2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

MY WIFE'S CHEVROLET COBALT WAS PART OF THE POWER STEERING MOTOR RECALL AND RECEIVED THE REPAIR ON MAY 26, 2010. THE CAR FUNCTIONED NORMALLY UNTIL MARCH 31 OF 2013 WHEN THE COBALT, WITH ONLY 17, 321 MILES, WAS BROUGHT TO THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AFTER MY WIFE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF THE POWER STEERING. NEXT I ACCOMPANIED MY WIFE TO THE PARKING LOT WHERE IT HAD BEEN PARKED AND DISCOVERED THAT UPON RE-STARTING, THE CAR FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HOWEVER WAS ON. WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON FEB. 1, 2013 WHERE THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS DISCUSSED. THE TECHNICIANS INDICATED THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE POWER STEERING, SIMPLY STATING THAT, "'IT WORKS NOW!" ON FRIDAY MARCH 8, 2013, THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE SPEEDOMETER, A CHIME SOUNDED, AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I MANAGED TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME AND PARK IT. THE STEERING WAS VERY HARD TO OPERATE, AS THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. IF MY WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING, I SERIOUSLY DOUBT WHETHER SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR. DURING THIS SAME INCIDENT THE ENGINE RAN EXTREMELY ROUGH AND ALMOST DIED SEVERAL TIMES. THIS CAR SIMPLY IS NOT SAFE. THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL SUGGESTING THAT GENERAL MOTORS HAD ITS DEALERS PERFORM ON THE COBALT WAS NOT THE CORRECT ONE. (WAS IT THE MOST ECONOMICAL FOR G.M.?). SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE DRIVEN LESS THAN 500 MILES AND IT IS NOW FOURTEEN MONTHS LATER! WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE AND WAS WAITING FOR FURTHER NOTIFICATION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WHO MADE MINOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,000 MILES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 13,252 MILES. UPDATED 6/17/14*CN

I WAS STOPPED AT A RED SIGNAL FOR A FEW MINUTES. SUDDENLY, A UNIVERSITY OF BUFFALO STUDENT HIT MY CAR FROM THE REAR AT FULL FORCE. HE WAS TEXTING AND WHEN HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR HE WAS STILL TEXTING. HE ADMITTED IT WAS HIS FAULT BECAUSE HE WAS NOT LOOKING AT THE ROAD AND WAS TEXTING ON HIS PHONE. I CALLED THE POLICE AND OBTAINED A POLICE REPORT. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT WORK. MY MOM AND I WERE JOLTED FORWARD AT FULL FORCE WITH BACK AND NECK TRAUMA. MY CAR STALLED ON IMPACT OF THE OTHER CAR. LUCKILY MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE AND I DID NOT HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD TO RESTART MY CAR AND I PULLED THE CAR OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN ORDER TO NOT BLOCK THE BUSY STREET. I COMPLAINED THAT MY AIR BAGS DID NOT WORK BUT I WAS IGNORED. ALSO, THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TURNED OFF THE CAR WHICH I THOUGHT WAS STRANGE. *TR

THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE RUNNING. I'VE STOPPED AT STOP LIGHTS AND WHEN I TRY TO CONTINUE DRIVING THE CAR WILL SHUT TOTALLY OFF WHILE IN DRIVE. THE DOOR LOCKS ARE CONSTANTLY RUNNING UP AND DOWN AND WILL NOT STAY LOCKED. MANY TIMES I'VE COME BACK TO THE CAR THINKING IT WAS LOCKED TO FIND IT UNLOCKED ITSELF. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM HAS CREATED A PROBLEM WITH BRAND NEW BATTERIES. I'VE REPLACED IT TWICE SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR IN 2010. *TR

