems except this cursed door.

dft56

I guess i'll have to take it to a dealer as i'm not mechanically inclined for this kind of work..others yes..this no. I like my cobalt too..only have had this problem and another with the bushings in the front end..for which i'll have to take in again for.

billizfun2

I have a 2007 Cobalt LS, 4-door (man lock). My issue is that first, my door handle on my drivers door snapped off. I had to open the door by pulling the left over piece of plastic out. Then, if that wasn't enough... the door will not stay closed. After awhile, I could get the door to finally stay shut, but then most days it will not. I had to bungee-cord the door in order to stay shut. My friend and I were able to take out the part, clean it up, lube it up, and reinstall... It seemed to work for awhile but now it will not stay closed at all. Worst part of all, my rear door on the same driver's side is doing the same. My children ride in car seats and it was lucky that I was just pulling out of my driveway when their door flew open. I tried to close it but again it did the same as my front door.

Clearly there is an issue with these door locks and a major recall should be done. If it were somebody else, they could have lost a child flying out of the back seat because the door wouldn't stay closed.

If anyone has a solution to this.. please add me to your list!

jenn25

ok so kinda the same thing with my car... i have and 06 cobalt ss... just happened to me today. my key wouldnt come out of my so i slamed it into park and the key came out but my door wont open now... from outside or inside... anyone have a problem like that

fender81

I have an '06 Coablt LT and the same thing happened to me today. I went to the dealer to see if I could ask them what it might be (I'm out of warranty). The service guy said that he had another vehicle (not sure if it was a Cobalt) that had the same issue yesterday. The inside and outside door handles wouldn't work. They ended up replacing the latch on that vehicle. I guess it's the latch assembly or something.

sarahcmg

I have a 2006 Cobalt and the driver door won't open. The lock goes up and down but the door stays shut. I was told it was going to cost appro $1200 to fix it so I've just been climbing over the passenger seat to get in and out. I'm wondering if so many people are having this issue why hasn't there been a recall?

imidazol97

Unless there's some kind of body damage from an accident, it couldn't cost that much to replace the door lock itself.

Were you at a dealer?

I'd check at a body shop. They're used to taking doors apart to repair metal damage.

And check at another dealership. And at an independent shop.

sarahcmg

Thanks for the reply. It was at a dealership and they said the reason it would cost so much was that they would have to destroy the door panel because they can't remove it because they can't open the door. I will take your advice and get quotes from other repair shops.

moparbad

Find a reputable body shop and they can open the door and repair it without destroying the door. Consider finding a differerent dealer or private repair shop for future repairs and maintenance for your car, the answer the dealership provided you indicates incompetence or dishonesty.

Reporting the problem to NHTSA is free and if this is a widespread problem and a recall is necessary in the future you could possibly be reimbursed for repair costs.
NHTSA

queenprincessb

I have 2006 Cobalt. The door locks and unlocks but the door won't open. I can tell that the door latch is either stuck or in a weird position by the way the handles on inside and outside have no resistance. It has happened several times over the past year. Just last night it happened, it starts with the door not closing (appears latch is in a closed position), I fiddle with the lock and get the door shut, but it won't open back up. Tonight, I unlocked my driver's side door with my key (cause my remote battery is dead, go figure), then unlocked the passenger door, crawled over the seat, locked and unlocked the door from the passenger side (cause the lock button on my door keypad is not working either, go figure)LOL, then left my doors unlocked, started the car, started driving forward and wala! I heard the door latch catch or unstick it's self. When this happens to me I just keep finding different ways to try to get it unstuck. I have discovered that it is the door latch, and if I catch it before I get the door shut I can move the latch in the door into an open position for it to be able to catch and maybe avoid the problem for the time being. I have sprayed the latch with WD40, but I don't think that's it's only issue. Good Luck!! I will eventually figure it out.

gmcustsvc

Hello,
I am from GM Customer Service. I would recommend taking the vehicle to the dealership to get the problem fixed. That way you don't have to worry about the lock anymore. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

moparbad

Mariah,

Have you read post #12 and #14?

