NHTSA Complaint #10360539 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT COMES ON THEN MY DAUGHTERS' CAR JERKS VIOLENTLY AT TIMES AND SHE HAS TROUBLE MAINTAINING CONTROL OF HER CAR , (2005 CHEVY COBALT). THIS PROBLEM ALMOST CAUSED HER TO LOOSE TOTAL CONTROL OF HER CAR THIS PAST SPRING , COMING TOO CLOSE TO CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS HAPPENS PERIODICALLY , NO SET TIME SPAN , IT HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 OR 8 TIMES SINCE LAST SPRING. OUR GM DEALER SAID SHE SHOULD BRING THE CAR IN WHILE THE WARNING LIGHT IS ON SO THEY CAN PULL THE CODE. UNFORTUNATELY , WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED AND PUT INTO PARK , THE LIGHT GOES AWAY. AND ALL OF THESE TIMES EXCEPT ONE , THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AFTER THE DEALERSHIP IS CLOSED OR WELL BEFORE THEY OPEN , OR SHE IS NOWHERE NEAR ANY GM OR CHEVY DEALERSHIP. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED , I HAVE READ OF OTHER COBALT OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME TRACTION CONTROL PROBLEM WITH SOME OF THE SAME RESULTS OR RESULTS THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM MY DAUGHTERS CAR. THE POINT BEING (AT LEAST IN THIS CASE) I BELIEVE THAT GM OR CHEVY SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM , BEFORE THERE IS AN ACCIDENT THAT CAUSES SEVERE INJURY OR DEATH . I READ ABOUT ALL THE OTHERS WITH THIS PROBLEM ON THE "REPAIR PAL" WEBSITE. THE MODEL YEARS SEEM TO BE BETWEEN "04" AND "07". THE ONE TIME MY DAUGHTER WAS ABLE TO GET HER CAR INTO THE GM DEALER WHILE THE LIGHT WAS ON , SHE HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN PARK SO SHE COULD GO IN TO GET SOMEONE TO HOOK UP THEIR COMPUTER AND PULL THE CODE. WHEN THEY CAME BACK OUT , THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WAS OUT , AS I STATED EARLIER ABOUT PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THEREFORE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING SINCE THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ERGO , NO CODE TO PULL. *TR