Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Driving 45 on a state road and my car just powered down. no previous issues. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 45 mph. the failure was recurring. the vehicle was taken for unknown repairs however, the failure was not corrected. the failure mileage was 154,000.

The tops of two of my car's four lock plungers has broken off rendering it impossible to unlock manually. this coupled with electronic lock failure is a great safety concern. if there were an accident it would be impossible for myself and any passenger in the rear passenger seat to exit safely. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the ignition switch failed to release the key while parked. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician was unable to remove the key from the ignition and informed the contact that his vehicle had a transmission problem that was not covered under the recall. the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v171000 (electrical system) and 14v047000 (air bags, electrical system). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 900.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 10v073000 (steering). the vehicle was repaired according to the recall. after the repair, the power indicator remained illuminated when the vehicle was started. the vehicle became difficult to stop and excessive force had to be used to steer. the failure occurred five times and was previously repaired. the vehicle was waiting to be diagnosed by the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 137,714.

While driving my cobalt from anywhere between 10mph to 50mph multiple "ding" noises occur. then any number of alert lights come on including; traction control, air bag, check engine, etc... there is a strange clicking noise that comes from somewhere in the dash. also, along with these symptoms the transmission (auto trans) begins to shift very hard both up and down, car shudders as if it is going to stall when it comes to a near stop. the scariest and most dangerous part is that the car has experienced loss of power steering at speed and loss of braking control. sometimes i have spent 5 minutes trying to get my key out of the ignition as well, and must forcefully move the transmission shift knob back and forth until the key turns free. this car is a danger, and despite having multiple recalls it is still unsafe to drive. *tr

The ignition on the car is loose and just through the weight of the key chain and by hitting a bump, the key can shift out of the "on" position, causing the car to turn off. this has happened on several occasions, typically on the highway - the car will completely shut off. fortunately, each time my wife was able to coast to the side of the road and restart the car. the dealership said that this is a common problem in this model year. the dangers of this condition are obvious. *tr

Multiple problems with my '05 cobalt, but this was problem cannot be duplicated by dealer and when i called gmc, they cannot tell me anything about this problem. driving on a highway approx. 50-55 mph and all of a sudden car dropped to approx 20 mph. dash reading said 'reduced engine power' and my traction control light came on. nothing would make the car go faster, luckily nobody was behind me. car kept acting like it was going to die. got the car to my in-laws, which was only 5 minutes away and we unhooked the battery. after letting the car sit for a few minutes and the battery together, the car seemed fine. took it to the dealer and said they can't get a code because the battery was unplugged. i called gmc and they told me they can't do anything without the code. i have children who sit in the back of my car and i am not waiting for the problem to happen again, if i am on the interstate and cars are behind me, they are going to run into me, as there was no warning this was going to happen. not happy that chevy seems to be avoiding a huge safety issue and pretending it doesn't exist. there needs to be a recall on this immediately. *tr

Driver's side door will not open from inside or outside. both the inside and the outside door handles will become "loose" and while easy to pull handles, the door will still not open. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and resume driving. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 9,000.

Vehicle was parked inside garage, filling tires with air. a cigarette lighter powered air compressor was being used to fill tires. was only in use for a few minutes, when air compressor stopped. the fuse for the cigarette lighter was blown. this was a common problem with the car. on several occasions the fuse for the cigarette lighter would be blown for no apparent reason. i have only used it in the past to use my obd ii scanner, being that the obd diagnostic port is powered by the same fuse as the cigarette lighter. besides using the obd scanner, no other things have been used via the cigarette lighter. regardless the fuse would be blown. after the fuse was blown with the air compressor, i unplugged it from the cigarette lighter, only to see smoke coming from under the hood. the fuse melted in the fuse block. from there, the window wipers began operating, as well as the windshield wiper fluid being shot out from the nozzles. smoke began pouring from the inside of the car, from under the dash. i quickly ran to the trunk where the battery is located, and disconnected the battery as soon as i could. garage was filled with smoke, with the ominous burnt electronic smell. *tr

