http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/04/reaction-to-gm-recall-on-chevy-cobalts.html
April 24, 2014
As Seen on "Just a Car Guy"
http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/04/reaction-to-gm-recall-on-chevy-cobalts.html
April 23, 2014
Come see the DeathTrapArtCar being arted upon
Open Car This Saturday
Come see the DeathTrapArtCar at OnTheEdgeArtGallery
The DeathTrapArtCar will make its first appearance at On The Edge Art Gallery this Saturday, April 26th, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for the curious to see the car and hear our plans for it -- and for artists to claim their panels. Lead Artist Michael Arata will be there and calligrapher Justine Hince will be working right on the car! There are a finite number of panels so reserve yours soon!
The gallery is located at 7317 El Cajon Boulevard, La Mesa, CA 91942 -see the map-. Look for the bright yellow 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt in the parking lot.For more information, visit http://deathtrapartcar.com/ or e-mail us at: Car@DeathTrapArtCar.com.
Please forward this info to your friends and bring as many people to the Open Car as you want. We hope to see you there!
April 22, 2014
From City Beat
Thanks for the write-up Kinsee Morlan!
Tuesday, Apr 22, 2014 - 49 minutes ago
Canvassed | Art & culture
The last time San Diego actor,
activist and artist Kevin Six made an appearance on this blog, he was
attempting to engage the community in his conceptual-art commentary on the Occupy Wall Street movement. This time, Six has something to say about the recent Chevy Cobalt recall.
A not-so-proud owner of a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, Six says that before he takes his car in to have it fixed, he's inviting artists to help him paint the outside of the vehicle with messages and imagery meant to communicate their disappointment in the slow and slimy way he says General Motors handled the recall. His car will be be parked at On the Edge Art Gallery (7317 El Cajon Blvd.) in La Mesa.
More information on the project can be found at deathtrapartcar.com.
San Diego artist turns car recall into an opportunity for art
Kevin Six's recalled 2007 Chevy Cobalt to be transformed into a mobile gallery filled with messages to General Motors
By Kinsee Morlan
A not-so-proud owner of a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, Six says that before he takes his car in to have it fixed, he's inviting artists to help him paint the outside of the vehicle with messages and imagery meant to communicate their disappointment in the slow and slimy way he says General Motors handled the recall. His car will be be parked at On the Edge Art Gallery (7317 El Cajon Blvd.) in La Mesa.
More information on the project can be found at deathtrapartcar.com.
So my dealer did know
According to the Business Standard, my dealership knew how horrible my car was and sold it to me any way...
Sending alerts instead, GM delayed car recalls
But
it was not until February that GM recalled millions of the Cobalts and
other small cars for an ignition defect that it has now linked to 13
deaths
Let's Blame the Victim
In this case, GM thinks it's the victim and is asking for protection from lawsuits. Poor GM.
GM Seeks to Shield Itself From Ignition Lawsuits
General Motors Co filed a motion in a U.S. bankruptcy court to enforce a bar on lawsuits related to ignition defects in cars sold before its 2009 bankruptcy as it fights a class action lawsuit that seeks to set aside the restriction.
The
plaintiffs also filed a class action lawsuit on Monday, seeking an
order declaring that GM cannot use the bankruptcy protection to absolve
itself from liabilities.
The faulty ignition switch has been linked to at least 13 deaths and the recall of 2.6 million GM vehicles.
GM
emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2009 as a different legal entity
than the so-called old GM. Under those terms, the "new GM" shed
liability for incidents predating its exit from bankruptcy, and any
lawsuit related to pre-bankruptcy issues must be brought against what
remains of old GM.
"New GM's
recall covenant does not create a basis for the plaintiffs to sue new GM
for economic damages relating to a vehicle or part sold by old GM," the
company argued in a filing on Monday in the Bankruptcy Court for the
Southern District of New York.
In
its filing, GM asked the court to direct the plaintiffs to cease and
desist from further prosecuting against new GM claims that are barred by
the bankruptcy sale order and the injunction, and also dismiss the
earlier claims.
The plaintiffs
have claimed they bought or leased vehicles that had the defective
ignition switch and accused GM of fraudulently concealing its knowledge
of the defect, saying that as a result, it was not entitled to
protection from liability.
GM and lawyers for the plaintiffs were not immediately available for comment.
-- Reuters
April 19, 2014
On The Edge Art Gallery loans parking lot to DeathTrapArtCar
We will notify you our friends, the press, and the general public, of the days and times artists are making art on this car so you can see for yourself how totally cool this project is, for everyone except General Motors. Please consider joining in one of many DeathTrapArtCar mini-protests.
Here's the map.
We look forward to seeing you there soon!
April 17, 2014
From The Clyde Fitch Report
A GM Chevy Cobalt becomes the DeathTrapArtCar
Kevin Six in his 2007 Chevy Cobalt. It will now become the DeathTrapArtCar.
Actor/playwright Kevin Six is angry, and he’s about to drive that message home to General Motors.
