NHTSA Complaint #10609084 — 2005 CHEVROLET COBALT

ON 6/22/14, I WAS COMING HOME FROM PHILADELPHIA AND WHILE ON THE BRUNSWICK HIGHWAY, MY 2005 CHEVY COBALT'S DASHBOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE AND I LOST MY POWER STEERING, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKES, ABS, ENGINE LOCK, DOOR LOCKS WERE CLICKING ON AND OFF AND I HAD TO PULL OVER 4 TIMES OFF THE HIGHWAY. MY ODOMETER DIDN'T WORK EITHER. THIS ALSO MADE MY TRANSMISSION JERK AND SLIP. IT WAS SO BAD THAT WHEN IT WAS SWITCHING GEARS, IT WAS MAKING MY ENTIRE CAR SHAKE. I WAS AFRAID FOR MY LIFE. I NEARLY CRASHED INTO A SEMI-TRUCK BECAUSE MY BRAKES AND POWER STEERING DIDN'T WORK. ALSO, I COULDN'T GO BELOW 65MPH ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. I MADE IT HOME BUT I WAS STILL SHOCKED AND SCARED. THE NEXT DAY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET IT LOOKED AT. I THOUGHT IT WAS THE RECALL PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION BUT THEY COULDN'T FIND WHAT THE MAIN CAUSE WAS. THEY SAID IT WASN'T IGNITION BUT SOME SORT OF COMPUTER GLITCH. ALL THEY DID WAS RESET THE COMPUTER AND RECOMMENDED ME TO BUY ANEW CAR BATTERY. I GOT THE NEW BATTERY AND EVERY WAS FINE.ON 7/714, THE SAME ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN BUT WORSE. IT HAPPENED WHILE MY CAR WAS PARKED AND AGAIN THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. EVERYTHING WENT OFF AGAIN, I LOST MY POWER STEERING, TRACTION CONTROL, BRAKES, ABS, ENGINE LOCK, DOOR LOCKS WERE CLICKING ON AND OFF. IT TOOK ME 6 TIMES RESTARTING THE CAR FOR THE DASHBOARD TO BE CLEARED, AND THEN 5 MINUTES AGAIN, THE CAR CHIMED, AND I LOST MY POWER STEERING, TRACTION CONTROL, ABS AND THE ODOMETER DIDN'T WORK AGAIN. I NEARLY CRASHED AGAIN TOO. I TOOK IT AGAIN TO THE THE DEALERSHIP. ON 7/8/14, THEY TOLD ME THEY REPLACED THE RECALLED IGNITION SWITCH, BUT THEY STILL COULDN'T FIND THE ROOT OF THE CAUSE OF THE MAJOR ELECTRICAL ISSUE IN MY CAR. THEY DID SAY MY CAR ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD. THEY ASKED ME TO LEAVE IT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS TO SEE IF THEY CAN FIND THE PROBLEM. *JS