WELL DRIVING TO DINNER FOR MY BIRTHDAY AND GOING AROUND A CURVE, I HIT A POTHOLE THAT I COULD NOT AVOID WITHOUT CROSSING THE CENTER LINE OF THE ROAD INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC CAUSING MY IGNITION SWITCH TO TURN FROM THE ON POSITION TO THE OFF POSITION, MUCH LIKE THE MOST RECENT RECALL STATES. THOUGH I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET THE CAR TO COME TO REST ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, I AM STILL EXTREMELY NERVOUS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND I AM ALSO VERY, VERY DISAPPOINTED TO HEAR THAT THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN ISSUE SINCE THE CAR WAS RELEASED. THIS IS THE THIRD RECALL ON THIS CAR SINCE I HAVE OWNED IT, AND I AM FAR LESS THAN IMPRESSED WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE IS TRULY A DEATH TRAP, MUCH LIKE OTHERS HAVE STATED. MY GREATEST FEAR IS THAT SOMEONE IN MY FAMILY WILL BE DRIVING MY CAR AND NOT RETURN, ALL BECAUSE OF THIS GIANT MESS CREATED BY GM. IT IS VERY DEPRESSING TO KNOW THAT I AM STILL PAYING ON AN EXTREMELY FAULTY VEHICLE, IN WHICH THESE ISSUES WERE KNOWN ABOUT LONG BEFORE I HAD ACTUALLY PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS, SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A "SIMPLE" FIX (LIKE ALL THE OTHER RECALLS WITH THIS DEATH TRAP WERE SAID TO BE). IT IS ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER WITH THIS CAR, AND THOUGH SOMETHING SERIOUS HAS YET TO HAPPEN TO ME, I AM CONCERNED FOR THE FUTURE OF OTHERS AND MYSELF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN THE MAIL AND HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. HE WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AND THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF HE HIT A POT HOLE AND HIS TEMPERATURE LIGHT CAME ON AND GM STATED THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. THE CONTACT OCCASIONALLY HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING THE VEHICLE TO START AND HAD TO MAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WITH THE KEY. HE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE VEHICLE COOLED DOWN ALMOST TWO HOURS AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE VERY SLOWLY TO HIS RESIDENCE. HE ADVISED THEM IN 2005 THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH HIS IGNITION AFTER HE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JULY 2005. THE FAILURE OCCURRED IN NOVEMBER OF 2005. THE DEALER DROVE 20 MPH TO TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ADVISED THEM THAT HE WAS DRIVING 65 MPH WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. HE CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE ANTI FREEZE CONTINUED TO LEAK OUT OF THE VEHICLE. HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE STRUTS, BUSHINGS, TIMING CHAIN, LINK AND THE WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER MADE AN APPOINTMENT FOR HIM TO HAVE THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED AT A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD TAKE 20 DAYS TO A MONTH BEFORE THE MANUFACTURER COULD SEND SOMEONE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT HIS RESIDENCE. THE DEALER NOTIFIED HIM TODAY TO ASK IF THE MANUFACTURER SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED AND DIAGNOSED ARE NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS OVER 120,000 MILES.

THERE IS NO ACCIDENT INCIDENT IN THIS REPORT. I DID RECEIVE THE COBALT NOTICE ABOUT THE "KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY MOVE OUT OF THE 'RUN' POSITION" LETTER AND I FEEL I SHOULD REPORT ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT MAY ALSO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ANY ADVERSE IMPACT OF THE CONDITION I AM ABOUT TO DESCRIBE BELOW. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE AN ISSUE FOR OTHERS AND THAT HOPEFULLY MAY BE FIXED BY THE LATEST COBALT IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. FOR A COUPLE YEARS I HAVE NOTICED THAT AFTER I START THE COBALT AND LET THE KEY MOVE BACK TO THE RUN POSITION THAT I CAN REMOVE THE KEY COMPLETELY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH AND PUT THE KEY IN MY POCKET AND THE CAR CONTINUES TO RUN. I HAVE ONLY DONE THIS WHILE THE CAR IS NOT MOVING. I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT LOCK UP IN THIS CASE, SO THEORETICALLY I COULD DRIVE AND STEER THE CAR WHILE IT IS MOVING ON THE ROAD WITHOUT A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, I DON'T WANT TO TEST THAT POSSIBILITY, BECAUSE THE THOUGHT IS SCARY. SO IF THIS INFORMATION CAN HELP OTHERS AVOID AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCHED IS REPLACED, THIS REPORT WILL BE WORTHWHILE. I AM NOW DRIVING THE COBALT WITHOUT ANY ATTACHMENTS TO THE IGNITION KEY AND AM WAITING TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR THE IGNITION AND POWER STEERING RECALL. I AM EXPECTING THAT THE REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH WILL ALSO FIX THE PROBLEM OF BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY IN THE SWITCH WHEN IT WAS IN THE IN THE RUN POSITION. IF YOU WANT ME TO SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THE KEY REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHILE THE TACHOMETER SHOWS THAT THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, LET ME KNOW. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED. THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE CONTACT ALSO INDICATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED AND MADE THE STEERING WHEEL VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. IN ADDITION, THE KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AND WAS UNABLE TO BE REMOVED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 158,000.