What is your recommendation to solve this issue?

gmcustsvc

Hello Sarah,
I am from GM Customer Service. Can you please email me your VIN and current mileage on the vehicle? I would like to look further into your situation for you. Thank you.
Mariah GM Customer Service

gmcustsvc

Hello,
Thank you for bringing her issue to my attention. I will look into her situation further. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

snoy0502

Mariah, I am a different Sarah but I have the same issue with my 2005 cobalt LS coupe with the doors. They will start locking and unlocking, without anyone touching it. Ive had people in my car when its happened and its happened for mechanics also. It also will not let me open the door, even though the lock is up. I have to put the window down and play with the outside door handle. Now my key fab wont work because of whatever electrical problem is going on with the door, so i have to use the key to open it which causes the alarm to go off so i have to put the key in the ignition. I also have the same issue that most cobalt owners have where my air conditioner leaks TONS of water on the floor on the passenger side. I mean puddles, to the point if i have a passenger, they have to either get in the back or keep their feet up. It has actually been fixed multiple times. Except now, Matthews Chevrolet, in Vestal NY (i bought with 23,000 in 2006. from Ken Wilson Chevrolet, which changed to matthews about 9 months later) wont cover my warranty. When i bought the vehicle, they sold me a warranty. The contract at first said 100$ for a deductible. I said i wouldnt buy it unless they changed it to 0$. So they did, on my copy, but not theirs of course. The sales manager, who is still at Matthews, even remembered doing it when i went back to get this fixed the first time. Yet, they did nothing to correct their error on their contract, so now they wont cover my deductible. I am taking it tomorrow morning because i only have 900 miles left on my warranty (100,000 mile warranty) and be forced to pay 100$ deductible tomorrow to get it fixed. of course, neither of these issues are happening right now (its not really cold enough for air conditioning, and the door problems are intermittant) So what do i do if they say there is no problem? Pay the money for the labor and get screwed afterwards? If there is anything you can send me that i can give to them so they know what to fix, that would be great! And another thing, if so many people are having the same issues why wouldnt there be some type of recall? My family and i have always been faithful to GM products and this was my first car. I love the car and i am thankful that i do not have any "major" issues thus far, but this issue is going to get real expensive, after my warranty runs out. If there is nothing done about this issue, i wont be returning to a GM product after i finish paying this car off, nor would i recommend another gm product to a friend. I also sent an email to socialmedia@gm.com
Thanks,
Sarah From NY

pthreadgill

I also own a 2006 Chevy Cobalt. It has the same door issue which occurred yesterday. My son is a mechanic professional and says that this issue is not a normal issue and to check for a recall. My car has 34,000 miles on it. The driver side door has a door handle inside and outside replaced under warranty at around 20,000 miles due to the driver outside door handle not releasing and springing back into position all the way leaving the handle slightly open and the door handle itself upon use loose. I also had both inside handles replaced during warranty due to cosmetic reasons. It appears there are quite a few with this same issue yet nothing is being said as to correcting this problem as a safety issue except to take it to the dealer and pay a huge amount to fix it. I am lucky, my son is a mechanic and the cost of parts will be my only cost, however others are not so lucky. This door being in the closed locked position means that the door panel is almost next to impossible to remove without damage. Thus the cost of $1200 quoted to one victim is not out of the ballpark. It appears that GM would note this problem and do something about it for the good of customer service. It appears age has more to do with this problem than mileage.

gmcustsvc

Hello,
Please email me at socialmedia@gm.com so I can get some more information about your concern with your vehicle. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

angie27

I have a 2006 Cobalt I deactivate the alarm w/ the key fob lights blink,doors unlock, alarm goes off i open the door & the security light is back on! The doors remained unlocked I walked around the car opened the passengers side & the horn started blowing & lights flashing & I had 2 run & get the fob to shut it off. I hit the unlock button even though all doors are unlocked to deactivate the alarm & it keeps setting itself again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad:

gmcustsvc

Hello Angie27,
Have you had the vehicle looked at for the concern? How long has the concern been present? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

hornsad

Hello - My car starting having the same door issues, first after unlocking the car, the driver side door will not open, this happen for about 2 days. As of yesterday, the door does not latch in order for the door to lock. Now, I am driving with a string on my door in order for it to lock while I drive. After reading all of the postings in this site I am afraid to take it to the dealership and find out that is going to cost me an arm and a leg to get it fix. I took it to an independent shop to see if I can get a quote, of course they will charge just to look at it, but they could not tell me a quote for repair. This is frastruating since my car is almost paid off and of course the warranty is out!

precisevb

Hi All
My daughter has a 2005 cobalt ls coupe, with door problems. The doors sometime will not open. This has been an ongoing problem for at least 18months. Today she is visiting friend in VA. and the door will not open, which means to get out she has to crawl-out thru the passenger door. In doing so she hurt her leg and ankle. If there was an emergency situation and needed to get out of the car, she would be trapped. The 2 dealers have looked at the car and they lube the latch. That works for about a week and then the problem is back. The estimated cost for the repair is between $750.00 and $1000.00. This is a problem GM should repair at no cost, due to the safety issues.

