The cobalt was a known flaw?

[Xist]

They should have produced the EV-1 and replaced their lineup with cars based on that!

I thought that it was interesting that they had the same engine in the Cavalier for ten years without changing it, came out with the Eco-Tec, and two years later replaced the entire car!

[kir_kenix]

I actually liked the Cobalt. My ex-wife bought one new in '08 or so. It was a pretty decent commuter. The 2.2 got good mileage without alot of effort. I don't see how it is GM's fault that people were hanging 20+ keys and other stuff from the ignition switch.

Never had any problems with it in the few years she had it.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

What was an assembly line GM worker making in 2001?

regards
Mech

And they got paid whether they were building cars or not...

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by MorphDaCivic

They should have kept the Saturn line, and canned the rest.

I always liked the Saturn line since when it had composite body panels, but actually considered the brand itself kinda pointless. Those could be seen as the compacts GM was supposed to offer as a Chevy, exploring among other features the advantages of a composite body in the Corvette, or the safety and light weight of the space frame, for marketing purposes.

[The Other Andy]

My ex-gf had a Cobalt SS. Fast car, but the thing was falling apart. Dead gauges, defunct cruise control, intermittent interior lights, seats splitting at the seams, the usual GM interior paint problems, etc. I've driven hers and one or two others; they seem to drive nice, but nice cars they ain't.

To quote GM's vice president of global vehicle engineering:
"Look at this car, it's horrible. How did this get through so many people."

From The Detroit News: GM officials take time to Cruze | The Detroit News

Originally Posted by kir_kenix

I actually liked the Cobalt. My ex-wife bought one new in '08 or so. It was a pretty decent commuter. The 2.2 got good mileage without alot of effort. I don't see how it is GM's fault that people were hanging 20+ keys and other stuff from the ignition switch.

Never had any problems with it in the few years she had it.

"A GM engineer at the automaker's mid-Michigan test track encountered an early problem with the switch while driving a prototype of the 2003 Saturn Ion in July 2001."

Documents show GM's early knowledge of switch defect | Reuters

I doubt the engineer had some massive keychain. The switches are faulty, and it is GM's fault. It isn't as if only Cobalt/G5/Ion owners are the only ones with heavy keychains.

[slownugly]

the ecotec engines are starting to drop like flys. timing chain guides are breaking. burning oil like crazy. wouldnt catch me buying one.

[Miller88]

Originally Posted by slownugly

the ecotec engines are starting to drop like flys. timing chain guides are breaking. burning oil like crazy. wouldnt catch me buying one.

Their 3.6 is having timing chain issues as well.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by slownugly

the ecotec engines are starting to drop like flys. timing chain guides are breaking. burning oil like crazy. wouldnt catch me buying one.

The Cobalt may have been junk, but the Ecotec engines are robust little motors. A minor flaw with the early timing chain tensioners led to some problems, but if you weren't oblivious you can normally get it fixed before it does any serious damage.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy something with one if it suited my needs otherwise. At this point, I've had far less trouble with my Ecotecs than my Honda engines...

[backpacker3]

The Ecotec's are a lot more reliable than you think the only issues I've seen with the chain guides breaking are in cars with FI and I have no problems with burning oil

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I have seen some people claiming that the old belted Opel engines (similar to the Vortec 1600 and Vortec 2400 industrial engines offered in America) were actually less complicated to work on than the Ecotec, but never actually seen any complain about its overall reliability back here.