NHTSA Complaint #10809912 — 2008 CHEVROLET COBALT

ONE MORNING WHEN I STARTED MY 2008 CHEVROLET COBALT WITH THE 2LT TRIM PACKAGE, THE AIRBAG READINESS LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON THE WHOLE TIME I WAS DRIVING, AND AT THE SAME TIME THE PASSENGER AIRBAG STATUS INDICATOR OFF SYMBOL WAS LIT. THE CAR HAD NEVER BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE APPROXIMATE MILLAGE ON MY CAR AT THIS TIME WAS 50,577. THERE WAS A PERSON SETTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THAT WEIGHED APPROXIMATELY 140 POUNDS, SO THE AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON. EVER SINCE THAT DAY, EVERY TIME I START MY CAR THE AIRBAG READINESS LIGHT AND THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LITE COME ON AND STAYS ON. I CHECKED THE CONNECTORS UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT AND ALL WERE CONNECTED. I TOOK MY CAR, PAID OUT OF POCKET TO HAVE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING TO GET THE ERROR CODES FOR THIS BUT NO CODES WERE SHOWN. RECENTLY I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH SAFETY RECALL REPAIRED. AFTER READING CHEVROLET COBALT TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS ABOUT AIRBAGS, NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER COBALT OWNERS ABOUT THIS EXACT PROBLEM, RECALLS THAT HAD THE TERM AIRBAGS MENTIONED, I DECIDED TO TELL MY CONCERN TO THE SERVICE EMPLOYEES AND WAS TOLD THIS WASN'T COVERED, THAT I COULD PAY FOR THEM TO DO TESTING ON IT. SEEING AS I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR THE EXACT SAME TESTING BEFORE WITH NO RESULTS AS TO WHAT WAS WRONG, I DECLINED TO HAVE IT DONE AGAIN. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET BY EMAIL CONCERNING THIS. THEY EMAILED ME BACK ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. I REPLYED WITH THAT INFORMATION AND HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING BACK FROM THEM. WHAT DO THOSE OF US WHO HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS ASSOCIATED WITH THE AIRBAGS NEED TO DO TO GET CHEVROLET TO ACKNOWELEDGE THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT NEEDS THEIR ATTENTION SEEING AS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE COBALTS? SEEING AS CHEVROLET HAS PUT OUT TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS CONCERNING THIS EXACT PROBLEM PROVES THEY ARE AWARE OF IT BUT HAVE YET TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.