Engine Power Reduction
March 2nd, 2016, 10:25 PM
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Engine Power Reduction
So I've never had problems with my cobalt, great car so far, until today. I took it into my local dealership to get the air filter replaced along with a few other small things a few weeks ago. Now today I was driving along around 30 mph when the car slammed into first gear and a light came on that said "engine power reduction". I was almost hit by the car behind me and had to pull over to the side of the road. It was very scary. Has anyone else had a similar issue like this?
March 3rd, 2016, 4:17 PM
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So I've never had problems with my cobalt, great car so far, until today. I took it into my local dealership to get the air filter replaced along with a few other small things a few weeks ago. Now today I was driving along around 30 mph when the car slammed into first gear and a light came on that said "engine power reduction". I was almost hit by the car behind me and had to pull over to the side of the road. It was very scary. Has anyone else had a similar issue like this?
I regret to hear that you are experiencing concerns with your Cobalt and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please send us a private message with your VIN and current mileage so we can look into this further for you.
Looking forward to your message.
Cecil J.
Chevrolet Customer Care
March 10th, 2016, 12:08 PM
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I came to this forum just for this type of post. This happened to me in December with my 2009 Cobalt. A few days before that happened the car starting jerking/surging (I don't know if this the right word but it's like fuel wasn't being fed properly to the car) at times before leveling out. The dealer stated it was a couple of sensors that needed to be replaced. Paid to have it done. A few weeks later the very same thing occurred with the jerking and power issue . The dealership told me the car was very low on oil (which I hate to say they were lying but come on, the car will let me know when that's the case) and the filter started to come apart so THAT was my problem. I was bitter about that considering I just had it in the shop for the same problem.
Now here it is barely a month later. Same problem. Except now it also stutters a bit after starting although after being fed gas it feels stable. So I just had the battery then spark plugs replaced and cleared the codes P001 and P002 (it's says there are 4 errors but this is an old OBT and I'm only seeing 2, maybe I need to have someone else look). No good. And considering they changed the oil a month ago and the car is still saying I have plenty of oil life left, it can't be that.
Someone told me to reset the battery (because of changing spark plugs) which I did for 15 mins but no good. Autozone said that on these cars the alternator can't be checked with their machines but the battery is still strong so it's probably not that (which the dealer would have known if that was bad). I've paid over $500 to dealer so far plus the battery and spark plugs.
If anyone knows of something else I can try please let me know. I feel the dealer is bleeding me and I can't afford to get a replacement for this car yet. Thank you.
edit to add: I didn't realize how long this was, sorry
Now here it is barely a month later. Same problem. Except now it also stutters a bit after starting although after being fed gas it feels stable. So I just had the battery then spark plugs replaced and cleared the codes P001 and P002 (it's says there are 4 errors but this is an old OBT and I'm only seeing 2, maybe I need to have someone else look). No good. And considering they changed the oil a month ago and the car is still saying I have plenty of oil life left, it can't be that.
Someone told me to reset the battery (because of changing spark plugs) which I did for 15 mins but no good. Autozone said that on these cars the alternator can't be checked with their machines but the battery is still strong so it's probably not that (which the dealer would have known if that was bad). I've paid over $500 to dealer so far plus the battery and spark plugs.
If anyone knows of something else I can try please let me know. I feel the dealer is bleeding me and I can't afford to get a replacement for this car yet. Thank you.
edit to add: I didn't realize how long this was, sorry
Last edited by catmeds; March 10th, 2016 at 12:15 PM.
March 10th, 2016, 12:43 PM
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I came to this forum just for this type of post. This happened to me in December with my 2009 Cobalt. A few days before that happened the car starting jerking/surging (I don't know if this the right word but it's like fuel wasn't being fed properly to the car) at times before leveling out. The dealer stated it was a couple of sensors that needed to be replaced. Paid to have it done. A few weeks later the very same thing occurred with the jerking and power issue . The dealership told me the car was very low on oil (which I hate to say they were lying but come on, the car will let me know when that's the case) and the filter started to come apart so THAT was my problem. I was bitter about that considering I just had it in the shop for the same problem.
Now here it is barely a month later. Same problem. Except now it also stutters a bit after starting although after being fed gas it feels stable. So I just had the battery then spark plugs replaced and cleared the codes P001 and P002 (it's says there are 4 errors but this is an old OBT and I'm only seeing 2, maybe I need to have someone else look). No good. And considering they changed the oil a month ago and the car is still saying I have plenty of oil life left, it can't be that.
Someone told me to reset the battery (because of changing spark plugs) which I did for 15 mins but no good. Autozone said that on these cars the alternator can't be checked with their machines but the battery is still strong so it's probably not that (which the dealer would have known if that was bad). I've paid over $500 to dealer so far plus the battery and spark plugs.
If anyone knows of something else I can try please let me know. I feel the dealer is bleeding me and I can't afford to get a replacement for this car yet. Thank you.
edit to add: I didn't realize how long this was, sorry
Now here it is barely a month later. Same problem. Except now it also stutters a bit after starting although after being fed gas it feels stable. So I just had the battery then spark plugs replaced and cleared the codes P001 and P002 (it's says there are 4 errors but this is an old OBT and I'm only seeing 2, maybe I need to have someone else look). No good. And considering they changed the oil a month ago and the car is still saying I have plenty of oil life left, it can't be that.
Someone told me to reset the battery (because of changing spark plugs) which I did for 15 mins but no good. Autozone said that on these cars the alternator can't be checked with their machines but the battery is still strong so it's probably not that (which the dealer would have known if that was bad). I've paid over $500 to dealer so far plus the battery and spark plugs.
If anyone knows of something else I can try please let me know. I feel the dealer is bleeding me and I can't afford to get a replacement for this car yet. Thank you.
edit to add: I didn't realize how long this was, sorry
I’m sorry to hear that you are experiencing concerns with your Cobalt and understand how frustrating this could be. As an extra layer of assistance, I can reach out to your dealership on your behalf to inquire about your vehicle situation. If you would like to proceed, please send a private message with your full contact information, VIN, current mileage, and the name of your dealership. Please feel free to include any additional questions that you may have as I am always happy to assist.
Cecil J.
Chevrolet Customer Care