Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt POWER TRAIN

*please note...the incident date is approximate. we have a 2005 chevrolet cobalt sedan that was involved in the recall for the power steering motor intermittent power steering failure. we had never had a problem with the steering prior to the recall being performed. after the recall was performed, we began having trouble with intermittent power steering failure - plus additional failures. upon start-up, we have experienced no power steering, and had to shut the vehicle off and retry numerous times before the power steering returns. in addition to loss of power steering, we have experienced the following electrical problems: traction control light illuminating random clicking of the brake safety interlock relay / actuator (without touching the brake). check engine light transmission going into "limp mode"..."slamming" into gear when shifting from park - or improper shifting while driving. random dash gauge failure random failures of the "driver's information center" - flashing, etc. this was initially happening only upon start-up...but started happening while driving as well - nearly leading to an accident while my wife was driving on a busy urban street. she was fortunately able to drift into the turn lane and come to a stop to avoid a collision and likely serious injury to herself and others, as it was virtually uncontrollable. in addition to the loss of power steering (while driving), the transmission also went into "limp mode", causing very hard shifting and much difficulty in drivability. this has also happened while i was driving the vehicle. i am 6'3", 260lbs., and i was struggling to control the vehicle. i have also been in contact with other cobalt owners with the exact same set of "symptoms". it is clear that the motor replacement was not sufficient to repair the problem, and - in some cases - may be leading to further problems as in our case. this vehicle is very dangerous! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while attempting to turn the vehicle off, the key would not come out of the ignition. the gear shaft would not go in park and the vehicle began to roll backwards. the contact took the vehicle to the dealership and was advised this was a known problem and had happened several times. the contact was advised to pay $397 for the repair. the contact spoke with the manufacturer who advised the problem had happened several times. the contact filed a complaint and received a call from the manufacturer who closed the case. no further assistance was given by the manufacturer. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure miles were 50000. the vin was not available.

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt. 59000 miles on it. had the whole power steering problem right after i financed the car, the recall that went out in march was replaced immediately, 3000 miles later (i drive about 2500-3000 a month) power steering started acting up again, took it to a mechanic, it wouldn't act up for him, he said to bring it back when it was actually acting up. it worked fine for a few weeks, happened again, check engine light came on, took it in still wouldn't give him any problems, mechanic advised to have chevy check the power steering motor recall to see if maybe they replaced it with a bad motor. called chevrolet to get the power steering recall looked at again to see if maybe the replacement was a bad one..... chevy dealership looked at it, checked the car and said he didn't know what was going on with it, and that he could change a few things.... power steering column, new battery...etc. $1000 dollars + worth of work and not knowing the whole time if it was even the problem. worked ok again for a couple more weeks and now it doesn't want to shift in and out of gears and gain speed on the highway, check engine light came on, took it to a mechanic as soon as it happened, he took it out to test drive and the darn thing wouldn't act up on him. this car is a lemon, even the idiotic chevrolet people at the dealership don't know what it is going on with the car and don't know how to fix it. i just want the thing off my hands, don't want to have to pay anymore into it, it's unreliable and unsafe. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the contact was driving approximately 20 mph with a loss of power steering. the vehicle was able to continue in operation with caution. additionally, the transmission slipped and the speedometer fluctuated and displayed inaccurate readings. the manufacturer was notified; the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. the vin number was unavailable. the failure mileage was 70,000. the current mileage was 72,000.

I am not able to get my key out of the ignition of my 2005 chevy cobalt ls. this has been a persistent problem since i bought the car in 2006 (was a rental). up until today (2/27/10) i've always been able to get it out eventually. now however, my car will not start - it just clicks, and my shifter won't move. the car doesn't recognize that it's in park. after doing some research online, it appears many people have had this problem. the conclusion is that there is a defect in the transmission shift cable. please see this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfb6y7_zkx0 this is not the only problem i've had with this car: power steering failure after about 45,000 bad wheel bearing after about 50,000 cd player replaced because it wouldn't eject cds (this is still a problem even though the dealer replaced it with the same manufacturer's model) faulty glove compartment. i feel this model of car is dangerous and should be recalled after all the problems people are experiencing with it. *tr

