2005 Chevrolet Cobalt

MY ELDERLY PARENTS PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW FROM A CHEVY DEALERSHIP IN PALM HARBOR, FL. THEY TOOK THE CAR IN NUMEROUS TIME FOR THE CAR SEIZING UP WHILE DRIVING AND POWER STEERING PROBLEMS SHORTLY AFTER THEIR PURCHASE. THE STARTER WOULD TURN OFF, THE POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT, AND THEY OFTEN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE CAR STOPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THERE WERE VERY FEW MILES ON THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENED SINCE THEY PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2005. THEY TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIR FOR SUCH PROBLEMS BUT WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT NOTHING WRONG. THEY SOLD THE CAR TO ME, THEIR DAUGHTER, BECAUSE THEY HAD GOTTEN TO OLD TO DRIVE AND THEY WERE TOO SCARED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM THEM IN APX. 2010 AND IT HAD APX 9000 MILES. SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE CAR I HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR INTO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE SEVERAL TIME IN CHAPEL HILL, NC. THEY INSIST THAT THEY COULD NOT GET THE PROBLEM TO REPEAT. WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT, THE IGNITION SWITCH TURNS OFF THUS TURNING OFF THE CAR, AND THE STALLING WHILE DRIVING IS VERY SCARY TO SAY THE LEAST. THE MOST RECENT RECEIPT FROM CHEVROLET FOR THIS PROBLEM IS FROM 8/14/2013 WITH 42950 MILES ON THE CAR. AGAIN THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT GET THE PROBLEM TO REPEAT. THE MOST RECENT TIME IT HAPPENED WAS ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO. I REPLACED THE ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING FUSE AND IT HAS BEEN NOT INDICATING THAT PROBLEM. THE START STILL TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING. I THINK CHEVROLET HAS KNOW THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CHEVY COBALT SINCE 2005 AND DIDN'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. $500 TOWARD A NEW CAR..,.CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH TO WANT TO MAKE ME PURCHASE A CHEVY ANY TIME SOON. IF THEY CAN FIX THE CAR IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR

THE 05 COBALT, REGULARLY SERVICED BY THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT CRASHED AFTER GOING OUT OF CONTROL WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCHED OFF ON THE INTERSTATE AT 60 MPH. THE STEERING LOCKED, THE ABS DID NOT FUNCTION, WHEN IT CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE ONLY WARNING WAS THE DASH WARNING LIGHTS ALL LIGHTING UP AND THE ALARM SOUNDS. THE ONE SECOND OR SO DID NOT ALLOW ANY CHANCE TO THE DRIVER TO REACT BEFORE THE CRASH. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, WHEN THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED, WE WERE ADVISED TO CONTACT THE GM PERSON. THE GM PERSON WAS FRIENDLY AND NICE, BUT VERY FIRM IN STATING THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE PROOF THAT THE CAR FAILED, RATHER THE DRIVER AT THE WHEEL. THE CARS COMPUTER WAS NOT ANALYZED BECAUSE THE WRECKING YARD DEMANDED OVER $700 TO TOW THE CAR OUT OF THE WRECKING YARD SO ANY INVESTIGATOR COULD LOOK OVER THE CAR. GM TOLD US THAT IT WAS OUR PROBLEM TO PAY THE BILL TO ALLOW THEIR INVESTIGATOR TO LOOK AT THE CAR. WE DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY. AFTER READING NUMEROUS COMMENTS ON THE NHTSA SITE AND BLOGS, PEOPLE NEVER HEARD A WORD FROM GM AFTER THEY RETRIEVED THE COMPUTER. THE SALIENT POINT IS THAT MANY OF THE OVER A THOUSAND COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE COBALT AND OTHER SIMILAR GM CARS THAT IDENTIFIED THE POWER STEERING AS THE PROBLEM THAT CAUSED A CRASH ARE WRONG. THE POWER STEERING WAS NOT THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH TURNED OFF. THE GM RECALLS ABOUT THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM HIDE THE FACT THAT THE IGNITION SWITCHES WERE TURNING OFF WHILE THE CAR WAS MOVING DOWN THE ROAD. WE KNOW THAT THE LACK OF POWER ASSIST ONLY AFFECT THE CAR AT A STOP OR VERY SLOW SPEEDS. EXPERIENCED DRIVERS DO NOT CRASH THEIR CAR INTO GUARD RAILS, DITCHES, TREES OR OTHER CAR SIMPLY BECAUSE THE POWER ASSIST FAILS. THAT STORY IS WHAT GM HAS BEEN SELLING IN THE PAST FEW YEARS. *TR