gmcustsvc

Hello Precisevb,
I apologize that you are experiencing an issue with your vehicle. Has the door ever been repaired? Did the dealership ever do anything else than just lubing the latch? Can you please email me your VIN and current mileage so I can look into this further? You can get my email by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

hsulzer

I also have an '05 Cobalt ls. The doors lock and unlock by themselves. Also, there are times when my door wont shut and when I finally do get it to shut, it wont open and it will take days to get it open. There was another time where both doors wouldnt open and I had to crawl out of the window. What if my windows decided not to roll down? I would be stuck in my car... Isnt this a safty issue? When I called a GM dealer and told him about it, he said he has never heard of the problem and that he doesnt know what to do because he isnt an actual chevy dealer. The alarms always go off too. I always have to use my unlock button that is on my keys to deactivate the alarms and then open the door. Very hard to do when that button doesnt even want to work. There are times when I have the a/c on and no air is blowing out at all and when I turn it completly off, it will blow out cold air. I dont understand with everyone having these problems, why A GM dealer hasnt heard of it and why there isnt a recall. I love my car but now have to buy a new one because of this.

gmcustsvc

Hello Hsulzer,
I apologize that you are experiencing concerns with your vehicle. So the GM dealership you contacted why did they say there weren't an actual GM dealer? Have you contacted any other GM dealers in the area? Have you had the vehicle diagnosed by anyone? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

queenprincessb

Mariah, I have a 2006 Cobalt with door issues such as mysteriously locking and unlocking; not closing; not opening when I do get it closed; car dying when idling.

I have sent you and email.

Sincerely, Linda

gearheadguru

Hello pthreadgill, I am a professional technician dedicated to working on anything and everything made by General Motors. I just fixed the same make and model with the same problem today. Your problem is that your door lock switch is shorted out. The switch uses one wire to control the driver commands. Meaning a short on that wire will cause both the locking and unlocking. Replace the door lock switch/switches ( I recommend you get them both replaced), and your troubles will be over.

Welcome in advance.

laurence1983

I have a 2006 chevy cobalt Lt and the doors won't open I used the key from the outside but it won't let me in. I used the remote and it still won't let my open the doors the fuse is still good I even replaced it. I tried to open the doors from the outside and inside but that doesn't work. The other day I took it to sutlif Chevey in Harrisburg pa and the passenger side door opened so instead of climing out of the sun roof I had to clime out the window and wind up falling on there wet floor from the rain. So I told them what was wrong with it and they checked it. Then they told me that it could cost me around $1,000 to fix it. They want to run tests and milk money out of people. They didn't seem to care about nothing exept taking money. I even had probloms with the air vents and when it was under warenty and they didn't fix that. What a bad business. Can someone give me advice for my doors. I don't have $1,000 to give away to the company who sells faulty doors and cars.

laurence1983

The buttons work fine

cchall

This is more than the door lock switch. I have a 2005 Cobalt and a year and a half ago my door locks did the same thing, locked and unllocked by themselves, my car started dying when idling and things just went from bad to worse...we ended up replacing the body control module and it helped with everything, we also replaced several other parts before the BCM trying to fix this problem...well here we are again not even two years later and it is all happening over again...the VERY SAME problems!!! SO frustrating, I just got my power steering back and now this again! Going to fix and SELL it and never by another Chevy as long as I live! So disappointing, it used to be such a great product...

gmcustsvc

Hello Cchall,
I apologize that you have had concerns with your vehicle. Do you currently have the vehicle at the dealership? Do you currently have a case with GM? If so, what is the case number? Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

laurence1983

Nope they had the chance and a second chance now I reported them.

gmcustsvc

Hello Laurence1983,
I apologize that you have had concerns with your vehicle. I can understand that you are frustrated with your situation. However, you can e-mail me if you change your mind. You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

cchall

No, I can't afford to get this fixed at the dealership...have spent way too much money on this car as it is! I am ordering the parts through the dealership but that is it...I also do not have a case with GM...when the whole power sterring thing happened I gave up on trying to talk to them as I had sent snail mail and email with no response to any of my concerns.

gmcustsvc

Hello Cchall,
I am sorry that no one responded when you tried to contact them. If you would like to e-mail me your information I can get you in contact with an agent. I would need you to e-mail me your contact information, VIN, current mileage and dealership. You can get my e-mail by clicking on gmcustsvc. Thank you,
Mariah GM Customer Service

parkhurstp1

I have a 2006 two door Cobalt SS. I am experiencing a similar issue door with my driver side door. It originally would not close fully. I was able to get the door to finally close but now I can not get it to open. When I try from either the inside or outside handle it will not release. Any one have any clue how I could fix this issue? This is a major safety concern!!

