Ok so today on my way to work I descided to find out what would happen if my ignition shut off and how easy is it to do. Well I was going about 35 mph down the road (Speed limit is 35) No other cars around so I gently and slowly turn my key back. It didnt take much before the gauges went dead. I kept rolling forward of course and the momentum kept the engine turning, but I had no power steering. I brainfarted. I should have just turned it back to ON and it would have started back up from the cars momentum turning the transmition turning the engine, but instead I Clutched in, and then went to start.

 

We call it a "flight data recorder"

 

the other day I tried to apply pressure to my keys to see if the ignition would shut off. WOW. Barely barely any force applied and the keys click over. It actually caught me by surprise cause I didnt think it would be that effortless. I can really see how too many keys could cause this. I also threw the clutch in and restarted the car like a dummy lol.

I have an 09 cobalt. I dont think this problem is only of 05-07 models... A real fix would be to rotate the damn ignition 180 degrees so that to start the car rotating clockwise, the dangling keys would be pulling the ingition to the start segment instead of towards off....

 

symptom sounds like GROUND to me.

your BLACK batt term is maybe loose (or needs replacement) & the area where the black terminal attaches to body is oxidized. get coarse sand paper and do some phys labour. BE SURE THE VENT TUBE IS exhausting to outside world-below trunk-outside vehicle.

while ur at it ck the red terminal too. ive owned 6 cobalts, never had any problems-- oh-whoops- ss tc rear brakes only prob!!

 

One thing to remember is that all of our SS coups have "manual" transmissions. All of the fatalities were with automatics.

Apparently it is more dangerous to have this happen in an automatic Cobalt. Having the ignition turn off would also turn off the transmission computer.

If anyone has a base model with an automatic, try turning off the ignition one click back while driving and let us know what happens (do this on an empty straight street of course at a slow speed)

Old Veteran Car Dude

 

Hey there,

Do these problems still exist? If so please feel free to reach out to us via private message if you would like for us to take a further look into your concerns. Thank you.

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

Did anyone see the news that they issued another recall for the power steering as well?

 

Yea on 2010s.

 

I had my 2009 ss ignition replaced because of te key sticking issue :/

 

^ same here on my 2010...

 

My switch was replaced about 7 years ago due to the passlock. I never tried to see if the ignition will shut off with the new one. I never had any problems in the past or now, but the only thing on that car's key ring are the key and the fob. I never drive the car, it sits in the garage 99% of the time, so I am not concerned about the recall. The new owner can worry about it once it's sold.

 

It happened to me yesterday for the first time. I was driving normal hit a dip and whole dash light went out. I was like wtf turned the key back and started driving again. First time its happened though

 

it just shuts off man, happened to me lots. you dont hear or feel a thing untill you reach for the breaks or try to turn. slap it in N and retstart ( just give the shifter a nudge, they design them like that INCASE **** like this happens, ofc it wont slip into R by nudging it, only N )

the car just coasts, you NO power to anything, except our radios, cuz those are designed to stay on till the door opens ( or like 15 min timer )

im assuming when this happens, some communication between the computers DIS-ENGAGES the transmission from the motor, because you dont hear the motor turning. 0 rpm. your not gunna bump start it :P

happened at stop lights, crusing at highway speeds, and everywhere in between. no i have **** all on my key ring, like 2-3 things that are small.

 

I drive a 2010 ss/tc, does this mean I have an ignition and power steering recall? Or is the ignition not for 2010?

 

Weird, I have a 05 base with a massive amount of **** on my lanyard and it's never shut off once.

 

All Cobalts have been recalled for the ignition switch (IIRC) and only certain cars for the power steering...

 

Lol yeah I used to have an 05 base myself and had way too much **** and it never turned off. My lanyard broke before i got my ss/tc so now all I have on it is three house keys, a lock key, and the fob.

Great... lol. Thanks for the info. I hate dealerships. Just noticed youre from STL too.

 

Not "from" here per se... lived here for 20 years though.

West County area...

 

I have a 2010 with only 28,000 original miles. Had my steering motor replaced "twice", and my ignition switch once. Drivers headlight (water in headlight), and sunroof track and motor (was clicking when closing)

As far as warranty and safety items are concerned, these are critical components to make the vehicle safe to drive. I have owned many new vehicles in my lifetime, and never have I had so many major and critical warranty issues.

Old Veteran Car Dude

 

Hey there,

Please let us know if you all have any question regarding any recall(s). Please contact us via private message if we are needed. Thank you!

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

Thanks Kristen,

I logged into my.gm.com and it didn't show any recalls active for my 2010. Has this just not been updated since I understand all Cobalts to be affected by the ignition switch recall?

Thanks.

 

Hey there,

Please feel free to send me a private message regarding this question. I will be able to better assist you. Thank you!

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

Tried to private message but your inbox is full.

 

Hi ss4me11,

We've just cleared a few messages. You should be able to send us a private message now. We'll be sure to look out for your message.

Amber N.
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

OK, I have a 2009 Cobalt SS that I bought from a GM dealer about a month ago. I just looked at the Carfax history and here is what I see:

09/14/2010 - 14,834
Ignition lock cylinder replaced
Priority Chevrolet
Chesapeake, VA

I guess that means that my car is one of those 2008-2010 models at risk. I live in NJ, so I'm not taking the car back to Priority Chevrolet in Virginia. I have to say, the ignition switch feels perfectly fine. But better safe then sorry. I just have the key and the Fob on the key ring. There is no extra weight on that switch. I'll PM the GM Rep and make a few calls and see what I can do to get it checked out. I really doubt the car is going to have a problem - but if it happens to shut off at the wrong time ... bad things could happen.