THINK TWICE

Recall 14V047000 (GM, February 2014) is the infamous ignition-switch defect: the weight of a loaded key ring, a road bump, or another jarring event can push the ignition switch out of the RUN position, shutting the engine off while the car is moving. Once the switch leaves RUN the front air bags will not deploy in a crash, and the loss of engine power also disables the electric power steering and brake booster. GM recalled roughly 2.2 million cars across the Delta platform -- 2005-2010 Cobalt, 2007-2010 G5, 2006-2011 HHR, 2003-2007 Ion, plus the Solstice and Sky. Federal complaint records for these four models carry 115 reported deaths and over 1,400 injuries; stall, shut-off, and ignition-switch text runs throughout the complaint data.

Check — Run the VIN through the NHTSA or GM recall lookup and confirm 14V047000 (ignition switch replacement) is CLOSED. Until it is fixed, drive with only the ignition key on the ring -- no fob, no added weight. Walk away from any car that still shows this recall open and unremedied.

STEERING is the top complaint on every car in this family: about 35% of Chevrolet Cobalt complaints and about 35% of Pontiac G6 complaints name it, and it is the number-one component for the HHR and Saturn Ion as well. The cause is the electric power steering (EPS) motor. Recall 10V073000 (2010) covers a sudden loss of power-steering assist that can occur at any time while driving on 2005-2010 Cobalt and 2007-2010 G5; recall 14V153000 (2014) extends the same sudden-loss-of-EPS-assist fix to 2005-2009 G6, 2004-2007 Ion, 2009-2010 HHR, and the 2010 Cobalt. When assist drops out the car takes much greater effort to steer, worst at parking and low speed.

Check — Confirm the EPS recall for the exact model and year is completed -- 10V073000 for Cobalt/G5, 14V153000 for G6/HHR/Ion and the 2010 Cobalt. On the test drive, watch for steering that suddenly stiffens or a lit power-steering warning light.

Recall 14V171000 (GM, April 2014) is the companion ignition recall to the switch defect: on 2005-2010 Cobalt, 2007-2010 G5, 2006-2011 HHR, and 2003-2007 Ion the key can be removed from the ignition when it is not in the OFF position. If the key comes out while the transmission is not in PARK (or, on a manual, without the parking brake set), the car can roll away, risking a crash and injury to occupants or bystanders. The remedy replaces the ignition lock cylinder and re-cuts the keys.

Check — Confirm 14V171000 is completed along with the switch recall; on the car, test that the key cannot be pulled from the ignition unless the shifter is in PARK.