2005 chevrolet cobalt. consumer writes in regards to ignition switch and stalling problems. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle began stalling out and running on reduced power in november 2013. the consumer attempted to fix the problem himself, but to no avail. he then took the vehicle to two different mechanics who were unsuccessful at resolving the issue. he then went to the dealer, where he was informed multiple codes were displaying, and they spent quite some time, in fixing the issue. everything seemed ok for a while, and then the problem returned. the dealer then replaced the ignition switch and lock cylinder. the consumer did not believe, the ignition switch and lock cylinder were the main problem which caused his vehicle to stall. the stalling continued to be an ongoing issue. *jb

I replaced ignition switch as per procedures for recall and have not received reimbursement as promised. *tr

The vehicle shuts off while running. i've stopped at stop lights and when i try to continue driving the car will shut totally off while in drive. the door locks are constantly running up and down and will not stay locked. many times i've come back to the car thinking it was locked to find it unlocked itself. the electrical problem has created a problem with brand new batteries. i've replaced it twice since purchasing the car in 2010. *tr

Car simply stalled on i 376 at highway speed. car won't start unless ignition key is "jiggled". *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and the power steering warning light illuminated without warning. the vehicle was able to be restarted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the motherboard needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate mileage was 90,000.

On saturday morning 8/24/13 i got into my car and backed out of the driveway. once i backed out of the driveway and put the car into drive the car started to jerk. i kept driving for about another 50 feet to a stop sign. it jerked to whole way to the stop sign. there i made a u turn to go back home to get my father. he got in the car and we drove back to the same corner and once again it jerked the whole way to the stop sign. so we went back to the house so my dad could get some his shoes on so we could take it to where i bought the car. while he was in the house i turn the car off. when my dad got back in the car and i turn the car back on and drove to the sign the jerking had went away. i drove the car the rest of the day and put around 75 miles on it that day with no other problems. on sunday night 8/25/13 i got into my car to drive into town. i drove about block and the car began to jerk and shake again. i drove about another block and pulled into a parking lot. once i stopped i noticed the power steering light on the dashboard had come on. i turned my car off and sit there for a little while turned it back on and drove in town with no problems the rest of the night. on monday 8/26/13 i drove the car 30 miles back to where i bought it with no problems. their service department has been trying to recreate the problem now for 3 day with no success. *tt

I was driving in to my apartment complex when my car completely loss power. i was able to steer, however i was not able to accelerate. the radio turned off and the air conditioner quite working. this has happened twice since i've gotten my car. luckily, i was in places where i could safely pull over. i had to turn my car off, wait for a few minutes and turn it back on to get it to work correctly. i am also having issues with my power steering. i am starting to think that this car just isn't safe anymore and i am looking into possibly getting a new car because of it. it is becoming dangerous to drive this car! *tr

While driving on a major highway, "power steering" message is displayed on dash, warning chime sounds repeatedly, power door locks cycle at random, instrument panel gauges stop working intermittently and jump around, complete loss of power, and random warning lights appear on dash. at times the gas pedal was completely unresponsive, then vehicle would lurch forward - had a near miss incident when the loss of power on acceleration from a red light almost caused another vehicle to hit us. issue has occurred at random intervals since the car was new, but has become more frequent lately and tends to occur more often on hot days. dealer was unable to duplicate concern, despite hundreds of similar complaints on the internet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the fuel gauge and tachometer fluctuated erratically. the contact also stated that the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that there was low battery voltage. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 65,500. updated 08/27/13*lj when the consumer stated the vehicle, there was a high idle and a hard shift into reverse. the ignition shift lock release solenoid malfunctioned. when the key was held in acc mode, the brake lock release solenoid malfunctioned. the tachometer and fuel gauge fluctuated erratically. updated 08/27/13