THIS SUBMISSION IS AN ADDENDUM TO THE REPORT THAT I SUBMITTED ON AUG 15, 2011; REFERENCE NUMBER 10419491 WITH THE ATTACHMENTS THAT INCLUDE THE POLICE REPORT, MAY STATEMENT AND PHOTOS. I SUBMITTED MY REPORT TWO DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. NOW, AFTER READING THE NEWS ARTICLES AND THE GM STATEMENTS REGARDING THE FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH, IT IS APPARENT THAT WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A STEERING MALFUNCTION (PER THE RECALLS I RECEIVED AND THE STATEMENTS MADE TO ME BY GM REPRESENTATIVES) WAS CLEARLY THE IGNITION SWITCH. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 60 MPH MY DASH LIGHTS TURNED ON, I IMMEDIATELY LOST STEERING CONTROL (I COULD NOT TURN MY STEERING WHEEL) AND SWERVED HAD TO THE LEFT CRASHING INTO THE GUARD RAIL. THE ACCIDENT REPORT SHOWS MY SKID MARKS ACROSS THREE TRAFFIC LANES THAT CLEARLY INDICATE THAT MY ABS SYSTEM ALSO WAS NOT WORKING. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH MY FRONT END WAS CRUSHED AND THE CAR TOTALED. NOTHING ON MY CAR WORKED BECAUSE THE IGNITION SWITCH HAD TURNED OFF. MY ORIGINAL REPORT SHOULD INDICATE THAT MY CAR SUFFERED AN IGNITION SWITCH MALFUNCTION THAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. I WAS BELTED IN SO AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM (I WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE FROM THE CRASH SITE) I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A CERVICAL SPRAIN, MULTIPLE CUTS AND BRUISES, SPRAINED ANKLE AND KNEE. MY HEAD IMPACTED THE WINDSHIELD EVEN THOUGH I HAD MY SEAT BELT ON. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. SINCE THE INCIDENT OCCURRED THE CONTACT DISCONTINUED DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR WAS THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 137,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE ENGINE WAS STARTED THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED. THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE DEALER PERFORMED REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 10V073000 (STEERING) HOWEVER THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

ON JANUARY 10TH, 2010 OUR DAUGHTER [XXX] 21 YRS. OLD WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. WE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM GM IN APRIL 2010 ON THE CAR A 2005 CHEVY COBALT FOR POWER STEERING FAILURE. THE RECALL INVOLVES REMOVING ENTIRE POWER STEERING MECHANISM BUILT BY A PARTIALLY OWNED TOYOTA FACTORY. I KNEW THE MINUTE I GOT THE NEWS THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS KILLED SO VIOLENTLY AND THAT IT DID NOT INVOLVE ANOTHER CAR THAT IT HAD TO BE MECHANICAL FAILURE. IT WAS TOO LATE TO SAVE OUR DAUGHTER [XXX] BUT NOT TOO LATE TO SAVE OTHERS, I CONTACTED GM WHO SENT THREE REPRESENTATIVES TO THE COPARTS SCRAP YARD IN DURYEA WHERE THE COBALT WAS STORED IN JULY TO INVESTIGATE THE CAR ACCIDENT. A PHOTOGRAPHER, AN ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION AND A MECHANICAL ENGINEER THAT FLEW IN FROM DETROIT, THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO REMOVE THE BLACK BOX, COMPUTER FROM THE CAR AND ANALYZE THE DATA. WE WENT TO THE SCRAP YARD AND FOR THE FIRST TIME SAW THE WRECKAGE THAT WAS ONCE A BEAUTIFUL RED SPORTS CAR. ALL THE WINDOWS INCLUDING THE SUN ROOF WERE BLOWN OUT, THE COBALT HAD FLIPPED, ROLLED, EJECTING [XXX] ON TO THE HIGHWAY WHERE SHE WAS RUN OVER. WE ARE NOT SURE IF [XXX] WAS KILLED ON IMPACT. THE COBALT BURST INTO FLAMES MELTING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, SHIFT, UPHOLSTERY. AT THE COPARTS SCRAP YARD IN DURYEA, MYSELF AND MY HUSBAND [XXX] FATHER SAW THE CAR FOR THE FIRST TIME THE COBALT TOLD THE STORY OF AN EXTREMELY VIOLENT WRECK. I WAS TOLD BY [XXX]THAT I WOULD KNOW THE RESULTS FROM THE BLACK BOX DATA THE NEXT DAY. WHEN I TRIED TO CONTACT GM THROUGH [XXX], MISS PRICE THAT THEY WOULD NOT COMMUNICATE WITH OUR FAMILY. GM HAS MY PROPERTY AND THEY WILL NOT RELEASE THE DATA WITHOUT US PROVIDING PROOF THAT THE CAR WAS DEFECTIVE. THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE SINCE THEY TOOK THE MOST VALUABLE PIECE OF INFORMATION FROM THE CAR. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL - THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 107,000. PM *TR

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, HE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN AND THE POWER STEERING FAILURE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION AND THEY STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000. AP