NHTSA Complaint #10196722 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

SEVERE STEERING AND BRAKING PROBLEMS. MECHANICS CAN'T FIND PROBLEM. A LOT OF TIMES, ON THE HIGHWAY OR AT SPEEDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH THE STEERING STARTS TO SHUDDER AND MAKE A MACHINE GUN NOISE WITH EACH RATTLE. THE RATTLING SLOWS DOWN AS THE SPEED SLOWS DOWN. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I HAD TO PULL OVER BECAUSE IT FELT LIKE A FLAT TIRE, ONLY TO GET OUT OF THE CAR AND INSPECT THE CAR AND SEE THAT THE TIRES WERE FINE. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING IT. WHEN BRAKING WHILE GOING AT SPEEDS 40 MPH OR HIGHER THE BRAKE GETS SOFT AND MUSHY FEELING, AND DOESN'T APPEAR TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN ENOUGH, AND THE SHUDDER STARTS IN THE STEERING WHEEL AGAIN WITH THE RAT-A-TAT SOUND FOR EVERY SHUDDER. I BROUGHT THIS CAR TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES, AND THE MECHANICS COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO DO THE SAME FOR THEM. THE LAST TIME, ONE OF THE STAFF MEMBERS MENTIONED THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRONIC STEERING/SUSPENSION SYSTEM ,AND THAT GM WAS TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. RECENTLY, I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR A BRAKE CHECK AT ANOTHER SHOP - THE MECHANIC SAID THE BRAKES WERE FINE, NOTHING' WAS WRONG WITH THEM, BUT THE CAR STILL DID ITS SHUDDERING. I' HAD TWO FRONT END ALIGNMENTS, AND ROTATION OF WHEELS, STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT ONE OF THESE DAYS THE SHUDDERING IS GOING TO CAUSE A POTENTIALLY FATAL PROBLEM, WHEN THE BRAKES, STEERING OR SUSPENSION GO OUT. I ALSO NOTICED ON 6 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON JUST FOR A SECOND. IT'S NEVER STAYED ON, AND IT DIDN'T COME ON DURING THE SHUDDERING MOMENTS. THE CAR STALLED A COUPLE TIMES, BUT THEY WERE SO FAR AND FEW BETWEEN. THE BACK LIGHT ON DASHWAS HARD TO READ WHEN HEADLIGHTS WERE AUTOMATICALLY ON DURING THE DAY. *AK