At roughly 40,000 miles and 3 years of ownership, a problem with the shift lock on the car was observed. at first, the problem was limited to the key being stuck in the ignition even when the car was in park. after ejecting the key with the button on the bottom side of the steering column, the shifter would remain in park. eventually, the problem escalated to the point that the shifter could be moved from park to other gears without the key in the ignition. the car was taken to a dealership, but the problem could not be reproduced at the time. a few months passed after the escalated problem was first observed where the shifter behaved as intended or in the manner where the key would need ejected but the shifter would remain in park. after a failure in power steering system resulted in the replacement of the entire steering column by the dealership, the car was returned to the owner with the gearshift button stuck "down." since then, the key remains stuck in the ignition unless the ejection button is used and the shifter moves freely from park to any other gear even without a key in the ignition or a foot on the brake. *tr

2005 chevy cobalt power steering failure. we purchased this car a few months ago and it has begun to have major problems. the car is inside of the timeline for power train warranty, but is over miles. the power steering light comes on followed by complete power steering failure, engine stalling, rough shifting, strange movements of the speedometer needle, check engine light comes on. power steering loss happens while driving and the engine has stalled while driving. the engine also stall when braking. this nearly caused an accident today and the situation is getting worse. my wife and i drive our 1 year old child in this car and my wife is pregnant. we cannot afford another vehicle and may not be able to repair this problem as numerous reports on the web indicate that this is a extremely common problem that is very expensive to fix. this problem happens several times each day. *tr

Driving my 2005 cobalt is a dangerous option, you can drive it for day's and all of a sudden the steering quits and the transmission starts acting up also lights on the dash panel start flashing the car is still running but the steering does not work anymore, also the shifter will not disengage the steering lock you have to remove the plug out of the bottom of the steering wheel and stick your finger up in there push a small button like thing to get the key to unlock and turn all the way off other wise it will not lock the steering wheel. this has been happening for about 1/12 years i called the dealer ship and they told me the warranty for this kind of thing was up and that they did not have a fix for this, however they knew of the problem in other cars, i was told to replace the brain i did it didn't work i was told to put a larger capacity (amps) battery in, i did , it didn't work, this is a very serious problem that needs fixed. i'm going to put the last incident date in the box below. *tr

My 2005 chevy cobalts power steering completely shut off while i was accelerating up onto a twisting highway on ramp at approximately 65 mph. tw*

I own a 2005 chevy cobalt. this vehicle is my families' only means of family transportation. also, i have very serious medical conditions, including a very high risk pregnancy. the vehicle is my only means of traveling to my doctors and hospitals. at random times my car has shut off while driving, and locked the keys in the ignition. after restarting the vehicle it has trouble staying in drive, and starts to slip into neutral periodically. the problems usually occur while i am driving on the interstate. i have taken the vehicle to the chevy dealership in town on more than one occasion to have the issue fixed. they have changed items within the steering column and told me the problem is fixed. yet, just today, the car shut off again. i cannot explain how important it is that i have a reliable mode of transportation to and from my doctors. i have explained that fact to the dealership, but still have the problem. if i am unable to make it to the doctor of hospital, my medical conditions can take my life, or my unborn child's. i need to have the problem fixed, before i go bankrupt paying for them to fix what they cannot seem to find. *tr

I started to notice, in my cobalt that the brake light would flash across the screen every couple of days. i did not mind it because it was not a constant thing. i asked a technician to check it out and the car was fine. a couple of weeks later i notice, when i got in my car to go to work, that my radio was short circuiting. i figured out how to get that fixed, thinking that the brake light and the radio was not related, even though everything in the car is electrical. after this incident occurred, i was driving home from work, on the interstate, and as i exited the interstate to commute to my home, "power steering" flash on my dashboard and my wheel jerked. now, i was turning the wheel and exiting the interstate merging into oncoming traffic. while exiting and merging, i was going across an overpass over the interstate and came life-flashing close to hitting the bridge. thank goodness i maintained control of my vehicle. i had to drive five miles to my home with a, basically, stuck steering wheel. after i approached my home and turned the car off, i went going into my home. i don't know anything about cars, let alone power steering. so, i decided to go to meineke to get it checked out. i got back into my car and the steering was fine. i thought i was just panicking and it was just a glitch. i asked the meinke technician about it and he confirmed that maybe it was just a glitch and to bring the car in if it happens again. hoping it doesn't happen again, i went home relieved, or so i thought. the power steering in the piece of '!@#$% car has gone out at least 5 times since that day. it's getting annoying and chevy should do something about it before someone is killed and a lawsuit is produced. thank goodness i didn't have my two year old in the car with me. i will never, and i mean never, purchase another chevy if they don't know how to protect the people who are willing to give their hard earned money for these death traps/cars. correction in progress. *tr

