MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) -- It's led to 13 deaths and more than two million recalled vehicles. But Monday, General Motors dealerships can order replacement parts to fix a dangerous ignition switch problem for several vehicles, including the Chevy Cobalt.
For many people, the words ignition recall have gone hand-in-hand with the Chevy Cobalt. "I think everybody knows about the recall," says Matthew Dempsey, a sales professional at Betten Chevrolet in Muskegon. "I like to warn the customer ahead of time."
There may be fewer Chevy Cobalt's on the road, but the car is still moving sales at Betten Chevrolet. "It absolutely surprised me, I did personally expect sales to go down," says Dempsey.
Instead, the dealership says it's continued selling between 3 and 5 Cobalt's per month. "Sales have been great, they haven't really gone down at all, most of the customers know that General Motors is going to take care of them."
General Motors stopped making the Cobalt in 2010, so now it's sold in the used car lot. The dealership says the Cobalt was originally meant to target young people because of its affordable price and high gas mileage, but sales representatives say these days they sell it to just about anyone.
WZZM 13 found one customer who had no problem buying a Cobalt, but another customer said, no way.
"There would have to be a real turnaround to get me confident in ever buying that type of car," says Roxanne Ames, a General Motors customer. "I still would, I think you could get a good or bad one at anytime, so yeah it wouldn't stop me from buying one," says Will Burdon, a General Motors customer.
The sales staff says the Cobalt's price could even rise in the next month or two. "Generally, in the summer those will go up because most people are thinking gas milage," says Dempsey.
The dealership hopes to get replacement parts in this week, so the Cobalt's can safely get back on the road. Betten Chevrolet says other recalled vehicles have also been selling at a steady rate. The dealership offers customers a rental car while they wait for their car to be fixed.
