GM didn’t recall the Cobalt for its ignition issues until February 2014, then added other models as information of additional defects went public. The company rejected the proposal, claiming “the lead time was too long, and the cost was too high.” Even worse, this same report had proposed a solution, a different design for the car’s key that would have taken just 20 weeks to fix and cost as little as 50 cents per car. Soon after, an official GM report revealed that the company had known about the problem as early as 2004.
#CHEVY COBALT 2010 DIE AFTER FEWS DAYS DRIVER#
The measurements proved that the pressure to turn Brooke’s key was so low, “a driver might inadvertently turn off the switch either by hitting the key chain with a knee or having too many objects on the key chain.” “ ‘Now run,’ he said as he released the key, allowing the tension spring within the lock assembly to pop the switch into the run position. “Mark inserted the torque screwdriver into the switch,” Cooper writes. Families of victims who have died in Chevy Cobalts gather at Capitol Hill in Washington to bring awareness to their cause. As Cooper started closing in on the model’s defects six months later, the company shifted the blame to an aftermarket security system Brooke had installed.īut in December 2012, Cooper and Miller finally faced off with GM engineer Ebram Handy and a GM attorney at the Pensacola, Fla., lab of McSwain Engineering, a company that specializes in “failure analysis and accident investigation.” McSwain engineer Mark Hood conducted the test. Miller also found bulletins issued by GM to service centers in 20 warning that a fault in the Cobalt’s ignition system could cause a driver to accidentally turn off the car while driving.Īt first, GM followed the police report’s lead, placing blame for the accident on Brooke. Mechanic Charlie Miller inspected the car for Cooper and confirmed it had “turned off three seconds before impact,” causing Brooke to lose control. The Meltons’ lawyer proved that GM covered up a problem with a faulty ignition switch that could have been repaired for 50 cents. When he received the data from the car’s SDM - the equivalent of an airplane’s black box - he learned that between three and four seconds before the crash, the car’s speed dropped from 57 miles per hour to zero, and the car switched from “run” mode to “accessory,” the mode for powering just the radio.
He bought Brooke’s car back from Melton’s insurer, Allstate, for $500 and started investigating its contents. They also told Cooper that several weeks after their daughter was killed, GM, which owns Chevrolet, recalled her car over a power-steering issue.Ĭooper agreed to look into it. “The engine just quit running,” Ken said.
In February 2011, Brooke’s heartbroken parents, Ken and Beth Melton, visited Cooper’s office and revealed that, the day before their daughter’s death, her car stalled while she was driving. VIA REUTERSīut in fact, the accident was due to a defect that could have been replaced for just 50 cents per car, a fact that General Motors covered up for years, writes attorney Lance Cooper in “ Cobalt Cover-Up: The Inside Story of a Deadly Conspiracy at the Largest Car Manufacturer in the World” (Zondervan Books), out now, co-written by Mark Tabb. The police report cited the cause as, “Driver error: Driving too fast for conditions.” Jennifer Brooke Melton and her father Ken. The 29-year-old nurse was killed instantly. Find out more about our advertising opportunities.On March 10, 2010, Brooke Melton’s Chevrolet Cobalt veered into oncoming traffic on Georgia’s Highway 92 and was struck head-on by another car. Advertise Advertising on is well-targeted, has unique benefits, and is highly successful. Looking for something lighter? Read our funny complaints to see people who found humor in a bad situation. Vehicle Problems Find out what cars to avoid, view the latest problem trends, or keep up-to-date with the most recently reported problems. Contact us with any comments or concerns.
#CHEVY COBALT 2010 DIE AFTER FEWS DAYS DRIVERS#
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