While driving the power steering goes out and the power steering light comes on. if the car is turned off and back on the power steering works fine, but will go out again while driving. this happens everytime i drive. i have been researching online and this seems to be a problem with many cobalt, malibu and other models. *tr

We purchased a used 2005 cobalt and have had this issue with the power steering going out on numerous occasions. each time the car was taken in they would say they couldn't find the problem and would return the car to us unrepaired as it would do the same thing again and again and on one occasion it almost resulted in a severe accident while my wife and daughter were turning through an intersection and the steering went out. thank god the other drivers were alert and a near and possibly fatal accident was avoided. they tell us it can be fixed but now that it's out of factory and somehow even extended warranty they had us purchase that was supposed to last until we paid it off have expired they want us to now pay for the repairs and even $100 to even look at the car. we got a report that this car had issues from day one and were never told but received it later from gm indicating the car had a some problems and was sold to our dealership at a gm auction. we feel stuck with this car and trusting in god each day that the problem won't occur and cause loss of life to anyone. please make gm recall and repair these cobalts so that loss of life or limb isn't a result at anytime. this occurs quit often and should be addressed. *tr

In the beginning of october i was driving to work and a warning light came on and power steering was on my message display. my car then began to buck everytime it was to shift from one gear to another and when would slow down to stop it would act like it was going to stall out. i had it towed to the dealer they said it was the body control module and fixed the problem. not even a month later the same thing happened. i took it in to the dealer and they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. 2 weeks later it happened again. i drove it right to the dealer and kept the car running and had a mechanic drive the car to show them the problem. it is now in the shop today 12/1/09. *tr

Power steering locks while driving on interstate while snowing why is this happening to alot od chevy cobalt consumers??? this needs to be inspected.. *tr

My "transmission" warning light on my 2005 chevrolet cobalt is displayed on my dash and the car will gain or lose r.p.m.'s while driving and trying to maintain a constant speed (without depressing or letting up on the accelerator). this causes the car's speed to jump or drop. please advise me on what to do. *tr

Problem started out of the blue. traction control light comes on, power steering goes out, transmission shifts hard, clicking noise in gear shifter, gauges for speed and rpms bounce around, lights for e-brake and abs flash, and check engine light comes on. this can occur at any time. sometimes it is as soon as you start the car. other times it is while i am driving. can not predict when it is coming. surprisingly i have not got injured driving. i have learned to muscle the car when the steering goes out. i am afraid to drive my car but have no choice sometimes. it is the only car my family fits into. i feel i am putting us all at risk every time we get in it. i have taken it in several times, the first couple times they couldn't find anything. i got it to the dealer when the problem was happening. the only thing they could find was to replace a recalled transmission valve. it did nothing for the problem. it still happens when ever and stops pretty much the same. you do have to turn the car off. it can take one time or several times turning the car on and off. no one can seem to give me any answers. i really feel this problem needs to be solved. i bought the car in 2005. first incident in fall of 2007. replaced valve in spring of 2009. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. while driving 25 mph the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument control, and then the gears in the transmission began slipping. he had to exert great force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle and shut the engine off. he was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal operation. the vehicle was taken to a dealer and repaired. the failure mileage was 59,000 and the current mileage was unavailable. updated 11/17/09 *bf after all the failed attempts of fixing the vehicle, the consumer was told the body control module needed to be replaced. the power steering would go out occasionally. all of the gauges were acting erratically. updated 11/18/09

