2007 Chevrolet Cobalt

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. AT TIMES IT COULD BE RE-STARTED AND AT TIMES IT HAD TO BE TOWED FOR REPAIR. MULTIPLE DEALERSHIPS AND LOCAL MECHANICS ATTEMPTED NUMEROUS REPAIRS BUT COULD NOT LOCATE PROBLEM. AFTER YEARS OF UNSAFE DRIVING THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. THE PROBLEM WAS DESCRIBED IN SERVICE BULLETIN 07-06-04-0190 ELECTRICAL INTERMITTENT REDUCED POWER DATED 6/28/2011. THE DEALERSHIPS COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM BUT MY LOCAL MECHANIC FINALLY DID. IN OUR SMALL VILLAGE HE HAS SINCE REPAIRED NUMEROUS COBALTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I ASKED HIM IF A RECALL WOULD BE ISSUED AND HE SAID NOT UNTIL A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE DIE AS A RESULT AND THE PROBLEM COULD BE PINPOINTED. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. IT TOOK ALMOST TWO YEARS OF UNSAFE DRIVING BEFORE THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED AND REPAIRED.

IN 2010 THERE WAS A GENERAL MOTORS RECALL RE THE ELECTRIC ASSISTED POWER STEERING ON THE 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT. I HAD NO PROBLEM UP TO THAT TIME. TERRY CULLEN CHEVROLET REPAIRED THE CAR ACCORDING TO THEM. HOWEVER, ON WED., OCTOBER 28, 2015 AT AROUND 1:30 PM THE POWER STEERING FAILED. MY CAR SUDDENLY APPEARED TO STOP; THEN I TRIED TO DRIVE AND COULD BARELY MOVE THE CAR. THE WORDS "POWER STEERING" LIT UP ON MY DASHBOARD. FORTUNATELY, I WAS IN A PARKING LOT AND WAS ABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND MOVE INTO A PARKING SPOT WITH GREAT DIFFICULTY. I HAVE SPOKEN SEVERAL TIMES TO A GM CSR OVER THE PHONE WHO STATED THAT SHE WOULD REACH OUT TO THE DEALER TERRY CULLEN WHO HAD "REPAIRED" THE CAR. I ALSO SPOKE TO LEE POWELL, THE SERVICE MANAGER (770-968-4444) WHO STATED THAT TO REPAIR THE CAR IT WOULD COST. THE CSR, STACY, (1-790-5600, EXT 5913487) AT GM TELEPHONED ME AND STATED THAT LEE POWELL, SERVICE MANAGER TOLD HER THAT THEY WOULD REPAIR MY AUTO FOR $95.00. I BELIEVE THAT GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD REPAIR MY CAR FOR FREE SINCE THE PROBLEM IS ONE OF THE SEVEN RECALLS THAT ARE ON THE 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT AND EVEN THOUGH THE ASSISTED POWER STEERING WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN REPAIRED, THE POWER STEERING FAILED ON OCTOBER 28, 2015. I AM 80 YEARS OLD, ON A VERY LOW FIXED INCOME OF SOCIAL SECURITY, AND DO NOT HAVE ANY FUNDS FOR THIS REPAIR. SINCE LEE POWELL, SERVICE MANAGER AT TERRY CULLEN CHEVROLET AT 1250 BATTLECREEK RD., JONESBORO, GA 30236 CLAIMED TO HAVE REPAIRED THE ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM AND IT FAILED ON OCTOBER 28, 2015, OBVIOUSLY THERE IS STILL A FLAW IN THE SYSTEM. I BELIEVE THAT THE ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM IN THE 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT HAS AN INHERENT FLAW. THAT MODEL OF CAR SHOULD HAVE ANOTHER RECALL FOR THIS SERIOUS, POTENTIALLY FATAL FLAW. I REQUEST THAT GENERAL MOTORS ISSUE ANOTHER RECALL ON THAT PROBLEM, AND REPAIR MY CAR FREE; NO CHARGE TO ME.

