NHTSA Complaint #10460818 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

ON SEVERAL PRIOR OCCASIONS, THE KEY WOULD BECOME STUCK IN THE IGNITION. TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM, I WOULD SIMPLY SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE, CYCLING THROUGH THE GEARS. THIS WOULD ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. I FIGURED IT WAS A SMALL PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC GEAR SHIFTER, IT MAY NOT BE FULLY ENGAGING IN PARK. THIS SITUATION CARRIED ON FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO (2) YEARS, WHENEVER NEEDED I WOULD REPEAT THE CYCLING OF GEARS TO DISENGAGE THE KEY. HOWEVER, A FEW DAYS AGO THE KEY BECAME STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND THE PREVIOUS SOLUTION WOULD NO LONGER DISLODGE THE KEY. I FOUND THE SWITCH UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL TO REMOVE THE KEY, BUT THE CAR IS INOPERABLE DUE TO THE KEY BECOMING STUCK IN THE IGNITION CYLINDER ON A CONSTANT BASIS. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH, I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION EQUIPPED COBALTS. THE SHIFTER IS NOT FULLY ENGAGING A MICRO SHIFTER WHEN ENGAGING IN PARK, CAUSING THE KEY TO REMAIN IN THE IGNITION. IT HAS COME TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN NOT REMOVE THE KEY, EVEN WHILE USING THE SWITCH UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL. *TR