My 2005 chevy cobalt was randomly losing it's power steering. once i had that costly repair, it began randomly stalling. usually at intersections, but sometimes just for slowing down. i've had it in to be fixed several times. it has improved but it still happens occasionally. *tr

Power steering light keeps coming on in the dash, car will miss its shift points, powersteering goes inop, speedo goes from 40 to 60 mph, brakes pulsate when trying to stop. no repair has been found yet. *tr

Driving 2005 chevy cobalt when sudden steering lock up due to power steering. failure light illuminates and car is extremely difficult to navigate causing a near miss accident. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cobalt and my power steering has been out for about 8 months. i've started seeing articles concerning the power steering and thought i should report my car. *tr

More than six months ago i was driving at approx 55mph when my car started to "jump". reminded me of someone learning to drive a standard. had car towed to dealership, no codes, did trans service, 1 qt low (approx $500 w/tow). problem cont randomly, could not afford to take to dealership for them to play guessing game. finally took in begin of jan for ck engine light, no code, sent home. few days later started acting up again. let me elaborate...it will "jump" when shifting especially into 2nd, ck engine light on, t/c light on, speedometer gage goes goofy and "power steering" appears, oh and ticking in shifter. we have also had issues with the power steering going out. on 1/15 it started acting up while on freeway took it straight to the dealer. they pulled code p0742 and decided to replace transmission valve body (approx$2000). picked up car on 1/19, next day eng light back on. husband took to dealer told it would go off. came back on beginning of this week. last night on way to school & back experienced worse case yet. "jumping", ck engine, t/c an auto-theft lights on, ticking in shifter especially when breaking. when leaving school power steering wouldn't work, turned car off n on 3 times to get it to kick in. i do not feel that my car is safe to drive anymore. and with as many complaints as i have read today i do not understand why chevy/gm has not found a resolution for this yet or done a recall. will it take a fatality to get them to react???? (1/29/09 sk). *tr

I own a 2005 chevy cobalt 4 door. i've had numerous issues with the vehicle - from improperly fitting and noisy hub cabs to broken control arms... however i am writing about the shift control assembly. on 3-17-06 i took the car in to the dealer because the key would not release from the ignition. they replaced the floor shift control assembly. now, since 10-20-08, i am having the same problem - again. and of course, the car is now out of warranty. i find it hard to fathom that this part should "fail" again in such a short time, if ever again. it would seem that inferior parts are just being replaced with more inferior parts. after reading similar complaints on this site - i see general motors is content to create chronic and expensive headaches for chevy owners. never again gm. *tr

1. there were no specific events leading to the failure, just normal driving. 2. this is the first time of the failure. the vehicle would not allow the key to turn completely off. in diagnosing problem, realized that the automatic transmission shift control would move through gears without the vehicle turned on. 3. the vehicle was taken to dealer and the shifter assembly was faulty and required immediate replacement. in talking to the dealer, this type of failure is becoming common, so much so, that they have repaired numerous vehicles with the same issue and are stocking the gear shift assembly for quick repair. *tr

While traveling at highway speeds (~65 mph) the car has shut off 4 times. each time car behaved the same way, as if the key had been removed: the engine stopped, instrument panel dials went to 0, lights turned off. radio stayed on (as it would if the car was turned off). the shut offs were sudden: there were no warnings (lights, sounds, vibrations) before shut off. i was able to coast/brake and pull to the side of the road, shift to park and restart the car each time. the first incident was in july 2008 approximately 100 miles into a trip. the second three incidents happened in about a 30 minute time span on the same trip in mid october. i took the car to the chevy dealership after the october incidents and they could not reproduce the problem. they performed a computer update. i had them check the wiring in january 2009 and they could not find any problems. the clock radio resets to 12:00 (when i turn on the car, not during driving) about once every 3 months since i bought the car in 2005 - i'm not sure if this problem is related. the car is an automatic 2005 cobalt, 4 doors with about 35000 miles. *tr

Clutch pedal went to floor. could not shift gears. luckily this happened while pulling away from a traffic light at low speed. if it happened pulling on to a high speed merge onto an interstate, i could have been killed. car is dead in the water and inoperable. this is an event that should never happen. dealer said clutch is hydraulically activated and has a sealed unit. *tr

