I've seen many threads about cobalts having this issue with the ignition. Car is off, just stalled it and battery is disconnected.

Now... I call the dealer today to tell them to come tow it and fix it, figuring it would DEFINITELY be covered, and they are telling me it will be $258 or something to fix. My car has 45K on it and is out of warranty, but one would think with the amount of issues they have with the locking mechanism that it would be a courtesy service. Not so. They told me since there is no recall for the item under my VIN number that it does not apply to me.

One of the guys tried telling me I already have the updated cylinder mechanism or whatever else, which cannot be since I bought my car brand new and its manufacturing date is 08/08. To my knowledge, the ignition mechanisms were not fixed until at least April 09'. What the hell do I do? I've tried dealing with another local dealer before about the rear calipers and they would not fix it regardless of how much I bitched.

I refuse to pay money for this bullshit. There is nothing I've done to cause this; why should I be the one who eats the bill? Please help

 

If someone could provide links to any service bulletins or whatever else it would be appreciated. I already have this one:

Document ID: 2552146

I like how they say only "certain" 09 cobalts ... My car isn't one of them is it huh, funny how that works

 

Call GM customer care and tell them that you're vin is not included but you have the problem and the dealer won't fix it.

 

thanks... have a case open. I have a feeling they are going to give me the runaround anyway. This is ridiculous. I don't mean to be sexist but let me talk to the man in charge... I get all these lower on the chain females that don't know ****. Let me talk to someone that can do something about it. Now

 

I had this problem, car has 64k miles, got it fixed last week. But one dealer told me 482$. Another one said pay a 100$ deductible and they will fix it. Got another that called there GM Regional Rep and they did it for free.

 

keep trying other dealerships... i got mine done and it wasn't sticking... i just told them it was.. repaired for free. regardless of year if it sticks it sticks...shitty design

 

I've dealt with one other local dealership before and they refused to repair my rear calipers that froze after 15K so I'm not going to them. Next closest dealer is about 25 miles away but if I need to I will go through them. Thanks for the advice.

If only I had the phone number of an important someone who can make decisions, I'm certain I could talk my way into a free repair.

 

So go in there and ask to speak to the service manager.

 

talked to him on the phone extensively... told him it was unacceptable and he said there was still nothing he could do. These people act like you don't have a job that requires you to drive and dealing with them interrupts your work day and makes you late for work. Its unbelievable to me.

 

Go to the other dealership. They will help ya if they think they can steal business away from the other dealer. One dealer said they'd replace my rear pads and rotors under warranty if i paid the labour. I went to another dealership and explained why i wasnt paying labour for poor rear brakes especially since they were only going to turn my rear rotors anyways. After talking to the service manager they replaced my rear pads and rotors for free. Be very polite with them and explain how much of an inconvenience its been. They may help ya out

 

I had the same problem with my 09 cobalt. I had to kill it and then disconnect the battery each time I wasn’t using it. When it first happened I didn’t have another key with me and I was forced to leave my car unlocked (with the key stuck in the ignition). All you had to do to start it was wiggle the key. It was really unsafe since a little child could have gotten in my car and injured or killed someone. The defect is even more unsafe in automatic cobalts; if someone crashed their car and gasoline was leaking, then the car could explode since there is no practical way to kill it. I informed GM about their manufacturing defect but they did not seem to care. They have a "service bulletin" at Document ID: 2552146, but they only honor certain 2009 cobalts with certain VIN #s (I'm guessing very few, since my car wasn’t one of them and it had the exact same defect as described on their service bulletin). Since GM wasn't very helpful for me, and I bet they will treat you similarly, I would suggest filing a recall complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ to inform them of the common problem people are having with the ignition lock cylinder and to tell them of your safety concerns and GMs failure to truly remedy the situation. If the defective part is put on the recall list then GM will be forced by the government to replace the item that they negligently put into our cars in the first place and the government will force them to make our car as safe as what it should be. Please contact NHTSA if you have had a similar incident, otherwise GM will once again get away with screwing over their customers and disregarding their customers' safety.

 

Jraynes,
I see that this thread is from a few months ago; how did everything turn out?

Rustychief,
Are you still having difficulty with your key in the ignition? Can I be of any assistance?

Happy Holidays,
Sarah
GM Customer Assistance

 

Sarah,

I got my ignition lock cylinder replaced at a Chevy dealership, but I have not had any luck getting reimbursed. I presented the Service Bulletin to the dealership to no avail and my efforts were equally resisted when I called the GM Customer Assistance Center. Everyone has been persistent in telling me that my car is not covered under the Service Bulletin because my car isn’t under warranty and that it is not a recall. It seems that everyone who has written on this post concerning a problem with their Cobalt’s ignition is not covered under the "certain" VIN # language of the service bulletin and the only reason that they were reimbursed was because they complained repeatedly. If you could help me, that would be great.

Best,

Rustychief

 

There are different lock cylinders between stick and auto cars. That's why only certain cars are covered.

 

I have had this same problem multiple times with my car, but as it's an 06 all I keep hearing is that its not covered for replacement by GM, I need to pay out of pocket. I can't figure out why only certain VINs are being accepted and all others are turned away. I really would like to get this fixed before it happens to me again. Any ideas?

 

alot of the times why only certain vin's are affected is because of 2 reasons. first is because they caught the concern while still in the factory and stopped using the defective parts but the cars were already put out. second is the concern only happens at certain temperatures or weather conditions so they take query their database for cars in certain regions and only use those vins type of thing.

 

lol sadly this problem is laughable.. what other car brands out there have ignitions getting stuck like this? only certain models and years are covered? i mean come on GM seriously... if you use crappy cylinders and peoples cars are getting stuck in the on position, fix it! this should never happen in any car..

 

Here's a pisser - I took my car in for the steering recall, and while it was there they did the ignition assy. recall fix on my car without me having a problem or asking for it! It was nice to hear a "better safe than sorry" from the service manager, and he actually had the parts in because he had another 'balt in for that issue.

It could have been that he confused the cars, though.....

 

most dealers carry a small stock of them because it actually is a common problem. i'm not sure why the OP's dealer is being such a dick about it

 

had this same issue...i was still under warranty but had to wait like a day or two for the part...i feel you pain, but they did say to me that it is an issue but my VIN was not effected. Go figure

 

take the lockcylinder apart.

 

I would like to see if there is anything I can do to help you in this process.

Do you have a Service Request number that was issued to you when you phoned into the Customer Assistance Center, and if so could you send me that number through a Private Message? Did you already turn in a reimbursement form with GM through your dealership or through us?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Disposable-Hero,
I went back through our database and did not see any information on this for 2006 models of the Cobalt, unfortunately. This program began for the 2009 models in late 2010.

I would love to assist further, but unfortunately am only able to go through the processes of Customer Service with US drivers. Have you already been in touch with GM of Canada? They can be reached at 800-263-3777 Monday-Friday from 7:30-11:30pm EST, and Saturday from 7:30am-6pm.

Regards,
Sarah
GM Customer Service

 

Sarah,

I sent you a private message; I have never sent one before so I'm not sure if it worked. If you did not receive my message if you can provide me with an email or alternative method of contact I can attempt that other method.

Best,

Rustychief

 

happened to my 09 ss. i walked in and explained what happened. The guy was like, man you're the third guy this morning with a stuck key. It was a monday morning at 8am. and its not just cobalts. but they fixed that and my power steering pump recall with in 5 hours for no charge.

 

Thanks Maven, not exactly the route I wanted to go with though lol.
and Thank you Sarah I will be in touch with GM asap about this.
Funny, like someone said though, it usually only happens to me in cold weather. weird.