NHTSA Complaint #10331327 — 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT

THIS WRITTEN COMPLAINT IS IN REGARDS TO THE MECHANICAL DEFECT OF AN EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE WITHIN A 2007 CHEVROLET COBALT WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE INCIDENT WERE & REMAIN AS UNNOTICEABLE BY DRIVER AND OWNER OF VEHICLE. THE DRIVER HAD VEHICLE PARKED WITH THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE IN THE UP LOCKED POSITION PRIOR TO DRIVING IT. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON AND DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY TWO MILES BEFORE BEING PARKED AGAIN. AS DRIVER OF VEHICLE WENT TO USE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE TO PARK THE VEHICLE, THEY IMMEDIATELY REALIZED THAT THE EMERGENCY PARKING BREAK HAD NO RESISTANCE WHEN PULLED UPWARD AND WOULD NOT REMAIN LOCKED IN THE "UP" POSITION NEEDED IN ORDER TO SAFELY PARK THE VEHICLE. ALL OTHER BRAKES WITHIN THE VEHICLE REMAINED AS NORMAL AND FUNCTIONAL. NO OTHER DEFECTS WERE DETECTED BY DRIVER. THE FAILURE OF THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE FAILED TO RETURN TO A NORMAL STATUS OF FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BY OWNER TO LOCAL CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP WITHIN 24 HOURS OF INCIDENT ON MAY 18, 2010 TO BE EVALUATED BY DEALERSHIP AND BE PROMPTLY FIXED. THE DEALERSHIP'S MECHANICS FOUND THAT THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE HANDLE WOULD NOT LOCK IN PLACE WHEN PULLED UPWARD DUE TO "THE MECHANISM BEING STRIPPED." THE PARKING BREAK HANDLE WAS STATED AS BEING REPLACED AND VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO OWNER WITHIN 24 HOURS OF BEING TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP. *TR