2005 Chevrolet Cobalt LS from North America - Comments

The key got stuck in the ignition. I was able to put the car in park. I had to park in the garage so no one would see the key in the ignition. I had to wait to Monday to get it towed yes towed to the dealer because this happened on a Saturday and I had to wait to Monday so the battery was dead. This is a big problem they should do a recall because this can be very dangerous. I am trading this car in as soon as my year is over in September.

Ignition/Key problem.

I have ignition problems, it seems the key gets stuck and then, the keys begin to get worn and cracked. I have been through 4 sets of keys, and each time the problem has been reported to the GM consumer warranty phone line. This has been documented and each time I have been told it will be investigated and the problem will be fixed. I, like the previous person had to get my car towed too, because the latest incident, the key broke off in the ignition, and this was on Christmas Eve, I had to wait until Dec. 26th. to get it towed. It is Dec 28th. and I got the car back today, and after being told to "insert the key gingerly" by the service advisor, guess what???, the key still seems to get stuck, and it want be long that it and the other replacement, start to get cracks/fractures once again. I like the previous person complaining about the ignition problem, will not be purchasing another GM product again.

Sure, this ignition problem is frustrating and seriously annoying in a new car, but come on folks! People pay more for other cars and have problems much worse. If this one problem makes you say "I'll never buy a GM again!", you're going to buy a car from every brand and never be satisfied.

This is an inexpensive, American brand economy car. One semi-major defect and you dismiss all future purchases from that company? That seems rather extreme to me.

Imagine paying a lot more for a Nissan of Toyota and have your engine seize or transmission fail prematurely. It happens.

My step-mother owns a 2006 Chevy HHR, which is mechanically the same as the Cobalt, and she too had the ignition problem. It became more and more difficult to take the key out of the ignition. But guess what? She took it to the dealership and bada-bing, they fixed it very quickly. The car is fine now and overall it's a very nice econo-car.

Good comment 1:00. I agree with your sentiments.

Certainly the ignition switch problem should not have happened and GM is rightfully addressing it. But, there seems to be a double standard, which I detect may be at play in this review, in how some Americans evaluate domestic vs. imported cars. If this were a problem on an imported vehicle, I suspect the reviewer would probably shrug it off, saying all cars have problems, and cheerfully get it fixed. But, since the problem happened to an American vehicle, the reviewer uses it as a judgment against the whole American car industry, and vows never to buy one again.

Well, that would be a mistake. Firstly, it is good to support your country by buying domestic vehicles. Yes, there are still a few of us left that feel that way, although I am not that old (I was brought home from the hospital in a new 1975 Ford Granada). But, equally importantly, while knowing full well of the double standard they must overcome, domestic manufacturers have been working very hard at providing great quality, the Japanese manufacturers, particularly Toyota, are experiencing free fall in quality, as is evidenced by all the complaints on this site and consumer affairs:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_engine.html.

Import quality is a myth. Back in the 80's and early 90's, the Japanese made some functional vehicles (albeit I would never buy one) that were based on tried and true technology they were able to copy from everybody else over the years. But, once new regulations were put in place requiring new technology to be developed that the Japanese could not copy from anybody in/after the mid 90's, they immediately began a death spiral. Many people are starting to catch on, but some people still cannot let go of the circa 1980's myth that Japanese cars are supposedly superior. They never were. Buy one today and you will have a lot more problems than an ignition switch.

One of our secretaries at work has had a problem with an ignition switch on her Honda Accord that left her stranded. I guess this makes all Honda Accords crap too.

7:57 speaks the truth. On this very website you can discover that Honda Accord automatics fail prematurely. They last about 100k miles or so and then they are dead. Just read the blue faced reviews and you'll see what I mean. The '98 and up models also have issues with the check engine light coming on.

My Mom's friend has an '04 Accord which cost almost $30k brand new, and from day one her car has made a farting noise you can hear inside the cabin. Now how embarrassing is it that whenever someone new gets in her car she has to say "You'll have to excuse my car, it has gas." If only I were making this up!

My experience with American cars has been 50/50. I've had some that were fantastically reliable and affordable to keep running, and others that were very problematic, but in the least still cheap to repair.

On the other hand, I've not had very good luck with Japanese cars. The engineering is more fussy and as a result, more costly to keep running properly. Where American cars might nickle and dime you to death at times, Japanese cars can $1 and $5 you to death. I feel the same way about most European cars, with the exception of older Volvos. Simple, proven technology seems to work best.