Posted on 01/02/2016 11:47:26 AM PST by jazusamo
It’s a simple fix: Just take the key(s) to the dealer. They don’t do any work on the switch, just the key. If you ignore the recall notice, you’re barred from a remedy. They send more than one notice.
It wasn’t just the key slot that was the problem.
Internally in the switch assembly itself the detent plunger was changed.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/06/05/business/The-Fault-in-the-Cobalt-Ignition-Switch.html
I own a GM car,but is an older one,so is not affected by this recall. Based on what I know about the recall,I don’t think they’ve really fixed it,just (maybe) made it less likely to happen. What does it take to make an ignition lock correctly? Car manufacturers,including GM,have been doing it for years.
Actually, GM hasn’t. Go to an auto parts store and ask to see what replacement ignition switches they carry and sell the most of. The answer may be eye opening to you.
It’s two part - one, the driver shouldn’t have 20 pounds of keys on the same ring as the ignition. That goes for any car. But two, the auto maker must actually spend money on a design with positive detents and wear resistant materials - something GM doesn’t like doing.
Modifying the key was a stopgap measure until they could get people in to replace the switch itself.
What was worse is that, in the opposite of the Ford master cylinder fire problem where the issue of the leaky pressure switch was compounded by the fact that Ford powered that switch even though the car was turned off, GM *depowered* everything when the key was set to accessory. No airbags, no ABS - which is kind of unusual in the auto industry; usually accessory means that everything but the engine ignition and fuel systems gets power.
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