Same here, not something i'm really worried about though. As long as you've driven a car without powersteering you'll be fine when your **** goes sour haha

 

x2 !!

 

yep...been there...done that

 

Its real fun isn't it?

 

I am very surprised that people would label others by calling them a “Pro Driver” because they can simply turn a steering wheel without the assistance of power steering. Power steering simply assists the driver turn the wheel easier (especially at low speeds). Power steering used to be an option on cars and most people did without. Ask your parents. I am sure they had their share of automobiles that did not have power steering and they got by just fine. I am glad that you brother is ok but I can definitely see a gym membership in his future.

 

go drive any old car from the 50s or 60s w/o power steering, then go out to your cobalt an crawl under the dash an unplug the power steering assist motor. then tell us which is harder to steer.

not the same at all. there is something different, the ratios or gearing, or something.

 

I still cannot believe this, seriously put yourself in the situation.

Your doing a 90 degree turn as an INEXPERIENCED DRIVER... ok doing this turn with the wheel turning with no effort to suddenly having to crank it like a mack truck, and all this happens in less than two seconds around this corner AS AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER.

HOW is that so hard for everyone to understand????

well whatever it doent matter now anyways, They didnt pull a code at the dealer so were fucked up the ass with a 4thousand dollar repair bill, God I love being debt.

 

I've read all the threads about this on this and the other sites.... I've also driven my share of older, and newer cars, without power steering.

Regardless of whether or not the power steering "went out", your brother is at fault.

By your own description he was going around a "90 degree corner". The HIGHEST speed limit I've ever seen for a corner even close to that sharp is 25mph. Most are 10-15mph. Giving you the benefit of the doubt, I'll use the 25MPH limit.

The average stopping distance for a vehicle travelling at 25mph is 15ft. You said he hit the curb with the wheel turned, so at some point in his travel from the apex of the turn to the curb, he was able to turn the wheel enough to have it hit sideways... At a speed of 25mph (or lower, since I'm pretty sure I would hit the brakes if I lost control of the steering), with the wheel turned enough to hit sideways, you would have some damage all the way down the passenger side, not just the passenger front.

Also, assuming 25mph and hitting the brakes when losing control, he would have been at a much lower speed by the time he hit the curb, somewhere between 8-12mph... Hitting the curb at that speed again would not cause the extent of damage you've described.


The fact is, you're younger "inexperienced driver" brother, took a corner at a speed greater than he could handle, and this is the result.

I know it sucks, but don't try to blame it on something else just because your family is broke.

 

This is a claim for insurance, not GM... **** happens, get used to it.

I also find it humorous how many **** talkers on this forum seem to automatically assume that everybody in the world has the same equal amazing abilities they do while behind the wheel despite knowing nothing about the situation, or having even having something vaguely familiar happen to them.

Put yourself in his shoes, he's going around a corner applying X amount of pressure on the wheel when the power steering ***** the bed and now requires more power for the same amount of turning radius in a split second during a critical time of turning the corner. There's a much higher likely hood of you doing the same thing.

That being said, this isn't GM's fault, its whoever is in charge of maintaining the family vehicle; But that's why they buy insurance for the car, so go make a claim on that since that's why you pay into it.

I've caused incidents from not being prepared for **** like that in everything that has a motor except a train, you gotta make mistakes to gain experience in not making them.

 

Only if the airbags deploy or it notices the car rolled.

 

My mom is still driving a car without power steering. I've driven it quite a few times myself. Its not that hard to do and once you are above parking lot speeds its really no harder to turn than any other car. My 1st car didn't have power steering either.

 

The big issue is that these modern cars are not your average 1960's rod. The Cobalt's rims and tires are wider and heavier than cars of yesteryear. 16"s were considered ******* huge back in the day. Between that and the fact that the steering wheel in the Cobalt is significantly smaller in diameter (Less leverage)... it makes it a bitch to steer even the LS models without power assist. I tried driving the G5 without power assist on its puny ass 195/60R15's and it wasn't fun... I couldn't even imagine trying to do it with my heavy SS/SC rims and 215/45R18's.

Back when power assist was a mere option, the cars were still built to account for it not having power steering. The Cobalt is not in any way designed, to be driven without power assist. Can it be done? Yes... but it isn't easy nor is it something most of the demographic (Youth with no experience in the old stone boats) driving them expects.

 

Yes, but with a car that has power steering that isn't functioning, you're not only fighting the wheel but your also fighting the power steering motor.

Congratulations, you didn't crash your cars that didn't have power steering! We're talking about power steering failing in a turn when it WAS working, not having it quite working before entering a corner. Totally different ball game IMO.

 

This too. Its like brake issues. If you know ahead of time that your brakes are not functional, you can at least adjust your driving and use the ebrake for stopping.

If they go out when you're coming up behind someone that suddenly slammed the brakes to avoid a deer/small child/grandma/crackhead...etc, then its not going to be an ideal situation.

 

I would still consult a lawyer, but proving the manufacturing company liable is going to be hard to do. Since the recall notice is in writing already at your residence the problem has been correctly notified to you, or the parties driving the car. Im assuming insurance is the best bet.

 

I agree 100%. I've owned cars without power steering, and still own one now. Sure the steering is kind of heavy but they're nowhere near as bad as when the power assist on my Cobalt went out. Just parking the car in a parking lot was a chore; I had to do about a 5-point turn just to get it into a parking spot. I was pulling on the wheel so hard I worried I'd bend it.

 

^ X2. The module that records accidents only records about 2 seconds of data. It also only records when the gforce sensors (airbag sensors) detect an accident.


As far as the accident goes, the original letter you received regarding the accident probably said that you should not drive the car till it is fixed. That is GMs way of covering the ass so if your PS fails and you wreck they can say "well the letter said not to drive the car until it was fixed".

 

My point still stands. I'm not even touching the question of whether the steering went out or not.

I still contend that if the driver had be taking that corner at a safe speed, he would have had time to stop or significantly reduce his speed enough to not have nearly the damage that has been described.

 

Disclaimer: I haven't read the whole thread.

I got a recall letter saying GM would send me another letter when they wanted me to take my car in. I never got that. I assume that if you never got a letter past the "We know your ****'s fucked up" letter, they should cover it or you at the least have legal grounds to have them cover it. That said, it's GM so they're probably gonna be douches about it.

 

They can't do that. A recall is a recall. If your VIN is included, they must fix it. I just took my recently purchased SS/TC (used) with ZERO paperwork. In fact, I didn't even have a copy of past service records! No letter. I walked into my local dealer and they brought up the VIN. Bingo 1 recall and 1 TSB (on the charge pipe fix). Ordered the power steering motor and did both procedures 2 weeks later when the motor came in. No questions asked. No hastles.

 

Yeah if you have more money than brains! The amount of money that it would cost to get a lawyer and take your case to small claims court/litigation will be equal or greater than the insurance deductible and the increased premiums, why waste the worlds time with a personal ****-up.

 

My work car is a 2006 malibu. I had the power steering go out at least 10 times. Typically it would go out while turning. While difficult I was still able to turn the car. Typically it only happens in parking lots.

 

well this is all I have left to say in this thread

GM

well this is all I have left to say in this thread

GM wont cover it... period

Its going to be about $2200 to fix... life sucks... but so does owning a car right?

 

Mine was unhooked for a bit when we swapped drivetrains last time and on the highway it feels 10 times better... In parking lots and stuff it was a bit of a pain