NHTSA Complaint #10573610 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

THERE IS NO ACCIDENT INCIDENT IN THIS REPORT. I DID RECEIVE THE COBALT NOTICE ABOUT THE "KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY MOVE OUT OF THE 'RUN' POSITION" LETTER AND I FEEL I SHOULD REPORT ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT MAY ALSO BE A SAFETY ISSUE. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED ANY ADVERSE IMPACT OF THE CONDITION I AM ABOUT TO DESCRIBE BELOW. I AM REPORTING THIS BECAUSE IT MIGHT BE AN ISSUE FOR OTHERS AND THAT HOPEFULLY MAY BE FIXED BY THE LATEST COBALT IGNITION SWITCH RECALL. FOR A COUPLE YEARS I HAVE NOTICED THAT AFTER I START THE COBALT AND LET THE KEY MOVE BACK TO THE RUN POSITION THAT I CAN REMOVE THE KEY COMPLETELY FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH AND PUT THE KEY IN MY POCKET AND THE CAR CONTINUES TO RUN. I HAVE ONLY DONE THIS WHILE THE CAR IS NOT MOVING. I NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT LOCK UP IN THIS CASE, SO THEORETICALLY I COULD DRIVE AND STEER THE CAR WHILE IT IS MOVING ON THE ROAD WITHOUT A PROBLEM. HOWEVER, I DON'T WANT TO TEST THAT POSSIBILITY, BECAUSE THE THOUGHT IS SCARY. SO IF THIS INFORMATION CAN HELP OTHERS AVOID AN ACCIDENT WHEN THE IGNITION SWITCHED IS REPLACED, THIS REPORT WILL BE WORTHWHILE. I AM NOW DRIVING THE COBALT WITHOUT ANY ATTACHMENTS TO THE IGNITION KEY AND AM WAITING TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR THE IGNITION AND POWER STEERING RECALL. I AM EXPECTING THAT THE REPLACEMENT IGNITION SWITCH WILL ALSO FIX THE PROBLEM OF BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY IN THE SWITCH WHEN IT WAS IN THE IN THE RUN POSITION. IF YOU WANT ME TO SEND YOU A PICTURE OF THE KEY REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH WHILE THE TACHOMETER SHOWS THAT THE ENGINE IS RUNNING, LET ME KNOW. *TR