06 Cobalt: “Engine Power Reduced/Engine Disabled”

A shop should know all this, but for what its worth there are a bunch of grounds on that car and some are subject to corrosion and breakage. If they haven't already gone over them they need to. Read the threads here and you'll find a number of people who have "fixed" problems with their car simply by repairing or replacing a ground. Also check all electrical connections in the wiring harness. Again there is occasionally a problem there, especially if a bit of moisture has managed to find its way in. My car occasionally does wierd things after sitting for a couple of days in rainy weather. I'm pretty sure there's a bit of moisture getting in somewhere although I haven't been able to locate it yet. After driving it for a day or two it seems to dry out and behave itself again.

Myb2006 cobalt is doing the exact same thing but in any weather.its frustrating.any solutions yet??

You've scanned for trouble codes and gone over the wiring?

My 06 Cobalt does the same thing. I had it in the shop and they charge me $500 and tell me they didn't know it was wrong

Supposably my mechanic said that the car needs to be adjusting the timing

I have a 2009 Chevy Cobalt with the same problem engine reduced engine disabled and my mechanic said that car needs to be tuned the timing the Pistons are firing wrong

i had this problem but i just junk the car and brought a bike

You're a mechanical genius. Great to have you here.

I have a 2009 Chevy Cobalt I have the same problem when it acts up like that I push in the wiring on top of the engine and then the car runs good for a while and then it starts up again and I do it over and over I don't know exactly which wire but it helps temporarily I don't understand why the dealership doesn't do a recall on this

They don't do a recall because its not a safety issue. It's a maintenance issue which is your responsibility, not theirs. You've isolated the problem. If you don't know how to fix it properly so it doesn't keep happening take it to a shop that does electrical work and ask them to go through that connection and make sure everything is tight and clean. Modern automotive electrical systems are very sensitive and any bit of moisture or corrosion in a connection can cause problems. I've had lots of problems fixed by doing just this.

I have a 07 cobalt it was doing the same thing. Changed a couple parts didn't help. Ordered a $17 wiring harness and replaced it going to the throttle body. Havent had any problems since. Knock on wood.

I have the same problem. Mine just started. I have just installed a pretty high powered audio system (about 2800 watts RMS combined. Nothing crazy but I beefed up the grounds and also use 3 batteries now. It seemed fine. Then after riding down the freeway with the stereo turned up it happened. It only happens when I'm in an idle state. How long have you had that connector hooked up. My engine code said that it was a throttle issues?

I have the same problem. Mine just started. I have just installed a pretty high powered audio system (about 2800 watts RMS combined. Nothing crazy but I beefed up the grounds and also use 3 batteries now. It seemed fine. Then after riding down the freeway with the stereo turned up it happened. It only happens when I'm in an idle state. How long have you had that connector hooked up. My engine code said that it was a throttle issues?

It may not even be related to your stereo install, but on the other hand, modern automotive electrical systems are so sensitive that it likely is. Trouble shoot the throttle to see if its indeed the problem or if other electrical issues are causing the computer to "think" that's the problem. You may need to seek the advice of a shop who specializes in automotive electrical systems. They are often better equipped to seek out elusive electrical issues than regular shops are.

My 06 cobalt did this alot. My ex put alot of work and time into trying to find problem. He is very good mechanic but couldn't find anything wrong. He finally just put new battery in and I haven't had any problems since. Hope this helps

People are on here asking for help to fix themselfs. Not just so you can tel them to take it to a shop or a dealership.

I understand your point, but some problems go beyond the scope of what the average do it yourselfer can do. Remember, the experts with all the right tools don't need to come to us "gurus" for help. Most of the folks who post here, come with limited knowledge and/or limited resources. Encouraging them to attempt repairs themselves is often potentially more costly to them than if they just take it to a shop and pay upfront. We all do our best here to be helpful, but we're gurus, not psychics, so we can only do so much when we really don't know who we're talking to.

Same prob 2007 cobalt no start no crank no dash lights work. Can push start the car and jump start it at the crank relay with a switch. At first I replaced everything relays, clutch position switch, ignition switch you name it. Seems ive traced it down to the ecm fuse 25 in the fuse block inside the car. If I pull out that fuse put it back in it fixes itself. Sometimes takes a couple pulls. Seen a vid where a guy drills a hole into the fuse and adds the voltage from another wire with a fused link.

I took out my Factory Radio on my 2009 chev cobalt and there’s a couple of issues with left over wires . One is a bare ground cable which can short out on your ground . Another has to do with the dash gauges and can cause your gauges to be wonky if reconnected . I am going to reisolate all my wires maybe get a new harness if problem persists . The ecu may be damaged now as the read out no longer says trouble with traction it now says traction off engine power reduced. Wish me luck it’s -35c here and I don’t need a dead limped moded car

Hey yall hope this help!! My car did this just now !! First thing i did was came to this post then i seen you guys dont know the answer! So i check fuse under the hood and it was 15a and 20a fuse that i pushed back in to its proper fitting and problem solved!! Its either the tcm or the fuse to the tcm

Or maybe the fuse to the traction i dont know just check them all

https://youtu.be/1uQbvc7qEvY This is also worth a shot.. check the wires that lay on the oil filter housing