NHTSA Complaint #10607134 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

NOT SURE EXACTLY WHEN IT HAPPENED, BUT IT HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR YEARS NOW. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DIAGNOSTICS, PARTS, AND LABOR TRYING TO FIX THE MYSTERY PROBLEM! I'M FED UP! IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN RANDOMLY AND FIX ITSELF RANDOMLY. SOMETIMES IT LASTS A COUPLE DAYS AND SOMETIMES LONGER THAN A COUPLE WEEKS. THE PROBLEM: MY CAR WILL LOSE POWER STEERING, IT STARTS SHIFTING REALLY HARD AND THE GAUGES INSIDE GET ALL SCREWED. OCCASIONALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS IT JUST WON'T SHIFT AT ALL. IT WILL STAY IN FIRST GEAR. THE INSIDE GAUGES: THE SPEEDOMETER WILL BOUNCE ALL OVER THE PLACE, NEVER STAYING STILL. THE RADIO WILL ALSO GET LOUD AND QUIET BY ITSELF. THE POWER LOCKS WOULD FRANTICALLY GO UP AND DOWN THEMSELVES, UNTIL I TOOK OUT THE SPARK PLUG FOR THOSE. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE WHEN THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT, NOT LIKE CARS THAT WERE BUILT WITHOUT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE VERY HARD SHIFTING CANNOT BE GOOD FOR THE CAR AND IS DANGEROUS WHEN I AM DRIVING DURING WINTER MONTHS OR RAINY WEATHER. I LIVE IN MICHIGAN AND IT SNOWS A LOT. EVEN THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP CAN'T TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG AND I HAVE PAID TO HAVE NUMEROUS PARTS REPLACED THAT HAVE NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. I'VE READ OTHER BOARDS ONLINE WITH PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I JUST CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP PAYING TO NOT GET THE PROBLEM FIXED. I HATE DRIVING SUCH AN UNRELIABLE CAR WITH TWO YOUNG CHILDREN, FOUR YEARS AND 10 MONTHS. IT HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN MY LITTLE ONE WAS A NEWBORN. FELT LIKE I WAS GIVING THE POOR BABY WHIPLASH WHEN THE CAR SWITCHED GEARS. IT'S AN AUTOMATIC SO THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT. *TR