I RECEIVED A LETTER, #12191, FROM GM IN MARCH 2013 STATING SPECIAL COVER OF MY 07 CHEVROLET COBALT LT FOR A CONDITION "WHERE THE PLASTIC SUPPLY OR RETURN PORT ON THE FUEL PUMP CRACKS AND LEAKS FUEL OR FUEL VAPORS. FUEL VAPORS, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD POTENTIALLY CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE." AT THAT TIME I WAS NOT EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, ON OCTOBER 21, 2015 I STARTED NOTICE A POWERFUL FUEL ODOR FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR WHEN PARK AFTER RUNNING. I REMEMBER THE LETTER, #12191, THAT STATED MY CAR WAS COVERED, SO I CALLED THE LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALER, JIM TRENARY IN TROY, MO, AND STATED THE PROBLEM AND LETTER. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN STATED THEY WOULD RAISE THE CAR UP AND CHECK FOR FUEL LIQUID LEAKING FROM THE CAR. I TOLD THEM THAT AT THIS TIME ONLY FUEL VAPORS WERE LEAKING, AND HE SAID IF THAT THE CASE THEN IT WOULD NOT BE FIXED. THIS IS IN VIOLATION OF THE STATEMENT S IN LETTER #12191. I ALSO CALLED THE GM RECALL CENTER AND WAS TOLD TO JUST TAKE IT TO DEALER TO TELL ME THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT. THIS RESULTED IN ME DROPPING THE FUEL TANK, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT INDEED THE SUPPLY LINE ON THE FUEL PUMP WAS CRACKED. I ORDER AN AC DELCO MU 1970 DIRECT OEM REPLACEMENT PUMP, AND INSTALLED THE UNIT. I CONTACTED GM AND THEY ARE REFUSING TO COVER THE COST OF THE FUEL PUMP. BASICALLY GM IS REFUSING TO FIX A SPECIAL COVERAGE OF MY CAR THAT COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO A FIRE THAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD FIX BUT ARE REFUSING TO FIX. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE NHTSA AWARE OF WHAT GM IS NOT DOING, WHICH IS FIXING CARS THAT COULD POTENTIAL CATCH FIRE IN PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE. THEIR OWN WORDS NOT MINE.

MY CAR STARTED SMELLING LIKE GAS WHENEVER I SHUT IT OFF AND I NOTICED IT WAS LEAKING. BECAUSE I LIVE IN MARYLAND MY CAR ISN'T COVERED UNDER THE RECALL FOR A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. CURRENT RECALL FOR THE FUEL PUMP IN OTHER STATES IS #090226. WHY IS THIS RECALL ONLY IN CERTAIN STATES? DOES IT TAKE SOMEONE DYING FOR THIS RECALL TO BE PERFORMED IN OTHER STATES BEFORE EITHER GM STEPS UP OR THE GOVERNMENT STEPS UP AND DOES THE RIGHT THING. I WILL NEVER AGAIN BUY ANYTHING CHEVROLET OR GM. THEY KNOWINGLY SOLD PEOPLE CARS THAT WERE PILES OF DEFECTIVE CRAP. NOW I HAVE A CAR THAT I DON'T DRIVE AND THE TRADE IN VALUE IS VIRTUALLY NON EXISTENT, AND MOST CAR DEALERS WON'T GIVE YOU A DIME FOR THESE DEFECTIVE CARS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE STRONG FUEL FUMES EMITTING OUTSIDE AND INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V459000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AND THE DEALER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V419000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED NO REMEDY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,708.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VIN WAS SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10V073000 (STEERING), BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,930.

A PLASTIC COMPONENT IN THE FUEL RETURN CRACKED CAUSING A GAS LEAK THAT WAS UNRECOGNIZABLE AT FIRST. FIRST NOTICED THE SCENT A WEEK AFTER ADOPTING A CAT AND ASSUMED IT MUST HAVE PEED IN THE CAR OR SOMETHING. AT FIRST, ONLY NOTICED IT AFTER DRIVING MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES AND PARKING THE CAR. WHEN THE CAR WAS LEFT IN PARK OVERNIGHT, IT WOULD NOT SMELL IN THE MORNING, HOWEVER ONCE IT WAS DRIVEN ANY DISTANCE, THE SMELL WOULD BECOME APPARENT BY THE TIME THE TRIP WAS DONE. THE SMELL WAS FAINT AND SEEMED TO COME FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR, BUT WAS NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO BE NARROWED DOWN MORE THAN THAT. EVENTUALLY THE SCENT WAS STRONG ENOUGH THAT IT COULD BE RECOGNIZED AS GASOLINE AND BY THAT TIME IT WAS CLEAR THAT IT WAS COMING FROM BEHIND THE PASSENGER SEAT. UPON LIFTING THE BACK END TO LOOK AT THE CAR, THE UNDERSIDE WAS WET WITH GASOLINE AND THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK COULD BE ISOLATED TO THE TOP OF THE TANK. TOOK IT IN TO BE CHECKED AND FIXED TO FIND OUT IT WAS A CRACK IN A PLASTIC COMPONENT OF THE FUEL RETURN AND THE WAY THE COMPONENT IS DESIGNED, THE ENTIRE FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM GM ABOUT POTENTIAL FUEL LEAKS AND SUBMITTED MY INFORMATION ONLY TO LEARN THAT THE CURRENT BULLETIN PERTAINS TO THE FUEL TANK ITSELF AND ALL OTHER SERVICE BULLETINS RELATED TO THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE ARE FOR DIFFERENT CAR BATCHES SOLD MOSTLY TO WARMER CLIMATE STATES SO GM WILL NOT REIMBURSE FOR THE REPAIR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY WAS DIFFICULT TO REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.