2009 CHEVROLET COBALT Complaints

I PARKED THE CAR FOR THE NIGHT WITH NO INDICATIONS OF ANY PROBLEMS AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE THE NEXT DAY, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN IN THE IGNITION. TRIED MOVED THE STEERING COLUMN AND IT WOULD NOT TURN TO START. TALKED WITH A LOCKSMITH AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WASN'T THE IGNITION BUT THE POWER TRAIN COLUMN SHIFT SINCE NEITHER OF THE KEYS WORKED. I SPOKE WITH THE CHEVROLET CONSUMER HOT LINE (1-800-630-2438) AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL ON MY VIN. I ASSURED THEM THAT I HAVE A VEHICLE WITH 85,546 MILES THAT I CAN'T STARTED WITH THE FIRST 11 NUMBERS OF THE VIN RECALL. *TR

I DROVE TO MY DESTINATION AND TRIED TO TURN OFF MY CAR, HOWEVER, THE KEY WOULD NOT TURN OFF. LUCKILY, I DRIVE A 5 SPEED AND WAS ABLE TO KILL THE ENGINE BY POPPING OUT THE CLUTCH OTHERWISE I WOULD BE FORCED TO LET THE ENGINE RUN UNTIL IT RAN OUT OF GAS. WITH THE ENGINE OFF, THE KEY WAS STILL STUCK IN THE CAR AND ALL THAT WAS NEEDED TO RE-START THE CAR WAS A GIGGLE OF THE KEY. THIS IS REALLY UNSAFE. WITH MY KEY STUCK IN MY CAR, I WAS UNABLE TO LOCK THE CAR DOOR; OTHERWISE I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REENTER THE CAR. THIS MEANT THAT A CHILD COULD HAVE ENTERED MY CAR AND WITH THE KEY ALREADY IN THE CAR (SINCE IT WAS STUCK) THEY COULD HAVE DRIVEN IT AND CAUSED SERIOUS BODILY INJURY OR DEATH TO THEMSELVES OR TO ANOTHER. IF MY CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, THEN THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO WAY TO SHUT IT OFF EXCEPT FOR RUNNING IT OUT OF GAS. THIS COULD POSE A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK IN SEVERAL SITUATIONS SUCH AS A CAR BEING TRAPPED IN A GARAGE WITH LITTLE VENTILATION OR IF IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING LEAKING GASOLINE. GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND HAVE EVEN ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THE MATTER (DOCUMENT ID: 2552146 ; #10256: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION - IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER - REPLACE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER - (DEC. 14, 2010). THIS BULLETIN IS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT HTTP://5HIZN1T.VACAU.COM/10256.HTM#SS2-2552146. IT UPSETS ME THAT GENERAL MOTORS IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT FAILS TO TAKE ANY MEANINGFUL ACTION. THEIR "SERVICE BULLETIN" REMEDY IS ILLUSORY AT BEST. WHEN I TOOK A COPY OF THIS BULLETIN TO A CHEVY DEALERSHIP THEY DID NOT HONOR IT. THEY SAID MY CAR WAS NOT ONE OF THE 2009 COBALTS THAT WERE INCLUDED. HOW NOT MY CAR DID THE SAME THING AS THEY WARNED. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS PHYSICALLY HARMED BY GM'S NEGLIGENCE IN THIS OCCURRENCE; HOWEVER IT IS VERY LIKELY THAT IF THIS PROBLEM GOES UNRESOLVED THAT SOMEONE WILL BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR

WITHIN THE FIRST 15000 MILES OF MY CAR THE REAR BRAKES FAILED. IT WAS METAL ON METAL. READING THE FORUMS ON COBALTS SS I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAD REAR BRAKE FAILURE WITHIN 15000 MILES. I DO NOT RACE THE CAR, AND MOST OF MY MILES ARE HIGHWAY. I BELIEVE THERE MAY BE A FACTORY DEFECT. *TR

DURING JULY I HAD TO HAVE MY 2009 CHEVY COBALT TOWED INTO A REPAIR SHOP BECAUSE I COULDN'T TURN MY KEY IN THE IGNITION. I HAD TO HAVE THE IGNITION CYLINDER REPLACED WHICH COST ME OVER $200. NOW IN NOVEMBER 2011, 4 MONTHS LATER, MY CAR IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL YET ON THIS AND MULTIPLE PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS. *TR

AT 20,300 MILES, THE INNER REAR BRAKE PADS HAD WORN COMPLETELY DOWN TO THE METAL AND SCORED THE ROTORS TO THE POINT THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP MAINTAINS THIS IS NORMAL WEAR. THE FRONT BRAKES WERE FINE AND THE OUTER REAR PADS WHILE WORN, WERE STILL WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LIMITS. AFTER SEEING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE (144 OUT OF 168 TOTAL COMPLAINTS, OR 86%) NEARLY IDENTICAL TO MINE, THIS IS CLEARLY A GLARING SAFETY ISSUE - 144 COMPLAINTS FOR A LOW-VOLUME 2-YEAR OLD VEHICLE. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE NHTSA HAS NOT INITIATED AN INVESTIGATION ALREADY. PERHAPS THEY ARE WAITING FOR FATALITIES CAUSED BY THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT BEFORE TAKING ACTION. UPDATED IVOQ 12/01/11. UPDATED IVOQ 01/05/12 *TR

