NHTSA Complaint #10764966 — 2008 CHEVROLET COBALT

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS PROBLEM. SYMPTOMS: DASH WARNING LIGHTS (IE: ENGINE, TRACTION, THEFT) CAME ON. DIGITAL DISPLAY WARNING: LOW FUEL (OVER 1/2 TANK OF GAS) POWER STEERING (WHICH STOPPED OPERATING) AND TRANSMISSION SERVICE (TRANSMISSION STOPPED SHIFTING SMOOTHLY). GAUGES (SPEED, FUEL AND TACH) OPERATED ERRATICALLY, NOT AT ALL OR COMBINATION OF THE TWO CONDITIONS. THIS CONDITION STARTED WITH A FEW OF THE LISTED SYMPTOMS WHICH INITIALLY CLEARED THEM SELVES. LATER AS MORE SHOWED AT SAME TIME, I WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THEM OR SOMETIME THEY CLEARED THEMSELVES . THIS HAPPENED OVER A YEARS TIME. WHEN ALL SYMPTOMS SHOWED AND WOULD NOT CLEAR, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TRUSTED MECHANIC. HE COULD NOT LOCATE PROBLEM BUT DUE TO OUTSTANDING IGNITION SWITCH RECALL, SUGGEST THAT REPAIR MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP AND RECALL SERVICE PREFORMED AND NO OTHER OUTSTANDING RECALLS WERE FOUND. VEHICLE OPERATED WITHOUT A PROBLEM FOR ALMOST A MONTH BEFORE THE LISTED SYMPTOMS REAPPEARED. WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THE FAULT CODES BUT SYMPTOMS RETURNED WITHIN THE DAY AND WON'T CLEAR. A CHECK OF RECALLS FOUND THAT A RECALL FOR POWER STEERING LOSS AS DESCRIBED WAS ISSUED AND DONE AT APPROX. 49,000 MILES. SEVERAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CHECKS WERE FOUND IN MAINTENANCE HISTORY (DONE AFTER POWER STEERING RECALL) AND PREFORMED BEFORE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. THE ISSUE DESCRIBE HAS BECOME WORSE OVER TIME AND HAS EFFECTED THE SAFETY OF NOT ONLY THOSE OPERATING THE VEHICLE BUT ANY ONE ELSE ON THE ROAD WHEN THIS PROBLEM MANIFEST ITSELF. GIVEN THAT THE IGNITION WAS REPLACED AND THE PROBLEMS PERSIST, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WAS THE IGNITION CAUSING THESE PROBLEMS. I WILL CONTACT GM TO SEE WHAT MY OPTIONS ARE. GIVEN THAT GM IS PAYING 900 MILLION TO THE GOVERNMENT IN FINES, MAYBE UNCLE SAM COULD HELD THOSE OF US WITH GM ENGINEERED LEMONS REPLACE THEM WITH SOMETHING THAT IS SAFE TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD.