Feds Investigating Reports of Chevy Cobalt Power Steering Failure
Posted: Feb. 04, 2010
Toyota can’t hog all of the negative publicity this month. The federal government has raised safety concerns about one General Motors vehicle as well.
Autoblog reports, “The Chevrolet Cobalt is under federal investigation for steering-related safety issues. To date, the NHTSA has reported 1,132 consumer complaints about a sudden loss of power steering in 2005-09 Chevrolet Cobalt and 2008-09 Chevrolet Cobalt SS models.”
A power steering failure, we should note, is not the same as a steering failure. Drivers have not reported losing control of their vehicles, merely losing the assistance of the vehicle’s power steering system, which makes the Cobalt’s steering suddenly heavier and more difficult.
An NHTSA summary, Edmunds Inside Line reports, notes that “Approximately 10 percent of the complaints allege that the loss of steering assist resulted in difficulty controlling the vehicle, such as departing from the desired travel lane. Eleven complaints allege that the sudden increase in steering effort caused by the alleged defect resulted in a crash, with one alleging an injury."
Chevrolet has already stopped building the Cobalt, and is gearing up to begin selling a new small car, the Cruze, in a matter of months.
LINK:
Feds Investigating Reports of Chevy Cobalt Power Steering Failure - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews
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