Ignition failure. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was able to restart. the failure occurred on numerous occasions. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the module control and the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. the contact stated that the parts to repair the vehicle under nhtsa campaign number: 14v047000 (electrical system) and nhtsa campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system) were unavailable. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled accompanied by the illumination of the check engine warning light. the failure was recurring. in addition, the instrument panel failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 13,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated as the vehicle stalled, causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. the air bags failed to deploy. there were no injuries however, a police report was filed. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and ruled as destroyed. the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id number: 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) and stated that the recall notification was not received until after the crash had occurred. the vehicle was not inspected to determine the cause of the stalling or air bag failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 103,000. *tr

My car repeatedly go through times of fits. these fits include losing power steering, power steering chime, traction control chime, clicking behind the radio, spinning speedometer, gas gauge fails, jerking or hiccupping as one person described it, occasional stalling. my car will drive fine for weeks, likes its new even, then all of a sudden it has a fit and this goes on for days. this started when my car was a year or two old. i have taken it to the dealer a total of 8 times. early on when the car was younger it would seem to be repaired only do start this problem again a year later. now that the car is older and not under warranty i have quit taking it as i do not believe it will help. they do not seem to know how to correct this problem. they are rude to me. *tr

My wife's chevrolet cobalt was part of the power steering motor recall and received the repair on may 26, 2010. the car functioned normally until march 31 of 2013 when the cobalt, with only 17, 321 miles, was brought to the local chevrolet dealership after my wife experienced a failure of the power steering. next i accompanied my wife to the parking lot where it had been parked and discovered that upon re-starting, the car functioned normally. the check engine light however was on. we took the car to the dealership on feb. 1, 2013 where the power steering problem and check engine light was discussed. the technicians indicated that they could find nothing wrong with the power steering, simply stating that, "'it works now!" on friday march 8, 2013, the power steering message appeared on the speedometer, a chime sounded, and the power steering went out. i managed to drive the car home and park it. the steering was very hard to operate, as the power steering was not functioning. if my wife had been driving, i seriously doubt whether she would have been able to control the car. during this same incident the engine ran extremely rough and almost died several times. this car simply is not safe. the recall repair was not successful suggesting that general motors had its dealers perform on the cobalt was not the correct one. (was it the most economical for g.m.?). since that time we have driven less than 500 miles and it is now fourteen months later! we are afraid to drive this car. *tr

When starting up the vehicle, the check engine and traction lights are lit up. the gauges fluctuate, as well as the temperture reading blinks. loud clicking sounds can be heard coming from the shift selector. the steering wheel will not turn due to loss of power steering. after shutting off vehicle, the ignition will not release keys for about 15-20 seconds. have also lost power steering on freeway at speeds of 70 mph. have attempted to have gm and the dealership resolve the issue, first by having the recalled parts replaced. problem is recurring for third time, after being "handled" by the dealership the last two times. a very dangerous and potentially life-threatening problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the ignition module failed and caused the vehicle to stall sporadically and without warning. the failure was recurring. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic twice, who was unable to diagnose the failure both times. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number:14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) after the failure and was awaiting the parts needed to repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

For no apparent reason and without any warning (no check engine light or anything), i received an "engine power reduced" warning and my car's engine completely shut down while i was completing a turn in a busy intersection. luckily, i was able to coast to safety and park in a nearby parking lot. the car refused to turn back on for several minutes. once it did, i drove my car to my office and was able to start it and drive it without further incident for several weeks. then, without warning it happened again while i was on the freeway and has been happening intermittently since then. when i took it to the dealership, they claimed they are not aware of other people having this problem, but i have found numerous complaints and reports from other owners online, so i'm not convinced of their honesty or concern regarding this matter. they say they *think* the problem might be the master computer or at least that is their "best guess" (their words, not mine). i will be replacing it later this week. unfortunately, i'm not confident the repair will fix the problem. after gm's repeated and explicit denial of the power steering problem and how long it took them to admit there even was one, i have decided to appeal to you. at present, when driving this car, i am a danger to myself and everyone else who might be around me on the road...as are all other cobalt drivers. please, investigate this matter before someone has this happen at the wrong place and the wrong time and someone gets seriously hurt, or worse. gm knows it created a car with a faulty electrical system which could result in catastrophic failures and they need to take responsibility for it and fix it. just because they stopped making the car, does not absolve their responsibility to make them safe for everyone on the road. *tr