Six bought a 2007 Chevy Cobalt a few years ago. He paid $8,000 cash, thinking it was a solid used car.
That automobile is now about to become theDeathTrapArtCar, a painted protest to warn the public about General Motors.
The vehicle, along with several million others, is part of the General Motors faulty ignition recall. Other models affected include the Chevrolet HHR, Saturn Ion, Saturn Sky, Pontiac G5 and Pontiac Solstice.
General Motors acknowledges the defect has caused 13 deaths and 31 crashes. One auto safety group, however, believes that as many as303 people have died as a result of the problem. The automobile manufacturer disputes their findings.
“I gave them that money in good faith. I don’t think they dealt in good faith,” Six says. He also thinks the faulty ignition is just part of the problem.
Shortly after Six purchased his Chevy Cobalt, the dealership wrote a letter to the actor/playwright saying the car was in high demand. They invited him back to make an upgrade. At the time, he thought they were trying to make another sale by suggesting a trade-in.
In retrospect, he thinks they may have been attempting to do a preemptive recall while trying to get him to buy another car. He didn’t have the money for an upgrade.
Then things started to get funky. The dashboard lights would turn off for no reason. The radio would stop working or the headlights shut down when he put on the emergency brake.
“Those were all things that I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t know what this is. It just seems so odd.’ But it’s not enough to be worried about,” he says.
But after receiving his recall notice from General Motors about the faulty ignition switch earlier this year, Six became convinced the car had electrical problems tied in with the ignition. GM promises only to change the ignition switch, but they won’t recall the car itself.
“So I called him (the dealer) and he was just trying to sell me a new car… He said he would have to look at the Blue Book. And I’m like, there can’t be any Blue Book on this car. It’s worth zero dollars. No one is going to buy this car.”
He is probably right. It is widely known the faulty ignition defect causes the car and its air bags to shut down spontaneously. So you may be cruising down the highway at 70 mph when your car’s engine stops working. Suddenly, your power steering, power brakes and air bags are all useless.
When Six received his recall notice, the dealership didn’t have the parts so they suggested using only one key while driving the car. General Motors told owners heavy key rings could cause the car to slip into standby, making the car shut down.
“And then I thought, ‘Okay. What’s the problem really?’ And I did some research. The problem isn’t about the weight of my key…”
Indeed, he tested the key in his own car and the car doesn’t turn itself off. “I believe the problem is more to do with wiring than mechanics. But what do I know?” he asks.
The faulty ignition switch on the Chevy Cobalt, made by General Motors. (Photo by Kevin Six)
According to the New York Times, the Chevrolet Cobalt has been plagued with problems. Owners have complained about failures with the clutch, air conditioning, and power steering. They have also cited locks opening and closing, doors jamming and windows falling out. In 130 instances, General Motors was forced to buy cars back, make settlements or equal trade-ins under state lemon laws.
Six remembers previous General Motors cars that were also problematic. “Going back before my time, the Corvair was one of these cars that just gave GM fits. And my brother owned aVega. And when my Dad tried to get the Vega fixed, the dealership said, ‘Oh they gave us so much trouble. We call them Monzas now.’”
“So this is sort of the grandchild to the Corvair and the bastard daughter to the Vega,” he says.
“I don’t want the car, even if they replace the ignition,” Six laughs. “Because I don’t trust them. For 10 years they knew this problem existed and kept making the cars and kept selling the cars while people were dying.”
So what does a creative theatermaker do when he feels cheated by a large automaker? He uses his $8,000 car for an art project called theDeathTrapArtCar.
Six is inviting San Diego area artists to collaborate and paint a protest on his Chevy Cobalt. “This is a warning to people driving alongside this car. To shame General Motors into doing something about this car. And really, to draw attention to the matter.”
Thus far, he has commitments from two artists. One painter is planning on doing an Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘Total Recall’ motif. “The other… She is a calligrapher and she said, you know, ‘Nothing says screw you like screw you written out really pretty.’” He is looking for others to join them.
Six is wary of driving the vehicle. He still needs to get to work or auditions. Since his model has a stick shift, he thinks he can downshift and pull over if something goes wrong.
Since he has to travel the California freeways, the painted protest will send a message of warning to residents in San Diego and Los Angeles Counties.
He believes that if the car eventually goes back to the dealership, the artistic work will help deter the dealer from selling the vehicle yet again.
Six continues, “And you know, frankly, if they said, ‘Okay, we’ll take the car and destroy it and give you what you paid for it,’ this problem would go away for them.”
“I can’t afford to buy a new car. I can’t afford to buy a used car. I used all of my money on that car. I was hoping that it would last me… I try to keep the cars for 10 years. Did not have plans anytime soon to buy a new car.”
Laura Axelrod is a writer, playwright and actress. Her plays have been performed in New York, California and Europe. She has also contributed to The Birmingham News and AL.com. Her book reviews were distributed nationally through Newhouse News Service. A native of New England, she moved to Alabama six years ago. Read more at www.lauraaxelrod.com. You can also follow her on Twitter: @laura_axelrod.
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