Owners have filed 6,596 complaints on the Chevrolet Cobalt, covering 2005–2010. The system named most often is Steering (1,453 reports). Worst years by volume: 2006, 2005, 2007; cleanest: 2010, 2009, 2008. 453 reports describe a crash, 59 a fire, 34 a death. On average the car was 5.8 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Chevrolet Cobalt
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 6,596 Cobalt complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 1,453 Read
I took evasive action by swerving to avoid collision with other vehicle that abruptly changed lane and collided with my vehicle. A results, my vehicle struck a concrete barrier wall of the roadway, then burst into flames upon impact. My vehicle was completely burnt out at a total loss before fire rescue responded. The…
Driver died in a solo car accident involving a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. After swerving from his to the next, the driver could not safely return to his lane. His car just went off the road and crashed. The steering on the car just did not seem to work together with the car braking system
I was driving my 2008 cobalt,going west on 480 9cleveland),going the speed limit. I change lines to get off at ridge road,when we hit black ice,the steering on the car would not let me turn left/right it seemed lock in place. We (myself/wife) hit a SUV then another SUV,result was total loss of the cobalt. My wife was…
Fuel/propulsion System 751 Read
I was at a gas station and there was gas leaking behind my driver side door I looked underneath and it was the fuel line leaking some idiot threw a cigarette on the ground and set a little bit of gas on fire I put it out really quick and I had to pull it out of the gas Lane and then I was able to get it home where I…
I found out about the recall on the 2007-2009 on the corrosion of the gas lines on drivers side rear wheel when I took my car to a chevy dealer and they said its the same thing thats happening to my car.and that they only did the recall on 2007-2009 colbalt models .the last colbalt's made was the 2010 models.why didnt…
The contact owns a 2010 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the valve kit had melted and the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure…
Electrical System 546 Read
The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that the driver was traveling 55 mph and drove over a pot hole when the vehicle suddenly stalled, causing the driver to crash into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The force of the impact caused the vehicle to explode, causing fatal injuries to a…
The contact owned a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while her son was driving and his cousin in the passenger side seat at 78 mph, the brakes failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated that while her son was driving the vehicle caught on fire, lost control of the vehicle,…
I noticed that there was no turn signal sound indicating the turn signal was in use. At the same time I also noticed that all of the warning indicator sounds were also not working (set belt, door open with key in, low tire pressure, ect) none of the warning sounds are now working. It seems that the left front speaker…
Fuel System 248 Read
At southpoint mall in durham n.c. Vehicle 1 was traveling north in parking lot of south point mall when vehicle 2 pulled into its lane of travel from a parking aisle vehicle2 struck vehicle1 in the right passenger area with its front left portion
While driving 07 chevrolet cobalt on highway in nevada when smoke emitted filling the vehicle, rolled down windows to see and pulled over 2 lanes to get off the highway and just got out of the vehicle as it was engulfed in flames. Tires popped then vehicle exploded
The contact owns a 2006 chevrolet cobalt. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle automatically sped out of control. The vehicle veered off the road and struck a tree. The vehicle sustained a considerable amount of damage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that there was a recall for the…
Air Bags 233 Read
The contact owns a 2010 chevrolet cobalt. While driving 25 mph, the contact was involved in a crash. While attempting to avoid the crash, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver and a child were injured and received medical attention. The vehicle…
Hit a deer on the freeway going 70 mph & totaled car but none of the airbags deployed
The contact owns a 2010 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while driving an unknown speed, the vehicle became uncontrollable. As a result, the vehicle veered off the roadway and crashed into an unknown object. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was thrown through the passenger's side window and…
Service Brakes 214 Read
This has been an ongoing problem for over a year now. I take my vehicle to the dealer and tell them the rear brakes are locking up and they respond with "this is caused by driver abuse, you have been powersliding it" I have had it to three different dealers. The rear brakes have been replaced 3 times within 9 months…
The contact owns a 2010 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle and crashed in the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed and there were no injuries reported. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…
The contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. The contact rear ended another vehicle due to brake failure. The speed was unknown and there were no injuries. This was the second time that the brakes failed without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they duplicated the failure the following day. The contact…
Power Train 99 Read
Unknown
2009 chevrolet cobalt. Consumer express discontent regarding recall repairs. *tgw the consumer stated when she attempted to back out of a parking space, the vehicle barely wanted to move. She applied more pressure to the accelerator and then it accelerated quickly and the engine revved extremely high. The consumer hit…
The contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle and removing the key from the ignition, a passenger haphazardly struck the automatic gear shifter into reverse. The vehicle rolled backward from the residential driveway and crashed into another vehicle. A police report was not…
Engine 79 Read
The contact owns a 2009 chevrolet cobalt. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into a large rock and damaged the oil pan. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The results of the test were unknown and the…
The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, the contact crashed the vehicle into a ditch. There were no injuries. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed, but an independent mechanic repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was…
The contact owns a 2008 chevrolet cobalt. While driving 30 mph, the contact was informed that the vehicle was on fire. The contact stated that the fire was confined to the engine compartment. The contact noticed an abnormal fuel odor in the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was not…
Cobalt years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Air Bags | 40 | 7 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 55 | 8 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 58 | 13 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 92 | 11 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 129 | 11 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 79 | 9 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 761 |
| Average complaints per series | 8.7 |
| Worst single series | 73 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.8 years |
A model average of 8.7 hides a worst series at 73. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Cobalt?
By complaint volume, 2006, 2005, 2007 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Cobalt years are the cleanest?
2010, 2009, 2008 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Chevrolet Cobalt have?
6,596 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2005–2010. Of those, 453 describe a crash and 59 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.