I was driving and trying to get up to speed and all my dashboard gauges began to drop down to zero, as in it would not register any speed, rpms or anything. my turn signals do not work during that time either. this happens often and could be dangerous as in switching lanes, or trying to turn. *js

After approach from stop sign, went to accelerate, vehicle stalled, dashboard computer lights flashing, i.e power steering, brake, mph, and pinging. started vehicle after multiple attempts. difficult steering, accelerating no more than 30 mph, and transmission jerking. this vehicle has been to shop 2 times. the trans module was replaced august 1, 2012. a day after pick up, it had the same issues i.e. difficulty steering, unexpected stalling, rough limited acceleration, flashing computer lights on the dashboard. the auto shop employee assured me" it is safe to drive and do not be afraid.." the shop had this vehicle for three weeks. it was written on invoice, " car driven for 26 miles trouble free has possible inop issue, but is operating as designed." nine days after pickup this vehicle still remains unsafe on the road, with unexpected stalling stopping i.e stop/ go traffic, intersections, and computer lights flashing on dashboard. the tcm /ecm issue is still not resolved causing a safety issue with unexpected stalling and difficulty steering and loss of acceleration. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. after restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. the failure recurred numerous times at any given speed. the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v171000 (electrical system); however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was not repaired a second time. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

On several prior occasions, the key would become stuck in the ignition. to solve this problem, i would simply shift from park to drive, cycling through the gears. this would allow the key to be removed from the ignition. i figured it was a small problem with the automatic gear shifter, it may not be fully engaging in park. this situation carried on for approximately two (2) years, whenever needed i would repeat the cycling of gears to disengage the key. however, a few days ago the key became stuck in the ignition and the previous solution would no longer dislodge the key. i found the switch under the steering wheel to remove the key, but the car is inoperable due to the key becoming stuck in the ignition cylinder on a constant basis. upon doing some research, i have come to the conclusion that is a common problem with automatic transmission equipped cobalts. the shifter is not fully engaging a micro shifter when engaging in park, causing the key to remain in the ignition. it has come to the point where i can not remove the key, even while using the switch under the steering wheel. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated he was unable to remove the key from the ignition. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 115,000. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition. the contact was able to start the engine and shut the engine off, but the key would have to remain in the ignition. the vehicle was shifted into park and the contact attempted to wiggle the key several times but to no avail. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

The 2005 chevy cobalt, as well as possibly every other model year cobalt has more problems than just the power steering motor failures. the speedometer no longer works in my vehicle, the low-fuel warning pops up no matter how much gas is in the car, the engine warning light illuminates, as well as the anti-theft light, battery light (the battery is brand new) and just about every light on the dashboard. though this isn't a big problem, the radio locks itself and cannot be used until the car is turned off and turned back on. the car struggles to get out of first gear and has stalled repeatedly at red lights and on ramps to the highway. i have had the power steering recall repair done twice and when i took the car back to the dealership in may because the power steering warning had popped up again and the power steering stopped working, they said it was not the power steering and they sent me home in my stalling, jumping car with no power steering. speaking to a chevy customer service representative, they told me to go have the car diagnosed (they did run a scan at the dealership and came up with codes u2107, u2100 and u2105) and that i should be responsible for the cost. i asked why they didn't suggest this at the dealership, and was never given an answer other than a repeated i should be held responsible and it's probably a bad ecm or bcm. the car is out of warranty and chevy offered 50% of the repair cost, but how is this a problem that i caused and should be responsible for at all? this car is incredibly unsafe to drive and i have read a number of similar complaints for this vehicle online. gm must be held responsible for their faulty vehicles. the power steering recall did not take care of everyone's problems and the customers should not be held responsible for the manufacturer's failure. *tr