I have this problem on my 2005 cobalt of the gauge cluster going nuts, speedometer and rpm gauge jumping up and down, the lights in the cluster, abs, security, brake, engine and some others start flashing, the transmission starts clicking near the shifter and the automatic transmission shifts very hard, in fact when slowing for a stop sign or traffic light i have to shift to neutral and then pull the shifter to 1st just to get it to go without stalling, the worse part of this problem is when this starts while traveling down the hi-way and the power steering stops working and i am going around a curve and it intermittently starts working and i have to try not to over steer causing an accident, this first appeared in 2008 and has done it since, no one can fix it not even the dealership. *tr

I have had my chevrolet cobalt since april 2005 and it was bought brand new from the dealership .. up til the beginning of this year it has worked fine .. but in 2007 i have to get a new gear shift , keys made, then to top it off i have had the power steering light come on the information board and it go out 8 times in 2 weeks .. so far knock on wood it has worked fine .. the day i made the appointment it went out 3x within a 30 minute span .. *tr

When traveling in any gear in my bone stock 2005 chevy cobalt 2.2 coupe, if i attempt to accelerate quickly the clutch slips and the car wont accelerate at all. it feels like the pressure plate doesn't apply enough pressure to hold the disc. it has almost caused me to be rear ended a couple of times now. the car has a little over 20,000 miles on it so it's still fairly new and i am not a first timer driving a manual. all of my vehicles have had manual transmissions. i drive the car in a normal fashion, i don't abuse it. the clutch assembly should not be failing on such a new vehicle. *tr

Tl* - the contact has a 2005 chevrolet cobalt with 14445 miles and the vehicle has lost power when the traction control engages. the vehicle has all wheel drive. the vehicle stalled while driving on the under wet conditions at 45 mph. the contact was able to pull the car over to the side of the road. the contact has taken the car to the dealer (curry chevrolet) and they the not been able to diagnose the problem. the contact has all repair orders.

Car purchased on 3/14/05 from rk chevrolet. starting sept. 12, 2006 the car electrical system started malfunctioning. various dash board lights came on, tick noise from the shifter, power steering light and fails, and the gauges began to go crazy! the car also wanted to shut off, and has boosts of energy. the same issue occurred november 2, 2006, june 8, 2007, september 19, 2007(colonial chevrolet), and october 16, 2007 (colonial chevrolet). after we got it back from colonial, the same problem occurred approximately 2 days later. colonial chevrolet indicated that that could not fix the problem and they were waiting to talk to gm about it! they even suggested initiating a buy back. we have been in contact with gmac in detroit about the issue and no answers have given nor a resolution. currently we have to drive a very unsafe car that jolts, can't turn, and will not accelerate at times. we have been requesting at least a rental (safe car) until this problem can be addressed and no one has offered this in lue of a resolution. what has been done: pcm replaced: (9/15/07)body, throttle (8/7/07, 11/2/06), replaced: body control (11/2/06); shifter bind & ndash; replace slide, automatic control lever replace, floor shift replace, wiring /connector steering suspension ride control??< control assembly. floor shift replace (9/12/06). *tr

2005 cobalt door automatic.. since june-july of 2006, the automobile has repeatedly been taken to 2 different dealerships for repair or correction during the warranty period. the would act as to stall, shaky, and hesitate while driving. each time the dealer said they were unable to find or determine the problem. now, that the warranty is out and the car has done the same problem (july 10. 2008) the dealership says there is a problem and they will have to look farther into it.. i knew this was going to happen, the moment its out of manufacture warranty, they can find a problem with it. *tr

Why isn't there a recall for the 2005 cobalt? this happened shortly after i purchased the vehicle! why do you have the recall only for 2009, it should be for 2005 and all models affected, regardless of the year! just picking one year is not accurate for this type of issue. this need to be fixed asap! please and thank you! "transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". on some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. if the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. with this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park". *tr

