<img src="https://www.cobaltss.net/articles/quality.jpg" align="left" border="0" hspace="5" vspace="5">LORDSTOWN - Workers at General Motors Corp. Lordstown Complex have some good news to tide them over a week's shutdown next month - an improved quality ranking by J.D. Power and Associates.

The closely watched gauge of consumer satisfaction showed Chevrolet Cobalts built between October and December received a tracking score of 99.7 problems per 100 vehicles, according to the Team Lordstown publication.

It's believed to be the first time ever that Lordstown has cracked the 100-problem mark, something Lordstown Vehicle Assembly Engineering Manager Paul Coliadis called "great news - for both the east plant and west plant.''

Power does the tracking report every three months ahead of its annual study to show manufacturers how well their vehicles are being accepted.

The Cobalt's number beats its goal for 2006 Initial Quality Study of 113 problems per 100 vehicles, and is well below its 144 result for 2005, shortly after the car went into production in October 2004.

The figure also is better than the 104 posted by Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic in the 2005 Initial Qualify Survey, the Lordstown newsletter reported.

Coliadis said officials are confident the complex can keep the momentum going through June 7, when J.D. Power releases its influential Initial Quality Study.

The study measures consumer's reaction to their new vehicle 90 days after buying it and is viewed as an important gauge of customer satisfaction.

Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112 President at the Lordstown East assembly plant, said the survey "sends the message that the people in our plant are trying very hard to put out a quality product.''

He said he anticipates a positive report later this spring when Harbour Associates puts out its widely-followed survey of manufacturing efficiency.

Jim Kaster, president of Local 1714 at the Lordstown West metal stamping plant, credited workers for the good rating, adding, "We're shooting to go even lower.''

Diane Sauer, owner of Trumbull County's largest Chevrolet dealership of the same name, said the J.D. Power survey is important because it may help Chevrolet win customers who are "import intenders'' - people who look to buy foreign cars, but who might be swayed to buy GM instead if they believe the quality is good.

"We need those kind of ratings very much,'' she said.

The complex's quality improvements since it launched the Cobalt helped it win production of the Pontiac G5 small car, which will be built on the Cobalt platform.

Workers are scheduled to build non-saleable validation G5s starting Monday. Regular production is set to start June 19, with shipments to dealers following around the end of June, according to the newsletter.

Meanwhile, union leaders downplayed the complex's scheduled one-week shutdown the week of April 24 as nothing unusual, saying sales normally slow this time of year as potential buyers pay off their Christmas bills and winter heating costs.

The number of unsold Cobalts, known as the "field supply,'' stood at 100 days compared to the ideal 60 days supply.

Workers will get 85 percent to 90 percent of their normal weekly pay from GM's Supplemental Unemployment Benefit, or SUB, fund, Kaster said.

source: http://www.tribunechronicle.com/business/

 

They musta forgot me... Ive had over 10 problems per my one vehicle.

But I still love the cobalt.

-Rich

 

Delivery in October 2005. Nothing but problems.

 

i'm 20+ problems on mine, long way from a quality achievement if you ask me. It must be nice to live in a life of denial.

 

^^^^

Your cars were not built between October 2005 and December 2006! You're not part of that survey!

 

I have had:

Sunroof trim ring problem (like everyone)
Warped rotor at 4500 miles (probably more my fault)
Failed MAP sensor
Instrument panel Reflash

 

I bought my car with 100 miles on it. At 200 I had brake pulsations. And I don't beat up my car. Since the day we got our Monte in 2004 we've had 1 problem. 1.

 

wait, that study comfused me..are they doing good or bad?

 

JonyyB: nice find

 

I've had no problems with my 05 SS/SC.

 

Regardless of that survey why now look at quality, why didn't they when they first built these cars? That's where it counts the most. I'm so confused...even if they did look at quality my bud bryan has nothing but differential pin issues with his trans and his is an 06.

hummm....

I suppose the problems and service section also speaks for it's self with all the issues people are having, lets look outside of the 05's and into the 06's. Same issues just a different year. Still a far cry for achievement if you ask me.

 

its a good thing to have less problems per 100 vehicles... they cracked the 100 point, (99.7 problems per 100 vehicles)
its not counting the whole vehicle as 1 problem, but each problem as its own....example one car could have 10 problems, which raises the problem bar, but some cars could have none.
if you look you see that even honda, and toyota have problems that exceed 110 problems per 100 cars
big for GM

im pretty sure that they put reports out EVERY 3 months (i could be wrong), however the reson that this particular 3 month period was significant, was because they did break the 100 mark...im sure if sombody looked hard enough they would be able to find the problem # per 100 cars for your build months as well

 

It is kind funny that they are getting all excited about only averaging 1 problem per every vehicle! I thought this was another April fools thread at first, until I read it again.

You'd think 13 problems per 100 vehicles would be good!

 

yeah i agree, but you also have to consider what they include in the perameters of a "problem"
im not too sure myself, but im sure its a very diverse feild they are including
imagine if they included somthing like the fabric peeling off the passanger side door (which like 99% of us '05 people had )
ya never know

 

I just think it is funny that you are proud that every vehicle you make has a problem (statistically)!

 

who says im proud? im proud that MY vehicle has absolutely no problems
Im just trying to justify the numbers

 

Someone madea good point by stating that it depends on how you define a "problem". I'm guess JD is measuring it more on mechanical/electrical problems; serious stuff. All of us here are car enthusiasts, which means we are more nit-picky than the average car owner. So we're going to notice all the little stuff that most people won't. Therefore, most of find this strange that GM got a good rating foe the cobalt.

 

Sorry, that wis misleading. I mean GM, not you.

 

Which Hondas and Toyotas had 110 problems per 100 cars??? The link doesn't work.

 

Sorry i over estimated by a little bit

 

Oh its cool, I didn't know if your were misquoting what JonyyB posted or if you went to his link(that doesn't work for me) and found some other info.

 

o ok, i was about to get all defensive with my bad self
i had a feeling thats what u were talking about

 

My Monte only had 1 problem that was factory related since 2004. Oil leak. It took a few attempts, but everything was done quickly and free of charge. The Cobalt on the other hand, has been down there 4 times and it only had 6,000 on it. We'll see how this one goes next week. That'll be #5.

 

I got a JD Power survey for my HHR but not my cobalt yet. The only thing it asks for is problems. It was a fill in the dot type form with many many catagories. So if you fill in a dot anywhere it counts as 1 problem. If you fill in more that one dot for overlapping problems, it counts as more thatn one. I personally have had no problems with either the HHR or Cobalt SS/SC. Even though I have a tendency to BEAT the Cobalt at every stoplight. Its just too damn much fun.

It is not a very accurate way to gauge relaiblilty, it counts on people sending in a form. Who is more likely to send in a form a person who is content, or the person who is pissed because they are having problems?
There is a saying that is pretty accurate. " A customer who got good service will tell ONE person, but the person who had BAD service will tell EVERYONE"

Its still nice to see the numbers are better thatn toyota and honda.

 

I am getting a loud clicking noise it sounds like CV joints but I'm not sure, it happens all the time when ever I hit the gas and the engine gets any torque, I took it in for warranty and they told me they couldnt find anything wrong with the car. It is progressing every day. Anybody else have this problem