I was traveling home with one other passenger in the car with me at 35 mph, the car turned off, the steering wheel locked up. i was scared and didn't know what to do. i shifted the car from drive into neutral and then restarted it, then slipped it back into drive... i've never been more scared then when i had absolute no control over my car. im just lucky i didn't panic. this has happened twice to me. i now don't feel safe driving my cobalt and very disappointed this problem has been fixed. to me i don't feel safe driving myself or my family in that car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving 50 mph. the contact also stated that the vehicle stalled while driving in reverse. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. the test results showed a defective throttle position sensor. the contact took the vehicle to a mechanic to have the throttle position sensor replaced but the repair did not remedy the issue. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. the failure mileage was 199,267.

All my door handles are falling off and i've heard many colblats doing the same and all my paint is chipping off my car i drove from a to b and that's all

My car shutts off every couple of minutes while im driving it also shut down on big intersection and i almost got hit by the car in back of me. it is very dangerous i was so scared the car just honked and was mad because it was my fault the car just shut off. *tt

My car shut off while driving out of a parking lot a couple of days ago. everything shut down. i couldn't even brake. i was able to put the gear in park and restart it just fine. however this is the fourth time this has happened. the last time being on the george washington bridge. the very first time was 2 months after i purchased this car. i assumed it was because i went over a speed bump that was larger than normal. the second time i went over a pothole. the third time was on the highway. so i had a mechanic look at it and he stated that i could be the alternator. this was about 2-3yrs after purchase. however my time was very limited. i live in md but i work in new york so i spend a lot of time there and leave my car at home. so i haven't had a chance to get it fixed. with this last incident i decided to search the internet and it turns out that i am not the only one with this issue. i found it funny that there were many others with the same or similar problem. i put in a search for "cobalt shutting off while driving" and found a couple of sites describing similar issues. this last incident reminded me of how dangerous this could be. i had my 4 yr old niece in the backseat and the exit of the parking lot was on a hill. feeling the car rolling back and not being able to brake would surely be considered a safety issue. on a side note i did have my car examined for the recall i was given notice about. this was completed last year. nothing abnormal was reported.

Complete power failure at random while traveling at 50 mph. *tr

Well driving to dinner for my birthday and going around a curve, i hit a pothole that i could not avoid without crossing the center line of the road into oncoming traffic causing my ignition switch to turn from the on position to the off position, much like the most recent recall states. though i was able to safely get the car to come to rest on the shoulder of the road, i am still extremely nervous that it will happen again and i am also very, very disappointed to hear that this has been a known issue since the car was released. this is the third recall on this car since i have owned it, and i am far less than impressed with the vehicle. this vehicle is truly a death trap, much like others have stated. my greatest fear is that someone in my family will be driving my car and not return, all because of this giant mess created by gm. it is very depressing to know that i am still paying on an extremely faulty vehicle, in which these issues were known about long before i had actually purchased the vehicle. i would like something done about this, something more than just a "simple" fix (like all the other recalls with this death trap were said to be). it is one thing after another with this car, and though something serious has yet to happen to me, i am concerned for the future of others and myself. *tr

After having been repaired several times under the power steering recall, the problems have become worse. the car stalls, lights flicker, the low fuel message will flash despite there being gas in the car, the power steering is completely inoperable, the speedometer rests on zero at all times, various warning lights are always illuminated and the car struggles to get out of second gear (it is an automatic.) the dealership service center gave diagnostic codes indicating possible issues with the body control module and electronic control module and stated that it wasn't covered under the recall, but that the power steering motor had again gone out, but they would not fix it. the car has stalled numerous times on -ramps to highways and in intersections and has become too dangerous to drive, but chevrolet has refused to acknowledge the problem and only technical service bulletins exist, though they will now acknowledge them when asked, as though the problem is not a dangerous one. the entire electrical system of the car is faulty and should be recalled as it is a major safety concern. *tr

