Key Programming: Chevrolet Cobalt 2005-2012
Chevrolet Cobalt 2005-2012 Key Programming Procedure
The following are the key programming procedures for the 2005 and 2012 Chevrolet Cobalt.
ADD DUPLICATE KEY (Requires at least one working key):
1. Verify that the new key has “PK3” or “+” stamped on it.
2. Insert the original, already programmed key into the ignition lock cylinder and start the engine. If the engine will not start, see your dealer for service.
3. After the engine has started, turn the key to LOCK/OFF and remove the key.
4. Insert the key to be programmed and turn it to ON/RUN within 10 seconds of removing the previous key. The security light will turn off once the key has been programmed. It may not be apparent that the security light went on due to how quickly the key is programmed. (If your vehicle does not have a security light (04-07 Grand Prix, Bonneville, Impala), wait 10 minutes 45 seconds to make sure the key has been programmed).
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 if additional keys are to be programmed.
About Chevrolet Cobalt
The Chevrolet Cobalt is a compact car that debuted in 2004 for the 2005 model year. Chevrolet’s compact car, the Cobalt, replaced both the Cavalier and the Toyota-based Geo/Chevrolet Prizm. The Cobalt was available in coupe and sedan body styles, as well as a sport compact version known as the Cobalt SS. It shared the GM Delta platform with the Chevrolet HHR and Saturn ION.
For 2007–2009, a Pontiac version was sold in the United States and Mexico under the G5 name. It was sold as the Pontiac G4 in Mexico from 2005 to 2006, and as the Pontiac G5 in Canada for the duration of its production (where it was briefly known as the Pontiac Pursuit and later Pontiac G5 Pursuit). The Pontiac Sunfire, which was related to the Cavalier, was replaced by the G5. While the Cobalt was available in all markets as a 2-door coupe and a 4-door sedan, the G5 was only available as a coupé in the United States, with a sedan version sold alongside the coupé in Canada and Mexico.
All Cobalts and Pontiac equivalents were built at GM’s plants in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico and Lordstown, Ohio, just like their predecessors. The Cobalt was classified as a subcompact car by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The front suspension was independent with MacPherson struts, while the rear suspension was semi-independent with a torsion beam. The wheelbase was 103.3 in (2,624 mm), which was longer than competitors’, and the width was 68.4 in (1,737 mm). The coupe weighed in at 2,681 lb (1,216 kg) and the sedan weighed in at 2,747 lb (1,246 kg). The United States Environmental Protection Agency increased the fuel economy for 2009 to 24 mpgUS (9.8 L/100 km; 29 mpgimp) city/34 mpgUS (6.9 L/100 km; 41 mpgimp) highway with automatic transmission and 26 mpgUS (9.0 L/100 km; 31 mpgimp) city/37 mpgUS (6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpgimp) highway with manual transmission. The engine power has been increased to 155 hp (116 kW).
The Cobalt receives an overall top score of “Good” for front collisions from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It does, however, receive a “Poor” overall score for side impacts without side curtain airbags and a “Acceptable” overall score when equipped with side curtain airbags. Side curtain airbags became standard in 2008, but the Cobalt’s structure remains unchanged, and as a result, the Cobalt receives a “Marginal” score in the structure/safety category of the IIHS’s side impact test. Side airbags are only available in the curtain configuration; torso side airbags are not available. The driver’s torso is given a “Marginal” score based on the IIHS’s injury measurements from the side impact test.
The IIHS also discovered that Cobalts from 2005 to 2008 had the highest fatality rate in the small four-door car class, with 117 deaths per million registered years, compared to the class average of 71.
