NHTSA Complaint #10142932 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN 6/05. MY CAR'S PARKING LIGHTS, TAIL LIGHTS, AND DASH LAMPS WERE NOT WORKING. I BROUGHT IT IN TWICE BEFORE IT WAS FIXED, ABOUT 7/05. THEN EVERYTHING WORKED PROPERLY FOR ABOUT A MONTH. WHENEVER I TURNED THE HEADLIGHTS ON MANUALLY, THE DASH PANEL WOULD ILLUMINATE. HOWEVER, ONE DAY IT BEGAN TO FLICKER AND NOW THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ONLY ILLUMINATES WHEN THE AUTO LIGHT SENSOR DEEMS IT DARK ENOUGH TO WARRANT ILLUMINATION. I HAVE DRIVEN IN THE RAIN AND TODAY IN A SNOW STORM AND WHEN I MANUALLY TURNED MY HEADLIGHTS ON MY INSTRUMENT PANEL REMAINED DARK. OR, AT TIMES, IT WILL ILLUMINATE FOR A FEW MINUTES, GO DARK AGAIN, ILLUMINATE, DARK, AND SO ON. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE AUTO LIGHT SENSOR IS SUPPOSED TO OVERRIDE ME MANUALLY TURNING MY HEADLIGHTS ON, HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT THE CASE WHEN MY CAR WAS WORKING PROPERLY BETWEEN 7/05 AND 8/05. DURING THAT MONTH MY DASH LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE WHENEVER I TURNED MY HEADLIGHTS ON, EVEN DURING BROAD DAYLIGHT. ALSO, MY EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT FLASHES ON AND OFF ON THE DASH MAYBE ABOUT ONCE A WEEK AS DOES MY 'BRIGHT' HEADLIGHT BEAM ICON ON THE DASH. *JB