I own a 2005 chevrolet cobalt, the power steering and traction control lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle then began to jerk and become difficult to drive. the vehicle had to be towed to an authorized dealer and repaired under nhtsa campaign id number 10v073000 (steering:electric power assist system); but the dealer told me that there no recall for my vehicle, apparently they was base on the vehicle vin # instead of model/made/year of the car. the dealer told me i need to replace steering column which will cost me close to $1000 w/part, labor & taxes. pickup my car on the same day late afternoon, was able to drive home with no incident. however, the failure recurred the next day, again towed the car back to the dealership, the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the vehicle was awaiting further inspection at the dealership, in the meantime i'm driving the rental that was provided by the dealership. this is mfg defected problem, i should not have to paid to fix the steering column. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled and several warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was able to be restarted after thirty minutes and resumed normal operation. the failure occurred on five different occasions. the dealer stated that the cpu was faulty and repaired the vehicle. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 14,500.

Randomly, chimes sound, gauges on instrument panel cycle to zero and back, power steering warning light, fuel low warning show, sometimes theft light comes on as does check engine light. electrical assist to automatic transmission is lost resulting in hard shifts. must manually shift into 1st gear when stopping to avoid engine stalling. parking car seems to fix/allow car to reset. has happened many times over past two years. had mechanic look at it first time. said every computer on the car had to be reset to the tune of $100. recurred two days later. fixed itself before taking it back in. now i just live with the problem because i don't have the money to let these guys trouble shoot and fix things that are not the problem. am having the power steering recall done tomorrow hoping that it would solve the problem but apparently it doesn't. problem occurrence is totally random. sometimes there is 6 months between episodes, sometimes weeks, days. it is really acting up after the heavy rains of irene. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled as the power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the approximate failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 71,155.

This submission is an addendum to the report that i submitted on aug 15, 2011; reference number 10419491 with the attachments that include the police report, may statement and photos. i submitted my report two days after the accident. now, after reading the news articles and the gm statements regarding the faulty ignition switch, it is apparent that what i thought was a steering malfunction (per the recalls i received and the statements made to me by gm representatives) was clearly the ignition switch. while driving down the freeway at 60 mph my dash lights turned on, i immediately lost steering control (i could not turn my steering wheel) and swerved had to the left crashing into the guard rail. the accident report shows my skid marks across three traffic lanes that clearly indicate that my abs system also was not working. my airbags did not deploy even though my front end was crushed and the car totaled. nothing on my car worked because the ignition switch had turned off. my original report should indicate that my car suffered an ignition switch malfunction that caused the accident. i was belted in so after being released from the hospital emergency room (i was taken by ambulance from the crash site) i was diagnosed with a cervical sprain, multiple cuts and bruises, sprained ankle and knee. my head impacted the windshield even though i had my seat belt on. *tr

The 05 cobalt, regularly serviced by the dealer where it was bought crashed after going out of control when the ignition switched off on the interstate at 60 mph. the steering locked, the abs did not function, when it crashed into the guard rail the air bags did not deploy. the only warning was the dash warning lights all lighting up and the alarm sounds. the one second or so did not allow any chance to the driver to react before the crash. after the accident, when the dealer was contacted, we were advised to contact the gm person. the gm person was friendly and nice, but very firm in stating that we needed to have proof that the car failed, rather the driver at the wheel. the cars computer was not analyzed because the wrecking yard demanded over $700 to tow the car out of the wrecking yard so any investigator could look over the car. gm told us that it was our problem to pay the bill to allow their investigator to look at the car. we did not have the money. after reading numerous comments on the nhtsa site and blogs, people never heard a word from gm after they retrieved the computer. the salient point is that many of the over a thousand complaints about the cobalt and other similar gm cars that identified the power steering as the problem that caused a crash are wrong. the power steering was not the cause of the crash. the problem was that the ignition switch turned off. the gm recalls about the power steering problem hide the fact that the ignition switches were turning off while the car was moving down the road. we know that the lack of power assist only affect the car at a stop or very slow speeds. experienced drivers do not crash their car into guard rails, ditches, trees or other car simply because the power assist fails. that story is what gm has been selling in the past few years. *tr