NHTSA Complaint #10394950 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN ON 6/3/10 AS A PART OF THE RECALL OF THE ELECTRIC POWER MOTOR. PRIOR TO THAT TIME THERE HAD BEEN TWO INCIDENTS WHERE ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD LOCK, THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF AND AFTER STOPPING, AND RESTARTING THE CAR WOULD START. WE THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED. THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 15, 2011 TWO INCIDENTS HAPPENED WITH MY DAUGHTER 21 YEARS OLD IN THE CAR. THE FIRST WAS AFTER SHE HIT A SMALL POT HOLE, THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED SHE PULLED OVER RESTARTED THE CAR. THE SAME WEEK SHE WAS DRIVING ON I-94 AT 60 MILES PER HOUR THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKED, SHE WAS ABLE TO GET TO SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND RESTART THE CAR. ON FEBRUARY 22 OR 23, 2011 WE TOOK THE CAR IN TO GEORGE MATICK CHEVROLET TO ASK THEM TO CHECK THE RECALL WORK BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM. THE REPRESENTATIVES THERE SAID THAT WE HAD TO PAY $95.00 FOR AN INSPECTION. THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE RECALL WORK THAT THEY DID, AND MORE THEN LIKELY IT WAS AN IGNITION SWITCH THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST FOR THAT WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $500.00 I WOULD NOT PAY FOR AN INSPECTION BECAUSE THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY AND THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS YOU CAN NOT TELL WHEN OR HOW IT WILL HAPPEN. THE INSPECTION OF THE RECALL WORK THAT THEY DID WAS SIMPLY SITTING BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE CAR AND ATTESTING THAT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY NORMAL MECHANIC WHO DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL IT FAILED AGAIN. THE PROBLEM IS THAT SOMEONE CAN GET KILLED WITH THIS. THIS RECALL DID NOT SOLVE THIS PROBLEM OR THE MOTOR I RECEIVED IN THE CAR IS STILL DEFECTIVE. I WOULD LIKE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. THE CONSUMER STATED HER DAUGHTER HIT A POT HOLE AND THE STEERING WENT OUT. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED IT APPEARED THE RECALL ISSUED BY G.M WAS NOT EFFECTIVE. UPDATED 06/23/11