KEY IS STUCK IN THE LOCK CYLINDER. CAN NOT TURN OFF CAR. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD. ELECTRO-MECHANICAL RELEASE MECHANISM INTERLOCKED WITH GEAR SHIFTER APPEARS TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY (INSIDE BOTTOM OF STEERING COLUMN). THE KEY IS PHYSICALLY STUCK IN THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER, SO THE CAR CAN NOT BE TURNED OFF. QUICK SEARCH ON THE WEB REVEALS DOZENS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT ON COBALT MODELS AT LEAST BACK TO 2005. *TR

I HAVE HAD 3 INCIDENTS THAT I BELIEVE ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FUZION TOURING TIRES ON MY 2009 CHEVY COBALT. THE FIRST WAS A REAR END COLLISION IN EARLY JULY, APPROXIMATELY 5 DAYS AFTER I HAD THE TIRES INSTALLED ON MY CAR. WHEN I NEEDED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY STOP THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE CAR SKIDDED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF MINE, THAT HAD MANAGED TO STOP BEFORE HITTING A CAR THAT HAD SWERVED IN FRONT OF HIM. THE SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON OCT 14, 2011. I WAS GOING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION DURING A RAINSTORM. THE INTERSECTION HAS A SLIGHT LEFT BEND TO IT. I WAS TRAVELING AT 35-40 MPH WHEN A VAN TRIED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN IN FRONT OF ME. HE WAS WAY TOO CLOSE AND I HAD TO HIT THE BRAKES HARD. THE FRONT WHEELS IMMEDIATELY LOCKED UP AND MY CAR ROTATED 90 DEGREES COUNTERCLOCKWISE WITHOUT SLOWING DOWN AT ALL. FORTUNATELY, THE DRIVER OF THE VAN REALIZED THAT HE HAD SCREWED UP AND GOT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION RAPIDLY AND A COLLISION WAS AVOIDED. THEN LAST NIGHT, OCT. 16TH, AGAIN IN THE RAIN, I TRIED TO STOP AT A YELLOW LIGHT ON A SLIGHT DOWNHILL GRADE FROM ABOUT 45 MPH. AGAIN THE WHEELS LOCKED UP AND THE CAR SKIDDED THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AT ABOUT 40 MPH. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE 1973 AND HAVE LOGGED OVER A MILLION MILES. THESE FUZION TOURING TIRES ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS TIRES I HAVE EVER DRIVEN ON, ESPECIALLY ON WET PAVEMENT. I HAVE HAD OTHER TIRES ON MY COBALT AND NEVER HAD ANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS. I AM REPLACING THEM TOMORROW BECAUSE MY LIFE IS WORTH MORE TO ME THAN THE $400 THAT A SET OF TIRES COSTS. DRIVING IN THE RAIN WITH THOSE TIRES IS LIKE DRIVING ON ICE WITH NORMAL TIRES. THESE TIRES ARE POTENTIALLY DEADLY AND I THINK THEY SHOULD BE RECALLED IMMEDIATELY AND THEN SHREDDED. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT THERE ARE NO TRACTION, TREADWEAR, OR TEMPERATURE RATINGS ON THESE TIRES. THE SIZE IS195/60-15, 88H. I WOULD LIKE TO STRESS THAT THESE ARE FUZION TOURING TIRES, NOT FUZION HRI. I HAD A SET OF FUZION HRI'S AND THEY WERE FINE. *TR

I HAVE A MANUAL COBALT SS 2009 AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING. I HAVE TO HAVE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO PARK MY CAR. I BEEN HAVING TO REST MY CAR IN A GEAR SO IT WILL NOT GO ANYWHERE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET COBALT SS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHUT OFF AND THE KEYS WOULD NOT REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THERE ARE NO RECALLS OR WARRANTIES ADDRESSING THIS FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,000.

I BOUGHT A USED 2009 COBALT SS. THE CAR HAD 3200 MILES ON IT. AFTER BRING THE CAR HOME I FOUND SOME PITTING IN THE REAR ROTORS. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR TO 3800 MILES IT HAD GOTTEN BEYOND THE POINT WHERE THE ROTORS COULD BE TURNED. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS IS NORMAL EVERYTHING IS FINE. NOT BEING BORN YESTERDAY I KNOW THIS IS NOT THE CASE. AFTER FIGHTING WITH THE DEALER FOR OVER AN HOUR I LEFT MAD AND WITH NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SINCE REPLACED THE ROTORS WITH DRILLED AND SLOTTED ROTORS, AND CERAMIC PADS BUT NOW IT SEEM AS IF THE REAR CALIPERS ARE NOT RELEASING ALL THE WAY WHICH IS CAUSING THE CAR TO MAKE RATHER LOUD NOISES WHILE DRIVE. ONCE AGAIN NO HELP FROM THE DEALERSHIP AS THEY CLAIM EVERYTHING IS NORMAL AND EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED AS I KNOW OF AT LEAST A DOZEN PEOPLE IN MY AREA WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I FEAR THAT IF THIS IS NOT CORRECTED QUICKLY SOME ONE MAY GET HURT, OR WORSE YET KILLED TO PARTS FAILURE. *TR