To use the car I have to climb in from passenger side which is not very easy. I experienced the same problem on passenger side door last year this time but it fixed itself. Not sure if weather is a factor in this problem. Any one have any recommendations on how to get the latch to release so I might be able to get it fixed?

parkhurstp1

I was able to get the door to open by soaking the inside with WD40 and also working the lock some but still experiencing the problem intermitent. Will need to get looked at. Any recommendations on parts I will need to order and replace. Service Dept at dealership say Striker maybe bad. I was told it should only take them less than an hour to replace. If I was to do myself what parts do I need?

jrhott

Did you ever get the door sticking problem resolved. Mine just started on my 2005 Cobalt.

deathcap

I too have a problem with my passenger door opening im going to try lubing it to get it open so i can remove the panel and replace any shorted wires and such if not it seems ill have to cut into the panel damaging it. I looked online a new panel isnt too expensive. As for any1 with the idling issue and the car turning off, i had the same problem. To fix it all i had to do was clean the throttle body assembly which isnt too hard. The tools i used were a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a tooth brush, and throttle body cleaner that i got at advanced ap. Make sure to not get the cleaner on the mass airflow sensor advanced also sells a seperate cleaner for the sensor cause that could be an issue. I just got in and under the throttle and cleaned it with the cleaner and toothbrush and my car is running fine. Just make sure not to get it on the sensor. I didnt clean the sensor but my car is running fine. Also make sure the fuel injector is clean. Ill post back if i can fix my door somehow.

imidazol97

Can the door be opened by someone using a slim jim type device that reaches a part of the latch and pulls on it to open the door?

cuppycake

OMG, i just had the same thing happen to me two days ago..i have a 2008 cobolt. i have not yet taken it to the dealer cause i know it will cost so much money. i have had so many electrical issues with this car. first all my windows went out. i took it to the dealer to be fixed they replaced the motors.. a month later they all went out again.. they replaced them once again.. about two to three months they all started going out one by one. now they are all completly not working. Then my power steering went out.. now my flipping drivers side door will not unlock. i have to crawl in fromt he passenger side. which is a huge safety issue. when i try to use the key to get in the key just turns there is no pull in the handle.. soooo frustrating. oh and top of all of that the power starts to go out on the lock and unlock buttons when you push them about 5 times. MY fobe does not unlock/or lock my car in turns means sense my key wont work on the drivers side, the drivers side wont unlock at all and the fobe wont work i have to leave my car unlocked at all times cause if i lock the other three doors i wont be able to get in the car at all. these cars are a joke!!!

gmcustsvcsarah

Cuppycake,

I’m sorry to hear about this repeat concern with your Cobalt. I see that you had worked with a dealership in the past – can we help you towards getting this concern resolved? Please email us with your name, VIN, involved dealership, and any other information you can.

Best,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

superchargedss

I have the same problem right now. I have a 05 ss cobalt and it started last weekend with the door not closing and finaly got it close and it would not come open. I had to call pop a lock to get it open. It just happend again last night though. It wont open from inside or out and i called a gm dealer and they said they havent had this happen before and the guy at pop a lock said he has never seen it either. Does anyone have any advice? It should be a recall! Thanks

angrychevyownr

I have the same problem. was at walmart, tried to shut the door, it wouldn't shut. I looked at the latch didn't see anything wrong shut it again and it shut with no problem. The next day, I shut the door after driving it and it never opened again from the outside or the inside. I have to crawl over the stick shift to be able to drive it. I just paid for a mysterious computer upgrade I was supposed to do and I can't afford another high priced service charge. With all the people having the same problem, it should be a recall. I will most likely sell this car after I fix it and never own another one. Which is sad as my dad retired from Chevy. :-(

zeyad1

Hi gearheadguru

I'm having similar problems with Chev Cobalt 2007. The drivers door starts opening and closing and I suspected a short in the switch. I unplugged the wires from the switch and the door problems are solved for the time being. I'm planing to take it to a technician since I want the problem to be fixed ones and for all.

I noticed something strange about the electrical circuits about the car. After unplugging the door switch the rear lights aren't working any more. Could the unplugging of switch caused that or am I looking a bigger electrical problem ?

deathcap

no i never did fix the door i dont have money for a dealer to fix it ill try with a slim jim thing because i believe it may be a clip down at the bottom may have become disconnected somehow because all the cables for the latch work fine. i was at a body shop because i was rear ended and the owner came out and looked at it( ive cut the panel pretty much off) he said im pretty much doing what he would do haha if anyone has any other ideas let me know because im worried if i am wrong and i cant get the door close i will be screwed.