![\"\"](\"http:\/\/multimedia.detroitnews.com\/pix\/ad\/28\/17\/88\/6b\/b4\/20140418193828_Cobalt_3-4.jpg\")
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“I would allow my son . . . to drive” a Chevy Cobalt, General Motors CEO Mary Barra\u00a0told a Senate Committee<\/a>\u00a0recently. \u201cAs long as he only had the ignition key. If you take all the keys off the ring, or use just the ignition key, our analysis is that it is safe to drive.” Shot back Florida Sen. Bill Nelson: “I suspect Cobalt drivers would not take comfort from that advice.”<\/p>\n Beyond the Beltways\u2019 political fireworks over Switchgate are thousands of Cobalt drivers who are worried about their daily driver.<\/p>\n GM has recalled 2.6 million Cobalts, Saturns, Pontiacs, and other Chevys to replace their ignition switches. I suggest owners do so immediately. But if they must wait (either because of busy schedules or because dealers have not received the replacement part due to production backlogs) I tested a 2006 Chevy Cobalt this week with the original, faulty ignition switch to both verify Barra\u2019s claim as best I could \u2013 and to help owners understand how an ignition-induced stall affects their vehicle.<\/p>\n Come with me for a drive in one of those 2.6 million vehicles.<\/p>\n I’m no stranger to vehicle stalls. My wife and I owned a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica with occasional stall issues (ultimately recalled for a faulty power train control module). My Lola race car has gagged with competitors bearing down on me at 120 mph.<\/p>\n I dropped in without warning on the fine people at Paramount Motors in Taylor and asked if they had any used Cobalts for sale from the 2005-07 model years (GM updated the switch sometime in 2007). Yes, they said. With the recalled ignition switch still in place? Yes. Could I take it for a while? Yes.<\/p>\n Perfect. Moment later, I was in the driver’s seat of a black, manual-transmission\u00a02006 Chevy Cobalt SS two-door<\/a>\u00a0with 112,812 miles on the odometer. I drove it according to GM specs: Key in the ignition and only a companion fob hanging from the chain. I drove it hard over Metro Detroit’s pothole-scarred highways and back streets. I drove from Taylor to Detroit to Oakland County and back. At 70 mph on I-94 and the Lodge. Through Detroit\u2019s rugged Hamilton Avenue corridor. I even flogged it over the gutted, gritty gravel of Bloomfield’s lake roads (which, ironically, are the addresses for some of Metro Detroit\u2019s most beautiful homes).<\/p>\n During my test, the ignition switch never faltered. The key never slipped back to ACCESSORY from the ON position.<\/p>\n Not involuntarily, that is. Your curious scribe forced it back to ACCESSORY many times to duplicate a stall situation. Click. Or rather: Shloop. One of the problems with the faulty Cobalt switch is that it slides softly from the ON to ACCESSORY compared to 2006 peers like the Honda Civic \u2013 or later model Cobalts (I also tested a 2010 model) — which transition with a firm CLICK. Could the 2006 Cobalt key slide backwards with a lot of weight on the chain? No doubt.<\/p>\n When I simulated the key falling back to ACCESSORY, however, the car did not fly out of control as many GM critics allege. In fact, as the prone vehicle slows it remains drivable with brakes and steering still operable. But the electrics vanish — radio, instrument panel, airbags, and power steering. Power steering is the crucial loss. For small or elderly drivers \u2013 or victims who were possibly impaired – the lack of power steering was surely disorienting. The car takes a lot more effort to maneuver. For that, GM will be held accountable.<\/p>\n Quickly turn the key back to the ON position in a manual transmission and the car continues merrily on its way with all electrics restored. Cars equipped with automatic transmissions are not so forgiving. Unless you have the presence of mind to shift the car back to neutral, power will not be restored when you switch the ignition back to ON. Better to guide the car to a stop by the side of the road. Shift to park. Restart the vehicle.<\/p>\n If all this makes you more uncomfortable than reassured, park it.<\/p>\n The Cobalt\u2019s soft ignition switch is symptomatic of the larger product issues that plagued Old GM and its uncompetitive sedans. Don’t get me wrong.\u00a0The Cobalt SS<\/a>\u00a0is a fine car.\u00a0It’s peppy<\/a>. It’s attractively dressed in a rear wing and coupe duds. It\u2019s affordable at $8,000, used. But a comparable\u00a0Honda Civic SI<\/a>\u00a0with 110,000 miles has a resale value of $5,000 more. Why? Because the Honda SI beats it on every detail but power (the supercharged SS equaled the SI\u2019s 200 hp). Its sleek styling. Its intuitive, sculpted interior. Its precise handling. Its reliability.<\/p>\n The Cobalt is history \u2014 discontinued in 2010. It has been replaced by the superb (if still aesthetically challenged) Chevy Cruze, which now gives the vaunted Civic a run for its money. . . except Chevy no longer offers the sporty SS for car jocks. Sigh.<\/p>\n Vehicle type:<\/b>\u00a0Front-engine, two-wheel-drive, five-passenger coupe “I would allow my son . . . to drive” a Chevy Cobalt, General Motors CEO Mary Barra\u00a0told a Senate Committee\u00a0recently. \u201cAs long as he only had the ignition key. If you take all the keys off the ring, or use just the ignition key, our analysis is that it is safe to drive.” Shot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14695"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14695"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14696,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14695\/revisions\/14696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\n2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS<\/h3>\n
\nPrice:<\/b>\u00a0$7,995 (As tested: 112,812 miles used)
\nPower plant:<\/b>\u00a02.4-liter, dual-overhead cam 4-cylinder engine
\nPower:<\/b>\u00a0171 horsepower, 163 pound-feet of torque
\nTransmission:<\/b>\u00a0Five-speed manual
\nPerformance:<\/b>\u00a00-60 mph, 7.1 seconds (Motor Trend); 139 mph top speed
\nWeight:<\/b>\u00a02,991 pounds
\nFuel economy:<\/b>\u00a0EPA 25 mpg city\/34 mpg highway
\nReport card
\n<\/b>
\nHighs:<\/b>\u00a0Racy styling, roomy interior
\nLows:<\/b>\u00a0Numb handling; drab interior
\nOverall:<\/b>\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"