If there has been the same recall on 2009 chevelot cobalt, it should be for 2005! i can tell you of 3 other people with the same issue. this is not safe for cars to be on the road with this issue. transmission shift position sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect", and fmvss 114, "theft protection and rollaway prevention". on some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. if the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. with this condition, the drive could move the shifter to "park" and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in "park". *tr

I have a new 2005 cobalt ss with 10,000 miles on it i just purchased this car 4 days ago and the clutch slips pretty bad. *nm

My problem is with the clutch i have 12000 miles on my car and clutch is slipping under load. *nm

Clutch on my 2005 cobalt ss will not clamp down at high rpms in second gear. it feels like the pressure plate is not grabbing hard enough. *jb

I purchased a 2005 chevrolet cobalt in august of 2005. in december of 05 the car was having a problem related to the automatic shifter and was in for service. the shifting unit was replaced, also the radio was reprogrammed for flashing an error message at the time of service. by february of 06 the shifter was again very stiff to move and was having trouble getting the key out of the ignition. the garage adjusted the shifter linkage and lubed the cable assembly, at this time i also had a concern with the operation of the headlights, changing them from low beam to high beam. the problem being that when you switch the lights they go out for a brief time. the garage ordered a new multi-control switch for the car. a few days after having the car serviced for these problems the car was towed back to the dealership because i was unable to remove the key again from the switch causing the battery to go dead, and the shifter was very stiff. the garage ordered and replaced the shifter assembly and defective cylinder for the key switch. as of the 7th of march, 06, i was still having problems with the lights going out when changing from low to high beams, the car is presently in the shop. i have contacted gm about my concerns with the shifter and the lights. after i did this, i recieved a call from the gm representitive that i had spoken with only to be told that the service manager from the garage told him that this is a normal condition for the vehicle and that nothing can be done to correct the problem. *nm

I own a 2005 chevrolet cobalt. as i was driving the car i went to make a turn onto a street and all of a sudden the car shuts off and just comes to a complete stop. i wasn't going more than 5 mph when making the turn and i almost got re-ended because my car came to a abrupt and i almost got re-ended. i had to take the car put it back into park and restart. this is ridiculous this happened on 10/24/05, and this problem occurred 2 more times after for a total of 4 times b/c it happened previously on 10/2/05. *jb

Clutch will slip under load. *nm

I am the owner of a 2005 chevy cobalt ss/sc. i have 5000 miles on the car and the shift linkage has failed. the problem lies in fact that chevy/gm does not offer a replacement part for this. my car has been in the dealership for 3 days and still no idea of when a part will be located and if the part can be located. i was able to research and found out that saab uses the exact transmission setup. saab does offer this part but the chevy dealership will not put or attempt to try the saab part since it does have the chevy part number on it. at this point my brand new car is sitting in the storage of a dealership that is hoping they can find a part to fix the car with. why would chevrolet sell a vehicle that they cannot support with parts. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds on two separate occasions the vehicle stalled without warning. the first time occurred while pulling in to a toll booth. after completely shutting off the vehicle, it restarted 5-10 minutes later. the second time the vehicle was towed to the dealership. after inspecting the vehicle the dealer replaced the pcm in the transmission. the failure did not reoccur after the pcm was replaced.

Dt: 2005 chevrolet cobalt. the consumer stated when changing from park to drive heard noise in the transmission. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, they fixed a part on the passenger's side wheel. the vehicle is still having the same noise. when turning the steering wheel different noises were coming from the suspension. *ak

Dt: the contact states that the clutch pedal failed in the middle of driving.*ak

I purchased a chevy cobalt brand new in 2005. from the moment it left dealership i have had one recall issue after another. the main issue is stalling while driving caused by the ignition switch. this had been fixed at schumacer chevrolet several times. my vehicle continues to stall and i am terrified of causing an accident due to this recall which gm refuses to fix. i feel i was sold a lemon and all i get from gm and the local dealers is nothing. my vehicle is worse with the stalling. i don't know where to turn to. please help. i don't want monetary compensation from gm if i or any passenger in my vehicle dies in an accident due to a malfunction due to gm. *tr

Car would not start and and after several attempts reverse lights came on. problem was determined to be a broken shifter cable. shifter cable came off shift control, cauisng the neatral switch to to block the starting . *ak